Dirty Pictures!

 Some years back a VHS cassette player was a rare thing. A video camera was rarer. Not many people had them. I remember we would rent a player and a color TV together with a couple  of Bollywood hits . Then the whole family would sit up with eyes glued to the screen all night in a "moivethon" and watch one movie after another. All of them  had to be returned to the local video shop next morning.  You had to keep your fingers crossed as sometimes the electric power failed . Actually power failed a lot of times but the video shop guy also knew about it and he would let us keep the equipment for  an extra couple of hours next day till we finished the videos.

This flexibility was only for the regular Indian family drama stuff. English movies were rented under stricter regulations. You rented it and you ran the risks. Power or no power you had to return them on time or you paid for another day. Off course they had the reputation of being more open and explicit and we watched them only with our buddies not with our parents.  It was an era of strict censorship. There were no foreign TV channels and import of video material could be controlled to a large extent. Officially there was no X rated stuff available but trusted regulars could rent those adult movies which the Video shop guy would not even admit to possessing to us youngsters. In fact we could get  seriously told off if we asked about  them. This individual practically controlled what we could view; for how long and at what price!

Times have changed and bulky VHS equipment is no more. Slicker CD and DVD has replaced them. Camera's have become digital, smarter, smaller  and very common. It is amazing how capable even tiny little camera's in cellphones have become.  To his utter dismay Abhishek Manu SInghvi found this recently. His driver's cellphone reportedly left  in his court chambers on recording mode shot a 14 minute video that can only be described  under court  orders as "forged, concocted, morphed and fabricated"; "of no public interest", and  " allegedly pertaining to Singhvi and a noted woman lawyer of the Delhi High Court." Singhvi was so moved by the "fake" video that he could not allow anyone to see it.  So being the lawyer he is; he immediately moved the court that put a gag order on describing the contents, publishing it in anyway or broadcasting it on TV.

One down side of getting older is that you tend to live more and more in the past.  Sadly for him this is not 1975 but 2012. No one can control  the flow of information completely. Not even totalitarian regimes like communist China have managed to stem it.  Surprisingly he forgot  about the existence of another  technical advance that is very common today- the all pervasive internet. This video has got uploaded on You tube and  then has a dedicated Facebook page . Several other bit torrent links that various individuals have made available online; ensure that the video can be seen by anyone who wants to. All one has to do is type 'Singhvi video' on Google search bar and punch 'enter.'  Just like that! Even the word on the street is that it is not "fake"; or "morphed". Anyway this homemade dirty picture has put paid to Singhvi's immediate political career as the governments official spokesperson and  this is likely to dog him forever. Just goes to prove that If you are stupid enough to indulge in intimate office romance , do not be a ridiculous idiot to record it. Secondly if you employ a driver , treat him like a human being . And if at all you are on a terribly weak wicket and guilty as sin; you will have to cut a deal to survive. Do it soon enough, man! A lawyer should  know this much!


Speaking of weak wickets I do not understand who has advised Sachin  to accept Congress nomination to  the upper house even while he is still an active  member of team India. A recent joke surmises it all:  So Sachin visits Sonia and Sonia says," Sachin , congratulations on completing a century of centuries". "Thanks Madam"' says Sachin; "and  may I congratulate you on completing a century of scams'!!!! Alas It is a joke only and Sachin never said it. In cricketing term he has  moved and committed to the shot even before the ball has left the bowlers hand. His head is not still and he has taken his eyes off the ball.  Very 'unsachin' like and   all bad news !

 

Friendly fire !

English is a little funny language. Fire can not be friendly, yet there is this expression that denotes somebody has goofed up big time. Latore Massimiliano and Salvatore Girone are two trigger happy idiots who fired upon sleeping fishermen mistaking them for pirates. Italian Navy must be providing very good weapons training because their marines managed to murder two innocents. Sadly the same can not said about their training program that deals with developing critical thinking process under stressful conditions as would be found in the field. Or  developing deduction abilities that would enable these marines to use intelligence in differentiating between fishermen and pirates. Or maybe these two specimens were the worst of the lot ; fit for only guard duty. Maybe they were drunk, overworked; half asleep; their girl friends broke off on twitter ........whatever!

One can find many reasons for their actions , but the fact is that they  murdered civilians without reason ; without provocation and acted with unreasonable force and firepower just on the basis of doubts. Reason enough for summary dismissal from a supposedly elite force after an instant court martial . Even if they had not succeeded in committing murder. But they did and  now that they have been apprehended by  police, they will  have to face trial. Why is that so hard to digest? Unfortunately no one acted honorably after the incident, starting from the marines themselves . Their captain tried to flee the scene, then obstructed the law from boarding the  ship for a long time and may have interfered with forensic evidence and murder weapons. I do not understand why he has not been charged as an accessory to murder.?


