Pakistan and US officials confirm that the Pakistani govt had made an offer to the US govt to hand over Raymond Davis in exchange for convicted Pakistani AlQaeda member Aafia Siddiqui. As you may remember, Aafia Siddiqui was not just a member of AlQaeda, being married to Khalid Sheikh Mohammad's nephew, but she had also attempted to shoot and kill 3 Americans in an ambush attack.
So now it's come out that Pakistan, which the US funds with billions of dollars and calls its close ally in the war on AlQaeda, wants to free this murderous AlQaeda terrorist as a trade for the life of the CIA agent.
Monday, February 28, 2011
more faint praise for pranab's budget. in other words, it stinks.
feb 28th, 2011 CE
wsj: lingering leviathan
leviathan, in case you have forgotten, was a sea monster. pretty good analogy for the UPA govt, that which sucks in everything around into its ugly maw.
also wsj: selling india short
and nyt: india says it expects growth to cut deficit.
famous last words.
i am writing a piece on ibm's 'watson' program that plays jeopardy
feb 28th, 2011 CE
i am not sure this is an epoch-making thing -- a computer that can understand normal language. although it is creepily like HAL in 2001.
anybody have any good thoughts on this matter? i will promise to steal the good ones, and will try to give you credit :-)
thanks
rajeev
Extremist takeover of Pakistan is no further than 5 to 10 years away
feb 28th, 2011 CE
that is, how shall i put it, somewhat optimistic. extremists have been in control of pak since at least zia's time. extremists dressed in armanis and guccis, yes, but jihadis nevertheless.
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: S
http://www.dawn.com/2011/02/16/herald-exclusive-pakistans-nuclear-bayonet.html
From: S
http://www.dawn.com/2011/02/16/herald-exclusive-pakistans-nuclear-bayonet.html
ELM 'forgot' to cover it: Ultimatum to UPA govt at Baba Ramdev's grand rally in Delhi
feb 28th, 2011 CE
it takes me too long to read hindi, so i just had a quick glance at the story below. but this has been buried as usual by the baboo-journo axis.
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Radha Rajan
Date: 2011/2/27
Subject: Ultimatum to UPA govt at Baba Ramdev's grand rally in Delhi
To:
Sonia Gandhi's minions in the english print and electronic media seem to have blacked out this news. And this notwithstanding the presence of arch-secularists Agnivesh and Kejriwal. Some minions are giving more space to her NAC the dysfunctional, moribund body now being resuscitated to give the lady some space in the media, and created only to park all Sonia's NGO activist-loyalists as a privilige post with little weight. Just to be allowed to stand in the corner waiting for crumbs from the high table is high honour. RR 
नई दिल्ली.विदेशी बैंकों में जमा काला धन को स्वदेश लाने और भ्रष्टाचार को जड़ से खत्म करने के लिए योग गुरु स्वामी रामदेव के नेतृत्व में तमाम बुद्धिजीवियों ने रामलीला मैदान से शंखनाद किया। रैली में स्वामी रामदेव ने न केवल भ्रष्टाचार के पांच मूल स्रोतों को चिह्नित किया, बल्कि इसे रोकने के लिए पांच सुझाव भी दिए। रविवार को भारत स्वाभिमान ट्रस्ट द्वारा आयोजित इस रैली में बाबा रामदेव ने घोषणा की कि वह जनता को योग सिखाने के अलावा देश से भ्रष्टाचार खत्म करने का भी अभियान चलाएंगे। उन्होंने कहा कि एक सन्यासी को राष्ट्रधर्म का भी पालन करना चाहिए और इसी के तहत हमने यह अभियान चलाया है। अपने 40 मिनट के भाषण में रामदेव ने भ्रष्टाचार के अलावा कांग्रेस और नेहरू परिवार को भी आड़े हाथों लिया और कहा कि नेताओं को भ्रष्टाचार से मुक्त करने के लिए अनुलोम-विलोम जैसा योग सिखाना होगा। उन्होंने प्रधानमंत्री मनमोहन सिंह को आड़े हाथों लेते हुए कहा कि वह बेईमान नेताओं से घिरे हुए ईमानदार प्रधानमंत्री हैं। गांधी परिवार पर टिप्पणी करते हुए उन्होंने कहा कि देश की अब तक की कुल परियोजनाओं में से आधी मात्र एक परिवार के सदस्यों के नाम पर हैं। हालांकि इस परिवार के कुछ सदस्यों ने भी देश के लिए बलिदान दिया, लेकिन देश में अन्य लाखों परिवारों ने भी बलिदान दिया है, जिसे हमें भूलना नहीं चाहिए और उन्हें भी इस श्रेणी में शामिल करना चाहिए। देश में स्विटजरलैंड के चार बैंकों और इटली के आठ बैंकों की शाखाओं को भारत में खोले जाने के खिलाफ आवाज उठाते हुए उन्होंने लोगों से आह्वान किया कि इन बैंकों में धन न जमा किया जाए, क्योंकि इन्हीं बैंकों में सर्वाधिक काला देश जमा किया गया है। इस मौके पर उन्होंने दिग्विजय सिंह पर टिप्पणी करते हुए कहा कि एक नेता ने छेड़ा तो उसे मुंह की खानी पड़ी। बाबा ने कहा कि उनके जीवन को खतरा है और उनकी हत्या के षडयंत्र रचे जा रहे हंै, बावजूद इसके वह इस अभियान से पीछे नहीं हटेंगे। उन्होंने कहा कि कालेधन व भ्रष्टाचार के पांच मूल स्रोत हैं। पहला बड़े नोट और अधिक नोट, दूसरा अवैध खनन, तीसरा विकास योजनाओं के धन की चोरी, चौथा रिश्वतखोरी और पांचवां कर चोरी। उन्होंने इसे खत्म करने के पांच उपाय भी गिनाए। पहला कठोर कानून बनाना व नोटों को प्रचलन से वापस लिया जाना, दूसरा वर्ष 2006 से लंबित भ्रष्टाचार के खिलाफ संयुक्त राष्ट्र सम्मेलन की संधि का अनुमोदन करना, तीसरा मॉरिशस के रास्ते काले धन को जायज बनाना बंद करना, चौथा काला धन जमा करने वाले विदेशी बैंकों पर प्रतिबंध लगाना और पांचवां विदेशी खाता नीति की तुरंत एलान करना।
अभियान में समाजसेवी अन्ना हजारे, वरिष्ठ अधिवक्ता राम जेठमलानी, सुब्रमण्यम स्वामी, गोविंदाचार्य, पूर्व महिला पुलिस अधिकारी किरन बेदी, आरटीआई एक्टिविस्ट अरविंद केजरीवाल, ऑल इंडिया ऊलेमा काउंसिल के अध्यक्ष मौलाना मकसूद हसन कासमी, पूर्व आयकर आयुक्त विश्वबंधु गुप्ता, स्वामी अग्निवेश आदि उपस्थित थे। काले धन की लिस्ट में विलासराव और पटेल के भी नाम : गुप्तारैली में पूर्व आयकर आयुक्त विश्वबंधु गुप्ता ने कांग्रेस के कई शीर्ष नेताओं पर गंभीर आरोप जड़े। उन्होंने आरोप लगाया कि विदेशों में काला धन जमा करने वालों में देश के कई शीर्ष नेता भी शामिल हैं। इनमें केंद्रीय मंत्री विलासराव देशमुख और वरिष्ठ कांग्रेस नेता अहमद पटेल का भी नाम है। इनकी वजह से ही कांग्रेस सरकार इस मुद्दे पर चुप बैठी है। गृह मंत्री पी. चिदंबरम भी कार्रवाई की बात पर सिर्फ इसलिए चुप बैठ गए, क्योंकि इन दो लोगों के नाम लिस्ट में उजागर हो गए। हालांकि विदेशी बैंक में ‘दाऊद’ कंपनी के करीबी हसन अली द्वारा एक लाख करोड़ रुपए जमा किए जाने के मुद्दे पर चिदंबरम कार्रवाई करने वाले थे, लेकिन उन्हें इसी वजह से चुप रहना पड़ा। जब वित्त मंत्री प्रणब मुखर्जी से मिलने पर उन्होंने इस धन को स्विटजरलैंड से वापस लाने के लिए कहा था, तो प्रणब दा का कहना था कि स्विस सरकार अपने कानून के मुताबिक न ही पैसा वापस कर सकती है और न ही वह इन लोगों के नाम उन्हें बताएगी। 2007 में स्विस बैंकर्स एसोसिएशन का सरकार ने पक्ष लिया और उन्हें भारत में बैंक खोलने की अनुमति दी, नतीजतन देश में 4 स्विटजरलैंड के और आठ इटली के बैंक भी खुल गए। उनका यह भी आरोप था कि बोफोर्स मामले का आरोपी होने के बाजवूद इटली के व्यवसायी ओत्तावियो क्वात्रोच्ची के बेटे मलिसमा को ईएनआई इंडिया नामक कंपनी के नाम से अंडमान निकोबार में तेल की खुदाई का ठेका दे दिया गया।
