When God speaks

When God speaks, you don’t hear anything! You only see – magic!

And when God of Cricket speaks, well, you still see magic :)

It was pure magic to hear Sachin speak with Arnab, frankly! Every word an “inspiration”; every sentence a “quote”! It was incredibly enchanting to watch two of my favourites chat with each other, and, frankly :)

Watching Sachin answer to Arnab’s probing – sometimes provoking – questions, yet reverential and friendly, took me more than two decades back. I was in Bombay – yes, it was called Bombay then; not that i call it by any other name now; Sachin Tendulkar had become a big name by then; and it was in the grapevine that he had met his love of life, his future wife Anjali Mehta.

It was a Sunday afternoon and we were at the Dadar Club, enjoying snacks while enjoying a club level tennis match between Ashok Mankad’s son Harsh and his opponent (I don’t remember his name).Befitting a cricket crazy country, our talks veered towards cricket and soon it got concentrated on Sachin. Imagine: we were watching a tennis match and talking about cricket! A friend of ours, a born-&-brought up Mumbaikar, who happened to personally know various sportsmen including Sachin, seeing the group’s enthusiasm extended his “generosity” and promised to take us to meet him at his home; he only needed a couple of hours to fix up our meeting for the coming weekend.

Wow! We spent the seemingly never-ending week counting days! And came the day when we were to go and meet Sachin Tendulkar. Yes, the same Sachin Tendulkar, who today is referred to as the God of Cricket!

We gathered at the Dadar Club, got into our friend’s car and started towards Sachin’s home. Excitement was at its peak! Unbelievable! And indescribable! And then the disaster struck! A dear friend of ours who had suffered from heartbreak recently went into sudden depression and refused to go anywhere. In sympathy, we friends dropped the “idea” till next weekend, which, of course, never came.

I too did not try to cheer up my friend or insist upon rest of us going ahead to meet Sachin as I too had recently suffered a personal loss – assassination of my most beloved personality, Rajiv Gandhi uncle, and I too was in not so cheerful mood. Then there was the hope that there would always be a ‘next time’ – next week – with our Mumbaikar friend being around. Today, I cannot believe it myself! Not even my family, who rightly think that I have been the biggest fool to have ever walked the planet Earth!    

Soon our days in Bombay came to an end and it was time to go back to our campus – without meeting Sachin, of course. And as the fate would have it, within months we got the tragic news of the death of our Mumbaikar friend and the link to Sachin Tendulkar was lost, forever. May his soul rest in peace. We miss you, Kamlesh :(

Since then I haven’t been able to understand God’s design in not letting that meeting happen with Sachin. I have regretted the lost opportunity every time I see Sachin; and will continue to mourn it even post my death. Once up there I am going to ask the God that why He not let us meet the then future God of Cricket! Was the God himself feeling threatened about this “imminent” competition?!

The regret regressed little bit when I got the God sent opportunity to watch Sachin play live.

The day was 7^th February and the year was 1999. The venue was Feroz Shah Kotla ground in Delhi. The occasion was the second test between India and Pakistan. It was the 5^th day of the test match. Pakistan was batting in their 2^nd innings. The advantage was that India was fielding and thus all players were visible on the field! And, yes, it was then that I first saw Sachin Tendulkar live! In flesh and blood, from so near that I could touch him! Yes, the God of Cricket was in front of me, playing, and I simply could not believe my luck! That day too I rushed back to Bombay of 1991. The memories of that day are so vivid that I can narrate in all details even after 13 years!

It was indeed a special day in my life! Not only for the fact that it was my first meeting with Sachin Tendulkar in person but also for the fact that Anil Kumble single-handedly demolished Pakistan with his historical 10 wickets haul in an inning! What a match it was! And what a meeting it was with the God of Cricket! And, that day too, I regretted deeply for having missed out, yet again, on seeing Sachin for four more days during the first four days of the test match; believe it or not, i did not go for the first four days of the test match as i was so-called busy with routine office work whereas actually I was wasting my cricket passes and the God’ sent lifetime opportunity!

I wonder if Sachin would remember this fan of his in red pullover and blue jeans :)

Many years have passed since then. Cricket has evolved further in India. We are the world Champions for the second time! T20 is the most popular format today. IPL is a big brand globally. India has become the super power nation as far as this sport is concerned. We may not have remained the No.1 in various formats of the game for long but India surely dominates – and dictates - the world of cricket!

In today’s times of too much cricket, I do not watch matches always. Not even when my country and my favourite players – Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni – are playing. Watching cricket matches live has also reduced drastically for me. But watching Sachin speak about his “imminent” retirement and his doubts about his availability for the next world cup gave me goose bumps! Indian cricket without Sachin? NO! The thought itself is frightening! Watching Frankly Speaking I prayed to the God for letting the God of Cricket be a part of cricket as long as possible – always, actually. I am sure even the “cricket atheists” will join me in my prayers …

And, thanks Arnab, for your wonderful chat with Sachin! You could bring out so far unseen dimensions of his personality with your superb interviewing. I especially liked your introductory comments and your concluding remarks. I am sure even Sachin is going to remember this interview for ever, when he spoke Frankly :)     

  

India's Starved Sensibilities

That India is a country of people with starved sensibilities got established once again during Hina Rabbani Khar’s recent visit. Turning this crucial Pakistan foreign minister’s visit into a spectacle for frivolous fashion talks clearly tells a lot about the Indian mindset in dealing with females. Her youth, her intelligence, her capabilities, her intentions, all got blurred in the background and what remained in the never-flickering focus were her good looks, her Birkins, her Roberto Cavallis, her pearls, her dresses, her style sense, etc. etc. i.e. every thing that could define her feminity. For every Indian – effectively captured and presented to satisfy the Indian palate by the equally swayed Indian media – she was a female first and nothing beyond that. The sexist attitude of India towards her got more deplorable when many demented Indian minds resorted to describing her as Pakistan’s ploy, sent as a WMD – Woman of Mass Distraction! - to deflect from real political-foreign policies issues. As it is a well know fact about the infamous Indian mindset being the core of The Great Indian Hypocrisy, this malaise manifests in every aspect – facet – of life, in every corner of this great country of ours which prides itself on being worshipper of female Gods i.e. Goddesses.