These are individuals and individuals are frail , selfish and suffer from weaknesses. Institutions , authorities and governments can not hide behind such fralities. Italian authorities , government and the their embassy began by casting doubts about the incident; then moved to create confusion about the location of the incident and then talked about jurisdiction. Their personnel murdered Indian civilians in Indian waters and were apprehended by the Indian law. That makes it Indian Jurisdiction. Period! The truth is that Italians are suffering from seriously misplaced superiority complex and their demands that  India let these murderers go is  ridiculously naive if not overbearingly arrogant. Every thing however points to a serious case of colonial hangover. Sooner they wake up ,sooner they would stop making a fool of themselves.


They have tried to bribe by offering to pay "blood money' ; without realizing that India is not Pakistan. They have involved the church , which beat a hasty retreat  after sensing strong resistance by the people.  And they have involved the European union as they continue to issue  threats after threats at various levels. I do not think any Indian government will be suicidal enough to cut an unlawful deal with the Italians. It would create a big stink in itself and then there is the Sonia factor. Manmohan Singh's government would not want to be seen breaking Indian laws to favour foreign powers. Specially Italians. Hopefully Italian government would reach that conclusion themselves and participate in facilitating a legal conclusion to this affair; that would be fair to victims.  If Italian marines are members of a proud and professional unit; they must be proud, ethical  and professional enough to own up and face consequences like a marine. They should receive a fair trial in an open court and get all possible legal help. However  they must answer for man slaughter and will have to serve time. Afterwards If the Italian armed forces do not wish to take these murderers to task for doing a sloppy and inefficient  job as a marine, It would be  their business. As of now it is the business of the Indian courts.

Golden Bird

 "Golden Bird" ,20cmX 30 cm , Acrylic on Canvas.2005-2006 Painting by Ashutosh Kaul

How would you react if the home minister announced that Mohammed Ajmal Amir kasab , the notorious terrorist can not be prosecuted?  Why ? because he shares his name with the prophet of Islam and his prosecution is blasphemous. It will hurt the  religious feelings of a group of people ! No he can not say that ! Did you say , I am on weed and suffering from hallucinations? Wait a moment.  What if we take a stroll in Mumbai's Kamathipura one evening. It does not have to be  evening either, even  early afternoon is fine ; but anyway. This is the traditional red light area of the city. Let us ask all the commercial sex workers plying the trade; their names and ask the same question of their pimps ,aunties and madams. What do  you bet that not only will you find the names of most of prophet Muhammad's sixteen wives  , you'll also find individuals with his and most of his companion's names too ? In fact do yourself a favour ,don't bet or  you'll lose. Just because you'll find  it to be true. Today, it is said that there are so many brothels in the area, that there is no space for the sex workers to sit in. They hang around in the streets, solicit customers and then rent an available bed by the minute.  Just the number of registered muslim voters in these 14 lanes is 15000.  Many more are not even listed.

Would you give credence to anyone who'll declare these woman to be pious and most exalted and their pimps as God's chosen role models for the society because they share such names? Obviously not! You'd have to be a complete lunatic to relate these  real individuals with the original historical figures. Imagine the absurdity of protesting about fictional characters in a book with similar  names .

One would imagine that injustice of this situation in Kamathipura will infuriate people. This travesty will offend them no end. They will feel insulted that articles of their faith and symbols of their belief are being disrespected on a daily basis.  Only it does not happen ! There is no fatwa forthcoming. No one declares that rivers of blood will flow if a single customer sets foot in those lanes. No element of the establishment secretly warns people not to visit  kamathipura since a contract is out on their head.  No policeman throws the book of laws at the organizers of this fest. From morning till late night everyday everything that is inviolable in islamic tradition is rendered asunder with impunity.

To show their  religiosity, piety , faith in rule of law and secularism all they can find is a work of fiction to object to. Those who are not bothered to lift an eyebrow against naked reality, choose to be so offended by a fictional story that they will kill or get killed! Satanic Verses is a book for God's sake written by a human being. A book is readable or it is  not readable. You like it or you dislike it. You agree with it or you disagree with it. It is just a book. You'll fete the writer or you ignore him. You ignore him and you disagree with him but you can not threaten violence just because you do not like the story. If you are not offended because a real prostitute is forced to work right under your nose with a name like Ayesha ; what logic do you have to get offended by a fictitious  character in a mediocre novel that is named Ayesha or whatever?

