Delhi Belly

Watched Delhi belly last evening. A totally different movie from Bollywood. It portrays three friends living in Delhi depicting their adventures in an authentic manner.....a refreshing change from the 'bollywood masalas' and the usual juvenile and imbecile comedies.

I never read any reviews before deciding to watch it, as it was from Aamir khan, Kiran Rao and Ronnie Srewvala. The first shot of the movie took me to India and was a true depiction of Delhi suburbs. Most of the movie is in English delivering the accent (Delhi) in the most original sense. It was entertaining, artistically good and great choice of actors/ actresses. I think it was a bold attempt to portray contemporary broad Indian youth and I must say that the film makers were successful in this.Some of the dialogues are said so fast that one should listen keenly to understand and enjoy the meaning behind it.

The highlight of this movie was the fact that none of the actors/ actresses over-acted and still impressed well in their respective roles; there were no protagonists, as it was a combined effort from all the people involved in making the movie-both in and behind this celluloid creation. There were some exaggerated visuals and dialogues in between, though all in all it was a good entertainment, worth the money.

Tailpiece: Anyone watching this movie will think THRICE before buying tandoori chicken from street vendors in Delhi!

Wonders of Universe

I finished watching this four part series presented by Brian Cox in BBC 2 (Sundays at 21:00). Who are we? Where do we come from? For thousands of years humanity has turned to religion and myth for answers to these enduring questions. But in this series, Brian presents a different set of answers - answers provided by science.

This was one of the finest science programmes I have watched on the relationship between 'time-space-matter-light-nature'.

1. Destiny

In this episode, Brian Cox considers the nature of time. He explores the cycles of time that define the lives of humans on the earth, and compares them to the cycles of time on a cosmic scale. Cox also discusses the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics (Entropy- eg: many ways of reaaranging the sand grains with out changing the structure) and its effect on time, and the Heat Death theory concerning the end of the Universe.

Brian seeks to understand the nature of time and its role in creating both the universe and ourselves. From an extraordinary calendar built into the landscape of Peru (The 2,500-year-old solar calendar in Chankillo was built by a civilization of which very little is known), he travels through the beaches of Costa Rica where Sea tutles come and lay eggs at night in the beach- something that has been happening for the last 100 million years. He explores the cycles of time which define our experience of life on Earth. But even the most epic cycles of life can't begin to compare to the vast expanse of cosmic time. For instance, just as the Earth orbits the Sun, the solar system orbits the entire Milky Way galaxy. This orbit takes a staggering 250 million years to complete. We have probably travelled 1% of that time (humans I mean!)

Arrow of time; as each moment passes, things change and these are irreversible. Is this an illusion?

Ultimately, Brian discovers that time is not characterised by repetition but by irreversible change. From the relentless march of a glacier, to the decay of an old mining town, the ravaging effects of time are all around us. The vast universe is subject to these same laws of change.

As we look out to the cosmos, we can see the story of its evolution unfold, from the death of the first stars to the birth of the youngest. How giant stars explodes rather implodes and death/ birth of stars. ie the explosive death of one of the first stars in the universe.This journey from birth to death will ultimately lead to the destruction not just of our planet, but also the entire universe, and with it the end of time itself.

Yet without this inevitable destruction, the universe would be without what is perhaps the greatest wonder of all; the brief moment in time in which life can exist.

2.Stardust

In this episode, Brian discusses the elements of which all living things, including humans, are made. He explains how these elements are related to the life cycles of the stars and the recycling of matter in the Universe.

In the second stop in his exploration of the wonders of the universe, Professor Brian Cox goes in search of humanity's very essence to answer the biggest questions of all: what are we? And where do we come from? This film is the story of matter - the stuff of which we are all made.

Brian reveals how our origins are entwined with the life cycle of the stars. But he begins his journey here on Earth. In Nepal, he observes a Hindu cremation. Hindu philosophy is based on an eternal cycle of creation and destruction, where the physical elements of the body are recycled on to the next stage. Brian draws a parallel with the life cycle of the stars that led to our own creation.