You have to be a woman to understand it fully – “experience” is the operative term here. Ask any man – a male, I mean; India cannot boast of many “real” men – and he will flatly deny the existence of any such basal trait in “their half” of the population. If you too have any doubts about India’s sufferings, just take a walk around in any public place in any city/town of our so-called cultured country and the happenings will hit you full on.

It is a pretty common scene in any public place in India: lots of people, from all social backgrounds, with varied upbringings, with unequal levels of literacy – education still eludes many – and different economic status, lots of chaos, filth in equal proportion all around, extremely noisy and smelly. There would be more men than women, men again of all types but the “typical” ones dominating the space. By “typical ones” I mean those with “vacant look”, getting accentuated by yellowness of their eyes and brownness of their skin tone, their very ordinary faces bordering on ugliness with hairy skin making them seem absolutely avoidable, smelly body which you could almost “see”, wandering aimlessly till they spot a female – an average, decently dressed one, and not the “inviting” ones – the most self-suited explanation invented by human beings! You witness an instant transformation in their personality: from looking bored and depressed - from “empty eyes” to “hungry eyes” - they start smiling - that lecherous smile which makes you wish death for them. Then they start following her like a dog - their salivating pariah dog like appearance is so pathetic that if law was on your side you could shoot them pointblank. With their now all-active senses they start passing lewd remarks at her and loudly. If words fail them, they take help of film songs, the same songs which have been composed to celebrate something as crude as “eve-teasing” – India’s gift to the world culture! … And not even a single person – I told you in the beginning itself that India is severely deficient in real men – objects to this obscene harassment by men with leech-like attitude and avoids that situation with utter muteness and acquired blindness. The girl tries to run away from the place as fast as she could. And this is not an isolated incident; at the same place at any given point of time, almost all females present there would be facing the same humiliation.

Picture is almost same everywhere; from ordinary places to so called high places. The attitude is same in males representing the entire spectrum of India – well, exception are there but they are in “minority”; gentlemen are a “rarity” in India.

To tell you something interesting: a female wearing sunglasses is a “sight” for Indian males as for them it is a thing of “style” and not for “protection of eyes against harsh sunrays” and for some strange reason they feel extremely excited about it. And believe me, from a person on bitumen – roads – to a male in a BMW, they all behave the same!

But, ask any Indian male and he will deny it flatly. His argument will be – is always – that if India was so bad or unsafe, you wouldn’t be seeing females walking around unescorted. To all such males I have to say only one thing: go home and ask your mother, sister, wife, daughter, whosoever who have in family and you will know the truth. Because being the cynosure of your own mother’s hypocritical vision while growing up, you may have failed to notice that females are not seen around in any place after sunset in order protect herself from predatory behavior of ubiquitously present nocturnal creatures with deep animal instincts. And this has got confirmed by the shameless distinction of India getting rated as the 4^th most dangerous place for women in the world!

Ok, I agree that behavior will vary in degrees depending on a male’s background, but essentially almost all of them remain mentally glued to females around in their environment. The fact that an average Indian male cannot think beyond females is evident from their sex-laced talks; politics and sports come much later if time permits to think “beyond”! It is a different matter that in their entire quest for becoming “attracted to opposite sex”, they have not at all worked on improving their own “attractiveness quotient”. Almost the entire population of Indian males remains as undesirable as ever. I always wonder: how can the “male ego” permit such bizarre behavior that you spend your entire life ogling at female brigade and never ever get to enjoy even a chance glance from the so desired opposite sex? No hurt ego, guys?

This uniquely Indian male behavior stems from the societal belief in male’s superiority in the existential ladder. India wouldn’t be suffering the grossly skewed male:female ratio otherwise. An average Indian doesn’t feel any pain or a sense of sin by indulging into brutal female foeticide. And, even in this 21^st century, India is yet to legislate a criminal penal code for this all-prevalent heinous act.

This belief in male supremacy gets manifested in Indian males’ behavior. It is so deeply entrenched that irrespective of their own living status, they exercise “equality” in their “right to entertainment” through their “object of desire” i.e. females always. He could be a beggar but he will not deny himself his “birth-right” to seriously fantasize about a Bollywood female star!

Nothing can be more ugly than a lecherous Indian male’s face, and more dirty than his mind! And you get to witness these things even while abroad. Their excitement on seeing you, a fellow Indian female, is so palpable that it borders on obnoxiousness. Even in a foreign land you do not feel safe sighting an Indian male. Because for him an Indian female becomes an outlet for connecting to “familiar” and an outpouring for his frustrations of being treated like a “non-entity” by the “superior” whites – foreigners. Their indecent proposals are all visible in their otherwise blank expressions!

Ask any female tourist post her India visit and she will narrate horrifying tales of her harassments, with a “promise” never to return to our great land ever! (Indian Government’s “Atithi Devo Bhavo” ads reflect the same nauseating Indian males’ mindset; I doubt if Aamir Khan has been able to drive home his point in even a single unashamed Indian male’s mind.)