Satanic Verses is that golden bird that everyone  plucks when they feel like it.  It suited Western sensibility of the time so it got awarded Booker. It then provided a perfect stick for ayatollahs to beat the west with and showcase their adherence to faith.For years this book was the war theater between west  and Iran. And so on and on.  Deoband madrassah has found it to be a convenient tool to raise heat and generate some buzz that'll allow it to get a higher price for muslim votes.  The book  is again being bashed to provide a platform that will  provide the gathering point for Muslim votes in the local elections in India. Sadly no one is  mindful of what this kind of appeasement politics and supping with rabid elements is doing to the polity.  Government is least bothered in fact they have an active role in fanning the flames.

Chairman of United Jihad Council and supreme commander of a terrorist  organization Hizbul-Mujahideen, Syed Salahuddin is a known murderer and  terrorist actively engaged in armed violent action against the Indian state . He today addressed the press in India by telephone on communication links provided ,maintained  and controlled the Government of India http://www.greaterkashmir.com/news/2012/Jan/25/salahuddin-hails-separatists-for-raising-day-to-day-issues-58.asp 

However Salman Rushdie a known author with a family home in Solan; Who is not engaged in any activity against India; is not only stopped from  visiting India by official threats, deceit and lies ; he is denied the  use of a communication link to address a group of other writers from abroad .  All this to emotionally blackmail Muslim voters  in UP to vote en bloc for a particular disposition. It is  that kind of a republic day .

Lost & Found !

Losing totally sucks! Or does it ? No one likes to lose but inevitably from time to time one has  to lose in order to understand what winning means. Health benefits of losing weight are obvious to everyone.  You are really winning while losing those pounds. Of course if you are losing weight without any serious effort on your part , you better see a doctor.  Now we know that at certain times in our lives we are absolutely keen to lose. Like lose our heart or even virginity.  Ask  a teen if you do not remember. We think we'll win. It is another matter that it does not pan out exactly as advertised. Former event  remains a lifelong loss, mostly and the later event proves such a damp squib that one wonders what all that buzz was about.

We like to be in control .Losing it  is not considered good. Like having one too many and loosing control of the car with your kids strapped in the back seat. That's is a bad  loss; well actually it is criminal. But anyone who has gone through a creative process will tell you that letting things be and loosening control will often lead you to those areas of creativity you had not gone before. Gautama Buddha compared our situation to a little rider (the conscious mind) sitting atop a mighty elephant (the unconscious mind); a rider can coax and cajole, but if the elephant decides  to go in a different direction, you can be sure that is where one is going.

If you stick to your original out line, you will miss the dramatic opportunities that emerge as the story unfolds. If you continue to always attempt  a realistic portrait of your subject you'll never recognize the vibrant areas of colour ; interesting forms and  the dynamic interplay of light that is performing like a magic trick right in front of you. Losing control is good for creativity.

 

Homo Sapiens ; that's us human beings share about 99% of our genome with chimpanzees. Comparative studies have shown that humans have lost  about 500 pieces of DNA that chimps have and we do not. A certain keratin gene that they have and we have lost along the evolutionary road makes them far more hairier than most of us. Humans are rare amongst mammals in that the male penis is not spiked. Barbs, or penile spines, are short spikes made of the above mentioned keratin. They point back towards the body of the male so that after copulation any semen from a previous mate is scraped out of the female’s vagina ! Can't be a lot of fun.  We certainly are not complaining about this loss!

The ventral thalamus  region of the brain is useful in relaying sensory information to the cerebral cortex. It is also involved in consciousness and the regulation of sleep patterns. In chimpanzees the number of cells populating the thalamus is kept in check by a gene called GADD45G . The effectiveness of GADD45G is increased by a DNA element that we have lost therefore we make far less of this protein than chimpanzees. Making our  ventral thalamus  regions  larger. Allowing us  to  process and relay more complex information to the cerebral cortex. This is the part of the brain that is crucial for language, memory, and perception. We would most likely  still be hanging from the trees but for losing that part of the DNA.