Next, he explains how the Earth's resources have been recycled through the ages. How every atom that makes up everything we see, was at some time a part of something else. Our world is made up of just 92 elements, and these same 92 elements are found throughout the entire universe. We are part of the universe because we are made of the same stuff as the universe.

3. Falling

This episode documents how gravity has an effect across the Universe, and how the relatively weak force creates an orbit. We also see how a neutron star's gravity works. Finally, there is a look back at how research on gravity has enabled us to better understand the cosmos.

Gravity seems so familiar, and yet it is one of the strangest and most surprising forces in the universe. Starting with a zero gravity flight, Brian experiences the feeling of total weightlessness, and considers how much of an effect gravity has had on the world around us.

But gravity also acts over much greater distances. It is the great orchestrator of the cosmos. It dictates our orbit around the sun, our relationship with the other planets in our solar system, and even the way in which our solar system orbits our galaxy.

Yet the paradox of gravity is that it is actually a relatively weak force. Brian takes a face distorting trip in a centrifuge to explain how it is that gravity achieves its great power, before looking at the role it plays in one of the most extraordinary phenomena in the universe - a neutron star. Although it is just a few kilometres across, it is so dense that its gravity is 100, 000 million times as strong as on Earth.

Over the centuries our quest to understand gravity has allowed us to understand some of the true wonders of the universe, and Brian reveals that it is scientists' continuing search for answers that inspires his own sense of wonder

4. Messengers

The final episode shows how the unique properties of light provide an insight into the origins and development of mankind and the Universe. We also see how the speed of light is both a measure of time and distance. This leads on to pinpoint one of the early events in the evolution of life.He travels from the fossils of the Burgess Shale to the sands of the oldest desert in the world to show how light holds the key to our understanding of the whole universe, including our own deepest origins.

To understand how light holds the key to the story of the universe, we first have to understand its peculiar properties. Brian considers how the properties of light that lend colour to desert sands and the spectrum of a rainbow can lead to profound insights into the history and evolution of our universe. Finally, with some of the world's most fascinating fossils in hand, Brian considers how but for an apparently obscure moment in the early evolutionary history of life, all the secrets of light may have remained hidden. Because although the universe is bathed in light that carries extraordinary amounts of information about where we come from, it would have remained invisible without a crucial evolutionary development that allowed us to see. Only because of that development, i.e. the observation that Light travels with a finite speed through space at a rate of 299 792 458 metre/second or 10 million million km in one year or 1 light year; So a light year is not just a measure of distance but also a measure of time! Because of this we can we now observe, capture and contemplate the incredible wonders of the universe that we inhabit.

I seemed to understand some of the meaning of Universe and birth of it when I was watching the programme, but now it feels to have gone out of my mind with a big bang!

I think it is interesting to note the similarities and differences in this programme and the views expressed in Indian Philosophy. The Hindu cosmology and time lines in a way is the closest to modern scientific time lines and even more, which might indicate that the big bang is not the beginning of everything but just the start of the present cycle preceded by an infinite number of universes and to be followed by another infinite number of universes. The Rig Veda questions the origin of the cosmos in:

Neither being (sat) nor non-being was as yet. What was concealed? And where? And in whose protection?…Who really knows? Who can declare it? Whence was it born, and whence came this creation? The devas were born later than this world's creation, so who knows from where it came into existence? None can know from where creation has arisen, and whether he has or has not produced it. He who surveys it in the highest heavens, he alone knows-or perhaps does not know. (Rig Veda 10. 129)

The later puranic view asserts that the universe is created, destroyed, and re-created in an eternally repetitive series of cycles. In Hindu cosmology, a universe endures for about 4,320,000,000 years (one day of Brahma, the creator or kalpa) and is then destroyed by fire or water elements. At this point, Brahma rests for one night, just as long as the day. This process, named pralaya (Cataclysm), repeats for 100 Brahma years (311 trillion, 40 billion human years) that represents Brahma's lifespan.