I repeat: all you average Indian males, if you so desire the opposite sex’s attention, first work upon yourself to become “desirable”; otherwise your despicably offensive behavior will keep you in the “unwanted” section forever – and you “appreciating beauty” – yes, Indian females are considered beautiful by all unlike their male counterparts! - with starved sensibilities evident all over your face and in your being!

I wish my fellow Indian males could understand that the cycle of life completes when both man and woman complement each other equally…

Why is India incredibly helpless, always?

Terror has struck India again, Bombay to be precise. (Bal Thackeray would want to impose his diktat even today that I say Mumbai instead of Bombay!) And the spectacle in India is absolutely on the expected lines: serial blasts, people killed, chaos all around, victims shifted to hospitals, media frenzy, 24x7 coverage, news headlines screaming “Resilient Mumbai” / “Life goes on in Mumbai” / “Mumbai back at work” / “Indomitable Spirit of Mumbai lives on” / etc. etc., condolences expressed by political leaders in the same words as used post every such previous terror attacks, candle light homage by people, anger and frustration of population – Bombayiites in the current case, again – aired on news channels non-stop, press briefing by security agencies, PM’s “stern” statement that “perpetrators of terror should (?!) be brought to justice”, international condemnation – especially by the US and the UN, visit to hospitals and blast sites by top political leaders, criticism of Pakistan and our own country’s Pak-policy by the Opposition, … and the life will go on, as always, till yet another terror attack strikes Bombay or any other part of India…

This is India. Incredible, isn’t it?

The sequence of events post a terror strike is almost same in any other nation on this earth. The difference, however, lies in the fact that elsewhere such attacks is followed by actions by the government - unlike in India.

In India, on the contrary, crores of taxpayers’ money is being spent to protect the biggest terrorist caught on the Indian soil so far. That is Ajmal Kasab for the world, the terrorist whose remorseless acts of massacres on the night of 26/11 in 2008 is still fresh in mind of public, but our esteem judiciary fails to get convinced that the evidence caught on close circuit cameras are adequate to fast track his verdict and his hanging. It is shocking to see that instead of punishing the perpetrator, our country is hell bent on showcasing its “top of the world” criminal justice system to the world by protecting a terrorist! So what if in the process India has managed to throw away its responsibilities towards protection of its citizens and delivering justice to victims’ families? So what if in the process India has succeeded in sending a strong signal to terrorists all across the world the it is okay to target the country at will because our nation lacks courage to safeguard itself?

This is India. Incredible, isn’t it?

What perplexes me the most is India’s utter helplessness in all such situations!

Why cannot we act tough? Why cannot we tell the terrorists that “enough is enough” and that they stay clear of India? Why cannot we crackdown on terror outfits, within our boundaries and beyond if need be? Why cannot we let our neighbors – Pakistan and other surrounding nations - know that they “behave”? Why cannot we bolster our intelligence systems further? Why cannot we use “actionable” intelligence to fend off any probable attack? Why cannot we work in a coordinated manner to safeguard India? Why cannot we put a functional anti-terror mechanism in place? Why cannot we put adequate pressure on the US to stop supporting – using - Pakistan to suit its narrow global aspirations and in turn turn almost a blind eye to its terror activities? Why cannot we tell the US to stop funding Pakistan till it aborts its terror exports? Why cannot we relook at our foreign policies and forge strong alliances with other important nations and take their support on issues concerning global terrorism, affecting India the most? Why cannot we use the UN platform to put our case strongly in front of the world? Why …???

The swiftness we exhibit in naming all such attack dates as 26/11, 13/7 now – obviously inspired by 9/11 – and then conveniently forgetting about it a few days later to everybody’s bliss is the most disgusting aspect of our dealing with terror attacks.

There are numerous “whys” but before we get answers to all these and more, we will have to demonstrate to the world – and terrorists in particular – that we value an Indian’s life! That we will not tolerate loss of even a single life in hands of a terrorist! That if any terrorist tries to act funny, we will crush the entire terror infrastructure! That we will not permit any breach of our security and safety and peace and that anybody indulging into it will face severe consequences!

But most importantly, we will have to show to the world – and the terrorists in particular – that we will not hide behind the “resilience” curtains anymore! That we will act and act tough!

Ok, all these sound pretty politically patriotic rhetoric; and that is precisely what we have to avoid. We have to act!

By the way, what are all these talks of “resilience” and “spirit of Mumbai”? What do we expect the Mumbaikars to do the day after? Sit at home and watch endless coverage on television? For how long? Is there any other option than going to work the next day? Wouldn’t all of us if caught in a similar situation do the same? Have we not witnessed a similar response in other Indian cities as well? Or, seen people reacting in similar fashion in terror-struck international cities for that matter?

Let us stop indulging into such mindless discussions and even thoughts of “resilience” and “spirit”.

Let us not act victim anymore; instead, let us show courage and act tough against terrorism.

Let us start by hanging Ajmal Kasab and Afzal Guru immediately. I am sure that if the government is trying to play minority appeasement political card here by putting both of these hardcore terrorists in death “row” - and that is what the GOI is doing exactly - then the Supreme Court should intervene. It is high time. India needs to see justice delivered; and, a closure to 26/11.

I hate seeing India act “helpless” …

An Answer for Barack Obama

President Barack Obama asked students to ponder on his Three Questions during his interaction at St. Xavier’s College in Mumbai on 7^th November 2010:

1. Where do you want to see India 20 years from now?
2. What kind of India-US partnership do you want to see 20 years from now?
3. How each do you want to make this world a better place?

If I had the privilege of being there and asking him a question, I would have taken his second question and redirected it to him: “Mr. President, what kind of India-US partnership do you want to see, not 20 but, say, 2 years from now?”

