Wednesday, February 16, 2022

The press is free...

The press is free but the truth is not. 

It cost us our vigilance. 

The press is free but the lies are not. 

They cost us the truth.

Thursday, April 22, 2021

It's all our fault...

 Continued from  "What's in the name?"

Take 4: Between the waves

When the whole world is talking about the the waves, I thought, it might be useful to search through the trough. May be I get lucky to find something meaningful there in depth which otherwise could not be seen from the crest. 



What is the incubation period of the coronavirus disease?

The incubation period of COVID-19, which is the time between exposure to the virus and symptom onset, is on average 5-6 days, but can be as long as 14 days. Thus, quarantine should be in place for 14 days from the last exposure to a confirmed case.

Source: https://www.who.int/news-room/commentaries/detail/transmission-of-sars-cov-2-implications-for-infection-prevention-precautions 

The inflection point of covid curve in India falls around 13th of march. Let's walk backwards by 14 days and arrive at 27th of Feb. Now let's think about mass gatherings combined with covid inappropriate behavior. This is just a personal observation and a different perspective to validate the popular opinion riding with our communities at social, national and global levels that we ourselves are responsible for the mess we are in. 

I am neither a statistician nor a virologist. Also I am not an epidemiologist or a specialist of community health. However, looking at the trend of spread data and co-relating it with scientifically claimed incubation period, I fail to understand convincingly that, community behavior happens to be the soul reason for resurgence.  While I agree that the most effective weapon against this community pandemic is covid appropriate community behavior, and there not an iota of doubt that certainly there were lapses by the communities in India. This is but true, that we let our guard down, especially after vaccination became a reality. We must hold ourselves collectively responsible for the second wave. However, the point I am trying to make here is based on the popular saying "tip of the iceberg". 


Take 5: It's all our fault. 

Charles Spurgeon once said "A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes". In today's world of digitally powered media it is safe to say that a lie probably travel thousands of times around the world while the truth is still searching for its shoes which does not even fits and for sure bites. Interestingly  a lie that is repeated a thousand times becomes truthYes! it is all our fault indeed and lets scramble all our resources to correct it. But , let's read some news articles from various sources at local, national and international level if it helps us avoid going out.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-56826645

https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-asia-56839099

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/04/22/coronavirus-covid-live-updates-us/

https://scroll.in/article/992928/how-grave-is-indias-oxygen-emergency-worse-than-the-government-admits

https://scroll.in/article/992933/indias-covid-19-crisis-is-a-product-of-the-paranoid-governance-that-has-marked-the-past-seven-years

https://scroll.in/latest/992976/designate-india-as-a-country-of-particular-concern-for-religious-freedom-violations-us-panel

https://scroll.in/video/992996/were-supposed-to-give-life-delhi-hospital-ceo-breaks-down-talking-about-covid-19-oxygen-crisis

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/04/22/world/covid-vaccine-coronavirus-cases

https://www.aljazeera.com/gallery/2021/4/22/india-logs-record-jump-in-virus-infections

https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/coronavirus-triple-mutation-variant-in-india-emerges-as-fresh-worry-in-covid-battle-2418430

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/is-indian-covid-variant-behind-second-wave-that-started-from-vidarbha/articleshow/82189536.cms

https://thewire.in/media/covid-19-india-surge-oxygen-global-media-reports-modi

https://thewire.in/politics/behind-the-disastrous-response-to-the-pandemic-lies-a-majoritarian-mindset

https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/

The sway of news intertwined with so called expert opinions is obvious. Let us start believing that, It is all our fault and indeed it is entirely is our fault. We as a huge population have behaved carelessly and callously. Yes! we are irresponsible as a nation, but there is more to be analyzed and crosschecked against what meets the eyes. Is our irresponsible behavior towards covid is only the reason for the deadly second wave. If so is the case then, why there is no evidence and news of any second wave from the countries which has similar population density to that of India e.g. Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka. There is no news of second wave from any of the designated third world countries who are poor in health infrastructure and vaccine access. Probably the news is censored but I am in no position of verify that independently. But it makes me both curious and suspicious at the same time is that, these countries too have never demonstrated responsible community behavior to defend themselves against Covid. Why only in India we are seeing double and triple mutants. Why the virus did not manage to mutate as fast as it did and still doing in India. I believe the virus to have started believing in our national motto "Unity in diversity"

Take 6: The devil and the dragon     

Conspiracy Theory: https://youtu.be/3bXWGxhd7ic


some more if you are interested : 

https://nicholaswade.medium.com/origin-of-covid-following-the-clues-6f03564c038

https://yurideigin.medium.com/lab-made-cov2-genealogy-through-the-lens-of-gain-of-function-research-f96dd7413748 

https://thebulletin.org/2021/05/the-origin-of-covid-did-people-or-nature-open-pandoras-box-at-wuhan/#.YKLAycCPbhs.whatsapp

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=corona+virus+conspiracy+theory

They say that, the power of the devil is in his ability to convince others that, he do not exist. And if a dragon exist or ever existed is also not know co-incidentally. However, there are civilizations in this world today which believe in both . Interestingly they have become friends recently. The weapon they both have looks strikingly similar. To name a few are "Lies and Deceit", "Fear and Terror",  "Macabre  and Manipulation", "Propaganda and Panic", "Encroachment and Espionage" and the list goes on if you scan their arsenal.  The power of such weapons is that devil just need to cast his spell on few influencers among his enemies. And they are good enough to launch them by executing the traditional and modern tools of propaganda as discussed in preceding post.

https://www.theepochtimes.com/programming-alert-new-documentary-exposes-how-ccp-is-manipulating-america_3393314.html