Now that the Indian cricket team is  progressing  very well towards a comprehensive loss in Australia; I am of a mind to welcome this development.  Significant benefits of this loss are dramatically expanded by coming as it is ; immediately after a similar loss in England. Gods must be  very kind ! What a lucky break that summer Olympics  in London are just on the horizon ! This loss hopefully will change that part of our mental DNA that thinks Cricket is  India's religion and Sachin is our God ! Maybe as part of the evolutionary process this loss will make those regions of our brain larger that can process the fact that Sania Nehwal; Gagan Narang , Viswanathan Anand and several others are "Gods" as well. Maybe we will start recognizing the fact that we have simply the worst medal wins to population ratio in the entire world. Even Tiny Tim Taiwan had a medal more than "superpower" India in  the Beijing Olympics. It is hoping for too much but it may invigorate the part of  our brain that stores the information  that Field Hockey is our " National Sport".

Three cheers for the two losses ! They are for the best.  Hope they continue losing  in the same vein and eventually we will become good enough to win.

Great margin for error but no room for doubt!

A couple of months ago as US made the commando raid that eventually netted bin laden , I was very sure that the event will make   Pakistan's rulers and the people both sit up and take notice.  This was based on my discussions with my Pakistani friends.  Some how I was  convinced  that such broad minded, educated and balanced group of people will definitely guide their nation towards a course correction.  Now it looks like I certainly keep   wrong company! Such people do not matter in Pakistan.

 Immediately after that event repeated doses of an extremely shrill  rhetoric was deployed from the TV studios which  guided public discourse   towards  illegality of  the American action and towards casting doubts over Osama's presence  in Pakistan itself. There being some merit in both arguments; still one could be excused to think that people who have the power  to change and who are pulling  all the strings in Pakistan might have realized that they have finally been found out !  Whatever one may say for public consumption, in private  even a half wit would have tried to go straight in order to avoid being punished. In normal course albeit.  But that is forgetting it is Pakistan we are talking about.

Army is the real ruler of  Pakistan and that old joke about it being the only army that has a country does not feel like a joke any more. Are they idiots ? Are they reckless ? Are they both? The short answer is no ! They are actually pretty smart  people. Although it does not take a lot but anyone who can continue to pull wool over willing American eyes for so  long and get paid by them to do  it as a bonus , has to be sharp. Lot of commentators discuss this aspect  but most of them  focus on what;  not on why?

 

It is kind of easy to say Pakistan is paranoid about India and is trying to avoid getting caught in a pincer from both east and west.  The scenario is pretty much possible and their fears are not completely unfounded. This is one of the key reasons for their strategic misadventures. However  all  concerns are about the methods they have convinced themselves will yield the desired result. Comparatively speaking India is already caught in a pincer ; between a very hostile Pakistan and a super power adversary, China. Why are India's policies looked upon differently by the world than Pakistan's? They themselves are asking this question but unfortunately do not find the answer to their liking. 

Even now the policy makers are not willing to take on board the fact that their stealth is exposed. More than anyone else Pakistan should realize that  similar to themselves, America is more of a corporation that has got a nation. US inc. will not let go of Afghanistan like they did twenty years ago. They have too much invested in it now. Taliban and ISI proxies will have a tough time repeating their old success. That ,if it happens would actually be catastrophic for Pakistan;   sinking them far deeper in trouble.  In such a situation the corporation will wrest control by force and Pakistan will be right in the middle of that maelstrom.  And I do not see any appreciation of the fact this is not just a bipolar world any more. There are several other forces in the picture and they are not going to be  pushovers  either. Just banking on nuclear blackmail to get your way through is fraught with huge dangers ; not only to the nuclear deterrent but to the entire nation itself. One can sense Pakistani army taking over direct control of day to day policies and messing with the civilian oversight again. Specially the way Husain  Haqqani has been eased out of Washington D.C.. At the same time  Pakistan's other ambassadors  are being chopped and changed in droves as we speak.  And the way zardari has suddenly developed heart trouble and fled the country ostensibly for treatment  gives  a lot of weight to the theory that Pakistan army  has staged a soft coup while keeping a  civilian facade.

Without taking anything away from the 26 odd  servicemen who got killed in the recent Nato attack, one must ask why Pakistan has not shown such a strong reaction when several times more civilians were the victims ? The real truth may never be known but the Nato story that those gunships fired in support of their ground troops who were coming under fire from or close to Pakistan army posts , is very plausible. Specially to an Indian ear .  Providing covering fire to retreating or infiltrating Islamic terrorist  bands is an old and well worn trick that Pakistani army posts have been using  in Kashmir sector for ever and ever. It comes as no surprise that they were using it in the west too.