(In 2 years his first term would be near its end and he would have embarked on his campaign trail for ensuring his 2^nd term in the White House. And in his victory in 2012, a flourishing US relation with India could prove to be an important issue to stake his claim to the presidency.)

Ever since his confirmation as the president-in-waiting in November 2008, views started doing rounds in diplomatic circles in India that under Obama administration, India-US relationship may see a significant shift from the path charted by George W. Bush because he was never seen actively pursuing India during his presidential campaign. And this perception got confirmed when India was kept out of US’ crucial Af-Pak policy in spite of India been actively engaged in Afghanistan and is an important regional power in South Asia.

Also, in spite of accepting the fact that Pakistan is the center for export of terror to India and rest of the world including America, the US continues to pursue this subject pretty softly with our unruly neighbor. Huge military aids are being given to Pakistan with an excuse of making it stable economically and politically. Even if one has to believe that Pakistan government has no control over the so-called non-state actors working as perpetrators of terror from its soil, still America could hold the Pakistani government responsible and force them to act for eradicating extremism. It could be done by linking aid with results expected on proliferation of terror.

Moreover, even when the US realizes that India has indeed “risen” as an economic power and in a globalized world movement of jobs across borders is inevitable, still the US loses no opportunity to bash companies having bases outside America – especially in India. Barack Obama has been seen towing this “protectionist” line in order to suit his political purposes for appeasing people affected due to continuing economic recession.

In mutual benefits of the US and India, Barack Obama has to take India together in its economic and political endeavors. Barack Obama will not succeed in wooing Indian business establishments with his anti-outsourcing stance.

In addition, in spite of Barack Obama acknowledging that the global order has changed indeed, he doesn’t seem to be ready to support India’s eligibility for a permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council which would rightly reflect today’s geopolitical realities and would balance power equations in the colossal body.

Barack Obama has endorsed India’s importance as a strategic “partner” – graduating from oft stated ‘ally’ status for India – because of both being democracies – oldest and the largest – but somehow we are yet to see him come closer to India in real terms; the relationship feels to be cold in spite of President Obama sharing a warm personal rapport with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

To be honest I had great expectations from him for India when he became the 44^th President of the United States of America. Because, I always felt – and still do strongly – that he was not a mere politician; he was a genuine leader and had the potential to get into the league of great leaders and impact the world history like Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. And, therefore, he had mental capabilities of taking tough and honest decisions and bringing about “the Change we can believe in”.

I am disappointed – that is not the case. I have hopes and that is not to term it as “audacity of hope”!

I completely understand President Barack Obama’s predicament. His country is not the strongest in the world anymore. There is a swift transition towards a ‘Post American World’. America is losing its might - mostly on economic front. On top of that, the US has to bear huge burdens of two unnecessary wars, Iraq and Afghanistan. And none of these critical states are of his making. He is the unfortunate inheritor of the unprecedented mess and a volatile economic environment left behind by his predecessor. And he has been at the helm of affairs for less than two years only. The time available with him so far has been grossly inadequate to bring about the desired turnaround. He has delivered on most of his presidential campaign promises except for being able to reverse huge jobs loss which in a capitalist and a free market is not under government’s control. He could arrest the slide and stabilize the economy but jobs creation will take some more time. His “shellacking” in the recent mid-term elections was primarily in response to his administration’s failure to stop continued job losses in US.

I also understand that India of today knows its place in the world and also knows too well that its fast emergence on economic front has made it vulnerable to escalating harm by external evil forces mostly motivated by religious fundamentalism. India of today could be immensely confident about its future but its concerns cannot – and should not – be ignored. A country like US has to support India in its fight against terror even if that means displeasing its so-called ally that is Pakistan which is proclaimed to be ‘strategically important’ partner for America. Then only India and the US can become ‘partners’ in real terms.

Today, President Barack Obama is on his maiden trip to India during which he primarily seeks to engage businessmen and entrepreneurs and Indian political establishment for opening trade barriers for increased economic cooperation between the two nations. The fact that he did not mention the “P” word while addressing the 26/11 victims at the Taj Hotel and then did not again bite the bait at St. Xavier’s College today, has put the Indian establishment including the Indian Media spewing venom against him. To be honest I too felt a bit disappointed but then I understood President Barack Obama’s geopolitical compulsions.

Talking about Pakistan, India has to tackle this errant neighbor itself. And we are capable of doing so. We only need a strong political will to execute this wish. We should stop taking shoulder of America to put our guns. India has to adopt a tough posture and secure its future against possible terror attacks. Why blame America for not spelling Pakistan in public on an Indian platform? Haven’t we often hidden behind diplomatic curtains? Haven’t we failed comprehensively in punishing Kasab in spite of having telling evidences against him in name of a democratic judiciary? Haven’t we too changed our track often and have returned to the talking tables repeatedly all for diplomacy and keeping the so-called enemy engaged? Haven’t we kept our diplomatic relations and support tacit even with dictatorial regimes like Iran just because it felt to be suiting our interests? Then why are we so critical of President Barack Obama’s diplomatic stance for Pakistan?

We all know America’s strategic relationship and its need for a stable Pakistan. (A stable Pakistan is in India’s interest too. Otherwise, we could see an ambitious China move in the vacated space. And we know who is a lesser evil.)