Source: https://youtu.be/yrg8-3L6Boc


Lets try to connect the dots and analyze the event that has shaped the world order after US elections. And to go a bit backward the intensity with which negative image management for one of the contender of US election was done to ensure he looses even by razor thin margin. Somehow this explains, why these seemingly disconnected events around the globes are so interconnected under the carpet and could provide believable clues. 

 https://www.timesnownews.com/international/article/in-annual-address-vladimir-putin-warns-russias-enemies-will-be-sorry/747906

https://indianexpress.com/article/world/china-on-india-china-border-dispute-7283515/

https://unherd.com/2021/04/how-anarchists-captured-portland/

https://www.google.com/search?q=mayanmar+coup+news&rlz=1C1GCEA_enIN783IN783&oq=mayanmar+coup+news&aqs=chrome..69i57.3455j0j1&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

https://www.google.com/search?q=iran+news&rlz=1C1GCEA_enIN783IN783&oq=iran+news&aqs=chrome..69i57.1359j0j9&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

https://www.google.com/search?q=Afganistan+news&rlz=1C1GCEA_enIN783IN783&ei=xa-BYPmLHoX1rQGHnaXwDw&oq=Afganistan+news&gs_lcp=Cgdnd3Mtd2l6EAMyCggAELEDEIMBEEMyBAgAEAoyBAgAEAoyCggAELEDEIMBEEMyBAgAEEMyBAgAEAoyBAgAEAoyBAgAEAoyBAgAEAoyBwgAEMkDEAo6CAgAELEDEIMBOgIIADoECC4QQzoHCC4QsQMQQzoHCAAQsQMQQzoFCC4QsQM6BQgAELEDOgcILhCxAxAKOgcIABCxAxAKOgQILhAKUK4zWKdIYJ9JaABwAngAgAGeAogBlRiSAQUwLjguN5gBAKABAaoBB2d3cy13aXrAAQE&sclient=gws-wiz&ved=0ahUKEwi5gr3irZLwAhWFeisKHYdOCf4Q4dUDCA8&uact=5

https://www.google.com/search?q=Russia+pakistan+news&rlz=1C1GCEA_enIN783IN783&ei=RbCBYM_NHtK-9QP7mqngDg&oq=Russia+pakistan+news&gs_lcp=Cgdnd3Mtd2l6EAMyBQgAEMQCMgIIADIGCAAQFhAeMgYIABAWEB4yBggAEBYQHjIGCAAQFhAeMgYIABAWEB4yBggAEBYQHjoHCAAQRxCwAzoNCAAQsQMQkQIQRhD7AToFCAAQkQI6CwgAELEDEIMBEJECOggIABCxAxCDAToFCAAQsQM6BAgAEAo6CAgAEBYQChAeUN5lWP1xYP5yaAJwAngAgAHZAYgBmxKSAQYwLjEyLjGYAQCgAQGqAQdnd3Mtd2l6yAEIwAEB&sclient=gws-wiz&ved=0ahUKEwiPhMKfrpLwAhVSX30KHXtNCuwQ4dUDCA8&uact=5

https://www.google.com/search?q=China+Taiwan+news&rlz=1C1GCEA_enIN783IN783&biw=1707&bih=818&tbm=nws&ei=CbeBYLsxq5Hj4Q-ZyboY&oq=China+Taiwan+news&gs_l=psy-ab.3..0l2.16075.19177.0.19295.17.13.0.3.3.0.264.1897.0j8j2.10.0....0...1c.1.64.psy-ab..6.11.1417....0.h2bn7POHtgs

https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1GCEA_enIN783IN783&q=hong+kong+china+news&spell=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjoovnztJLwAhVWzjgGHfCNAxkQBSgAegQIARA4&biw=1707&bih=818&dpr=1.5

Take 7: Image of the Elephant and Achilles' heel. 

At this point it could be pre-mature to say but I can't stop myself from saying this. I could foresee that, preparations are in full swing to make India and Indians as focal point to promote the narrative that irresponsible behavior of current regime in India, callousness of people of India and the existence of the very idea of India has put the health and survival of the whole whole world in danger. The mismanagement by current regime is for short term intention to get it removed for obvious reasons. The callousness of people of India is for mid-term intention to downgrade Indian self respect and to make Indian feel ashamed of their own identity as Indian.  This is quite similar to what was systematically done by our colonial masters and their allies over the last few centuries of their rule. The idea of India will be blamed because the forces opposed to very existence of India are looking towards this as India's Achilles' heel. In recent times India has outgrown itself and made an image for itself. The country which has always carried the image of the country snake charmer and wondering fakirs is now making sincere efforts to change it for good. The campaign like Make in India,  Aatm Nirbhar Bharat, Swaksh Bharat, New national education policy are few of the many reforms India has taken recently to make herself stronger. Additionally on international level there is a big push by India to become a permanent member of security council. It is quite evident that  these aspiration of Indian nation has come in way of entities who essentially look towards India as competitor and not as collaborator. No wonder why, after recent change in regime with a major power in western hemisphere and events of international importance after that, points towards the same direction. All it take is to start reading between the lines and understand that there is excessive effort to build a narrative averse of India's aspiration and further to her Image. 

Even though India initially gained much popularity by walking the talks of || वसुधैव कुटुम्बकम || and || सर्वे सन्तु निरामया ||  today India image is like a sick country battling covid.  India demonstrated it's commitment towards global health by supplying vaccine to needy countries even before almost 95% percent of it's own population was not vaccinated. This was a move which was in sharp contrast with new and existing members of so called first world club which controls eighty percent of world's wealth. Neither they did something like this nor they intended to do so. The selfless and responsible behavior of India and the optics it created  forced the dragon and and his allies including the new one in western hemisphere to readjust their strategies. No wonder why there is well crafted and sophisticated push in place to swing the international narrative, which was both popular and against the dragon last summer is wedged against the elephant this summer. Just a cursory glance on the below web page can probably substantiate this thought process that why India and Indian are under fire today and why there are attempts to shame this land. Carl Gustav Jung once  “Shame is a soul eating emotion.” and yes we must be ashamed that we gave the forces opposed to us this opportunity  to fire a salvo on us. Of course it's all our fault.

https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/china-we-re-ready-to-provide-outbreak-control-help-to-india-101619089910441.html

https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1GCEA_enIN783IN783&q=List+of+news+articles+about+india&tbm=nws&source=univ&tbo=u&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwis5YaIp5LwAhVLeH0KHajsBGAQt8YBegQIDBAD&biw=1707&bih=818

to be continued...


