Forty Nine Stones.

-Composition from "Aru's stone collection"

Every year millions throng the streets of Mina  in Saudi Arabia to perform a ritual - The stoning of  the Devil. In this case the Devil is in the shape of pillars which are also made up of stones. These faithful  throw at least 49 smaller stones during this mass event that includes all sections of the society- men;  women; teens everyone. The occasion of course is haj, a scared lifetime duty of Islam.

According to Islamic traditions , Abraham was ordered by Allah to sacrifice his son Ismael.  Abraham immediately prepared to cut Ismael's throat . Thrice the Satan tempted the boy to flee and Abraham to desist from slitting his own son's throat . But each time at the sites marked by those three pillars, the devil was answered back by stones. Satisfied with this display of faith and obedience Allah provided Abraham a ram for performing sacrifice .

This piece of mythology is critical in understanding Kashmir Valley's unrest. For reasons ranging from stupidity to being politically correct; commentators ,analysts and policy makers have ignored this . They have even tried to sweep it under the carpet. Is it any wonder that banner headlines declare that small children have got killed during these disturbances. Or women and children are a large part of this stoning mob. The reason anyone  is bewildered is because they fail to understand the psyche and motivation of these people. And of course because they do not remember the story of the 49 stones.


Kashmir's unrest stems from the fact that major centers of the separatist agitation lie in the valley . Demographically It is close to hundred percent Muslim by faith. Nearly all Hindu's have either been killed or hounded out by them since last two decades. Their properties are burnt down; their business , religious and cultural centers taken over or ran aground.  Every effort is made by both the general population and the entrenched partisan bureaucracy  that Hindu's  will not or can not return. As if that mattered! But that's another story. To cut a long story short Kashmir De facto is an Islamic enclave inside a democratic republic. Democracy  and Islam do not mix  very well.  It is not an anti Islamic propaganda since it has been proven again and again with various ethnic groups and in several geographical locations throughout the world . It would be unwise to forget this fact at any time much less now when radical Islam is the dominant faction that drives the world Islamic agenda.

India is an ancient and timeless civilization. Kashmir in the Indian consciousness and mythology is the abode of Lord Shiva. Kashmir valley itself took birth because of the efforts of Kashyap  Rishi.(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kashyap). That part of history and mythology finds no resonance with the stone throwers. In fact India is nothing but kufr for them. Kashmir is a typical example of the saying that "victors propaganda becomes the vanquished people's history." As these groups are in the thrall of Islam, their history , patterns of behavior and motivation is also Islamic in nature. They will identify with anything that has an Arabic connection. And if you find a parallel with the intifada of the Palestine ; you will be right.   So women will come out on the streets to throw stones at the "Kuffar". They will also send out little kids  in the streets even as disturbances are being precipitated by their fellow faithfuls. If these children are harmed  in the process ,maybe it is Allah's will or maybe Allah will send a ram instead!!!


I do not have a solution for Kashmir but whoever tries their hand would do well to remember those forty nine stones.

Leaking news!

Wiki leaks has admittedly an antiwar posture and it should not surprise anyone that it leaked those Afghan documents. So who is afraid of them? Most of what those documents say about inefficient conduct of war against Taliban by the Coalition forces has been evident for years. It is just that the documents provide a sort of proof that America can begin a war but it does not know how to end it.

To the credit of the Americans , they have managed to keep their cool despite the blowing away of the fig leaf that this report caused. Just a couple of denials and some hand wringing at  the irresponsible behaviour by the website that could endanger American lives and they  were back to the usual. Pakistani's have flipped a lid though. They would still like to maintain the charade that they are pristine ;specially their spy agency is above reproach. No one believes them yet ; and it would be comical if it was not so unnecessary. Pakistan is running with the hare and hunting with the hound. Russian intervention in Afghanistan did allow them to pursue their dreams of strategic depth against India. And they got addicted to the drug of low cost terrorist operations, ostensibly by "non- state actors"that proves very costly for their enemy- India. Everything that they are doing in Afghanistan is geared to save their country from the Indian threat . And if they are playing the field and making an ass of USA; kudos to them.