In fact an immensely important visit of the US’ President which could have been used for forging a much deeper mutually beneficial economic-political relationship between the two democracies of the world, it got completely hijacked by a myopic vision clouded by issue of Pakistan’s sponsorship of terror. We have been living with this menace for more than six decades now. And India has always been aware of America’s stance on this issue. Still in order to be a real economic and political power we need the United States of America. Howsoever big we might think about ourselves on the global stage, and howsoever beleaguered the US may seem currently, let us not forget the fact that India is still a miniscule economy in front of the giants like China, Germany, Japan and the US. India needs US’ markets perhaps more than they need ours. Whatever we can offer them in terms of market pie and jobs therefore, if the US pursued China a bit better they could easily garner that desired shares. All talks about India’s economic prowess needs to be taken in right perspective. Today’s atmosphere is more conducive than ever before to further strengthen our relationship with the US on equal terms. A strengthened America is in every body’s interest.

Nevertheless, I completely believe that in spite of all its so-called geopolitical-economic compulsions, the US can still hold Pakistan accountable for terror emanating from within its boundaries. Because, as we all know, Terrorism knows no boundaries – it is “problems without passports” (to use Kofi Annan’s / Shashi Tharoor’s words). And, to agree with Times Now’s point of view that America should link its aids to Pakistan to its action on containing terror in Pakistan if it wants to have a trustful long lasting relationship with India.

Frankly speaking, Indian Media’s pouncing on Barack Obama for avoiding naming Pakistan in his speeches on related subjects within hours of his landing in Bombay was uncalled for and it looked grossly unfair. Here was the President of the United States of America in India on his maiden visit but that just didn’t seem to have any positive effect on our Media. The mood was belligerent in television studios to say the least! (NDTV 24x7 sounded more balanced than CNN-IBN and Times Now though.)

But tossing the coin over and we could see that today’s India was not afraid of speaking its mind out even if it meant speaking tough – even to the US - to protect our interests. And certainly the Indian Media was at its confident – toughest - best! Not that they had not given due importance to Barack Obama’s visit. Otherwise we wouldn’t have seen them sitting throughout the day for 12 hours at a stretch – that was Arnab Goswami! – in their studios and covering the events in details and indulging into great deal of discussions on every conceivable point. I wonder from where they managed inexhaustible source of energy!

Tomorrow is President Obama’s third and the last day in India before he embarks on the second leg of his Asian tour to Indonesia. Wish I could listen to him speak to our Parliamentarians majority of whom are not even worthy of such an opportunity and privilege! But such are the fallacies of democracy …

Great to have you here in India, Mr. President! The First Lady too has made a fan base! Hope to see you both back with Malia, Sasha and Bo!

And, yes, do you feel I have been able to answer you satisfactorily? I know it is a pretty long answer but then certain questions cannot be answered in brief. Thanks for your patience, Mr. President J (Wish he reads these lines. Now, this is “audacity of hope”, for sure J)

Barack Obama and India-US relationship

Barack Obama shares an old connection with India which goes back to 1981 when he had come visiting families of his friends from India. (Not much is known though about ‘those’ friends or their families.) Those were young Obama’s Occidental College (Los Angeles) days before his shifting to Columbia University in New York.

And that is the reason why “dal” (pulses) remains one of his favorite dishes which he can cook as well!

Nevertheless, India’s influence on Barack Obama goes much beyond “dal”. India’s biggest ‘gift’ to him has been ‘Mahatma Gandhi’ who gained entry into his impressionable mind through his idol Martin Luther King Jr.; the latter had based his Civil Rights movement on MG’s philosophies of non-violence and truth. As the world knows, President Obama has Mahatma’s photograph in his office for his daily dose of motivation and guidance! Needless to say, Barack Obama has fashioned his politics on Gandhiji’s teachings.

The fact that his “inner core” of support staff comprises of many Indian-Americans is not a mere coincidence. Also, President Obama complimenting Manmohan Singh by saying “when he speaks, the world listens” reflects his genuine admiration for the prime minister of India.

Nevertheless, since the confirmation of him becoming the 44^th President of the United States of America, the view started doing rounds in the diplomatic circles that the US-India relationship will undergo major shift under Obama administration because he was never seen to be pursuing India in his presidential campaign, unlike his predecessor. We all know that George W. Bush has been the biggest American advocate of India in the global arena. If India today is on the verge of becoming a member of the elite nuclear club, the sole credit goes to the fruition of the Indo-US civil nuclear treaty in his tenure, for which he fought the other world powers. And it is no wonder that India’s prime minister Manmohan Singh calls him a “friend” ("India loves you," that's what our PM proclaimed!?)!

What is perplexing is that in spite of being influenced by India and Indians hugely both at personal and political fronts, President Obama has kept India at bay in geopolitical matters. Whether it was marginalizing India in the skewed Af-Pak strategy or pointing against “job-outsourcing” to India or sidelining India for a permanent UNSC seat or not giving adequate support to India against Pak-sponsored terrorism, Barack Obama has displayed a contradictory image as far as relations with India goes.

President Obama should have known that US’ win in Afghan War could be ascertained only by engaging the biggest regional power that is India which is enormously involved in economic and political developments in Afghanistan anyway as an ally. Then his constant rumbling against “job-outsourcing” - mainly to India - is also clouded as the ongoing economic crises in US have myriad factors to blame of which “out-sourcing” makes a miniscule fraction. Moreover, a democratic India’s inclusion in the select set of permanent members of the United Nations Security Council could have further boosted US’ position in that caucus. Also, America letting go its reluctance to take Pakistan head-on in its war on terror - including in India - would have ensured the US sustained its leadership position in South Asia’s politics, closing almost all doors for China in this immensely important space for political leadership.

For India, whether it is being left out of the Af-Pak policy or America’s unfounded concern on job-outsourcing or US being non-committal on the UNSC seat, these things though very important but they certainly do not threaten the country’s existence. The most disturbing – rather disappointing – aspect of the Indo-US relationship has been America’s unwillingness to contain Pakistan on terror fronts against India. In fact, many a times the US has seemed to be doing ‘double-talks’ with India.