From: Radha Rajan
Date: 2011/2/27
Subject: Ultimatum to UPA govt at Baba Ramdev's grand rally in Delhi
To:
Sonia Gandhi's minions in the english print and electronic media seem to have blacked out this news. And this notwithstanding the presence of arch-secularists Agnivesh and Kejriwal. Some minions are giving more space to her NAC the dysfunctional, moribund body now being resuscitated to give the lady some space in the media, and created only to park all Sonia's NGO activist-loyalists as a privilige post with little weight. Just to be allowed to stand in the corner waiting for crumbs from the high table is high honour. RR
http://www.bhaskar.com/article/del-babas-announced-for-stop-corruption-1891114.html
भ्रष्टाचार के खिलाफ बाबा रामदेव का शंखनाद
Source: bhaskar news | Last Updated 01:03(28/02/11)
अभियान में समाजसेवी अन्ना हजारे, वरिष्ठ अधिवक्ता राम जेठमलानी, सुब्रमण्यम स्वामी, गोविंदाचार्य, पूर्व महिला पुलिस अधिकारी किरन बेदी, आरटीआई एक्टिविस्ट अरविंद केजरीवाल, ऑल इंडिया ऊलेमा काउंसिल के अध्यक्ष मौलाना मकसूद हसन कासमी, पूर्व आयकर आयुक्त विश्वबंधु गुप्ता, स्वामी अग्निवेश आदि उपस्थित थे। काले धन की लिस्ट में विलासराव और पटेल के भी नाम : गुप्तारैली में पूर्व आयकर आयुक्त विश्वबंधु गुप्ता ने कांग्रेस के कई शीर्ष नेताओं पर गंभीर आरोप जड़े। उन्होंने आरोप लगाया कि विदेशों में काला धन जमा करने वालों में देश के कई शीर्ष नेता भी शामिल हैं। इनमें केंद्रीय मंत्री विलासराव देशमुख और वरिष्ठ कांग्रेस नेता अहमद पटेल का भी नाम है। इनकी वजह से ही कांग्रेस सरकार इस मुद्दे पर चुप बैठी है। गृह मंत्री पी. चिदंबरम भी कार्रवाई की बात पर सिर्फ इसलिए चुप बैठ गए, क्योंकि इन दो लोगों के नाम लिस्ट में उजागर हो गए। हालांकि विदेशी बैंक में ‘दाऊद’ कंपनी के करीबी हसन अली द्वारा एक लाख करोड़ रुपए जमा किए जाने के मुद्दे पर चिदंबरम कार्रवाई करने वाले थे, लेकिन उन्हें इसी वजह से चुप रहना पड़ा। जब वित्त मंत्री प्रणब मुखर्जी से मिलने पर उन्होंने इस धन को स्विटजरलैंड से वापस लाने के लिए कहा था, तो प्रणब दा का कहना था कि स्विस सरकार अपने कानून के मुताबिक न ही पैसा वापस कर सकती है और न ही वह इन लोगों के नाम उन्हें बताएगी। 2007 में स्विस बैंकर्स एसोसिएशन का सरकार ने पक्ष लिया और उन्हें भारत में बैंक खोलने की अनुमति दी, नतीजतन देश में 4 स्विटजरलैंड के और आठ इटली के बैंक भी खुल गए। उनका यह भी आरोप था कि बोफोर्स मामले का आरोपी होने के बाजवूद इटली के व्यवसायी ओत्तावियो क्वात्रोच्ची के बेटे मलिसमा को ईएनआई इंडिया नामक कंपनी के नाम से अंडमान निकोबार में तेल की खुदाई का ठेका दे दिया गया।
Pundita comments on Amrullah Saleh interview on details of ISI complicity in 11/26; and on @majorbuttretd
feb 28th, 2011 CE
not a big surprise that the indian government and the obama government both treat saleh like something the cat dragged in. he tells things they would rather not be told.
and herein pundita discovers @majorbuttretd, a truly hilarious person!
Pakistan and the Bomb: Bruce Reidel
feb 28th, 2011 CE
if bruce reidel believes the paks are going to become 'responsible world citizens', i would like to introduce him to the tooth fairy. i also have a bridge -- real nice one -- in brooklyn to sell him.
this would be merely pathetic if reidel were a nobody. alas, he is sort of the architect of obama's af-pak policy, which is simple: "india should give j&k to pak, so that yanks can declare victory in afghanistan and go home." that makes it truly black comedy.
and these are the clever people that the manmohan singh government is taking advice from on how to deal with pak. grim prospects indeed.
Egypt's Ikhwan wants Indian EVMs; paks already asked for it: totalitarians love them. Of course they would
feb 28th, 2011 CE
pakistanis had already expressed interest.
nice going, chawla and company! (naveen chawla, biographer of mteresa -- so appropriate, one fraud to another -- was the former Election Commissioner)
the chawla EC should have a new name: "Dewey, Cheatham, and Howe" (familiar to fans of Caaah Taaahlk on NPR, as known to the bums in haaavad squaaah of awah fayah city, cambridge, ma)
Sunday, February 27, 2011
jasmine revolution and counter-attack by the establishment in china
feb 27th, 2011 CE
there ain't gonna be no revolution in han-land. they shoot dissidents as 'splittists'.
china: jasmine revolution? http://www.southasiaanalysis.org/////papers44////paper4351.html
chinese police face down middle east style protests http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/27/AR2011022700606.html?referrer=emailarticle
global warming sceptic points out: Snow in San Francisco after 35 years
feb 27th, 2011 CE
yes, snow in san francisco is pretty extreme: that would be sort of like snow in kerala. but we can draw various lessons from it.
my response: one snowfall, or even 10, do not global cooling make :-)
the fact is that climate patterns are messed up. this year, the frigid arctic air that is usually corralled around the poles escaped and caused the heavy snows in the US and europe. conversely, the arctic was much warmer than usual.
bottom line: climate is changing. observe the severe droughts in russia and china; the floods in australia and pakistan. all this evidence points out one thing: the status quo no longer holds.
you can choose to ignore the evidence and blame al gore and so forth, but i don't think it is feasible any more to say that the weather is not changing.
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Arvind Kumar
Global Warming has caused a snow fall in San Francisco after 35 years.
From: Arvind Kumar
Global Warming has caused a snow fall in San Francisco after 35 years.
35 years back - in 1976 - when it snowed, do you know what was the cause? It was an impending ice-age!
