Meeting the Yogi - finally !

The Gita puts it succinctly: ‘Jab Jab Jo Hona Hai, Tab Tab Wo Hoga.’ For Hindi-ignorant Souls, ‘Whenever Something Has To Happen, It Will Happen Only Then.’  And it happened exactly like that!

Wandering through the corridors of Connaught Place with a friend, I finally picked up my copy of ‘Autobiography of a Yogi’. It took me 4 decades to come face-to-face with the Manuscript on Life; and another two months to start reading it. And, to put it simply, the book spellbound me and pushed me into the realm of Cosmic Consciousness! The liberating shock of Cosmic Vision was so powerful that I took time to absorb the whole meaning of ever-present, omniscient nature of the nurturer of Life in the ever-expanding Cosmos!

The impact was felt immensely because, being a book-lover with a good collection of books (including on religion and spirituality) and most of my ‘free-time’ spent in reading, I couldn’t believe that I had kept away from the Life Book all along. By the time I reached the end of those magical pages, I felt blessed but simultaneously ignored: I was quarreling with the God that how could It be so cruel in keeping me deprived for so long!

My inner reactions were strong because besides being a book-lover, I am primarily a Life-lover! I love Life immensely and, therefore, I try to be the change that I want to see in Life. And Paramhansa Yogananda’s account of his life is Life-Changing! 

As a spiritually ever-evolving being, overcoming my limitations of 5 sensory organs and using my inner eyes to perceive the world around me, the essence of my Life has been in Living: living in the Soul with a beating heart and a functional mind to support my Life; living with peace, love, dignity, health & wealth; living an absolutely a normal life – mundane, day-to-day life of a mere mortal. If the world says that you in effect live in your mind (It’s all in the mind), I say, you actually live in your Soul!  

With a Soul-centered approach towards Life, since my beginning I have strongly believed that the common thread running through Life – human and all other forms of life including the inanimate life-supporting objects – is The Spirit, the One Wave who flows through all, ensuring inner-connectedness of Life per se, controlling and connecting Life throughout the Universe through Universal Laws of Nature; that essentially Life is an interplay of energy at various levels. And that we mortals, in spite of having landed on the Moon 4 decades ago, will take at least a couple of millennia more to get a grip on the true definition of Life.

By the time I was at the end of his magical memoir, I experienced a strong soul-stirring emotion; I felt transformed as a human being. My outlook towards my own life and Life per se appeared to undergo seismic alterations; things/aspects which were so dear and crucial for my survival, all of a sudden seemed to dissolve into oblivion; those felt trivial in the Grand Cosmic Scheme of my Life; glancing around I saw people struggling with their ordinary state of living with an eternal quest for ‘something else’ to bring them complete and unending happiness - and I prayed for each of them for the much needed Divine Guidance.

I was hearing Yogananda-ji’s words: “ … You realize that all along that there was something tremendous within you, and you did not know it…”  

The beauty lies in Yogananda-ji’s narrative; he doesn’t sound preachy, rather far from it; the saint’s tone is human-like, with expressions extremely close to that of a divinely blessed author; the difference, nevertheless, lies in the content which clearly establishes the fact that he was indeed The Chosen One! And he was indeed the chosen one for spreading the concept of ancient Kriya Yoga in the West (America).

Through his life-story, he unveils the long forgotten secrets of Life and its universal cycles which had got faded from the humanity’s canvas in the daily millings of ordinary survival, and, which was otherwise well understood by the ancient yogis and gurus in the spiritual crucible of the world i.e. India. The revelations are so profound and extraordinary that I, a self-believing spiritually evolving being, marveled at the miracle called Life! How shallow was my knowledge about Life! My mind- prism which spread rainbow understanding even before, however, the real expanse of those lights was actually narrow all along! Today, post reading his autobiography, I am conscious of the veil over my Cosmic Vision earlier.