Sunday, April 18, 2021

What's in the name?

Take 1: What's in the name?

”WHAT'S IN A NAME? THAT WHICH WE CALL A ROSE BY ANY OTHER NAME WOULD SMELL AS SWEET” (QUOTE FROM ROMEO AND JULIET BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, CA. 1600). This is a sentence from one of the many plays from Shakespeare. It has not only garnered the  might of a quote today, but apparently it almost enjoys an immortal status of an universal truth. But the true truth is that, it is far from being a truth. Being universal altogether is an idea far fetched by light years away.    

The first article of the Constitution of India states that "India, that is Bharata, shall be a union of states," implicitly codifying "India" and "Bharata" as equally official short names for the Republic of India. A third name, "Hindustān", is sometimes an alternative name for the region comprising most of the modern Indian states of the subcontinent when Indians speak among themselves. The usage of "Bhārat", "Hindustān", or "India" depends on the context and language of conversation.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Names_for_India

But there is more to it. The 1940 Lahore Resolution of the All-India Muslim League demanded sovereignty for the Muslim-majority areas in the northwest and northeast of British India, which came to be called 'Pakistan' in popular parlance and the remaining India came to be called 'Hindustan'. The British officials too picked up the two terms and started using them officially. However, this naming did not meet the approval of Indian leaders due to the implied meaning of 'Hindustan' as the land of Hindus. They insisted that the new Dominion of India should be called 'India', not 'Hindustan'. Probably for the same reason, the name 'Hindustan' did not receive official sanction of the Constituent Assembly of India, whereas 'Bharat' was adopted as an official name. It was recognized however that 'Hindustan' would continue to be used unofficially.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindustan

India or Hindustan?

In September 1947, barely a month after the British Raj ceased to exist, leaving in its place the two independent nations of India and Pakistan, Louis Mountbatten invited Muhammed Ali Jinnah to be the honorary president of an art exhibition from the “Dominions of India and Pakistan”. Mountbatten had overseen Partition as the Raj’s last viceroy and was now India’s governor general, an honorary appointee of the British sovereign roughly equivalent to the post-1950 president of the Indian republic.

Mountbatten and Jinnah did not get along (in an interview in 1973, Mountbatten would call Jinnah a “bastard”). Yet, in 1947, both were governors general, Mountbatten India’s and Jinnah Pakistan’s. Such an invitation was, therefore, standard fare. Jinnah, however, objected to it. The reason: the invitation used India rather than Hindustan to refer to the new country. He wrote to Mountbatten: “It is a pity that for some mysterious reason Hindustan have adopted the word ‘India’ which is certainly misleading and is intended to create confusion.” He wanted the description to read, “exhibition of Pakistan and Hindustan art” – something that was unacceptable to Mountbatten. In the end, Jinnah accepted the invitation as is. This was not a one-off incident. The Muslim League had objected to the name “Union of India” in the run-up to Partition, although there was little clarity about its reasons for doing so.

Source: https://scroll.in/article/882827/war-of-words-like-greece-and-macedonia-now-india-and-pakistan-had-a-brief-naming-dispute-in-1947

I was too young to understand the importance of name when I watched the movie Sardar for the first time. However, the sequence between 1:12:52 to 1:13:17 of the movie intrigued me ever since. 

Sardar: https://youtu.be/MQlxU4xYwPM


The naming of nation has far reaching consequence on socio-political fabric and the observations could be made from several perspective. Ranging from cultural history angle to civilizational and linguistic aspect we inherited debate on ‘Bhārata’ both prior to and at the time of its official equation with ‘India’ in the Constitution (1950). However, to understand this with ease and simplicity, I would rather make an analogy from branches, trunks and roots of a tree to convey what I wish to. Considering the root as civilizational base and trunk as national pillar and branches as different ethnocultural outcomes below are the images I could create to understand what it really means. 






This is the answer to Shakespeare's epic question "What's in the name?". It is not about roses and the smell. There is more to it and it needs the study and understanding of civilizations which are older then 5000 years. 

Take 2: Wave One

The second wave of SARS-CoV-2 causing COVID-19 in India has triggered many waves of thought in my mind and I was compelled to rewind an year back and google out the some of the news from popular media houses. 

Google Search Results 

https://www.google.com/search?q=Chinese+virus+phrase&rlz=1C1GCEA_enIN783IN783&biw=1707&bih=818&tbm=nws&ei=nA18YJj_FMGW4-EP4ZiH4AM&oq=Chinese+virus+phrase&gs_l=psy-ab.3...50204.50504.0.51062.2.2.0.0.0.0.291.458.0j1j1.2.0....0...1c.1.64.psy-ab..0.0.0....0.n2jmWIXD1NU

https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/india-china-join-hands-to-fight-covid-19/article31159588.ece

https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/coronavirus-outbreak-in-phone-call-with-s-jaishankar-china-makes-a-request-on-covid-19/story-EnVHkTnK1bXFGCHR8XgZGP.html

Excerpts from the news : "During a phone conversation on Tuesday, state councilor and foreign minister Wang Yi told counterpart S Jaishankar that China hopes that India was “opposed” to the “narrow mindset” of using the phrase “China virus”. Beijing has urged India not to use “China” to describe the novel coronavirus, saying it could stigmatise the country and would be detrimental to international cooperation. Chinese ambassador to India Sun Weidong said in a tweet: “Dr. Jaishankar agreed not to label the virus and the international community should send a strong signal of solidarity.’’