For me, a self-proclaimed fan of Barack Obama, this “duality” is a bit difficult to digest. For me, Barack Obama is my hero, God’s blessing to the world! He is amongst those rare personalities in history who have “not been” politicians but have been “genuine” leaders. As an ardent admirer I have been following his dramatic ascent into the world of politics since 2004 when he made his remarkable keynote speech at the Democratic Convention in Los Angeles. His “Race in America” speech in March of 2008 in Philadelphia cemented my space in his universe of admirers. The never-seen-before gathering at Tiergarten, Berlin in July 2008 to hear him – a presidential candidate from a foreign state – proved his emergence as a global leader. The joy-with-tears exhibited by the world during his Grant Park, Chicago “Victory Speech” on November the 4^th in 2008 announced that indeed he had a universal appeal. His 20^th January 2009 Presidential Inauguration on the steps of the United States Capitol in Washington D.C. saw the entire world glued to television sets for witnessing the historic transition of Barack Obama into the 44^th President of the United States of America; a beautiful metamorphosis of an African-American into the President of America. Life indeed had come full circle!

I am sure President Obama will treat his historical and much awaited India visit as an important occasion – an opportunity - to forge a lasting bond with India (and he will not listen anymore to his misguiding advisers; instead he will listen to his inner voice). Because, it is in mutual benefits of both the nations that the oldest and the largest democracies come together and do “not compete” but “complement” each other. Together, India and America can reshape global geopolitics and economic scene and make world a much better place to live in!

Yes, Together We Can! ...

Welcome to India, Mr. President and the First Lady! I am sure you and Michelle will cherish your stay in Bombay and Delhi! I know for sure that soon you two would be back to my country with Malia and Sasha and Bo! I wish I could meet you in person whom I place only after Mahatma Gandhi in my list of select “favorites”! … Wish we Indians too had our own Barack Obama!

Happy Diwali J

Arundhati Roy: Goddess of Big Controversies!

Arundhati Roy has travelled a great distance since 1997, the year which saw her winning one of the most coveted awards in literature, the Booker Prize for her amazing ‘The God of Small Things’. She instantly shot to international fame and along with helped expanding the Indian literary sphere beyond the Indian borders. Today she is hardly a novelist; at best she is an occasional essayist; but she is certainly a big time activist.

And I have big problems with self-styled activists. These activists are almost always sympathizers of evil mongers, be it Maoists or Kashmiri separatists - an occupation in vogue nowadays. They stylishly call themselves as Human Rights Activists.

I agree that Arundhati Roy is an intellectual and is blessed with extraordinary talents but I do not approve of her indulgence into misguided sedition in guise of social activism. Many a times I feel she does what she does to attract attention. She could have got adequate notice by being an author too but why did she choose the path of controversies is beyond my comprehension. Otherwise, to think that she does not understand the meaning of humans or rights or sedition or freedom - azadi - would be absolutely naïve.

“Kashmir should get azadi from bhukhe-nange Hindustan!” advocated Arundhati Roy at the recently held seminar in Delhi on “Azadi – The only way”. Of course, she and other splitists got massively booed by the crowd as expected. Her misdemeanor would have got brushed away under the garb of oft repeated democracy-thus-freedom-of-speech theory but the Indian media took it up seriously and forced the government of India to react – at least issue a statement – against the seditionist brigade. However, the fact that she and her fellow secessionists are still freely roaming the surface of the Indian earth is enormously disappointing and might set a wrong precedent.

Arundhati Roy should get her facts right before articulating her skewed views on the subject of an Azaad Kashmir. I am sure she knows that Kashmir is an integral part of India by all standards of legitimacy. And I am also sure that she knows she too is an Indian. And, just by being a citizen of a democratic country – India – does not make her eligible for speaking in seditious language, howsoever strongly she may feel for her Kashmiri separatist brethren. Her conduct is unlawful. And it is punishable under the Constitution of India. (So what if the state of Jammu & Kashmir has its own constitution? Have you ever heard of a bizarre situation like this anywhere else in this world? ‘Double citizenship’ is a common occurrence but dual constitution? It happens only in India!)

What perplexes me the most is the logic proffered by these so-called activists is their definition of human rights because they are seldom right in their explanation of humans or their rights. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be seeing them fight for Separatists and Maoists rights! Can any person in his/her right senses describe people belonging to either or both of these sections as ‘humans’? For God’s sake, they are terrorists! And murderers cannot be granted the same rights as that of ‘normal’ humans whom they kill at will.

Kashmir became a “problem” – not a mere ‘dispute’ as defined by current interlocutors - because of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru’s idealistic posturing about the UNO – as it was called in those days – and its ability to bring about the necessary changes while dealing with global conflicts. If our first prime minister had shown political acumen and courage, the whole controversy would have got resolved in 1948 itself. Indian military was quite capable of defending its territory and securing its borders and not letting Pakistan forcefully annex Kashmir and create POK; the most absurd post war happening was Pakistan “gifting” a large swathe of illegally occupied land in Kashmir to China!

Kashmir is a flashpoint and will remain so for many more decades to come. Today, even if India demonstrates strong political will, Kashmir issue cannot be solved which is anyway a remote possibility. Because, today stakeholders are numerous in the beautiful land of Kashmir. A burning Kashmir keeps the South Asian geopolitical aspirations of many nations warm. Then there are the commercial compulsions of global arms trade. A peaceful world - region - is certainly not conducive for the desired growth of this dangerous business which is lobbied hard at the highest levels for its continued existence. Then, the never-ending Kashmir conflict also serves as a legitimate excuse for the government of Pakistan to use it as a deflective device to keep the focus away from its grave internal problems. And Indian establishment is also not far behind in using Kashmir as a tool to suit its political purposes.