“When you go beyond the consciousness of this world, knowing that you are not the body or the mind, and yet aware as never before that you exist— that divine consciousness is what you are. You are That in which is rooted everything in the universe.” 

Yogananda-ji smoothly initiates his readers into the sphere of the higher beings – the yogis - and their miracles, explaining every aspect with solid scientific evidences through the fundamental theories and laws in Physics viz. Einstein’s Theory of Relativity, Newton’s Laws of Gravitation, Electromagnetism, Optics, etc.; his explanation of Cosmic Illusion presents the otherwise incomprehensible - Supernatural ! - as purely logical!

Yogananda-ji became what he became because of his Masters: an eclectic array of enlightened entities! Reading about his Masters - Babaji, Lahiri Mahasaya, Sri Yukteswar Giri and others – I sensed little bit of Cosmic Intelligence wrapping around me! He intelligently explains that the things – which an ordinary human perception calls as miracles – are accomplished by the great gurus by summoning the basic particles of the Nature and transforming them into the objects of desire -- Babaji being the greatest amongst them all! Introduction to Babaji, the Maha Avatar, transported me into the higher spaces of Infinite Existence!

…The northern Himalayan crags near Badrinarayan are still blessed by the living presence of Babaji, guru of Lahiri Mahasaya. The secluded master has retained his physical form for centuries, perhaps for millenniums. The deathless Babaji is an avatara. This Sanskrit word means "descent"; its roots are ava, "down," and tri, "to pass." In the Hindu scriptures, avatara signifies the descent of Divinity into flesh.  

"Babaji's spiritual state is beyond human comprehension," Sri Yukteswar explained to me. "The dwarfed vision of men cannot pierce to his transcendental star. One attempts in vain even to picture the avatar's attainment. It is inconceivable."  

The Upanishads have minutely classified every stage of spiritual advancement. A siddha ("perfected being") has progressed from the state of a jivanmukta ("freed while living") to that of a paramukta ("supremely free"-full power over death); the latter has completely escaped from the mayic thralldom and its reincarnational round. The paramukta therefore seldom returns to a physical body; if he does, he is an avatar, a divinely appointed medium of supernal blessings on the world.  

An avatar is unsubject to the universal economy; his pure body, visible as a light image, is free from any debt to nature. The casual gaze may see nothing extraordinary in an avatar's form but it casts no shadow nor makes any footprint on the ground. These are outward symbolic proofs of an inward lack of darkness and material bondage. Such a God-man alone knows the Truth behind the relativities of life and death… 

My Net search on these Great Souls further established my ignorant state of being so far; The Beatles had them on their cover of their album ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart Club’; Rajnikant had tried to spread his reverence towards these great saints through his movie ‘Baba’ in 2004.

Thunderbolt hit me while reading the Chapter 43 “The Resurrection of Sri Yukteswar”! Howsoever mindblowing the content – conversation between Yoganand-ji and his resurrected Guru – sounded, but never for a moment did I doubt the pouring Cosmic Revelations! This is a must read for all souls inhabiting the planet earth; the experience is going to be earth-shattering! His Guru shared indepth knowledge about the three phases of a Soul's Life before it merges into the One Soul - which begins on earth (physical) lives, which is followed by astral lives and finally the causal stage of life. Though most of us have a basic understanding about life and its cycles but the details in the chapter is simply out of this world, literally! I had to read it a couple of times before i could get a broader insight into it.

After reading the chapter I was on a celestial journey, floating among the stars and the moons in the Infinite Cosmos beyond my humanly horizons, experiencing a fraction of the Infinite Cosmic Joy, simultaneously trying to get into my past lives and imagine myself in various avatars - I mean, in various humble life-forms possible for a mortal creature like me!

Becoming deeply aware about the real side i.e. the spiritual aspects of Life and its Cycles through Yogananda-ji, I felt immensely sorry for the humanity and especially for the Indians; India, the crucible of culture and spirituality, today is so far removed from all what it realized thousands of years ago and contributed majorly to the evolution of Homo sapiens into humans that it amazes me enormously that how could we lose almost all of our treasure!