On the other hand their contention that NATO attacked these post without  a good reason may also have a grain of  truth in it. However if that was the case ,Pakistan's reactions are bewildering to say the least! If this was a warning shot across their bows by NATO; why  have they created such intense war hysteria  among their populace ? What is it they are guilty of?  What are they hiding from their own population?  Blocking supply routes gives them practically zero leverage. Already over 60% of NATO supplies are routed through air or  "northern routes", not Pakistan. NATO has been  quitely preparing for this day for most of   last year or so. Reportedly they have six months supplies in hand. They are not breaking any sweat! Retaking Shamsi airbase may put some temporary breaks on drones but one shudders to think what other alternatives Nato has access to. Long range stealth bombers; missiles.....,it can soon turn into Pakistan's worst  nightmare!  Why is it hard to understand that a negotiated, peaceful  and independent Afghanistan is in everyone's best interests.

Of all the stupid things one could have done the worst was boycotting Bonn! They went ahead and did it too!  If there was  any proof needed  for  the oft  repeated Afghan refrain that Pakistan is the biggest obstacle in achieving peace; you have given them proof.- Idiots ! They are rubbing it in at Bonn. There ! didn't we  say so ?


Ironically Pakistani Army is making these  rank bad  decisions  for the love of their country. Their policies have continuously backfired time and again from kashmir to kargil ;even when faced with a comparatively weaker adversary -India. And now they have an entirely different beast to counter! Only time can tell what kind of misery will they bring upon the hapless people of Pakistan this time round. Their policies have great margin for error which they compound by having no room for any doubt!

 

The Afghan maze !

 

Picture by : Yoshiaki Nagashima 

One of the most poignant short story; "kabuliwala"; about an Afghan is written by the nobel laureate  Tagore. The story of a little girl and an itinerant  almond seller from Kabul touches your heart any time you read it. The short story was later adapted for a movie. My eyes water immediately I hear a song from this movie;"Ay mere pyre watan....". "My dear lovely nation...". is simply the best patriotic song I have ever heard .  

Sadly the lovely nation of the Kabuli wala is in a bad shape. Without going into too much of its history the fact is that Afghanistan is not an ancient nation. It has been a conglomerate of different tribes for most of its history. The tribal alliances and the intra - tribe relations are an important part of governance of this region.  Add foreign invasion and foreign rule into the mix and we have what we have here; a diverse nation with no central authority.  It does not make things any easy that there are several language groups. Mainly Farsi and its dialects and Pashto and its dialects. Historically these language groups have been at  the opposite ends of the political divide for  several hundred  years.

Even in the best  of times whole of Afghanistan was not governable, although it must be said that during the Monarch Amanullah's and his dynasty's time and even later during Daud's time, who wrested power from the dynasty, things were relatively settled. A lot of social reforms and infusion of modern ideas took place. Although it is unthinkable today, it was not unusual on the streets of Kabul  to find women dressed in a western style skirt in late 1960's. The down slide for Afghanistan started on the fateful day Sardar Muhammad Daud destabilized the monarchy and his reign uncorked a can of worms of political anarchy. 

Nur Muhammed Taraki and his group, were communist  minded; when they staged a coup against Daud to gain power. That rang a lot of warning bells in Washington. It was another nail in the Afghan coffin. Taraki's party governed on the soviet model . It curtailed civil liberties and put a number of restrictions on overtly Islamic  way of life. Afghans did not like it a lot.  This was the era of cold war and USSR was supporting the communist Government in kabul. Inevitably "Rambo", had to intervene. The entry of USA was another major setback to Afghanistan, but no one cared about Afghans. USA needed to put one across USSR  so they created a monster and gave it an Islamic name. ISI of pakistan became the mid wife and  its wet nurse and we had " mujahideen". " Freedom fighters"!!! ISI had its own interests in mind and afghans were so expendable, it was a cake walk. Especially with easily available unlimited supply of Saudi money.

Sadly  for  Afghanistan they won !  Portents were clear when Nazibullah's beaten and broken body was hung from a lamp post as the first official act of the freedom fighters. Any way the new power structure did not last long and a civil war ensued  .  Pitting  Northern Alliance on one side Millions of refugees and hundreds of thousands  dead later ; "Taliban "; strode to power in 1996. A bunch of raving , rabid lunatics espousing ruthless;  extremist;  Wahhabi ideology  that had no room for any accommodation. It was their way or death! They brought untold miseries to hapless afghans and really really pushed them back into middle ages as the twenty first century dawned .Their major service to Afghanistan was the destruction of Bamiyan Buddha's. They all were fit to be shot against  a wall for just that act alone but more was to come. One  word for it,  9/11.