Hopefully all those Indian Kashmiris - and I firmly believe they are in absolute minority – who want to be a part of Pakistan or want a ‘separate’ state for themselves, will soon realize Kashmir is an Indian state and no force on this earth can divide India further. Their King who happened to be a Hindu by religious practice had decided the inclusion of his kingdom in the Indian state in all his senses and within his legal rights to do so. And that included his citizens as well. Moreover, almost a failed state by any yardstick, Pakistan should also get over its ambition of acquiring Kashmir, remembering that British’s “divide-and-rule” policy is not applicable anymore in a democratic and secular Independent India. Therefore, even the thought of an “Azaad” Kashmir is insane! Same advice is for Arundhati Roy.

Arundhati Roy could call her Hindustan “bhookha-nanga” but she should thank her stars for being a born Hindustani; for speaking in seditious language in Pakistan, she could have been languishing in jail on a non-bailable warrant forever for “treason”. Because, it is only in a democratic India that she could take refuge in her enormously flawed ideologies and philosophies to justify her separatist tendencies and still be out as a free citizen.

India is tired of Arundhati Roy’s KBC: Kashmir Bachao Conundrum! Hopefully she will resume her writings and stop being the Goddess of Big Controversies!

India-US-Pak Triangle and My Umbrella

I was watching Shah Mehmood Qureshi, the over-the-top Foreign Minister of Pakistan at his theatrical best during the joint press conference with his US counterpart recently that the memories of my childhood’s multi-coloured umbrella came rushing in! I smiled, and soon started laughing! It was such a sweet memory, after all :)

I remember I had just started going to school. My parents gifted me a beautiful multi-coloured umbrella. And I instantly fell in love with it. My attachment became so ardent with that little piece of my initial few possessions that it almost became a part of me, my identity. And, if my mother did not bring that umbrella to the near-by bus stop, rain-or-no-rain, sun-or-no-sun, I would stubbornly refuse to walk back home. My obsession with my umbrella soon spread far and wide!

And my umbrella's story reached the ears of my self-styled competitor – yes, a trait so rare at that tender age! - in our immediate neighbourhood where lived a girl little elder to me. That girl had to have everything – yes, everything – which I had: be it dresses or toys or books or … yes, you guessed it right … an umbrella, too!

That girl created a huge fuss and pressured her parents in to buying almost a same umbrella for her! …

So, now you understand why I remembered my beautiful childhood umbrella watching Shah Mehmood Qureshi at his theatrical best in the US?

Well, while S. M. Qureshi’s attempts were quite hilarious and with his antics he had apparently succeeded in amusing Hillary Clinton – though only superficially - the Pakistani Foreign Minister was desperately trying to appease Madame Secretary for getting America to agree to an India-like civil nuclear deal for Pakistan too.

Now you see the connection between the India-US-Pakistan triangular relationship and my childhood umbrella?

In the not-so-easy geopolitical equations between India-US-Pakistan, Pakistan is that little spoilt girl from my neighbourhood who wanted everything that I had as a child, including an umbrella!

Well, on an adult-like serious note, I am sure that the Obama administration is not so naïve to give in to the obsessive demands of Pakistan, ranging from F-16s to military arsenals to monetary aids to civil nuclear deal; anyway, most of which are likely to be aimed against India in all probability. The US establishment understands all too well that Pakistan is a rogue state and is the epicenter of spread of terrorism in the world today. Howsoever crucial Pakistan’s role the US may deem to be in resolving the ever escalating Afghanistan conflict as an important component of its Af-Pak strategy for the crisis-ridden region, it will not let an almost failed nation get access to nuclear energy technology whose usage – abuse – it cannot guarantee for civil purposes exclusively. It would be akin to giving WMDs in hands of a Demon! Pakistan’s repeated proclaims of not being in control of its non-state actors – terrorists, extremists, fundamentalists – go absolutely against its own arguments to secure a favourable nuclear deal – India-like - from its otherwise old ally, the United States of America.

Therefore, India need not worry at all.

Nevertheless, at the end, I must thank Mr. Qureshi for taking me back on my memory lane and let me cherish in my thoughts my beautiful little multi-coloured umbrella!

(The umbrella is still secured at home – though now tattered and faded – along with few other valuables from my childhood.)

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Watching Shah Mehmood Qureshi’s theatrics also reminded me of an age-old adage about “Politics Being the Theatre of the Absurd”! He for sure was an absurdist personified that afternoon!

Pune Terror Attack: Available Intelligence not Actionable Enough?

India was attacked again; this time – on 13th Feb’10 - the city on terrorists’ radar was Pune, almost a twin city of Bombay. And this happened in spite of the “actionable intelligence” available with the concerned authorities. In fact, the intelligence available was so glaring and clear that in order to have ignored it completely must have been a monumental task for the people concerned. Only last week Pune was mentioned – publicly – in LeT’s/JuD’s massive rally in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir, held primarily to press their anti-India point, as a sure target for their attack. And the television footage/newspaper transcripts were available with all concerned in India, besides the other relevant and related intelligence reports provided by the indigenous agencies.

Still India kept sleeping. But, why? Nobody knows the answer for sure. Nor is anybody hopeful of getting a credible explanation from the ever-sleepy state government or even the now active Home Ministry.