I kid you not, the National Academy of Science said so. So it cannot be wrong.
dartmouth, massachusetts: Maha Shivratri Celebration - Wed. March 2 at 10:00pm
feb 27th, 2011 CE
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Saraswati Mandiram
From: Saraswati Mandiram
SARASWATI MANDIRAM
(Institute of Holistic Health, Music, Yoga, Science and Philosophy)
Invites you to
Maha Shivratri Pujan
on
Wednesday March 2, 2011
At
10:00pm
Shiv Pujan/Hawan
Spiritual Discourses (Pravachan)
Bhajans
Location:
174 Old Westport Road
North Dartmouth MA, 02747
774-202-3246
For more information or interest in sponsoring a service,
please contact: Saraswati Mandiram at (774)202-3246 or (603)682-0210
bangalore: Invitation for Maha Shivaratri and Sri Ramakrishna Jayanti Celebrations
feb 27th, 2011 CE
കുംഭം ൧൫, ൧൧൮൬, മുലം നക്ഷത്രം
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Ramakrishna Math Ulsoor <rkmathulsoor@gmail.com>
Date: Sun, Feb 27, 2011 at 10:58 PM
Subject: Invitation for Maha Shivaratri and Sri Ramakrishna Jayanti Celebrations
To: Ramakrishna Math Ulsoor Subscriber <rajeev.srinivasan@gmail.com>
From: Ramakrishna Math Ulsoor <rkmathulsoor@gmail.com>
Date: Sun, Feb 27, 2011 at 10:58 PM
Subject: Invitation for Maha Shivaratri and Sri Ramakrishna Jayanti Celebrations
To: Ramakrishna Math Ulsoor Subscriber <rajeev.srinivasan@gmail.com>
Dear Devotees,
Maha Shivaratri will be celebrated at our Math on Wednesday, 2nd March, 2011, 5.30pm to 5.00am as per the programme given below.
Also Sri Ramakrishna Jayanti will be celebrated at our Math on Sunday, 6th of March, 2011 as per the programme given below.
You along with your relatives and friends are cordially invited to participate and receive the blessings of the Lord.
Yours in service,
Swami Veetabhayananda
President
MAHA SHIVARATRI PROGRAMME
05.30 p.m. Bhajans
06.45 p.m. Arati and Bhajans
07.30 p.m. Bhajans
09.00 p.m. Ist prahara puja and Bhajans
10.00 p.m. Bhajans
11.00 p.m. IInd prahara puja and Bhajans
12.00 a.m. Shiva Ashtottara Archana
12.30 a.m. Offering of Billva by Devotees
01.00 a.m. Visit to Someshwara Temple and IIIrd Prahara Puja
02.00 a.m. Bhajans
03.00 a.m. IVth Prahara Puja and Bhajans
04.00 a.m. Homa
05.00 a.m. Mangalarati to Sri Ramakrishna and Shiva
SRI RAMAKRISHNA JAYANTI PROGRAMME
Morning
05.00 a.m. Mangalarati
07.30 a.m. Special Worship
08.00 a.m. Vishnu Sahasranama Parayana
08.30 a.m. Sri Ramakrishna Sankirtana
09.30 a.m. Bhajans
10.30 a.m. Homa
11.40 a.m. Pushpanjali
11.50 a.m. Sri Ramakrishna Ashtottara Archana
12.00 noon Discourse
12.30 p.m. Bhogarati
Evening
05.30 p.m. Bhajans
06.45 p.m. Arati and Bhajans
You can go through the various celebration moments by this link https://picasaweb.google.com/rkmathulsoor/Celebrations#slideshow/5530775928337742530
Ramakrishna Math
Swami Vivekananda Road
Ulsoor, Bangalore - 560 008
Ph: 080 - 2536 7878
E-mail: rkmathulsoor@dataone.in
Website: www.ramakrishnamath.in
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Purity, patience & perseverance are the three essentials to success and above all love. --- Swami Vivekananda
'Friends, Not Masters'
Pakistanis officials are loudly whining to the US that they don't want to be treated like slaves or puppets? Oh really - as if the Pakistanis themselves aren't already treating the Afghans this way?
binayak, the full 3M guy
feb 27th, 2011 CE
arvind, you should note that binayak sen, the 'healing angel', is not only a marxist and a crypto-missionary, he likes to be a mullah, too.
you couldn't find a better criminal than binayak to personify your 3M reports.
this would be hilarious if it weren't such black comedy.
did binayak ever go to one looking like a hindu (of course he may have no memory of what that means, after his conversion presumably in vellors) of the many mini-pakistans in india (eg. in kozhikode's nadapuram where several green terrorists just met their 72 houris while making bombs which exploded prematurely, bangalore's mosque road, or the old city of hyderabad, or other places where black tent-clad women and their white-clad shepherds rule)? how does it feel to be a fearful infidel there? or in bangladesh, where infidels are simply beaten to death by the faithful?
use mobile to mobile to eliminate black money in Indian economy
feb 27th, 2011 CE
does this sound feasible?
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Ram Narayanan
From: Ram Narayanan
Dear Rajeev:
This is an important article and I hope GOI and RBI will quickly act upon its recommendations.
Ram
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/opinion/edit-page/Have-mobile-will-travel/articleshow/7541670.cms
Have mobile, will travel
Ashok Jhunjhunwala , Feb 22, 2011,
Dictators in Tunisia and Egypt have fallen. Internet technologies played their small part in this. India is not like Tunisia and Egypt. Its economy has belied expectations and grows at 8 to 9% year after year. As large sections do not benefit adequately from this growth, there has been considerable focus on government programmes to make it inclusive. At the same time, our press has demonstrated its independence. The RTI Act enables citizens to demand and get information. Our CAG stands tall, just as our Election Commission and courts do. Yet India is in a crisis. Its citizens are tired of governance deficit, corruption, black money and an inspector-raj.
Everyday we see scams (sometimes even when they are not there) being exposed in the media, demonstrations, Parliament jams and court orders. But there is little positive action. What is needed is action against black money, the driver of all corruption. Are we citizens ready to move beyond protests and take a small step that could hit at the heart of black money?
Black money thrives in the cash economy. If we introduce traceability in financial transactions, it will be difficult to hide. We can do this using some simple available technologies. It is possible to carry out all transactions in electronic form, where money is transferred from the payer's bank account to the payee's. The back-end core banking system of almost all banks allows that. ATM withdrawals, any-branch banking and internet banking thrive on it. The internet, however, is used by a small section. Credit card (and debit card) based payments and transaction could be another way, but have not caught on much (except for use of debit cards for cash withdrawals).
But India has over 750 million mobile phone connections, and growing at 15 million per month. Over 500 million invididuals are believed to have mobiles. In a few years, mobile telephony could touch most of India's adult population. It is now possible to link one's mobile phone to a bank account. So, it is possible to carry out most transactions including money transfer, bill payments, balance enquiry and checks on past transactions. A bank's computer uses the caller line identification (CLI) and a customer's PIN to authenticate her, following which any transaction can be carried out using an application loaded on her phone. End-to-end encryption makes transactions secure. Transactions are instantaneous: for example, any payment is notified by sending an SMS to the payer as well as payee.
The Mobile Payment Forum of India, RBI and National Payment Corporation of India worked with banks, telecom operators and technology providers to make money transfer possible between customers of any two banks, any two operators and any two technology providers. One does not even need the bank account number to make payments, as the payee's mobile number and a mobile money ID (MMID) uniquely map to her bank account.
Mobile payments would make cash redundant. One could pay a vegetable vendor who displays a mobile number and MMID at the shop. Similarly, auto fare or kirana shop payments can be made instantaneously. Money can be transferred whether the recipient is near or far. Doing so from Mumbai to an Orissa village would now be a simple matter. A single day amount could be small, say Rs 50, or as much as Rs 50,000.
Safe, secure, simple, instantaneous, and with a complete list of payments and receipts in one's passbook, there is no reason why anyone would not use this method. Using mobile payments instead of cash could be our way to bring in traceability and say no to the black money economy.
Do all banks provide mobile-to-mobile payments? About 10 banks do and another 15 will by the end of next month. Will there be teething troubles? Sure, but nothing that can't be handled. Will transaction charges be too much? Banks and telecom operators can make transactions below Rs 1,000 free and charge one or two rupees for transactions up to Rs 10,000. Will SMS come in real time? Telcos can ensure that.
One may argue that many in rural India and some in urban India do not have bank accounts. With financial inclusion initiatives, no-frill accounts can be opened quickly. In fact, mobile payments would incentivise people to open such accounts. Further, telecom operators are tying up with banks to come up with phone-based pre-paid cards (mobile wallets) for making payments and transferring money as in mobile banking. Will illiteracy be a bottleneck? Several banks and technology providers use mobile voice banking: one just has to speak to carry out a transaction. So, there may be some hiccups, but there are technological answers.