That how could we be led to a life so superficial and hollow, devoid of spiritual moorings? That how could we forget the meaning of religion and get into the chaos of dogmas and rituals and castes and other divisive pathways? That how could we, the teachers to the world, forget about the purpose of human life in its transitory phase on earth? That how could we continue to suffer from collective Cosmic Amnesia?

Today, most of the Indians do not even know the definition of spirituality or even religion; for them it is laughable and for either the elderly or for those who “have nothing else to do” or for the “conmen” (India has them in abundance!). The same people, however, regularly resort to religion and flock to places of worship whenever they feel the “need” for it. No wonder it is said that “Ignorance is Bliss”!

Shashi Tharoor describes it comprehensively: “India is not, as people keep calling it, an underdeveloped country, but rather, in the context of its history and cultural heritage, a highly developed one in an advanced state of decay.”  

And when I say Indians, I also include myself but only to a limited extent. And, when I say humanity, I mean the entire human race in every part of the world - the conduct has been equally confused and irrational. I wish every human on this earth gets to meet his/her yogi and evolves into a liberated being and soul and enjoys the all-pervading Cosmic Bliss …And for myself, I pray that I complete my journey of life with Cosmic Blessings ... :) 

Fan-tastic!

Below illustrated is the ‘anatomy of an admirer’.

Sounds like a biology class! At least it is not a lesson in “postmortem” as the admirer is still alive! …

Before you start wondering, I would like to narrate a recent incident. I was in Bhopal having dinner at the Jehan Numa Palace’s famed restaurant “Under The Mango Tree” when I saw Jaya Bachchan walk in with a few friends & relatives. Obviously all heads turned in her direction including mine but there was no pandemonium. She sat at the next table, ordered food & drinks and they started having peaceful conversations. Once the dinner was over I decided to go and talk to her which I did. I congratulated Jaya aunty for becoming a grand mother and reminded her of my previous meeting with her at the Delhi airport when she was with Amitabh uncle, Abhishek and Anil Ambani – all returning to Bombay in Anil’s private jet post her (and Anil’s) oath in the Rajya Sabha – which she, of course, did not remember but seemed to be happy talking about – and I genuinely complimented on her still maintained elegance and charm! She thanked me profusely and then I requested for a photograph with her. Jaya aunty very sweetly declined saying “it is an extremely private dinner; there are so many people around who too would like to do the same; hope you will understand and not mind … God bless you.” I understood of course and did not mind also! Three days later when I was returning to Delhi, I again saw her walk inside the airport wearing a beautiful dress looking every inch a “Guddi”! She had a bit of harried expression around her. Had she spent a few minutes around, I would have gone to her again, requesting her to pose for a picture with me – this time at a public place, giving her no opportunity to refuse! … Her departure started a discussion about this entire phenomenon called “celebrity-admirer” relationship. And I decided to pen down my thoughts. So, here I am …

Watching Jaya aunty board the aircraft to Bombay I got reminded of an article by a celebrated journalist more than half a decade back in one of the national dailies in which he (a hint!) lamented the species called “admirers” – a “fan” in popular parlance – and labeling them to be “Goodwill Hunters”! Well, he must have had his own reasons (very flimsy from his account in the piece though) but it hurt me immensely. Because I am also a fan of a very few but have never indulged into “goodwill hunting” – so far!

The “Goodwill Hunting” term hurt me because as an active person with interest in various fields I have met many a celebrities, have interacted with them, taken snaps with a few but I do not think that being a non-celebrity, I have ever tried to “hunt them down for any goodwill”! No way.

Of course, there many people who are real fanatics (fan comes from fanatics!) in their hero-worship but this kind of frenzied behavior is reserved for a select few and that too at select places – few film stars and few cricketers being amongst this coveted club! General public otherwise is so ignorant about most of the things that people – celebrities – in most of the fields other than film and cricket are not even known, forget about being recognized! Thus, the bizarre attitude of a few little known names/faces is so offending that you actually wonder at their fantasy about their own self!