We can have a debate whether it was an error of judgement on the part of Indian diplomacy to concede to such reach out by their Chinese counterpart. Did the chest which is generally inflated to 56 inches got deflated at that juncture ? Or why our opposition which is always vocal against any move of the govt decided to keep quite. It is but obvious that red brigade and their influencers in mass communication decided not to give mileage to this important event. Interestingly no leader on the earth barring Donald Triumph decided to look the other way when it came to the phrase "Chinese Virus".  However, it is for sure that, the Chinese very well knew the far reaching consequences of the phrase "Chinese Virus" so they deployed their time tested tool of propaganda through international media and wedged the sensitive and popular subject of racism and hate to create a popular opinion in their favor on an individual basis. Additionally they supplemented their cause by leveraging on their seasoned diplomats to engage with their counterparts across the globe to get the same stamped officially so that the narratives around this "Chinese" virus could be secured as per their own design. I can't stop my self from quoting a famous line from the poet Sri Rahat Indori.

 "ये लोग पैरों से नहीं ज़ेहन से अपाहिज है, वही चलेंगे जहा रहनुमा चलता है"

Take 3: The Second Wave

Below are some of the news articles found on internet. Interestingly the mutant and variants are named after their country of origin or detection. e.g. UK Variant, India Double mutant, Desi Double mutant, South African variant etc. Once again time tested method of propaganda by engaging media as a tool is at play. 

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-56792740

https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/south-african-variant-can-break-through-pfizer-vaccine-israeli-study-2410905

https://www.firstpost.com/health/south-african-covid-19-variant-can-better-bypass-pfizerbiontech-vaccine-israeli-study-9518801.html

https://www.livemint.com/news/india/uk-south-africa-brazilian-covid-19-variant-cases-in-india-now-at-400-11616058245187.html

https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-uk-cases-of-south-african-variant-rise-as-indian-double-mutation-also-heads-to-britain-12276830

https://www.businesstoday.in/current/economy-politics/covid-19-second-wave-is-the-new-desi-variant-behind-indias-coronavirus-glut/story/436662.html

We all talk about covid a number of time every single day and no one even think about China when Corona is discussed. We all discuss about the fear and threat which looms over all of us but not even in our subconscious there a shred of thought about the actual origin of this virus as china. And my question is, why the original virus could NOT be named after the China if we can comfortably name the variants and mutants after some countries. Almost 103 year back we managed to name deadly flu after a country "Spain" and interestingly even this flu had its first documented illness and mortality in USA. 

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_flu

Seems like our minds are still struggling to recover from hangover we have inherited from our previous generation which were rooted in colonial sensibilities. Hence we we keep falling for Shakespeare and his absurd logic with ”WHAT'S IN A NAME? THAT WHICH WE CALL A ROSE BY ANY OTHER NAME WOULD SMELL AS SWEET”

continued as "It's all our fault"


Sunday, March 8, 2020

To the Indian women ...with love

Last week, I was watching a program on one of the Indian news channels. This was a talk show about recruitment of hundred and six women soldiers in the Indian army. Two weeks back, there was another show based on honorable supreme court’s decision to allow command posts to women officers in the Indian army. The focus of both the shows were the efforts taken by India to compete with western countries when it comes to giving equal opportunities to its women. Somehow both the programs gave a concocted message that India traditionally has not given enough opportunities to its women and is far from established international standards. There was apologetic fervor with both the programs and they signaled that we Indian need to learn a lot from our western and superior counterparts to evolve ourselves when it comes to gender equality and women rights. 

Recently I was reading biographies of brave women of India published by a famous publisher of illustrative books for children. The book is about the valor and wisdom of the Queen of Jhansi, Kittur Rani, Queen Abakka, Razia Sultana and Kalpana Chawla. My mind reminded itself about the information it gathered in recent past about recruitment of women in Indian army and entrusting them with combat roles and command posts. But the recall also recalled what was told to audience through the TV program regarding Indian culture’s traditional negligence towards women. The stark contradiction between what was telecasted on TV show and what was written in the book I held made me to scratch my head.  

I fail to comprehend the narrative that India traditionally has not given rights and opportunities to women and we need ape western societies to become better. Of course, recruitment of women in combat and command role are wonderful things which are happening in our country. I am a devout supporter of women empowerment and progress. However, I strongly differ in my opinions and approach when compared to a traditional feminist outlook. I personally see steps like recruitment of women in Indian army, abolition of triple talaq, opposition of nikah halala, construction of toilets for women in rural area as small but quintessential steps of correcting the wrongs of India's recent history. The wrongs referred here are those done in that part of history when foreigners invaded and established themselves as masters of this land. In the process of colonization they also  stripped fairer gender from their rights and position in the society. We do not need to mimic the west. On the contrary it is the west which need to learn about women empowerment from our past while we strive to regain what we lost due to colonization. India has written accounts of incredible progresses and position w.r.t women's empowerment throughout sub-continent's pre-colonized era.  

There is certainly no merit in the thought process promoted by the pseudo-intellectuals and we must dismiss their narrative as the imaginations of minds conditioned by after effects of colonization of a millennium. The deep-rooted inferiority complex with our western trained intelligentsia and mass communicators is clearly on demonstration on social and traditional media’s platforms. I am extremely critical towards the treatment Indian society renders towards its women folks today. However, I am not apologetic being an Indian male and would like to see the issue by setting the context clearly. This means that a deliberation of this important topic is utmost essential and need to be done by systematically analyzing it. The historical, political, social, cultural, economic and other important angels need to be examined carefully so that a perspective could be established. A detailed homework is required by employing methodical appraisal of this issue by competent groups and individuals. 