Many of us will remember that computerisation of railway reservations in the 1980s dealt a blow to rampant corruption. As an example of technology being used to bring in transparency, mobile payments give us a much bigger opportunity. In due course, we would demand that government recalls 500 and 1,000 rupee notes and makes it mandatory for all shops and vendors to accept only electronic payments. But let us take the initiative. Let us get our MMID and start making mobile payments instead of using cash. Let shops start displaying their mobile numbers and MMID. That would be a big statement against black money.
The writer teaches electrical engineering at IIT Madras and is on the PM's Scientific Advisory Committee.
This is an important article and I hope GOI and RBI will quickly act upon its recommendations.
Ram
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/opinion/edit-page/Have-mobile-will-travel/articleshow/7541670.cms
Have mobile, will travel
Ashok Jhunjhunwala , Feb 22, 2011,
Dictators in Tunisia and Egypt have fallen. Internet technologies played their small part in this. India is not like Tunisia and Egypt. Its economy has belied expectations and grows at 8 to 9% year after year. As large sections do not benefit adequately from this growth, there has been considerable focus on government programmes to make it inclusive. At the same time, our press has demonstrated its independence. The RTI Act enables citizens to demand and get information. Our CAG stands tall, just as our Election Commission and courts do. Yet India is in a crisis. Its citizens are tired of governance deficit, corruption, black money and an inspector-raj.
Everyday we see scams (sometimes even when they are not there) being exposed in the media, demonstrations, Parliament jams and court orders. But there is little positive action. What is needed is action against black money, the driver of all corruption. Are we citizens ready to move beyond protests and take a small step that could hit at the heart of black money?
Black money thrives in the cash economy. If we introduce traceability in financial transactions, it will be difficult to hide. We can do this using some simple available technologies. It is possible to carry out all transactions in electronic form, where money is transferred from the payer's bank account to the payee's. The back-end core banking system of almost all banks allows that. ATM withdrawals, any-branch banking and internet banking thrive on it. The internet, however, is used by a small section. Credit card (and debit card) based payments and transaction could be another way, but have not caught on much (except for use of debit cards for cash withdrawals).
But India has over 750 million mobile phone connections, and growing at 15 million per month. Over 500 million invididuals are believed to have mobiles. In a few years, mobile telephony could touch most of India's adult population. It is now possible to link one's mobile phone to a bank account. So, it is possible to carry out most transactions including money transfer, bill payments, balance enquiry and checks on past transactions. A bank's computer uses the caller line identification (CLI) and a customer's PIN to authenticate her, following which any transaction can be carried out using an application loaded on her phone. End-to-end encryption makes transactions secure. Transactions are instantaneous: for example, any payment is notified by sending an SMS to the payer as well as payee.
The Mobile Payment Forum of India, RBI and National Payment Corporation of India worked with banks, telecom operators and technology providers to make money transfer possible between customers of any two banks, any two operators and any two technology providers. One does not even need the bank account number to make payments, as the payee's mobile number and a mobile money ID (MMID) uniquely map to her bank account.
Mobile payments would make cash redundant. One could pay a vegetable vendor who displays a mobile number and MMID at the shop. Similarly, auto fare or kirana shop payments can be made instantaneously. Money can be transferred whether the recipient is near or far. Doing so from Mumbai to an Orissa village would now be a simple matter. A single day amount could be small, say Rs 50, or as much as Rs 50,000.
Safe, secure, simple, instantaneous, and with a complete list of payments and receipts in one's passbook, there is no reason why anyone would not use this method. Using mobile payments instead of cash could be our way to bring in traceability and say no to the black money economy.
Do all banks provide mobile-to-mobile payments? About 10 banks do and another 15 will by the end of next month. Will there be teething troubles? Sure, but nothing that can't be handled. Will transaction charges be too much? Banks and telecom operators can make transactions below Rs 1,000 free and charge one or two rupees for transactions up to Rs 10,000. Will SMS come in real time? Telcos can ensure that.
One may argue that many in rural India and some in urban India do not have bank accounts. With financial inclusion initiatives, no-frill accounts can be opened quickly. In fact, mobile payments would incentivise people to open such accounts. Further, telecom operators are tying up with banks to come up with phone-based pre-paid cards (mobile wallets) for making payments and transferring money as in mobile banking. Will illiteracy be a bottleneck? Several banks and technology providers use mobile voice banking: one just has to speak to carry out a transaction. So, there may be some hiccups, but there are technological answers.
Many of us will remember that computerisation of railway reservations in the 1980s dealt a blow to rampant corruption. As an example of technology being used to bring in transparency, mobile payments give us a much bigger opportunity. In due course, we would demand that government recalls 500 and 1,000 rupee notes and makes it mandatory for all shops and vendors to accept only electronic payments. But let us take the initiative. Let us get our MMID and start making mobile payments instead of using cash. Let shops start displaying their mobile numbers and MMID. That would be a big statement against black money.
The writer teaches electrical engineering at IIT Madras and is on the PM's Scientific Advisory Committee.
Hindus must learn to cultivate similar Chutzpah (“astounding hubris")
feb 27th, 2011 CE
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Ravi
Date: Fri, Feb 25, 2011 at 10:44 AM
Subject: Hindus must learn to cultivate similar Chutzpah ("astounding hubris")
To:
From: Ravi
Date: Fri, Feb 25, 2011 at 10:44 AM
Subject: Hindus must learn to cultivate similar Chutzpah ("astounding hubris")
To:
Hindus, especially Hindutva activists, must learn to cultivate similar Chutzpah ("astounding hubris") if they wish to deal with the threat from Islam.
Excerpts from: http://www.jihadwatch.org/2011/02/islamic-chutzpah.html
The key to understanding organized Islamic behavior—not the actions of every Muslim by any means, but the groups that represent them and the individuals most formed by Islamic cultural attitudes—is, ironically, chutzpah. In Hebrew, that term means something like "astounding hubris," although as it came into Yiddish it took on some more positive connotations. Leo Rosten, author of The Joy of Yiddish, defines chutzpah as "that quality enshrined in a man who, having killed his mother and father, throws himself on the mercy of the court because he is an orphan." There is no other way to characterize the way professional Muslims begin to act when they scent weakness in their rivals; conversely, when they meet a show of strength that exceeds their own, they turn almost instantly into craven, self-pitying victims. Just think of how Palestinian activists alternate between empty boastfulness about their power to "drive the Zionists into the sea," and puling complaints about the indignities imposed on them by Israel's greater power.
This should be no surprise to us. As I've written before, Islam is a religion of power, which worships a god whose first and foremost attribute is power, absolute and arbitrary power so boundless by definition that no one and nothing can "chain Allah's hand," not even his previous promises. In the single-minded quest to depict their god as limitless, Muslim theologians have managed to portray Allah as something actually less impressive than any human being who does keep his word; recall that in ancient cultures, oath-keeping was the virtue held in highest esteem. Without it, human action is impossible to predict, trust relationships cannot be formed, and lasting love is impossible. Allah cannot be said to love his creatures, because they can never trust him. Their love for him at best can only ever be servile, the trembling devotion of a whipped dog hoping for mercy.
While that may be the Muslim attitude toward their god, activist Muslims adopt quite the opposite posture toward non-Muslims, whenever they feel sufficiently powerful to get away with it. Robert Spencer told me a story he'd heard of an American convert to Islam (dressed like any other American) who sat down at a cafe, only to be greeted from a neighboring table with "Assalaamu 'alaykum!" The American was stunned, and he turned to the Arab immigrant at the neighboring table to ask, "How did you know I was a Muslim?" His newfound friend replied, "You hold and carry yourself like a Muslim. You hold your head high, as if you bow before no man, but only before Allah."