Here is the disclaimer: I admire/respect many celebrities/achievers but am a “fan” of very few; they being authors (Orhan Pamuk, Shashi Tharoor), anchor (Arnab Goswami), industrialist (Ratan Tata), social leader (Anna Hazare), film star (Amitabh Bachchan), journalists (Karan Thapar, Vir Sanghvi), politicians (Rajiv Gandhi, Barack Obama), cricketers (MS Dhoni, Sachin Tendulkar), sports (Michael Schumacher, Boris Becker) and my ultimate favorite Mahatma Gandhi! And I have never ever tried “goodwill hunting” with any of them! …

Only a couple of months back I was watching Ranbir Kapoor talk about ‘fans’ on “Frankly Speaking” on Times Now and I found his thoughts to be refreshing! He mentioned about his father’s haughty behavior towards the “approaching fans” and thus his determination as a young kid that if ever he became a celebrity he would always respect his fans because it is because of the fans that a film star is born and sustained! He sounded noble and “hat-ke” though in reality if he really practices it is yet to be confirmed…

I also find one more aspect very odd about many of the celebrities. That if you correspond with famous people (not because you want to trespass/harass but only to share your opinion on certain issues and the celebrity in question need not be from ‘your set of favorites’), they will not respond; or if they do ‘oblige’, most of the time they will not address the person with his/her name. And if they do, they will not use the expression “dear” before the name. Now, prefixing “dear” is just a civilized way of writing/replying; no fool (recipient/fan) will ever believe that he/she has become a “dear” of the personality!

Not that I blame them entirely for their strange attitude. Sometimes admirers can be really rude and unforgiving and crazy but generally they are supportive and understanding. I also realize that they are so hard pressed for time that taking time out for responding to each and every email/letter could become hugely challenging (by the way, how many such personalities would be there in this world?!). I also buy the argument that they are humans too and thus need personal space in their ever-crowded environment in which every person is out there hungry for a piece of him/her! In many instances, their own insecurities and personal troubles could be so overwhelming that they live cocooned and seldom bother to look around and savor the privileges bestowed upon them by virtue of being successful/known in their chosen field! Nevertheless, what I also understand from all this is that they clearly fail to understand the favorite-fan relationship.

This celebrity-fan relationship is very interesting. And divine. Though friends of a celebrity are often because of his/her fame, but fans are like stars in the universe: shining for him/her with ‘moral support & well-wishes’ from afar but never crossing their paths to cause eclipses like ‘planets and satellites’! This relationship is absolutely one-sided, without any kind of expectation from the more blessed one, though the latter get taken-for-granted often in this divinely unbalanced equation. And there is no “goodwill hunting”, for God’s sake!

Nevertheless, I remain a fan, forever … J

Mr. Tharoor, your fans are with you, as always!

I started crying the moment I saw the “breaking news” flash on Times Now* and Arnab Goswami* announce: “PM Accepts Resignation”. I simply couldn’t hold back my tears anymore. My last straw was lost.

Watching Shashi Tharoor make those humiliating rounds of PM’s and Sonia Gandhi’s residence trying to explain himself was too much for me to take. A person of his eminence did not deserve this kind of an abrupt and absurd exit. At the same time, frankly, I was very angry with him for foolishly landing himself into such a sordid soup.

How could he completely forget the “lessons” learnt on diplomacy in those exemplary three decades rich career as an established international civil servant? How he could act so naïve about matters of functioning of the Indian political system when, being far away, he could so beautifully understand and write about India? Where did the incredibly intelligent author in him hide during those crucial times of critical decisions making in his just started political career? In fact, I felt he needed “mentoring” more than the Kochi IPL team!