It would be all fine but there are many other dimensions to this picture. Firstly let me say that "The Indian Threat" to Pakistan is real and not a figment of their neurosis. Where they are making a serious mistake is not recognizing the nature of the threat. This threat is not a military threat that can get neutralized by  having a  nuclear device or six squadrons of f-16's to deliver it. Neither can this threat diminish by getting control of the Afghan hinterland for strategic depth or launching terrorist strikes in India. Pakistan has done all of it and yet today the "Indian Threat" is greatest than at any other time in history.  The fact is that the threat is included in the DNA of Pakistan itself. Their greatest threat is the Idea of Pakistan vs. The Idea of India. The fact is that Pakistan is  not a natural nation. Culturally , historically and mentally they are and always will be a part of India. To have a country at their disposal they need to continuously fight their own instincts and minds all the time. 

I know a lot of Pakistani's personally and I am amazed at how much knowledge they have about Indian shows and Bollywood movies and Lalu prasad yadav and what not. TV and Film are the only window they have available on their own roots .No matter how insipid and distorted these shows and movies are; Pakistani's consume it in copious quantities. No wonder to be seen as different from Indians they need to emphasize on their Islamic identity and overcompensate with their zealousness . Trouble is that  Islam does not constitute a  nation; otherwise OIC would not have 56 different countries. And over dependence on Islam has made them insensitive to religious extremists among them.

India's economic clout  is big and getting bigger. It can not be wished away .  Hillary Clinton will continue to say that Osama is hiding in Pakistan and Pakistan's  rulers know about it. David Cameron will say that Pakistan exports terror. Pakistan can not belittle them as a hair brained woman and an inexperienced leader of a third rate power looking for trading concessions in India. They have to realize that ISI's pet terrorists are  terrorists too and will lead them to destruction.  Indian threat is real but Pakistan's answer to it is unfathomably self destructive.

They are "The Indian Threat" themselves and sooner they realize it sooner they can find a better answer to this threat.

Well Done!

Politician Ram Vilas Paswan's son Chiraau is breaking into acting. Someone asked Paswan as to why  his son is going for acting and not for Politics. Paswan answered ," there is no difference.They are just performed on  different stages."  For once  I have to agree. Although  Politicians have proved terrible actors; actors on the other hand have  acquited themselves better as politicians. 

 Recently I saw two very forceful examples of politicians acting and actors making a political statement. Firstly some politician from India went to Pakistan and participated in a joint venture with a local politician in the show called "let us pretend talk". It was a farce that as expected turned into a tragedy. All actors in the play  willfully forgot their lines and finally said all kinds of things that were not in the original script. Show failed as a drama but  the actors did address their respective political constituencies by their grand standing and  their complete neglect of all  norms of civility and diplomacy.  In the end both the audience; actors and  the US show management company ; all nodded their heads , patted each other on the back and went home to prepare for another similar stage show for later sometime.  This  edition of the venture of course got thrown into a well. How I wish that well could vanish.

As if on cue a friend lent me  his copy of "Well Done Abba". The movie about about a vanishing  well .  vetern director Shyam Benegal has directed the movie and as is his won't made a lot of socio -political statements. Film is a director's medium but I must say that all actors in the movie starting with Boman Irani in a double role have been a force multiplier to Shayam Benegal's directorial effort. Very surprisingly even Minissha Lamba has done great justice to her role as a spunky  young woman.  This film is a satire primarily highlighting  corruption in implementing social  programs. The story  has been told in a refreshingly humourous tone and Shayam has avoided dark and heavy tear jerking treatment that mars such works.  In the movie eventually Lost wells are finally found back. A la bollywood style although in real life it is not easy to get such justice. Anyway It is really a movie of hope and comes with the message that we can achieve things and we can correct things if we decide.  Very good stuff! His other sub texts about  importance of Girls education; problem of sham marriage of young Indian girls to doddering Arabs; futility of of using your birth religion as your identity; are all very important statements that are made as a matter of fact.

Things that I did not like so much were a sub conscious attempt by Shayam to avoid showing Politicians in their correct avatar. He has made the officialdom the villain of the piece. In reality the politician is the fountainhead of corruption. Another jarring piece  is the engineer's  character. The fact that he is recently married  with his wife's charms  rather than his job on his mind got established in the first instance .Too many scenes of his conjugal bed were probably a little "peeping tomish".  