Saturday, February 26, 2011
If Stuxnet did this to Iran, what might it or other worms be doing to India's ISRO?
feb 26th, 2011 CE
കുംഭം ൧൫, ൧൧൮൬ കൊല്ലവര്ഷം, മുലം (aquarius 15, 1186 malabar era)
it seems likely this was the result of the Stuxnet worm, which has apparently set iran's nuclear plans back quite a bit
i argue that india is highly vulnerable to cyber-attacks (the incompetent buffoons in office are worried about making up non-existent 'hindu terrorism' while actual terrorists of the 3M variety are gallivanting all over the place). http://www.dnaindia.com/opinion/column_if-we-aren-t-ready-for-cyberwar-we-will-lose-the-next-war_1447690
here's another perspective from atimes (which is a chinese-funded propaganda paper, a bit like china's national newspaper from chennai). http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/LJ09Ad01.html
k g balakrishnan (KGB, ex chief justice of india) under the scanner
feb 26th, 2011 CE
കുംഭം ൧൫, ൧൧൮൬ കൊല്ല വര്ഷം, മുലം നക്ഷത്രം
judicial corruption on a pretty large scale? the man was former chief justice of india.
there are unverified (and possibly scurrilous) rumors in kerala (of course, i do not believe these rumors myself, just that some very bad people do) that he is a crypto-xtist converted harijan. then it would figure that he'd be morally and ethically corrupt as all converts are.
CITI Financial Services Group on Why India will be world's No.1 economy by 2050
feb 26th, 2011 CE
these citi boys are smoking something powerful!
there is no way india can grow this far and this fast, considering the number of "Mr. 50%s and Ms. 50%s" lined up with their snouts in the trough.
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Ram Narayanan
From: Ram Narayanan
Dear Rajeev Srinivasan: According to a CITI Financial Services Group report summarized in REDIFF and reproduced below, China should overtake the US to become the largest economy in the world by 2020, then be overtaken by India by 2050. Following will be the 10 largest economies in the world in 2050: 1. India: $85.97 trillion 2. China: $80.02 trillion 3. United States: $39.07 trillion 4. Indonesia: $13.93 trillion 5. Brazil: $11.58 trillion 6. Nigeria: $9.51 trillion 7. Russia: $7.77 trillion 8. Mexico: $6.57 trillion 9. Japan: $6.48 trillion 10. Egypt: $6.02 trillion. Thus, not a single European nation (other than Russia) will qualify to be among the first 10. Any comments? Cheers, Ram Narayanan
http://www.rediff.com/business/slide-show/slide-show-1-budget-2011-why-india-will-be-the-number-1-economy-in-the-world-by-2050/20110224.htm REDIFF.COM Why India will be world’s No. 1 economy by 2050 Last updated on: February 24, 2011 08:22 IST The 10 largest economies by 2050 (in trillion 2010 PPP dollars) will be very different from what they are now. Read on to find out which are these nations and why India will be the largest economy. . . In view of its continuing robust growth, India is expected to be the world’s largest economy by 2050, surpassing China and the United States, a Citi report said. "China should overtake the US to become the largest economy in the world by 2020, then be overtaken by India by 2050," financial services group Citi said the report.
http://www.rediff.com/business/slide-show/slide-show-1-budget-2011-why-india-will-be-the-number-1-economy-in-the-world-by-2050/20110224.htm REDIFF.COM Why India will be world’s No. 1 economy by 2050 Last updated on: February 24, 2011 08:22 IST The 10 largest economies by 2050 (in trillion 2010 PPP dollars) will be very different from what they are now. Read on to find out which are these nations and why India will be the largest economy. . . In view of its continuing robust growth, India is expected to be the world’s largest economy by 2050, surpassing China and the United States, a Citi report said. "China should overtake the US to become the largest economy in the world by 2020, then be overtaken by India by 2050," financial services group Citi said the report.
... deleted
Press Note-Ma. Ashok ji Singhal-VHP-25-02-2011
feb 26th, 2011 CE
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Delhi vhp VISHWA HINDU PARISHAD
Sankat Mochan Ashram, RamKrishna Puram-VI, New Delhi-110022
Tel.-011-26178992, 26103495 Fax % 011-26195527
Date : 25-02-2011
PRESS STATEMENT OF VHP PRESIDENT SRI ASHOK SINGHAL
ALLAHABAD: In order to shield the Central Government and the Congress
Party that are neck deep in corruption and also to corner the Muslim
votes, the Congress general secretary Sri Digvijay Singh has off late
been, as a measure of diversionary tactics, blindly and falsely
targeting the Hindu organizations and Sadhu-Sants. The 2-G spectrum
scam causing a loss to the national exchequer an amount of Rs. 176,000
crores, the ISRO scam causing a loss of 200,000 crores and the CWG
scam are now the hot topics of discussion in all nooks and corners of
the country. This Government is not willing to disclose the names of
those that have stacked away huge black money in the Swiss Bank. This
issue has been hanging fire for many years now. The people of India
shall ensure that the Congress Government comes clean on the issue of
all black money. Digvijay Singh has recently commented on Baba
Ramdevji. The contributions that Baba Ramdevji has made towards the
causes of globalization of the Patanjali Yoga system and the Ayurvedic
system of medicine makes not only India but the entire world thankful
to him.
Wildly attributing black money to the contributions in cash and kind
made by the people of the country for running the spiritual and
service activities by our Sadhu-Sants, Sri Digvijay Singh can neither
save the dwindling image of the Congress nor can he ensure deliverance
for it. Pointing fingers at the government machinery in the matter of
the Batala House terrorist incident, visiting and encouraging people
at Sanjarpur in Azamgarh that were involved in terrorist activities,
making Pakistan happy by misleading the Indian nation about the 26/11
Mumbai terrorist act and unwittingly making a mockery of Sri Hemant
Karkare’s martyrdom by trying to misquote the latter, are a few of his
perverted actions that give the impression that he is playing to the
galleries of Pakistanis and other foreign forces.
Regarding the Godhra episode, I have to say that the Court of Law has
clearly accepted it that it was the result of a big conspiracy that
was meticulously carried out. But even then how could the kingpins of
the conspiring circle get release orders – it is now a topic of
discussion in the whole country. Truly speaking, in order that all
such attacks on the Hindu society do never recur in future, it is
necessary that all the convicts be hanged to death. The Congress
spokesperson Digvijay Singh has been promoting the activities of
Jihadis, and the country must beware of him. The Hindu society would
give fitting reply to any humiliation heaped on the Sant fraternity.
Issued by : Vishwa samvad kendra
From: Delhi vhp VISHWA HINDU PARISHAD
Sankat Mochan Ashram, RamKrishna Puram-VI, New Delhi-110022
Tel.-011-26178992, 26103495 Fax % 011-26195527
Date : 25-02-2011
PRESS STATEMENT OF VHP PRESIDENT SRI ASHOK SINGHAL
ALLAHABAD: In order to shield the Central Government and the Congress
Party that are neck deep in corruption and also to corner the Muslim
votes, the Congress general secretary Sri Digvijay Singh has off late
been, as a measure of diversionary tactics, blindly and falsely
targeting the Hindu organizations and Sadhu-Sants. The 2-G spectrum
scam causing a loss to the national exchequer an amount of Rs. 176,000
crores, the ISRO scam causing a loss of 200,000 crores and the CWG
scam are now the hot topics of discussion in all nooks and corners of
the country. This Government is not willing to disclose the names of
those that have stacked away huge black money in the Swiss Bank. This
issue has been hanging fire for many years now. The people of India
shall ensure that the Congress Government comes clean on the issue of
all black money. Digvijay Singh has recently commented on Baba
Ramdevji. The contributions that Baba Ramdevji has made towards the
causes of globalization of the Patanjali Yoga system and the Ayurvedic
system of medicine makes not only India but the entire world thankful
to him.
Wildly attributing black money to the contributions in cash and kind
made by the people of the country for running the spiritual and
service activities by our Sadhu-Sants, Sri Digvijay Singh can neither
save the dwindling image of the Congress nor can he ensure deliverance
for it. Pointing fingers at the government machinery in the matter of
the Batala House terrorist incident, visiting and encouraging people
at Sanjarpur in Azamgarh that were involved in terrorist activities,
making Pakistan happy by misleading the Indian nation about the 26/11
Mumbai terrorist act and unwittingly making a mockery of Sri Hemant
Karkare’s martyrdom by trying to misquote the latter, are a few of his
perverted actions that give the impression that he is playing to the
galleries of Pakistanis and other foreign forces.