I have not been able to sleep since then. Those horrifying television images are playing in my mind all the time. I am depressed and constantly crying internally. Shashi Tharoor is in my thoughts throughout. That, if I – his fan – could be so disturbed then how enormously devastated he must be feeling now?

Well, you would understand my sentiments if you have been a fan yourself of any person on this earth. I became his fan much before he became minister; my admiration for him - Shashi Tharoor, the author - started many years ago when I started reading his books. Well, those were his UN days as well.

I wasn’t sure if I wanted to share my views on my blog but upon insistence of my Shanghai-based sister, I decided to put them down. Actually, she was equally angry with the unfortunate turn of events against him and asked me to ask the world if it really thought that “Shashi Tharoor was “that” bad a guy? Or, did he become the “fall guy” of his self-created circumstances?”

Therefore, I ask you these questions and urge you to answer them honestly, to yourself: "Is Shashi Tharoor “that” bad a person/politician or did he become a victim of his own silly follies?"

Firstly, let us list down Shashi Tharoor’s “Sins”:

1. He tweeted “cattle class” remark --- a matter of perception-reality conundrum for a public figure; not a crime.

2. He tweeted, again, against his boss’ visa-policy --- avoidable but not a crime.

3. He endorsed Bhikhu Parikh’s views on Jawaharlal Nehru --- well, anybody who has read his “Nehru – Invention of India” would have understood his position that he is in fact a fan of Nehru! Not at all a crime.

4. He called for Saudi Arabia to become an “interlocutor” in Indo-Pak peace talks --- again a case of misinterpretation of the English word. No crime.

5. He got involved into Kochi IPL team formation as a “mentor” and ended up being accused of favouring his close friend - whom he was being talked about marrying soon - with “sweat equity” worth several crores till perpetuity without putting a single rupee into investment --- well, a serious case of political impropriety but certainly not a case of corruption in the real sense of the term.

… But his OSD’s involvement in the team formation amounted to unethical use of his office for furthering personal gains. --- Though not a crime but merited serious considerations for enquiry and actions thereafter, if deemed dubious.

Now, let us put down – in brief – the “Sins” of an average Indian politician, which we have in hordes in the Parliament!

1. Billions stashed in Swiss banks! --- a serious crime – punishable.

2. Involvement in scams worth crores and crores of rupees --- a serious crime – punishable.

3. Accused of murders --- an even more serious crime – punishable.

4. Rapes charges against them --- a serious crime – punishable.

5. Cases of kidnappings filed against them --- a serious crime – punishable.

6. Inciting riots through divisive politics --- a serious crime – punishable.

7. Illegal misuse of public money for personal advancements like self-statue building, bribery, etc. etc. --- a serious crime – punishable.

8. Etc. etc. etc. --- all serious crimes – punishable under Constitution of India.

Well, now that we have done a comparative chart of “Sins” of Shashi Tharoor versus that of an average Indian Politician, therefore, under IPC – Indian Political Code – if Shashi Tharoor should “go”, then the latter should go to gallows!

Also, please tell me if I am wrong in wasting my tears over a “tainted” ex-minister?

No, not at all. I am proud to be Shashi Tharoor’s fan - the person and especially Shashi Tharoor, the author - and promise to be by his side in his good as well as not so good times because I believe in him.

I also have this strong belief that he will bounce back soon after having learnt from his silly mistakes and will shine on the otherwise murky political landscape of Indian politics. Perhaps he was - is - passing through a bad phase in his life when - like it happens with everyone - nothing seems to be going right.

We need to give him time and space – for introspection and gathering himself together. His family and friends and fans are with him. May God be with him in form of wisdom and strength and peace.

All will be well, Mr. Tharoor :)

..........................................................

* : Media was simply doing its job sincerely. And I hugely respect it for its work.

IPL and Thali

"If America is a melting pot, then to me India is a thali – a collection of sumptuous dishes in different bowls. Each may not mix with the next, but they combine on your palate to produce a satisfying repast.” – wrote Shashi Tharoor in his “Nehru: The Invention of India”.