As a society we must understand our uniqueness and its nuances and stop understanding India as a backward society. I am conscious of the fact that, social science as discipline has evolved in the western world and has its roots with the practices, peculiarities and problems there. Becoming the practitioner of western social science has made us see our own system through the same lenses and the aberrations have made us mis-judge our own society and its ethos on the basis yardsticks established by this western science. Such an effort has always showcased Indian civilization as backward, misogynist and regressive.

India is a land of multiple societies, spectrum of traditions, constellation of culture and enormity of value systems. India is much more sophisticated and far deeper than its humble and shallow appearance. A lot of thought process and research is needed to understand the evolution of various Indian societies. This calls for serious effort in research and development of social sciences strictly under Indian context and a separate discipline needs to be carved out of traditional social studies. A deep focus and sincere research on Indian societies is required to identify our unique problems and device their unique solutions and this is applicable in the context of women also.

In my various observations, India is one of those rare landscape, where we have had matriarchal societies and women as family heads. The role of women in agricultural practices, their irreplaceability in bearing and rearing children, their contribution as nutrition provider, their bravery on battle fields, their intelligence in economic matters, their wisdom in strategic affairs, their skill in fine arts, their sophistication in public relations, their devotion in spiritual practices, their commitment towards original traditions and their sincerity towards ancient customs are unparalleled. They have played exceptional role in health care and education sector. Indian literature and folklore are full of examples to endorse the above statements. There is no dearth example of women as warriors, scholars, mystics, philosophers, diplomats, rulers, administrators, intellectuals, innovators, thinkers, writers, poets, musicians, artists, bureaucrats and many more roles

As per Indian spiritual thinking, feminine is the energy which brings life to this physical world what we experience through our senses. This idea could be easily understood by an analogy of an electric appliance. The physical appliance could be considered masculine yet dead, and the electrical energy which brings it to life is feminine. Together they make the system complete. We can also take the example of a car which is masculine and the fuel it runs on is feminine. The energy stored in the fuel is the essential feminine in a masculine car which makes it run. Feminism is the very essence of life as per Indian philosophy and metaphysics.  These points are enough to prove that feminism is not only integral part of Indian culture, but it is implicit too. Roles and responsibilities played by women in Indian context do not need citations to prove their position in the annals of history. India recognized the importance of this life energy relationship and hence the various Indian societies developed themselves in much more sophisticated manner as compared to their western counterparts. In India feminism is not only a social concept but also considered the source of life and its nourishment. Feminism is consider a sacred idea and various Indian customs and practices substantiate this claim. E.g. the popular festival of Navaratri, during which shakti 'loosely translated as energy and power', is considered as life form, and is worshiped in the form of a woman. This is one of the many endorsement of importance given to feminine in our country. In Indian context feminism is not only social or political concept but natural part of existence.

Jargon like gender equality and women's right fails to impress me. In my personal understanding, we do not need an approach where one gender recognize the other one and giving it the rights it deserves. We are not talking about relationship of a leader and follower, giver and taker, superior and sub-ordinate, teacher and taught, master and slave. On the contrary, this is a relationship of sincere partnership, close collaboration, absolute synergy, mutual respect, and most importantly selfless love. This needs to be developed on empathy and not on sympathy. This essentially means that both the genders are absolutely equal in this partnership. They need to recognize their respective roles in the society and assume it with full responsibility, commitment and ownership. Both are independent to function in their area of sphere and yet they need to support each other to move forward. They need to intervene only when solicited by the other but also being watchful that they do not interfere. This must be a relationship of mutual trust and respect. India always had had an organic relationship between both the genders and somehow this got eroded in last millennia of disruption. The good news is that, not all is lost. The organic nature of this relationship exists even today. Baby steps like participation of women in military and strategic affairs will indeed help this organic relationship to flourish further. Such developments will help us to realize the standards and glory, this land always had in the past. India is indeed a role model and Indian women are invariably the inspiration behind it.

Happy women’s day!

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

कुछ होश नही..

कुछ होश नही...कुछ ख्याल् नही...
मे तुम्हे याद कर भी करु...अब ऐसा अपना हाल नही...

तुम गयी क्यो... यु मुझे छोडकर...और सोचती हो...कि
तुमसे कुछ पूछू नही...और करु कुछ सवाल नही...

शाम हो गयी है और्...मेहफ़िल कोइ दूर दूर तक नही
खुद को मशरूफ़ कर सकु...अब ऐसा कोइ काम भी नही

लफ़्ज़ जो चल कर जुबान तक आ चुके है...
उनको किस से कहू...कि...सूझता कोइ बयान नही...

और रात कि देहलीज़ पर एक शमा रौसन कर पाऊ
मुझे इस बात की कोइ उम्मीद नहि..और कोइ इम्कान नही...


Kuch hosh nahi....

Kuch hosh nahi...kuch khayaal nahi...
mein tumhe yaad kar sakoon...ab aaisa hamara haal nahi

Tum gayi kyon mughe chor kar yu...aur sochti ho...ki
Tumse kuch poocho nahi...aur karu kuch sawaal nahi

Shaam ho gai hai aur...mefil koi door door tak nahi
khud ko mashroof kar saku...ab aaisa bhi koi kaam nahi

lafz jo chal kar jubaan tak aa chuke hai...
unko kis se kahoon...ki...soojhta koi bayaan nahi...

Aur raat ki dehleez par ek shamaa rausan kar paaoon
Mughe is baat ki koi umeed nahi..koi imkaan nahi... 

Monday, February 18, 2019

The Battle...