According to Bhagavad Gita "sahasra-yuga paryantam ahar-yad brahmano viduh", meaning, a day of brahma is of 1000 mahayugas. Thus a day of Brahma, kalpa, is of duration: 4.32 billion solar years.

1000 Mahayugas = 1 kalpa = 1 day (day only) of Brahma
(Two kalpas constitute a day and night of Brahma)
30 days of Brahma = 1 month of Brahma (259.2 billion human years)
12 months of Brahma = 1 year of Brahma (3.1104 trillion human years)
50 years of Brahma = 1 Pararddha
2 parardhas = 100 years of Brahma = 1 Para = 1 Mahakalpa (the lifespan of Brahma)(311.04 trillion human years)
One day of Brahma is divided into 10,000 parts called charanas. The charanas are divided as follows:
The Four Yugas
4 charanas (1,728,000 solar years) Satya Yuga
3 charanas (1,296,000 solar years) Treta Yuga
2 charanas (864,000 solar years) Dwapar Yuga
1 charanas (432,000 solar years) Kali Yuga

The current Kali Yuga began at midnight 17 February / 18 February in 3102 BC (Julian calendar)

According to Carl Sagan and Fritjof Capra, similarities between what they consider the latest scientific understanding of the age of the universe, and the Hindu concept of a "day and night of Brahma", is much closer to the current assumed age of the universe than other creation myths (when taken literally). The days and nights of Brahma postulate a view of the universe that is divinely created, and is not strictly evolutionary, but an ongoing cycle of birth, death, and rebirth of the universe.

According to Sagan: Hinduism is the only one of the world's great faiths dedicated to the idea that the Cosmos itself undergoes an immense, indeed an infinite, number of deaths and rebirths. It is the only religion in which time scales correspond, no doubt by accident, to those of modern scientific cosmology. Its cycles run from our ordinary day and night to a day and night of Brahma, 8.64 billion years long, longer than the age of the Earth or the Sun and about half the time since the Big Bang. And there are much longer time scale still.

Some believe that with the "AUM" sound, known as "pranava manthra", the Universe was started, similar to the big bang theory. "Omkara", the sound of 'Ohm', is very important in Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism and Jainism.

Capra, in his popular book, The Tao of Physics, wrote that: This idea of a periodically expanding and contracting universe, which involves a scale of time and space of vast proportions, has arisen not only in modern cosmology, but also in ancient Indian mythology. Experiencing the universe as an organic and rhythmically moving cosmos, the Hindus were able to develop evolutionary cosmologies which come very close to our modern scientific models. One of these cosmologies is based on the Hindu myth of lila—the divine play—in which Brahman transforms himself into the world.

I like the statement made by Swami Vivekananda who interpreted the Adhvaitha Vedantic understanding of evolution to be in harmony with Darwinian theory. In his commentary on Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, he writes:

"There seems to be a great difference between modern science and all religions at this point. Every religion has the idea that the universe comes out of intelligence. The theory of God, taking it in its psychological significance, apart from all ideas of personality, is that intelligence is first in the order of creation, and that out of intelligence comes what we call gross matter. Modern philosophers say that intelligence is the last to come. They say that unintelligent things slowly evolve into animals, and from animals into men. They claim that instead of everything coming out of intelligence, intelligence itself is the last to come. Both the religious and the scientific statements, though seeming directly opposed to each other are true. Take an infinite series, A—B—A—B —A—B. etc. The question is — which is first, A or B? If you take the series as A—B. you will say that A is first, but if you take it as B—A, you will say that B is first. It depends upon the way we look at it. Intelligence undergoes modification and becomes the gross matter, this again merges into intelligence, and thus the process goes on. The Sankhyas, and other religionists, put intelligence first, and the series becomes intelligence, then matter. The scientific man puts his finger on matter, and says matter, then intelligence. They both indicate the same chain. Indian philosophy, however, goes beyond both intelligence and matter, and finds a Purusha, or Self, which is beyond intelligence, of which intelligence is but the borrowed light."