But hey I am not the director of the movie and there is something called commercial demands, so we'll let that slide. Even though there is a surfeit of political and social commentary ;Overall it is a movie that's well done! 

 Someone should tell the politicians that there is a difference between well done and burnt! At least they should watch this movie.

Buridan's Asses!

 Jean Buridan was a French priest who is most famous for his thought experiment named " Buridan"s ass". that goes something like this:

There was  a hungry donkey standing equidistant from two identical piles of hay. The donkey tried to decide which pile he should eat first and finding no reason to choose one over another, starved to death. This paradox didn't originate with Buridan -- it's  found back in Aristotle's time. A hungry and thirsty man cannot decide whether to drink first or eat first  and dies of both hunger and thirst. It is believed that  Buridan, in his commentaries on Aristotle, chose a dog, but his critics, in their parody of Buridan, turned it into an ass.

This paradox illustrates  a situation that demonstrates the impracticality of decision-making using pure reason, especially a situation involving two equal choices. It does not mean that reason has no role to play in decision making, just that reason alone is not enough ; you need feelings and emotions too. For that matter emotion alone is not enough either . In fact it can  sometimes be  fatal as we see in Kashmir where one death follows another. Since everyone is taking decisions based on pure emotions .And  negative ones at that.


 In the first place people of Kashmir valley have to decide which pile they'll eat from. They can not  choose a democratic government  first and than proceed to take every measure  to  undermine it by supporting one violent separatist demonstration after other.I am not sure whose benefit it  serves , certainly it is not the people's benefit. This is exactly what  ass's paradox is about. 

Government  on the other hand is another classic case of buridan's ass. They do not know if they want to use velvet gloves or the iron fist. Both look attractive . In their confusion they actually do nothing until a violent horde starts attacking public property . And than they start firing live bullets. Time and again we hear of the rubber bullets being used by the  security forces. Question is why are civilian fatalities so high then ? In a country where everything is spurious these rubber bullets are proving very potent indeed!!! More effective than the real  ones. Or is it someone else who is firing live ones on the crowd to keep people  confused, angry and agitated.

I guess it is time for the government to let people smell one of the pile. The pile of independence or self management . Let them see what "independence" is like . Stop funding infrastructure projects; stop rebuilding  destroyed public property. Move all troops to muzzafrabad LOC on one side and across Jawahar tunnel on the other . Let Kashmir police handle things in the valley. Suspend all financial subsidy. Let them spend what tax they collect and If they want to send their fruit  to Pakistan, let them. Let them eat what they grow and let them pay for what they import. Let Kashmir division manage  its economy ,and politics for next five years on its own.  It is the only way to save the ass. It must know which pile stinks.


Can it happen ? Unfortunately government is clueless, gutless and without any ideas. A bigger buridan's ass that will do nothing !

Gathering Storm!

Our genetic makeup hides a large part of our fate. General belief is that the time and place of our birth will strongly impact what becomes of us in later life. "Kismet" is a word that is  understood worldwide . People of the Indian subcontinent are genetically disposed to getting hit by diabetes, hypertension and heart disease. That is " Kismet". Not everybody gets it though! Some don't and some make sure that  they take  active measures not to get struck. "Kismet "exists but its effects can be and are being proactively modified  by individuals every day.

Nations of the Indian subcontinent are similar though with one significant difference . They can  not help being born at the place and time they were born and hence  have to carry the burden of their " Kismet" with them. Unfortunately they have made feeble efforts to modify their fate that their genetic make up has handed them . They have  no prevention or a treatment in place and they are getting struck with one chronic disease after another. Which  sadly is hustling them to a terminal stage.

India is a glaring example; not only because it  is the mother ship of all other nations around it, but also the fact  that a  large part of the blame for setting bad precedents must lie at her door. Right at the birth of an independent nation , India meekly surrendered to the separatist "theory of Pakistan". What ever that did to Pakistan is a different story but that is the seed which later  became a million headed hydra. If Muslims are a separate nation, why not Sikhs; why not Baluchi's ; why not this and why not that. Partition was the early warning that there  is a demon lurking in the DNA. Nothing really was done.