Context: Pulwama Attack

And those wise men will stay underground and will not come on TV, to debate at this moment as they know that they cannot defend themselves from the backlash. They will remain holed up in their little burrows until the matter subside and the sentiments die, the calmness prevails and the air becomes thin. They will wait till the funeral pyres turn cold and the soil above the grave settle some more. That will be the time when the bodies of soldiers will be burnt or buried. And there will be ash or bones mixed in the soil. The life will not be there nor will be flesh and blood. Their memory would have faded, the laughter would have forgotten. Their fragrance lost and their images blurred. That will be time when other priorities of our lives will get prioritized.

That will be time, they will come out, that will be time they will pop up from little holes from the underground, that will be the time they will drop their camouflage and covers, that will be time thay will relax their stance and posture. And that will be time they will hit you back. They will assault in their own ways, they will play the game they know very well. They will make some movies, some series or documentaries. They will take up effectively in their hands the twitter's handles. They will attack from the cover of digital world, the human rights blankets and virtual dream of freedom. The rule is simple to create some expressions in support of so called freedom of expression. They will organize those literature festivals, the poetry recitation sessions and the musical occasions, where there is no debate but an audience so consumed, ready to receive whatever thrown and assumed.

They will organize street plays in the universities. Some books will be written and some will be burnt, some articles will be published and others will be trolled. Some blogs will float some post will hold and all together the social media will be a bloat. Some marches will be organized and protests will be set. Some of the activist will try to crash some gates. Some awards will be returned and intolerance will trend. Some people will sing songs with candles in their hand.
The narrative they need is already set, what they want is to harden it more. This mass media has an aura which always endure, if it doesn’t make truth out of a fallacy, then it certainly it makes the fallacy a day dream. A day dream strong enough to be discussed more. They will be everywhere in books and streets, they will be everywhere in festivals full of musical beats. They will be everywhere in every drop of ink, they will be everywhere in the deceptive eyes which doesn’t blink. They will hijack the theater's dialogue, they will be riding on every monologue or prologue. They will be contrasting with every colors on canvas, they will be everywhere on screen and campus. They will run deep in every attractive visuals, they will settle in the minds of sapiosexuals

At that time our boys will be on the borders, safeguarding the mountains, the fields, and the glaciers. We may call them anything but that’s their frontiers. Yes those are our boys oblivious of the fact, a much more potent explosives are waiting for them, and that is not actually kept in a jeep called scorpion. What it seems like an ambush, is just one small reality, but much more are there everywhere deep inside our own territory. The enemy is just not across those line, there are some in our own design. They are scattered in the world called intellectual, in the thoughts of sensible, who claims to be responsible. They are all over in the talk shows hosted by learned & elite, they exist in the candle light marches of high profile socialite. They will be sipping coffee in the symposium of the universities. They will be organizing seminars by inviting some celebrities. These people will not attack you from the enemy lines, these people will not fire upon you with bombs and mines. They are pretentious champions of peace, so they won’t kill you by exploding in moment. Proving themselves as believers of humanity they will not shoot a bullets upon you. But from the comfort of their posh houses, from the safety of their books stuffed studies, from the coziness of their flashy studios, they will sting you like a scorpion. The sting will not let you dies, it will just enough to poison your mind. The poison which will be slow and subtle, the poison which will be like the drizzle, the poison which will be like the color of the sky. It will definitely not kill but will make you blind. The goal is to prison the brain and not the body. The purpose is the capture the imagination and objectivity. And they will not stop once you become one of them. They will persuade you to extend the the venom on to the generation yet to come.

Like you cannot counter an odour only with fragrance, so you cannot counter intelligentsia only with intelligence. The rules of engagement needs to be revised, a new kind of weapon has to be devised. Along with guns, our soldiers need canvas, along with armors, our soldiers need pen and paint brush. Along with physical endurance an our soldiers need intellectual pursuance. The battle is not only out at the ground, the battle has gone much beyond and everywhere to be found. This is not only the battle against an enemy who is instantly recognized. This is not a battle against those who are visible, not hidden or disguised.
This is a battle against enemy which is armed with evil ideas, this is a battle against an enemy trained in fabricating false narrative, this is a battle against an enemy experienced in forging fraudulent day dreams. They are capable enough to inject the pollutant into freshness of the curious minds. This is a battle against a devil and his design. The design to prove itself an angel, the design to get the capability for deception.  The battle is there, where the interest rest, imagination delights and curiosity thrives. The battle is there where the devil has a workshop. The battle is there, where devil hides. The battle is inside a person's mind, and that is where it needs to be hammered. This design has improved over the time, the devil is convincing and we are all blind. The devil has outsmarted us all to prove itself an angel. The story goes further for angels are proven devil. And if someone oppose he is proven not be civil. Lie deception and falsehood wrapped in charm of expressions are his weapons. And if nothing works then democracy is shown in danger. This is the battle of ideas, and an idea cannot be killed with a bullet. This is the battle of narrative which in turn influence the ballet.

 It takes an idea to defeat an idea. It takes a narrative to kill another one. It takes marketing to kill others campaign. It takes a literature to kill devil’s writing.It takes a popular expression to kill another popular one. In the end it takes all what the devil has up in his sleeves.
If angels can do that, then devil will leave, only to re-surge obviously and indeed. And dare you think that this battle will end. As this one was never a war which will. The devil return and you must sure. Even if you to keep this one low, by getting complacent or going slow. You can’t kill a devil in just one battle and you can’t kill the devil in thousand more battle, what is required is to beat him in every battle, keeping in mind our destiny is not the victory but the battle. It will go on forever till eternity, like every year we burn Ravan’s effigies  

Saturday, July 14, 2018

I run...