Regarding the Godhra episode, I have to say that the Court of Law has
clearly accepted it that it was the result of a big conspiracy that
was meticulously carried out. But even then how could the kingpins of
the conspiring circle get release orders – it is now a topic of
discussion in the whole country. Truly speaking, in order that all
such attacks on the Hindu society do never recur in future, it is
necessary that all the convicts be hanged to death. The Congress
spokesperson Digvijay Singh has been promoting the activities of
Jihadis, and the country must beware of him. The Hindu society would
give fitting reply to any humiliation heaped on the Sant fraternity.
Issued by : Vishwa samvad kendra
Veer Savarkar and the Two Nation Theory
feb 26th, 2011 CE
കുംഭം ൨൪, ൧൧൮൬ കൊല്ല വര്ഷം, തൃക്കേട്ട നക്ഷത്രം (kumbham 24, 1186 malabar era, trikketta nakshatram)
सौर कुम्भ: २४, माघमास:, शिशिरऋतु, शक वर्ष: १९३३, ज्येष्ठ नक्षत्र:
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Savarkar.org Team 
Congress leader Digvijay Singh recently stated (26 Jan) that Savarkar had the original idea of the two-nation theory which was later adopted by Jinnah. This is not the first (and one may safely assume not the last) time that Veer Savarkar has been blamed for putting forth the two-nation theory. Notwithstanding Digvijay Singh's political compulsions in spreading this piece of disinformation, a factual rebuttal is in order. The entire case of the Savarkar-baiters rests on a solitary sentence culled out from his nearly 6000-page literature. Fortunately, Savarkar has himself answered the charge that he had put forth the two-nation theory. The sentence in question can be found in Savarkar's Presidential address to the 19th session of the Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha at Karnavati (Ahmedabad) in 1937. Savarkar stated, "India cannot be assumed today to be a Unitarian and homogenous nation, but on the contrary there are two nations in the main; the Hindus and the Moslems, in India. If the critics bother to read the entire speech (available at http://www.savarkar.org/content/pdfs/en/hindu-rashtra-darshan-en-v002.pdf), it shall be evident to them that Savarkar had not advocated the two-nation theory. It may be noted that Savarkar was one of the few Hindu leaders who had made a deep study of Islam from its scriptures. He had read a translation of the Quran even while he was a student in England. In the Andamans, Savarkar had read the Quran first in its English and subsequently Bengali and Marathi translations. Responding to the opinion of his Muslim friends that the real beauty of the Quran lies in its original, Savarkar asked them to read each page from the original and then had them translate it for his benefit into Hindi. As Savarkar describes, he heard them recite the Quran with great concentration and after keeping his mind clean and pure as a devout Muslim. In later life, Savarkar read several books written by Western authorities on the Quran. Savarkar's deep study of Islam is evident from his numerous articles such as those on Kemal Pasha, Khilafat movement and various Islamic sects. Savarkar had learnt to read and write Urdu. Thus, Savarkar's views on Islam and Muslims are not those of an ignorant bigot.
The Context Savarkar's Presidential address is not a run-of -the-mill political speech. After dwelling on the definition and significance of the word 'Hindu', the status of the Hindus as a nation unto themselves, the mission of the Hindu Mahasabha, unified Indian State and the cooperation of the minorities, Savarkar turned his attention to the attitude of the Muslims, He stated. "As it is, there are two antagonistic nations living side by side in India, several infantile politicians commit the serious mistake in supposing that India is already welded into a harmonious nation, or that it could be welded thus for the mere wish to do so. Our well-meaning but unthinking friends take their dreams for realities.The solid fact is that the so-called communal questions are but a legacy handed down to us by centuries of a cultural, religious and national antagonism between the Hindus and the Moslems. When time is ripe you can solve them but you cannot suppress them by merely refusing recognition of them." It is in that context that he made that statement. The Islam-scholar, historian and hard-headed realist in Savarkar was simply stating a bland fact and not endorsing it. This is further confirmed two sentences later when he referred to the options before the Hindus under the circumstances. He stated, "...to form an Indian State in which none is allowed any special weightage of representation and none is paid an extra price to buy his loyalty to the State. Mercenaries are paid and bought off, not sons of the Motherland to fight in her defence. The Hindus as a nation are willing to discharge their duty to a common Indian State on an equal footing." It is noteworthy that the President of the Hindu Mahasabha was not seeking any rights for the Hindus that he was not willing to grant to the Muslims! Throughout his life, Savarkar advocated equal rights for all citizens in a unified Indian State.
Savarkar's defence Misunderstanding was created after Savarkar made the above utterances. Hence, Savarkar clarified his statement to journalists on 15 August 1943 in the office of the Marathi weekly Aadesh in Nagpur. He also clarified his position in an interview given in Mumbai on 23 August 1943. The interview was published in the Aadesh dated 28 August 1943. Given below is an English translation of Savarkar's clarification as published in the Marathi weekly Aadesh dated 23 August 1943. "I had clarified this (my statement that there are two nations in Hindusthan) in my Nagpur interview. But instead of reporting this, journalists simply reported that I accept the two-nation theory. This has resulted in the whole misunderstanding. I am surprised that a storm has been raised now on this issue. Because I have always been referring to the two-nation theory right from my Ahmedabad speech. It is a historic truth that the Mussulmans are a 'nation'. I had clarified the historical and racial background of this theory in Nagpur. Islam is a theocratic nation based on the Koran right from its inception. This nation never had geographical boundaries. Wherever the Mussulmans went, they went as a nation. They also came to Hindusthan as a 'nation'. Wherever they go, Mussulmans shall either remain foreigners or rulers. As per the Koran, those who are not Mussulmans are kafirs, enemies of Islam. Even today, after praying in the mosque, Mussulmans ask for atonement for committing the sin of living in a kafir-ruled state. As per the principle of Mussulmans, the earth is divided into two nations: Dar-ul Islam (land of Islam) and Dar-ul Harb where Islam does not rule (enemy land). As per their religious command, their campaign on Hindusthan was as a separate nation. They conquered the Hindu Nation as an enemy nation, not as One Nation. The Hindu Nation arose again and having defeated the Mussulmans at various places, saved the whole of Hindusthan to establish Hindu Padpaadshahi also as a separate Hindu Nation opposed to the Muslim nations. This history certainly cannot be denied. In the recent past, the educated class among the Hindus mostly through the vehicle of the Congress tried its utmost to champion territorial nationalism by saying that at least in Hindusthan, Hindus and Mussulmans are one nation because they reside in one country. Though the effort was well-intentioned, the Mussulmans never gave up their principle of theocratic or scriptural nationalism and the feeling of being a nation separate from the Hindu Nation. And they never shrank from stating this right. Seizing the right opportunity and taking advantage of the Congress' policy of surrender, the Muslim League once again emphatically put forth that same old theory of the Mussulman nation being a separate nation. If one turns a blind eye to this reality, the Hindu Nation is bound to be divided. So we do not care if you consider yourself to be a separate nation. The effort towards Hindu consolidation is to emphatically state that the Hindu Nation is a self-evident and unified Nation. The Mahasabha came forward as a separate and mighty national organization of the Hindu Nation. Hindu Nationalism gave a cutting edge to the effort of consolidation. People still do not understand the important thing that stating the fact of Mussulman and Hindu nations being present in Hindusthan is not to accept the Pakistani adamancy of carving a country of the Mussalmans. If I call someone a grihasta (householder), it does not make him a resident of my griha (house). Whether the Mussulmans consider themselves a separate nation or not, at least as far as Hindusthan is concerned, they are a minority compared to Hindus. Like the English, they have come here as foreigners and if they want to stay in Hindusthan, they should do so only as a minority community. An independent, unified, indivisible and single State should be established in Hindusthan. Hindusthan is the Fatherland and the Holy land of Hindus and even today they are an overwhelming majority in this their country. Hence, even if there are in this country, by force or tyranny, the English, Portuguese, French