I remember watching the first match of IPL-1 and getting reminded of Shashi Tharoor’s most appropriate and contemporary expression of the “Idea” of India! And since then, whenever IPL is on, these beautiful lines keep playing in my mind.

You wonder why?

Because, Shashi Tharoor’s “Thali” quote can comprehensively communicate the “Idea” of IPL as well: the ‘idea’ itself (‘thali!’); players of different nationalities together in a team (‘a collection of sumptuous ‘dishes’ in different bowls!’); inter-players relationships (‘each may not mix with the next!’); and the enjoyment it provides (‘they combine to produce a satisfying repast!’).

Therefore, I simply extrapolate(d) these wonderful words to put across my - borrowed - “idea” of IPL:

“If cricket match(es) between countries “is a melting pot”, then to me, IPL is a “thali” – a “collection” of talented players from different countries. Each may not “mix” (sometimes) with the “other”, but they “combine” on the field to produce a satisfying enjoyment!”

Do I make sense? May be my attempt could sound a bit childlike but my adaptation conveys the meaning, nevertheless. I think so :)

Disclaimer: I have re-produced the “Thali” quote here without seeking re-permission from its author. I pray I do not get prosecuted for this transgression.

………………………

P.S.: I hear Navjot Singh Sidhu is back on television – Timesnow – and is making waves again with his special coverage of IPL-3! Alas, I cannot enjoy his Sidhuisms as the broadcast timing doesn’t suit me :(

Frankly, Shashi Tharoor deserves better!

Frankly, Shashi Tharoor deserves better! I simply couldn't understand the media-created brouhaha. Also, I feel that there was no need for him to exhibit his anger in the press conference. He could have simply given journalists a copy of his brilliant “Nehru: The Invention of India" and had asked them to come back with questions, if any, only post reading the book! (Wonderful platform for advertisement! The sales of the book would have skyrocketed! ... Just joking :) ... I took out his "Nehru" from my almirah last night and re-read the preface and the concluding chapter in order to refresh my memory with the beautiful journey of "Re-invention of India" before writing my opinion here.

It is sad to see Shashi Tharoor get into unnecessary controversies repeatedly and then spend his time and energy in explanations and apologies. The fault is not entirely his. However, he is himself to be blamed a great deal.

Shashi Tharoor should understand that he has an enviable status and people, especially Media, would be ever eager to exploit that for their own benefits. In today's 24x7 news environment and mushrooming news channels, all vying to grab the eyeballs in order to increase/maintain their TRP, a personality like his becomes a favourite fodder! And his tweets have satisfied their appetite regularly! He is their latest and the current TG - Target Group - if I may use the popular corporate parlance! They have got a replacement for their erstwhile favourite TV-friendly personalities like Lalu Prasad Yadav and Rakhi Sawant. (I do not mean to demean him by associating his name in the same context as that of Rakhi Sawant's but I am just trying to explain my viewpoint.) … The best thing for him to do would be to maintain a respectable distance from the otherwise highly alluring media as it is a double-edged sword!

Though I found his "cattle class" remark a bit arrogant and also did not agree with his attitude of tweeting his “difference” of opinion on an official matter on a social networking site (the entire world will collapse if everybody started exercising their democratic rights on Twitter or Facebook!), but I wholeheartedly support him on this "Nehru" controversy. I repeat: frankly, Shashi Tharoor deserves better!

Shashi Tharoor is the most suitable person to handle the ministry of external affairs. His 3 decades of rich international diplomacy experience (he should recall his lessons fast in order to survive in the murky political landscape of India!) will come handy to him in redefining India's otherwise archaic foreign policy. He has the capabilities to soon reach to the status of a few able ministers like P. Chidambaram. He just needs to get his perspective right.

I use my blog page to suggest him something at the cost of making him even very angry with me.