I run from pleasure
         and I run from pain
In run from sunshine
         and I run from rain


I run from rise
       and I run from fall
I run from mortal
       and I run from soul


I run from disgust
  and I run from delight
I run from accord
  and I run from fight


I run from loss
  and I run from gain
I run from freedom
  and I run from chain


I run from gloom
  and I run from glow
I run from trickle
  and I run from flow


I run from silence
  and I run from noise
I run from restriction
  and I run from choice


I run from solitary
  and I run from rally
I run from mountain
  and I run from valley


I run from shores
  and I run from ocean
I run from frustration
  and I run from motivation


I run from open
  and I run from cage
I run from laughter
  and I run from rage


I run from vicinity
  and I run from afar
I run from perfection
  and I run from scar


I run from  wind
  and I run from shower
I run from thrones
  and I from flower


I run from demand
  and I run from prayer
I run from achievement
  and I run from failure


I run from liberty
  and I run from compulsion
I run from fancy
  and I run from repulsion


I run from devilish
  and I run from divine
I run from mundane
  and I run from sublime


I run from admires
  and I run from disdain
I run from release
  and I run from restrain


I run from surrender
  and I run from engagement
I run from chaos
  and I run from convenience


I run from detach
  and I run from cling
I run from everything
  and I run from nothing


I run from oblivious
  and I run from aware
I run from everywhere
  and I run from nowhere


I know nothing
  to what I run
I understand nothing
  from what I run


I think nothing
  why do I run
I do nothing
  but I just run 

Saturday, January 27, 2018

Why can't they wait...

I was young
and I was bold
In the summer
or in bitter cold

Some were friends
but  some were foes
some were delighted
but some had woes

Some were strangers
untouched and unknown
some were there
to see me grow

They wanted me
to climb and to propel
fly into the sky
to prosper and excel

some always wished
for me to drop
for them, if I don’t fit
I must loose

If I do not fulfill
their scheme of design
if I do not relent
to their wish and conscience

they always wished
for me to fall
as if, I will not then,
they will fall

and I did fall
for my fate was bad
it turned me down
at a time which i never had

yes I did fall
when I was deceived
yes I did fall
when I failed to achieve

but it was a fall
and not the death
the life was there
lingering to a thread

the life was there
in my flesh and bone
yes life was there
in parts and in pain

like those vultures
desperate to devour
it doest matter
if I were one of their own

the moment was ripe
atleast they felt so
i can still remember
seeing their faces glow

when they flew down
with speed and glide
when they flew down
with great appetite

their beaks were sharp
hooked and strong
they tore away my flesh
with all their might

parting my meat
from my bone
it gave them cheer
and not the shiver

can't they see I was still alive
the body they scavenged
was not a corpse yet
but just gave up the fight

can't they wait
for my life to leave
can't they wait
for my soul to be free

can't they wait
for my skin to be cold
can't they wait
for I say to myself  “don’t hold”

can't they wait
for my heart beat to subside
can't they wait
for my pulse reside

can't they wait

for my hopes to sink
can't they wait
for my eyes cease to blinks

can't they wait
for my breath to stop
can't they wait
for my everything to drop

can't they wait
why can't they
just wait




Sunday, October 16, 2016

Emotions of Unborns...!!

God when he was done, making the moon and a huge ball of fire
Creating earth became exhaustive for him and not a work of desire

His life since has been mundane, monotonous and all that boring 
Wondered our lord, why this earth isn’t becoming real & something 

Why not I take a break, why not I stop and laze
Why not I eat something, breathe something and have a gaze

Tired were his hands and face, with half closed but open eyes
God could see the setting sun, beneath the dusky western sky 

Other side in the east, the sky was yet not so dark, 
But it already got filled with giggles of the twinkling stars

All of them encouraging the moon, to rise and shine until the dawn
Apprehensive was the state of mind as it was a nervous new moon

Young was the moon as a crescent shining, balanced on both the edge
Like a boat tied at a river bank, floating in silence with all its grace

What if I tilt a bit this beautiful bright little but sharp crescent?
Was something God thought in those relaxed & clam moments

With no plan in mind and a reason why to get it done
Almighty tilted the moon’s crescent just for his own fun

Darkness which followed the dusk, made god go in deep sleep
Only to get up early next day to work as project earth wasn’t complete

Meanwhile the emotions from unborn, who were living on this new moon
Happily made it an abode, somehow for god this secret remained unknown

The tilt made all them shake, startled, jump, run and roll 
Slipping through the edge of moon, downwards in a free fall 

So it happened to emotions, when they fell from the moon 
They fell upon earth, kept beneath lying unfinished & unknown 

Those emotions from unborn when they met incomplete earth
They mixed, blended and gave it, shape color life and worth

Earth in those days didn’t had anything on surface or motions
It never became heavenly, until it caught those falling emotions 

Desire to give back, became the land, vast fertile clayey & plane, 
They fed and nourished forever, like a mother does to her children.

Hope decided to rise above and became mystic mountains, 
Perseverance filled them with snow forests fog trees and rain. 

The immovable peaks of determination always stood to their ground, 
Forging bravery glory courage spreading them all around. 

Love flowed everywhere and become meandering rivers, 
Skipping jumping falling & flooded, yet remained calm with compassion. 

Carrying nourishment in their flow and waves full of kind affection, 
Blessed the earth with prosperity and took away all the depression. 

Hatred & envy were cruel and always felt so hostile 
Every time they conspired and never made anyone smile 

Freedom made itself the breeze and winds of free will 
Blowing from corner to corner, bringing heat, fragrance & chill

Anger became volcano and started erupting all the fire,  
Shacked the earth burnt the jungle, all the hope and desire

Happiness decided not to stay but rose above the ground 
It went on to become those lovely black and white floating cloud. 

With them falling onto earth, it became complete so beautiful, 
Still there were more emotions on their way and yet to fulfill. 

When they realized for them, the earth do not have any room, 
They felt miserable, became dull, and looked so sad with all the gloom. 

So together they thought and thought and found one another way, 
All of them stretched their arm and held each other from getting away. 

Together they brought earth & moon into a sacred & heavenly bond
And made them with each other always so happy and ever so fond

Sunday, March 15, 2015

शायद..!!