World would not have cared otherwise and least of all USA. They were happy to let Taliban and their puppet masters in ISI run the show when Taliban over played their hand. Another set of miseries got unleashed on the Afghans. On one hand they have USA sitting in their homes and on the other hand Taliban is no where close to being decimated. It has now shaped itself into many headed dragon with this name and that name. But surly the dragon has grown big and It is hiding in plain sight  right across the border in Pakistan. 

Where does it leave the Afghans? As the USA finally prepares to leave it is clear that the present Karjai government will not be able to withstand the whirlwind that is brewing. No amount of military training India might provide ; it will be inadequate to stem the tide. Short of sending Indian boots on the ground it can not be stopped and there is very slim chance of that happening. What is worse; no amount of  US coaxing will change  Pakistan's afghan policy. It is based on supporting Taliban and Al Quaida  and their proxies getting back in power in Kabul. Again  nothing short of  USA directly taking out  military targets inside of Pakistan will begin to show any impact . And even then it may be too little too late ! Any way there is a very remote chance of that happening.

A bloody  intra - afghan power struggle is more likely to happen. The present Government will fight for survival with some Indian training and  some US weaponry . It will not be enough. Northern Alliance will try to save their traditional citadels. I do not see them as saviours  of Kabul . I believe they will be stretched unless US and  other western powers step in with equipment and funds. But hey ! that is another problem . Funds is exactly what they do not have! In the short run I feel Pakistan will have its way. A large part of Afghanistan will fall back in the hands of ISI proxies.  A overwhelmingly Sunni, wahabi, pathan , extremist ;anti west ;anti India, anti Russia and  anti everything other that themselves and their kind kind of government will rule Kabul again.  Sadly I can not see Afghans coming together in some kind of positive political movement that will keep away Taliban.

And with that will begin the final end game in Afghanistan.  I feel that  in this final round , thanks  to their army, Pakistan will be suckered in so deeply and inextricably  in the quagmire that it will impossible to come out even if they want it. A lot of pieces will fly about. Unlike last time there are a lot more active players in the game this time .  Apart from original US and Russia ; covert and overt roles of Iran and India have  expanded hugely . It will be fool hardy to dismiss this new development. EU and UK  will continue as serious elements of the jigsaw. And then there is China. The biggest chess player of all time. What is quite amazing to me that most of them will find themselves ranged on one side albeit for their own interests. The trick will be not to get caught on the other side. The trouble for Afghans is far from over.  Dust will take a little while to settle. But in the end It has to be Afghans who will have to bear the responsibility of  forging a stable  representative political system. Only they can make the final move.

Project Tiger!

India holds over half the world's tiger population. According to the latest tiger census report released on March 28, 2011 by the National Tiger Conservation Authority, the current tiger population estimated is 1,706. Not many years ago this number was above 5000. That  dwindled alarmingly to around low 1300's . Some focused preservation of the tiger habitat and good protection strategies in recent times have ensured this new encouraging number. It is an achievement of sorts.

However the fact remains that overall more tigers are dying than are being born.  And now Tiger Pataudi is dead too! The fact that he captained India  in old times is not important in my opinion. The  fact that he played that spoiled brat of a game - cricket is of lesser importance. He did not earn his nick name because he was born with a silver spoon in nobility and  managed to sweep a reigning queen of the silver screen, off her feet. In fact some of those facts and events that followed them are a cross mark against him. Anyway they are not of any consequence. They did not make him a tiger.

What made him a tiger was the fact that he followed his dreams. Lot of us do. We do not all become tigers. He followed his when he had no eyes to see those dreams much less follow them. I realized this the other day while playing street cricket with a tennis ball. It was so difficult to follow a circle about 3" diameter  with two eyes much less hit it with any success on a regular basis. Even when it was thrown at me by a mere child. Tiger  faced the fastest bowlers of his time unmindful of his handicap. He Overcame his partial blindness in one eye. He changed his stance;he changed his style; he curbed his strokes ; he did everything  but  he played. Only  because he wanted to play and it did not matter if he had only one good eye where even two sharp young eyes are not enough. 

 Last time I saw him was at opening of an exhibition in Delhi. He  quietly studied the  canvases on show; made a couple of very informed comments and generally behaved in a most graceful manner . No fuss , no nawabi tantrums and no throwing his weight around.
There is a lesson in his life for the rest of us. There are obstacles galore and life invariably throws curved balls at us . When life hands us a lemon we must bravely make lemon juice   and try to be a tiger.