Raavanayanam

The new Mani Ratnam movie Raavanan (Tamil version) or Raavan (Hindi version) has brought the major epic 'Ramayana' again as a hot debate topic.This epic as told by Valmiki is the story of the 'perfect man' Rama and his accomplishments. But shouldn't it be called 'Raaavanayanam' as this epic is as much the story of Raavana as is it of Rama based on the perspective, how we look at it? Perhaps if there was another 'Valmiki' and if he had made Raavana as the central character, the whole aspect of this struggle between good and evil and moral and immoral would be viewed completely differently.

Ravana's characterization is open to interpretations.The name Ravana is from 'ra' meaning the sun and 'vana' signifying generation. He is the great grandson of Lord Brahma. A metaphorical interpretation of Ravana's 10 heads is that the heads are a symbolic way to show the world about his knowledge of the six Shastras as well as four Vedas, ten Holy Scriptures in all.

Even though Ravana is portrayed as the villain in Ramayana, this view is open to question due to lack of any overt instances, and is so questioned by a considerable number of believers. It can be argued, for example, that Ravana’s abduction of Sita was not driven by lust for her, but instead it was done to punish Ram for attacking his sister Shurpanakha. What Lakshmana did to her ie cutting of her nose for proposing to him after Rama rejected her was a reaction out of proportion to what Shurpanakha did. It may be that Lakshmana did this for fear of Sita's safety. The extreme nature of the act upon his unarmed sister enraged Ravana (as a brother) and he abducted Sita to avenge the insult- if Ravana would not avenge his own sister - then no one would look up to him as a protector of his subjects/ dependents. Nevertheless Ravana never ever touched Sita while she was being held as his hostage. He visited her regularly and asked her consent to marry him. Every time Sita declined, but there is not a single instance when Ravana misbehaved with Sita. He plays the role of a gentleman to the core, (though this could have been due to a curse from Kubera's son that he would lose all his 10 heads if he forced himself on any woman).

Ravana also authored Ravana Sanhita, a powerful book on the Hindu astrology. Ravana possessed a thorough knowledge of Ayurveda and political science. He is said to have possessed the nectar of immortality, which was stored under his navel, thanks to a celestial boon by Brahma. Pleased with his resilience and devotion, Shiva gave to him the divine sword 'Chandrahasa'. Ravana was a lifelong devotee of Lord Shiva and is said to have composed the hymn known as Shiva Tandava Stotra.

Mani Ratnam's movie, Raavan (Hindi) and Raavanan(Tamil), clearly inspired by this epic was a movie I had been waiting for some time since I heard of it a couple of years ago.

I went to watch the Tamil version first and had to go all the way to Birmingham to watch it. But the trip was worth it as the movie was simply wonderful. It was stimulating and entertaining...a great treat- the photography, music, script, location, direction and above all the performances of Vikram (as Raavanan), Prithviraj(as Rama) and Aishwariya (as sita).

Vikram was amazing and I felt he brought out the various expressions and emotions of the tribal leader Veera to all its glory.He acted as though he had 'ten heads' with varying facial expressions. Prithviraj as Dev (the police officer) and Aishwarya (as his wife) also had a chemistry together and did well. Aishwarya's transformational change of feelings towards both men were enacted superbly. This would probably stand out as one of her best performances possibly after her debut movie 'Iruvar'.

I then watched the Hindi version (in Leicester) and I must say that it was disappointing! Though the back ground artists were all the same, the central character Beera (Raavana) by Abhishek Bachchan was at the best average, especially if we compare it with the performance of Vikram in the Tamil version. I will not be surprised, if in the future Raavanan (Tamil) would be considered a huge hit among Mani Ratnam's movies and Raavan(Hindi) as an average film.