Without towing the usual line – almost clichéd as far as terror attacks are concerned – of discussions or debates, I want to simply put this point across that when will India acquire a “zero-tolerance” attitude towards terrorism? Like every earlier time post Pakistan-sponsored terror attacks, this time too India is almost muted in voicing its protest. Our country once again is exhibiting its lack of courage in denying the “talking” opportunity – actually cementing our neighbour’s “denial” platform further - to Pakistan which is being paraded in the garb of the so-called resuming of the so-called peace-process-through-dialogues.

India for sure is acting under the US pressure in this regard. My question is: Can’t India hold its stand strongly enough so as not to succumb to any international diplomatic pressures, US’ included, till Pakistan actually “walked its talk” on its fight against terror emanating from within its boundaries? Do we really need to talk to Pakistan, so desperately?

But, then, talk for what?

Haven’t we already talked enough in the past sixty years? Or is it only a charade being put up by India in order to gag the geopolitical hawks – US included – and keep them off its shoulder and in fact keep going with the efforts and pressure on Pakistan for stopping cross-border terrorism?

Even if the answer to the last question is “yes”, my objection is in India getting re-positioned as a “soft” state – and a target for terror, therefore – when it is supposed to be “poised” for superpowerdom. Repeated terror strikes and India’s awfully “soft” and inconsistent responses make it seem hugely vulnerable and highly incompetent for the global leadership role.

Still, the diplomatic pundits in the government want to go ahead with the resumption of the so-called peace talks with Pakistan. Well, I can only say, All The Best. But just remember the GOI: All is not well in India.

On 14th Feb – Valentine’s Day - when the entire world was talking about spreading love, India was battling, once again, the aftermath of yet another terror attack. Unfortunately, India seems to be fast getting used to it. For India, Enough is still not Enough.

God save India.

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I had always wondered – actually wished! – why should The Newshour have only 60 minutes? Today, with its special edition, the Newshour did stretch to 120 minutes and it was a pleasant surprise to see it getting aired on a Sunday evening. But honestly, its millions of dedicated viewers will vouch that we had never wanted our wish to come true in this unfortunate manner, for an unfortunate incident. Nevertheless, the 2-hour debate was comprehensive and incisive, as always, in the true Timesnow tradition!

Our Pitiable Neighborhood

Often I wonder what went wrong with the DNA construction of Pakistan that since its inception it has remained crippled. Nevertheless, no matter that it has waged many wars on my country, albeit unsuccessfully every time, tries to wreck India’s stability with its repeated terrorists attempts, again, unsuccessfully, that it has annexed a considerable chunk of my nation’s territory – that portion renamed by the world as Pakistan Administered Kashmir (PAK), in India it rightfully being referred to as POK – Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, I feel no animosity towards our neighbor that is now called a failed state worldwide. For me, Pakistan is a country which was cleverly severed by British from India’s body a little more than six decades ago, and Pakistanis are the beings who were Indians only till recently, a little more than six decades ago.

But, I feel pity for Pakistan.

I feel pity for Pakistan because it has let its politicians and army exploit it to the hilt without ever forcefully raising its voice in protest and punishing the perpetrators of anarchy, utter mismanagement and extreme corruption. It has silently suffered repeated rapes. I wonder why …

Perhaps, something went wrong completely during its inception.

Pakistan was created by Mohammed Ali Jinnah, himself a staunch secularist and an atheist, but who fancied and fashioned his “idea” of his country on his politically motivated notion entrenched in separatism and religious bigotry. Jinnah was one of the most hypocritical of the world leaders who exhibited a complete dichotomy between what he preached and practiced. Still I believe that if he would have remained alive for considerable period of time post partition, he could have led Pakistan on a different trajectory than the one on which it found itself sliding after his sudden death soon after its partition from India.

Even if Pakistan was created as a Muslim state – of the Muslims, by the Muslims, for the Muslims – even if it has been governed (shall we say, ruled?!) by army dictators for most period of its existence, even if it went along with US and became its puppet along the way, even if it created Taliban and let its soil used for waging terror attacks on India and elsewhere, even if … still it could have become a much better country for its own folks. I wonder why it did not happen …

All that Pakistan had to do was to show the same amount of courage that it showed in orchestrating the ouster of General Pervez Musharraf, every time it found itself being manipulated by its greedy politicians and brutal dictators. And the things would have been much better for Pakistanis. It just had to think about itself rather than getting distracted by things hugely detrimental to its own interest and no one else. Islam, its ‘founding’ religion, could have come as its biggest guide in its endeavor towards stability and prosperity, if interpreted and followed properly of course. Pakistan was not required to be friends with India if it didn’t want to be. Forget about the illusions of cricket and people-to-people contacts and other initiatives to so-called normalize the situation across both sides of the LOC. Pakistan just had to do what was good for sustainable peace and prosperity of its own people.

Instead, Pakistan continues to live in its blinkered world with a mind perpetually in denial. Instead of taking sincere corrective measures to rid itself of the ever increasing menace of its own creation i.e. Taliban and scores of other extremists outfits; instead of dismantling the terror network and infrastructure built on its land – supported by the establishment itself of course, Pakistan is shamelessly diverting blames on India for all its woes, including Taliban’s terror! I find it extremely preposterous and pitiable at the same time.

Today, the state of affairs in Pakistan is so pathetic that the world is wondering if it will survive and for how long before collapsing completely. For me, an Indian, Pakistan’s political and social stability is crucial for the peace in my own country.

I say, wake up Pakistan! Else, the time is not far when you will get fatally mauled by your own demons. Let the world feel proud of you rather than pity you, as I do.

Pakistan will come to its senses someday soon, I am sure. Or is it audacity of hope? I hope not. Inshallah …