सूरज मद्धम हो चला था मगर, फिर भी उसे उसी तारीख में, एक बार फिर चमक जाने की चाहत थी शायद...

रात अभी भी ठीक से हुई नहीं थी फिर भी, कुछ तारो को जल्दबाजी मैं टिमटिमाने की चाहत थी शायद...

खुश्क आसमान मैं भी, उड़ते गुलाल से रंगों के बदल को, टूट टूट कर बरस जाने के चाहत थी शायद...

लाल क्षितिज़ के रोके जाने पर भी, कुछ दिलेर परिंदों को, रात भर उड़ते चले जाने की चाहत थी शायद...

हवा के दिल मैं आज सिर्फ, चुपचाप बहने के बजाए, कुछ नए तराने गुनगुनाने की चाहत थी शायद...

दुनिया उनके रंगों को देख न पाए तो क्या, फूलो को फिर भी अपनी खुशबू फ़ैलाने की चाहत थी शायद...






परिन्दे..!!

एक रोज़ ढलती शाम में
जब आँखें अपनी उठाई मैंने
दिखाई दिए कुछ परिन्दे मुझको
उस पिघलते आसमान में

साथ साथ में और लय मिलते
अलग अलग से आकर बनाते
कभी सीधी पंक्ति मैं उड़ते
तो कभी अटखेलियाँ भी करते

कभी कुछ दो एक पीछे रह जाते
तो कभी कुछ आगे भी निकल जाते
कभी कभी तो सब बिखर से जाते
लेकिन फिर सारे मिल भी जाते

पता नहीं कहाँ है जाना उनको
पता नहीं क्या है पाना उनको
पता नहीं वो कहा से हे आए
नीले आसमान मैं पंख फैलाए

कभी कही हवा के झोंकों के साथ
फिर कही उन्ही झोकों के खिलाफ
थी उनको अपनों से मिलने की आस
या फिर शायद दाना पानी की तलाश

एक रोज़ ढलती शाम में
जब आँखें अपनी उठाई मैंने
दिखाई दिए कुछ परिन्दे मुझको
उस पिघलते आसमान में

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Please don't say, I don't love you....

Late night. The silence of the night was only breached by the ticking wall clock. There is dim lamp glowing. It looks that the lamp is trying to woo away the darkness with its mighty effort. But darkness is determined to stay in that room . Across this seemingly endless crisscrossing of darkness and light, a beautiful face is glowing. At least the glow of this cute face makes the scene a little bit enervating. But the face is crying. It is a sweet little girl trying to conceal all her pain under the cover of darkness. The music in the background is soft. She is just 5 years old with beautiful hair: long and black falling over her shoulders. It seems the hair itself is older to her.  Suddenly the door opens and a beam of light makes its way in. It illuminates her face as she lifts her face over the pillow. For the first time  her face is visible with all clarity. The eyes are swollen and the traces of dried away tears could be seen on her tender cheeks. A figure approaches her and she look into it with mixed emotions. It is her father approaching her to give her a warm embrace. But she rejects his hug.
Father: What is the matter with you baby. What happened, why are you crying my dear.( Worried)
Girl: I don't want to talk to you Papa. (Eyebrows bent; she frowns)
Father: Oh I see my baby is angry on me. Don't you think, I must know why my child is angry on me?
(Affectionately trying to hold her)
Girl: You don't love me Papa……you don't love me at all .
Father: And why does my   little princess think that her papa doesn't love her anymore?
Girl: You are the busiest papa in this world. I want to see your face as the first thing in the morning as I get up. But I never find you . You always leave early. At night I feel like sleeping in your arms, but you are always late with some meetings or some office work. I wanted to learn riding a bicycle from you, not by some other person, but I never find you. On Sundays also you don't sit with me when I tune into my favorite cartoon channels. I miss all the stories you told me once. I miss the warmth of your lap. Today at school all the students came with their parents. Only I was there without one. You will never realize how bad I felt. Everyone was asking me about you and I was clueless. I have realized that you don't have time for me. So I feel that You don't love me anymore.
Father:  I am really sorry for all the things. All your points are genuine but sweetheart please don't say I don't love you.
Girl: No you don't love me any more (and the girl breaks into tears).
Father: I still remember the day you were born. oh an angel came into my life . She was so beautiful that God himself blessed her with all goodness and Goddess graced her with all her Charm. I saw you held within the cozy arms of your mom. You were filled with infinite innocence. Those eyes were closed yet expressive. I felt if my angel is dreaming about the heaven from where she has come. That moment I promised myself that, I am going to make this world a heaven for her. I still remember those tiny hands and legs I touched. I can never explain what I felt when I kissed those tender cheeks. And when I took you in my arms for the first time, I felt like the luckiest man in this world. You were the greatest gift to me. I could see a baby with eyes like me , ears like me , Cheeks like me , lips like me , nose like me and it was well mixed with the essesance of your mother everywhere, just like the way she accompany me everywhere. Your presence endorsed and beautified my relationship with your mom. It gave a wonderful meaning to our marriage. You amplified our love for each other. You were not only my child, you were a blessing to me. The sweetest of all the possessions in my life. I saw you as my own projection to the future world. I saw you as my own reflection. I still look for my own eyes when I look into yours.  I hardly get time to see you playful. so as soon I get back from my office I straight away go to your room to make sure that my darling baby is safe and comfortable. When I see you sleeping in the earlyhours , I search for that infinite innocence and make my day.
Sweetheart you are my essence and you have been nourished by the most beloved women of my life. I love you the same way I love me, my mom and your mom
My blood is running in your body. You carry my genes . You reflect the face of my previous generation. You make me remember of my own parent. You are my grip to my future generation. You are associated to me in the same way I am associated with my own parent.
So please don't say that I don't love you .