or those invaders such as the Americans or Japanese who call themselves a nation., Hindusthan should be considered politically a nation of the Hindus as per the principle of peoples' power. If they want, minorities may stay here merely as minority communities. This is the objective; this is the oath of Hindu consolidation. This objective should be achieved through consensus if possible. Else, by strength and should opportunity arise, by force, this or the next generation of Hindus shall achieve this objective. While two or two hundred nations that consider themselves separate from the Hindus have presently entered Hindusthan by force and are demanding Partition of Hindusthan, it is not by a woolly-headed and cowardly denial of this fact but rather by understanding, facing and changing it shall an independent, undivided and indivisible Hindu nation alone shall without doubt, remain in Hindusthan. But as in our history when the Hindu Nation successfully rallied under the Hindu Flag, the Hindus should come forward and rise unitedly." Savarkar was then asked that if Hindus and Mussulmans are two nations, how will they form a single nation? He answered, "We should not confuse between Nation. and State.. Even if the State goes, the Nation remains. When the Mussulmans were ruling over us, the government (State) was theirs. But the existence of the Hindus was most certainly intact. Even so, there is no problem in a common State of Hindus and Mussulmans. In the past, we had nations (rashtra) such as Maharashtra, Saurashtra and Devrashtra (near Berar). Where are these nations? They mingled with each other. The Shakas and Huns came to Hindusthan as nations. But what is the evidence of their existence today? We digested them. So if the Mussulmans want, they could amicably stay with Hindus as a minority community. In the past, nations such as Prussia, Bavaria etc. existed in Germany. But today, they have all together formed the German nation. By law, no one in Germany may call himself Prussian or Bavarian but German only. "Regarding the Mussulmans in Hindusthan, it may be said that you (Hindus) are trying to rope them with you but do the Mussulmans so desire? In the end, 'desire' is the most influential and important factor for a 'nation'. If they consider themselves separate, what is achieved merely by saying that you consider them your own? And hence, we need not worry whether they come with us or not. And there is no reason why we should sacrifice Hindu interests and plead with them to perforce say that they are not a separate nation. Hindus are a nation unto themselves. Considering this, the Hindus should continue the freedom struggle by consolidating themselves irrespective of whether the Mussulmans come with them or not. If they so desire, they may stay here, else they shall go where it pleases them." Savarkar's consistent view on this subject was best summarized by him in his Presidential address in Nagpur in 1938. He said, "It is absurd to call us (Hindus) a community in India. The Germans are the Nation in Germany and the Jews a Community. The Turks are a Nation in Turkey and the Arab or the Armenian minority a Community. Even so the Hindus are a Nation in India-in Hindusthan and the Moslem minority a Community." It is undeniable that Muslims consider themselves as a nation or Ummah. It was not Savarkar's invention nor did he ever endorse this Islamic concept. It is noteworthy that the Afro-American religious movement started by Wallace D. Fard Muhammad in Detroit, Michigan in 1930 was named 'Nation of Islam'.
Jinnah's inspiration To say that Jinnah adopted Savarkar's idea is arrant nonsense! Can Digvijay Singh or his ilk quote a single sentence from Jinnah's speeches or writings where he has named Savarkar as his source of inspiration? In a letter to newly elected Congress President Badruddin Tayyabji (1888), Sir Syed Ahmed wrote, "Is it supposed that that the different castes and creeds living in India belong to one nation, or can become nation, and that their aims and aspirations be one and same? I think it is quite impossible." The answer given by Tayyabji, the former President of Digvijay Singh's Grand Old Party is even more revealing. Tayyabji writes, "Now I am not aware of anyone regarding the whole of India as one Nation and if you read my Inaugural address, you will find it distinctly stated that there are numerous communities or nations in India." (Source Material for a History of the Freedom Movement in India, Vol.2, pp70-73). The idea of an independent, sovereign Islamic State carved out of India was first publicly stated by Sir Muhammad Iqbal in his Presidential address to the Muslim league in 1930. Iqbal said, "I would like to see the Punjab, the North West Frontier Province, Sind and Baluchistan amalgamated into a single State. Self-Government within the British Empire or without the British Empire, the formation of a consolidated North-West Indian Muslim State appears to be to me the final of the Muslims at least of the North-Western India." Zulfiquar Ali Bhutto accurately observed that "the starting point of Pakistan goes back a thousand years to when Muhammad-bin-Qasim set foot on the soil of Sind and introduced Islam in the sub-continent." It is a travesty that Congressmen who accepted the Islamic demand of a separate State on the basis of religion and Leftists who fervently believe India to be a hotchpotch of multiple nationalities should hurl the charge of advocacy of the two-nation theory on Savarkar, a lifelong champion of a unified India.
From: Savarkar.org Team
Friday, February 25, 2011
GOI Investigates Arun Shourie for Telecom Scams
This one really made me roll my eyes. The Indian govt is now targeting former telecom minister Arun Shourie for investigation, in the wake of recent telecom scandals. The One Party State is showing its fangs, in fabricating trumped up allegations against political opponents.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
J&K: The Complete Surrender, India Defense Review
feb 24th, 2011 CE
with the thimphu cave-in, in effect J&K is gone.
thanks to dynasty rule, india is the only large country where people have become thinner over time
feb 24th, 2011 CE
a recent study highlighted by the economist (http://www.economist.com/blogs/dailychart/2011/02/daily_chart_global_obesity ) quoting data in the medical journal lancet via imperial college, a british university (http://www5.imperial.ac.uk/medicine/metabolic_risks/bmi/) showed that people had grown fatter everywhere in the world, except in india, afghanistan (state of war), and congo (state of war). in other words, india is in a state of war too: the UPA is waging war on indians (except of course on mohdan and xtists indians who get all sorts of government giveaways). in india people have actually gotten thinner over time, unlike say, in china, or even pakistan. so much for the aam admi, eh, fat cats of the UPA?
WSJ: over-stimulated india by jahangir aziz of jp morgan
feb 24th, 2011 CE
the 'brilliant economists' have been stoking inflation like there's no tomorrow.
the first reason is to transfer money to their cadres and supporters: like the wasteful NREGA, the babus' pay-hike etc.
the second reason is that inflation forces people to spend, not save: thus artificially increasing demand and thus creating the illusion that industrial growth, GDP growth etc are greater than they really are.
these sins are now coming back to roost, as investors pull vast sums out of india, and the sensex starts falling (i predict there will be a trough somewhere around 13,500 to 15,400 -- at PE of 12 to 14 on FY12 earnings).
my prediction? they will bring in GST, which, like VAT, is a regressive tax that will affect the poorest the worst; and it will simply go into the central kitty to fund things like largesse to pakistan for floods, haj subsidies, and the many and varied scams. and they will bring in the hellishly idioitic 'right to food', which means more money being transferred to congress cadres, and 100 billion rupees vanishing from the account books. the best way to create a right to food would be build agricultural infrastructure such as cold storage, better far price information networks etc and help agricultural productivity. but no, they want to come up with harsh-mander-jean-dreze-authored crap like the 'right to food' which is NREGA 2.0.
the net result: indians will have to tighten their belts. literally. a recent study highlighted by the economist (http://www.economist.com/blogs/dailychart/2011/02/daily_chart_global_obesity ) quoting the medical journal lancet (http://www5.imperial.ac.uk/medicine/metabolic_risks/bmi/) showed that people had grown fatter everywhere in the world, except in india, afghanistan (state of war), and congo (state of war). in other words, india is in a state of war too: the UPA is waging war on indians (except of course on mohdan and xtists indians who get all sorts of government giveaways). in india people have actually gotten thinner over time, unlike say, in china, or even pakistan. so much for the aam admi, eh, fat cats of the UPA?
i echo what arvind was saying: exit currency, get into commodities. although commodities like gold, silver and real estate are all oversold and overly expensive. maybe into wheat futures, considering china's drought?