Almost immediately  we had Kashmir asking for separation on the same principle we separated pakistan. It did not happen and that issue has become an uncurable cancer . Further down from kashmir. Himachal and Haryana wanted to go separate ways from Punjab on the basis of Pahari and hindi speaking areas . This was allowed but a natural side effect of this was that remaining Punjab went radical Punjabi ; eventually asking for "khalistan". There were other contributing factors too but similar story got repeated in west when Gujrat was carved from Bombay  and In south  Madras was divided. In the east; bengal got divided too! This disease has marched on and on and now people want Bodoland,  Gorkhaland, Telangana, Vidharbh........ It has already produced  Chattisgarh, Uttrakhand etc. There is no knowing how many other  new demands there could be by the time you finish reading this. Why is no one demanding "India"?

Another kind of inherited disease was poverty, illiteracy, imbalanced progress and even complete absence of it. So far the report card shows a D in these areas. A huge section of the population has no  access to decent education, health care and  misplaced priorities in Industrialization means that their means of livelihood are threatened as well. How can we ignore these telltale signs and still hope to remain healthy. How can we imagine that  people who have no stake in the nation and its progress will remain loyal.

We  keep harping on how Britishers   engaged in Divide and rule policy to keep us subjugated yet we continue to divide each other and then subdivide into smaller and smaller pockets; just to protect our hold on an ever diminishing power base.  Mayawati has no concern about someone in Manipur but she is keen to have a statue of "Dalit" mahapurush in Mainpuri.  Her own statue  prominent among them.All to protect her power base. Whether  it divides the society further is not her problem. What is a "dalit" mahapurush anyway ? Either one is a Mahapurush or  one is not.  bala Saheb wants only Marathi speaking people to live in Mumbai!  Where is this kind of Madness going to land us?

As if Islamic terrorism was not enough of a problem ;  India has  allowed another  symptom of  Maoist menace  to take on gargantuan proportions. Primarily by shutting its eyes to their anti national activities  since the  government is formed with the help of  Maoist sympathizers; both in center and in many states. Also the fact that the  red terror grows in the poorest regions and regions which have been untouched by progress could not have gone unnoticed by the policy makers. Why nothing was done to make people of such region feel that we are concerned about their welfare and they are included in  Shining India? No one has an answer. Now the only talk is whether the state should use Air force to bomb these Red terrorists!  All of them are our citizens.  Maoist leaders only want their cadre to keep confronting the society rather than find an amicable way forward . Anything that will protect their hold on their little piece of power.Amazing and Sad! How did we reach this place in 60 Years?

Similar stories in abound in Nepal where Maoist are creating a bigger havoc. There are other agitations and divisions too. Madeshi and non Madeshi divison is just one of them. Srilanka's Tamil and Sinhala divide is too well documented and has already taken a huge toll . So far nobody seems to have learnt much from it. Bangladesh has serious fault line centered around  both begums on one hand and Army on the other hand. In between Chakma and other smaller groups have continued to cry foul. Pakistan has already seen a major division  and from time to time voices are raised for  independent Sindhu Desh: Pakhtunistan; Baluchistan and even Mohajaristan. Pakistan army has already used heavy  artillary and air power against citizens. Even in the biggest province of Punjab a serious effort is afoot to carve out a Saraiki  province. Divide, separate and hold onto your little piece is the mantra.

All these divisions  serve only one purpose : keep people divided so that power and resources can be exploited for the benefit  of a chosen few. What one must realize that working together works. One and one makes eleven. If we continue to work against each other we will finally wipe each other out sooner than you think. If we do not share we'll have nothing left to share. Storm is gathering at  our shores . What preparations are we making?

Snake in the grass!

"Snake in the Grass"  c., 2010 by Arundhati kaul

Nirupama Pathak went home from Delhi to Jharkhand. 'Home'; one place you go to find solace ,shelter,peace, support and help. One place you'ld expect to find  understanding, trust, faith , love and affection. She found a "snake in the grass"  instead; her mother! Difficult as it is to believe that your own mother , who actually brought  you to life ;can smother you and snuff  out your life . It has happened before  and might have happened in this case too, although it is yet to be proven. In this case if we look at the issue from her mother's perspective; although it does not justify murder but her mother would have gone through life's ups and downs. She might have borne various difficulties in bringing up her children. She might have endured a lot of  adverse social commentary for letting her daughter be on her own in  big bad Delhi. She however did not expect her own daughter to bring unwelcome social barbs that her unwed motherhood would rain on her. Mother did not expect her own daughter to be that ' snake in the grass'. At the time of writng there seems to another "snake" in Nirupma's life. Her boyfriend. Some one who reportedly got her in the familyway and than let her face the music alone.