The time Mr. Tharoor spends on reading his half a million plus followers' tweets and posting his own, he should utilize the available time to write a book. He is amongst the select few rare Indian authors in English who are worth reading! In fact I strongly believe that if he gave enough time to writing, his books could be in the league of Nobel laureates! There is a purpose in his books (I especially liked India, Nehru, Great Indian Novel and Riot). Rest all authors are a complete waste of time and I feel that their books should be sold with a "money back guarantee"! Shashi Tharoor’s admirers will be really happy to be able to read a "real" book of his (not compilations of newspaper articles as in "Elephant..." or a hasty job in "Shadows...")! ... At the same time I wish him all the success in his political career, as well! Best of Luck!

Hope NOT to see him in news any time soon for any further controversy!

P.S.: Pl ignore my blog if you found it preachy and a running moralistic commentary on complete nonsense.

How long will India let Australia wear its blinkers?

Wish India had an answer from its government and its ministry of external affairs.

Seeing the state of affairs in Australia against Indians, I am sure, Rabindranath Tagore would have erased his famous “freedom” lines from his Gitanjali: “Where the Mind is without Fear and the Head is held High!” … Indians cannot claim to be “free”, not in Australia, at least!

Because, India is still suffering from its “slavery” hangover! The “please-all” and “do-not-offend” self-inflicted syndrome will always be an insurmountable barrier in its global superpowerdom aspirations!

You think I am being unnecessarily critical of India’s global ambitions? Just take a look at the adverse events continuing with Indians in Australia!

Indians are being harassed and beaten and tortured, and, now even being killed, but India is not yet ready to wake up from its slumber! It’s been almost more than a year and half since Indians are being subjected to serious kinds of racial abuse and assaults but our esteemed government has decided to keep mum! Worse, the Ministry of External Affairs is almost non-functional in spite of having a minister and two minister-of-state!

It is a sad reflection of the fact that the MEA members, though in news almost everyday, are too busy “asserting” their claims to Bossism and pursuing their hobbies – Tweeting for sure is a hobby! – infighting and complete lack of coordination & pervasive confusion. But never in all these months since its formation have we heard the MEA doing anything worthwhile in the arena of foreign policy or fulfilling its responsibilities abroad! The assertiveness with which S.M. Krishna proclaimed, “I am the Boss!” and the time Shashi Tharoor – immensely talented but perhaps a bit lost, thus, wasting his time in trivial things like Twitter - spends tweeting, (Preneet Kaur? Do we still remember her?), if only a portion of the time and energy these ministers had devoted to their “actual” work, we wouldn’t have been witnessing Indians being battered and bruised and beaten, and, now even being butchered in Australia!

The “reason” some experts like to give for continuing Australian barbarism against Indians that the Australians are being “jealous” of Indians for their growing economic clout and prowess, and thus, their hatred, they have to accept that how hollow their analysis is of this highly unfortunate situation down under! If only “this” was the case, then the wealthy Indians would have been on the target and not the students! And why isn’t the racist Australia even attempting attacks on the huge population of Chinese residents? Also, these flawed minds have to understand that in spite of escalating anti-Americanism in the world, no one – absolutely no one! – can ever dare to touch an American anywhere on this earth! Because, everybody knows only too well that their “action” would entail severe reaction from the US!

The Indian government, the Prime Minister included and of course its Ministry of External Affairs, does not have the necessary guts to speak strongly against the callous attitude of the Australia government and its failure in tackling escalating incidents of racial violence against Indian students. Why cannot Manmohan Singh simply pick up the phone and talk to Kevin Rudd in a tough manner that “enough is enough” and sternly ask him and his political colleagues with absurd mindsets to remove their blinkers fast? Why cannot the Foreign Minister (or even MOS) immediately go to Australia to make India’s anger expressed well to the establishment there? And, also show solidarity and support to the victims, who, by the way, are our own citizens?! Why has the Indian government still not issued a travel alert against Australia? …

How long will India take to realize the fact that a meek and mute country cannot – and should not – dream of global political position or power? To be heard – and respected – on the world’s high table, a nations needs to be assertive enough! India has to understand that the geopolitical game can be played only by the strong and self-assured.