Nicholas Kazanas' lectures in Chennai: starting Sat Feb 26 at IITM
feb 24th, 2011 CE
kazanas is an expert on the indus-sarasvati civilization and has helped debunk the 'aryan invasion hoax' aka 'aryan migration hoax' (TM JNU)
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: arun
From: arun
Please see attached the full list from Kalyanaramanji pasted below and the pdf flyer specific to IITM attached
Dr. S. KALYANARAMAN
(SARASVATI RESEARCH CENTRE)
INVITES YOU FOR A SERIES OF LECTURES BY/INTERACTION SESSIONS WITH
RENOWNED VEDIC SCHOLAR PROF. NICHOLAS KAZANAS,
(Director OMILOS Meleton Cultural Institute,Greece)
1. Date : 26th February 2011 (Saturday)
Time : 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM
Venue : Central Lecture Theatre (CLT), near Gajendra Circle, IIT Madras, Chennai
Topic : “The Collapse of Aryan Invasion Theory and the prevalence of Indigenism”
Chair person: Prof. Govardhan, Dean Students, IIT Madras (Viswanath: 9092684801)
2. Date : 27th February 2011
Time : 10:30 A.M. to 12 Noon
Venue : Jagadguru Vallabhacharya Auditorium,D.G Vaishnav College Campus, Gokulbagh, 833 Periyar EVR High Road, Arumbakkam, Chennai
Topic : “Vedic civilization and its relevance to modern times”
Chairperson: Dr S. Narasimhan, Principal, DG Vaishnav College, Chennai. (24751264)
3. Date: 28 February 2011
Time: 3: 30 PM to 5 PM
Topic: Interaction session with Vedic-Sanskrit studies research scholars
Venue: Kuppuswamy Sastri Research Institute, Sanskrit College, Luz, Mylapore, Chennai 600004
Chairperson: Dr. Kameshwari, Director (24985320)
4. Date : 1st March, 2011
Time : 3 PM to 4:30 PM
Venue : ORI. Platinum Jubilee Auditorium, Marina Campus,
University of Madras, Chennai.
Topic : "All inclusiveness of Veda".
Chair person: Dr. Siniruddha Dash, Professor and Head Department of
Sanskrit, University of Madras. (9444469505)
5. Date : 2nd March 2011
Time : 11:45 AM to 1 PM
Venue : College Auditorium, Vivekananda college, Mylapore,
Chennai 600 004.
Topic : “Vedic Civilisation and its spread”
Chair person: Dr S. Swaminathan, Principal, Vivekananda College. Chennai. (Dr. Ramachandran 9444079958)
6. Date : 2nd March 2011
Time : 7 PM to 8:30 PM
Venue : International Headquarters Hall of the Theosophical
Society, Adyar, Chennai 600 020.
Topic : “The All Inclusiveness of Rig-Veda”
Chair person: Smt.G.Sundari, President, Adyar Lodge, Chennai. (24912474)
About the speaker
Prof. Nicholas Kazanas, is a scholar of Vedic Studies. http://www.omilosmeleton.gr/en/nk_cv_en.asp
Prof. Nicholas Kazanas was born in the Greek island Chios in 1939. He studied English Literature at University College, Economics and Philosophy at the School of Economic Science and Sanskrit at the School of Oriental and African studies - all in London; also post-graduate at SOAS and at Deccan College in Pune. (India). He taught in London and Athens and since 1980 has been Director of Omilos Meleton Cultural Institute.He is on the Editorial Board of Adyar Library Bulettin (Chennai). He has also produced a three-year course of learning Sanskrit for Greeks. From 1997 he has turned towards the Vedic Tradition of India and its place in the wider Indo-European culture. This research comprises thorough examination of Indo-European cultures, comparing their philosophical ideas and values, their languages, mythological issues and religions. He has translated in Greek many Gnostic texts (Gospel of Thomas, etc) and has composed an extensive study on Christ's original teaching (one in Greek and one in English). He has also translated the ten principal Upanishads (ISA, KENA, KATHA, MANDUKYA, BrHADARANYAKA, etc.) from the original Sanskrit text into Greek. He is on a promotional tour for a new world-class, peer-reviewed, academic journal to be edited by him, called Vedic Venues: Journal of the Continuity of Vedic Culture.
Contact: Mr.Ajith S. Ranganathan: 9840337088; Mr.Kalivaradan : 9382817652
Feb 21 onwards: Michel Danino lectures at IIT-Kanpur
feb 24th, 2011 CE
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: arun
Rajeev - Fwding a mail and flyer from a friend at IISc
From: arun
Rajeev - Fwding a mail and flyer from a friend at IISc
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Rajath V
From: Rajath V
Michel Danino will be giving a series of 10 lectures on Science &
Technology in Early and Classical India at IIT-Kanpur in February and
March. The details are in the attached file. If you have contacts at
IIT-K, please feel free to pass on the information.
Technology in Early and Classical India at IIT-Kanpur in February and
March. The details are in the attached file. If you have contacts at
IIT-K, please feel free to pass on the information.
ABSOLUTE MUST READ: "Indian Culture and India's Future" by Michel Danino
feb 24th, 2011 CE
if you read just one book this year, let it be this!
absolutely fabulous material from michel danino. if you have been brainwashed first by the brits and their denigration of indian culture, history, sciences etc., and then by the comrades following on in the same vein, this is the antidote!
based on a series of lectures, this is an astonishingly well-written book that brings to light the great contributions of indian civilization to the world, and how these are essential for the future.
if you, or your children, have been toxified by the indian government's JNU-inspired propaganda, this is the book you MUST READ.
by the way, danino's 2010 book on the sarasvati, 'lost river', was another stunning and magnificent work.
in his quiet, scholarly way, michel danino demolishes myth after myth that we have been fed and have been led to believe.
i have not finished reading it yet, but it is an outstanding book of scholarship, yet it succeeds in bringing insights to the lay reader without patronizing us.
From: Michel Danino
Sent: Monday, January 10, 2011 9:41 PM
Subject: "Indian Culture and India's Future"
Sent: Monday, January 10, 2011 9:41 PM
Subject: "Indian Culture and India's Future"
Dear friends,
This is to inform you of the release of a new book of mine, Indian Culture and India's Future, published by D.K. Printworld.
If you happen to have a look at it, I will value your comments.
With best regards,
Michel
http://www.dkprintworld.com/product-detail.php?pid=1280857007
Indian Culture and India's Future
Binding : Paperback
10 Digit ISBN : 812460567X
13 Digit ISBN : 9788124605677
Pages : 248p.
List Price : INR 300.00
Sale Price : INR 270.00
Can Indian civilization be compared to a "thousand-branched tree"? What have been its outstanding achievements and its impact on the world?
These are some of the questions this book asks. But it also deals with issues confronting more and more Indians caught in an identity crisis: What does it mean to be Indian? What is specific to the worldview developed by Indian culture? How has it dialogued with other cultures? Is it built on durable foundations, or is it little more than colourful religiosity and quaint but outdated customs? And what are the meaning and application of secularism and tolerance in the Indian context?
The French-born author, who has been living in India for 33 years, argues that Indian culture is not some exotic relic of the past, but a dynamic force that still has a role to play in defining India's identity and cohesion, and in proposing solutions to today's global challenges.
Written in a crisp and engaging style, this thought-provoking volume challenges received ideas on India's culture and invites us to think afresh.
Book Contents
Prologue
Introduction: Is Indian Culture Obsolete?
Part One: A Thousand-Branched Tree
1. India's Scientific Mind
2. India's Gifts to the World
3. India in France
4. For the Love of Nature
Part Two: Indian Culture at the Crossroads
5. The Colonized Indian Mind
6.The Age of Confusion
7.The Gita and the Problem of Action
Part Three: India and the World
8. Wounded Identity
9.The Conqueror and the Conquered
10. Dialogue among Civilizations: an Indic Perspective
Epilogue
Notes
Suggested Further Readings
Index
(The book is also available as a hard-bound edition:
http://www.dkprintworld.com/product-detail.php?pid=1280857006 )
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