Madhuri Gupta  had a decent life by any standard you choose. In a country that has  millions who go homeless and hungry ; millions who have no access to education ;educated who have no hopes of finding a job and workers  who do not know if they will get paid next month. She had a home , she had received free decent education and she had a secure pensionable federal job in foreign affairs. She had got promoted to elite IFS  cadre and she did not even have to write that very  very tough competition. Wonder of wonders she was  posted abroad representing her country. Even if you discount the pride that being your country's representative brings and think  purely in terms of the dollar value. It is still substantial. She should be the last person you'ld imagine who is ungrateful. No such luck. She choose to be the "Snake in The grass".

A company of CRPF  men went in search of Maoist terrorists in Dantewada Jungle recently. Irrespective of their professional mistakes they did not expect to find "Snakes". Their own fellow security men who had sold  government arms and ammunition to these terrorist. Of course the Snake ate them all.

IPL was India's pride and Joy till about a month ago.  Lalit modi was the pristine master who could do no wrong. Everybody was raking it in. From BCCI to governing body everyone was scratching each other's back. Suddenly a "falling out of thieves" happened over the sweat equity for Sunanda . A paltry sum compared to billions that are at stake. Some one got greedy or someone wanted a cut of the pie ; we do not know. However  Now everyone is pointing fingers at everyone else. Of course Lalit Modi will be finally declared the " Snake in the Grass" . Depending on your point of view ; for daring  or being stupid to challenge the government elements. If you ask me this is a case of "Snakes" in the grass.

If you realize , it is not always others; at times we become our own snake in the grass. Every time we make a decision that is based  on selfish motives we  either become that snake itself or allow that snake to come closer and bite . Most times it does!

God's Eye View

"God's Eye View", c., 2010 by Ashutosh kaul

Squadron Leader Rakesh Sharma( later Wing commander); first Indian in Space spent eight days abroad Salyut 7 space station many many years ago .Actually he was launched from Baikanour on 2nd April 1984 , aboard Soyuz T-11. In a famous conversation that was televised live and  is seared on countless minds; he was asked by the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi how India looked from the space and he replied, Saare Jahan Se Achcha, ("better than the entire world", The opening lines of a famous Indian patriotic Anthem by Muhammad Iqbal).http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0r4FX_z8kM&feature=related

Imagine if he was sent back today what  possible answer can he give??? Could he say the same thing again? Luckily  he need not answer it ,since he is  happily retired now and will be spared the dilemma. So who can answer this question for us ?

A couple of years before that space odyssey ;Muhammad Rafi sang "Khuda bhi aasmaan se jab zameen par dekhta hoga...." (when God gazes on this earth...). God! that's who can answer this for us. God sees it all; doesn't  he? So what does God see?  Suppose we ask?

I tried and God sent some images. It was not of a green verdant landscape with a cascading waterfall. It was not of well fed, happy ,content and serene faces of people. It was not a little boat lazing in a calm sea. Neither was it of  laughing ,shouting and playing children. God did not see butterflies floating in air either or that riot of colours that spring brings to the garden. Missed the sweetly singing bird too. 

Instead those images were  confused and a little out of focus. There was no India . In fact there was no country anywhere ,just endless agitation as far as you could see. Images  were one on top of the other. They  were hiding each other and peeping out at places. All very confusing but one could make out flashes of  sharp light;  billowing grey smoke, congealing red blood on the roads making an ever spreading dark mass. Blue black and pink lacerations on earth and on  flesh. Loud noises  ;so loud that you can not hear them .You could only  see and smell and feel its ominous presence. And there were voices;many many threatening voices ; speaking  angrily in an unintelligible language that did not sound human at all. God was also about to say something but then there was another big bang and I  woke up. Sorry I did not catch it or I would not hesitate to tell you .

All I know is that the God's Eye View is not the same as our view.