To sum it up: I wish India had a P. Chidambaram as the Minister of External Affairs. He would have ensured India’s head was held high – globally and in the down under as well!

Minister Twitter's Tweet-22

To Tweet or Not Tweet?!

I start with stating a fact: I am a great fan of Shashi Tharoor! Therefore, my views as an individual on the recent Twitter controversies is an honest attempt to understand the whole thing comprehensively, which also has expressions of concern embedded for him – all done as his sincere and selfless admirer - and nothing more.

“To Tweet or Not Tweet” will apparently become a dilemma with Shashi Tharoor as he lands himself in difficulty quite frequently with his tweets! As an individual I fully support his rights to indulge in his hobby. However, what I do not approve of – again, my personal opinion as an Indian citizen; remember he is our minister-of-state for External Affairs – is his obsession with tweeting! He seems to have got carried away with the number of “followers” on his twitter page which has crossed half a million mark, the highest for an Indian. I too am his “follower” in that sense of the term! And so is his Boss, SM Krishna, and here, on the Twitter site, they both are on the “same page”, at least!

As a hobby if Shashi Tharoor uses twitter for posting his views on myriad and mundane subjects of the world including his personal life, that should not be anyone’s concern. But it looks like he has got a bit disillusioned: he often treats his tweets as a tool to “remain in touch” with the aam aadmi! He forgets he is a minister and that he cannot – and should not - conduct his ministerial work in a public forum. He is not a newspaper columnist, anymore! He is a responsible member of the council of union ministers!

Imagine, if in the name of “democratic rights” – inspired by Shashi Tharoor, of course - every member of the UPA government – ministers, MPs – starts using numerous social networking sites – Twitter is one such site – to express views on government’s policies etc., what will happen to the overall functioning of the Indian administration? I also wonder if Shashi Tharoor will ever exercise his “democratic rights” – as his “followers” would like to put it – against the Prime Minister or his party’s President? I am sure he must be having many points of disagreements with them too. I already see Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi reach out for Saridon!

Or, for that matter - just stretching my horizon of imagination a bit in the hindsight – would Shashi Tharoor have used Twitter to comment on his UN boss Kofi Annan or the colossal body’s mostly controversial functioning? No, I am sure of that.

Therefore, I wonder why our highly competent minister has forgotten all his diplomatic lessons. He is after all an accomplished international diplomat. No one can understand it better that politics, like diplomacy, is a sensitive subject, which needs to be conducted in a matured manner. And a ministerial post is equally sensitive, and responsible. I do not blame SM Krishna for using the media – a public forum – to reprimand his deputy; he was clearly hugely miffed. Any Boss, in every field, would get wild at the “wild” acts of his junior! (The world will collapse if everybody started using Twitter to conduct business!) Shashi Tharoor himself will not like any of his staff member adopt such ways.

Moreover, he has just started out in the field of politics. He has to establish his credentials here too; his fan following from his author days or his “followers” will not help him much in the long run. Media attention to his tweets should not blind him. After all, he has enjoyed – and continues to – the “limelight” for ages. Also, his party superiors may find difficult to defend him every time. As a minister he should concentrate more on his actual work rather than get distracted by a trivial thing as Twitter. He has all the necessary skills to get counted as the best ever foreign minister; he simply has to reapply himself in his job, fulltime. I am sure, even SM Krishna realizes Shashi Tharoor’s worth. Otherwise, with anybody else, for similar “transgressions”, he would have acted really tough. And so would have the Congress.

Therefore, tweet Mr. Minister as much as you like, but remember that you are capable of being much more than just a “Minister Twitter”; do not let those 140 alphabets control you, or get you “out of control”, as your Boss would like to say!

Happy Tweeting :)