I was also impressed by the interviews given by the artists at the London Premiere of the movie. These interviews in the 'you tube' are also a good hit! Prithviraj was quite eloquent and articulate in his comments. Vikram and Suhasini(who wrote the script) were also quite impressive. But both Mr and Mrs Junior Bachchans were depressing in their words especially if you see that the crowds were cheering almost just for them. They could have been a bit more prepared to face the interviews at such a landmark venue.

After reading Ramayana, two questions, every firm believer of Lord Rama would love to avoid are
1.How could the divine person hide behind the trees and murder Bali/ Vali (brother of Sugreeva) behind his back?
2.Why did he suspect Sita and later ditched her?

In this film these two aspects are brought up in a sublime manner. Dev, the inspector is hiding in crowd of women and shoots Veera from behind when he is actively taking part in his sisters marriage ceremony. Also later to accomplish his mission of destroying Veera, Dev starts questioning his wife about her chastity and asks why she could not take a lie-detector test!

I have never found any convincing answers for these actions of Lord Rama. It might be that he wanted to give an impression that even the 'perfect human being' can never be perfect and will have some negative connotations left to ones own interpretation.

Tail piece: I hope in the future some one will make a movie on Mahabharata with Karna (my favourite person in the epic) as the central character.

Homosexuality in India

The Delhi High court in a landmark judgement last week struck down the provision of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code which criminalised consensual sexual acts of adults in private, holding that it violated the fundamental right of life and liberty and the right to equality as guaranteed in the Constitution. However, the court was clear that “the provisions of Section 377 will continue to govern non-consensual sex and sex involving minors.” The court quoted from Nehru's own words "the theme of inclusiveness" that is so fundamental to India's constitution ie the rights of minority sect.

This ruling doesn't mean that homosexual act in india is legal, but it is not criminal. It is important to make this distinction in the judgement between decriminalising the act and legalising the act. Indian judiciary has stepped in once again when the politicians, legislatures and conservatives hesitated to act conclusively. This indicates the strength, power and fairness of the Indian constituition /Judiciary

There will be a lot of opposition especially from the conservative elements of the society. The points that are likely to be raised against this ruling are that-Homosexuality is against the law of nature (I don't know who dictates or defines 'law of nature'?), it is not according to the traditions, values, religion(s) and that the society will fall into chaos.

A persons sexual orientation or behaviour is likely to be influened by both nature and nurture; wearing my hat as a scientist I would say it's more in your 'genes than in your jeans'. ie more genetic factors combined with hormonal (pre and post natal) and environmental influences. So from a medical point of view homosexuality could a 'normal' variant (or 'abnormal' based on ones thinking)

The issue has been mentioned in various religious traditions. All the abrahamic religions(Judaisim, Christianity and Islam) believe that homosexual behaviour is sinful. In Indian religious traditions (Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Jainism) it is less clear and is seldom discussed in detail. However, rig veda says 'Vikruti Evam Prakriti' which probably mean 'what seems un-natural is also natural', and some interpret this as 'any act is natural'.

I also remember a malayalam movie in this context- 'Deshadanakkili Karayarilla'...a movie that clearly portraits the relationship between two girls (a lesbian and possibly a bi-sexual) so subtly handled by none other than late P. Padmarajan. He is so skillful and tactful in producing such a work of art during his time. This reveals his genius nature and wide variety of themes he uses in his movies.

Coming back to the subject of LGBT, a change in law doesn't change society's perception. This is a step, society may take many years to accept or follow. It would be better to debate on this subject from a social, political and legal angle rather than bringing religion into it. Most importantly what is required is an awareness, education and more open discussion.

Real crocodile tears

Just watched the programme 'Crocodile blues' in BBC. The programme is about Gharial, the world's oldest crocodilian, which is on the very edge of extinction. It evolved before dinosaurs, ie about 150 million years of existence and at present there are just about 200 wild breeding animals in the world! Most of the Gharials are almost confined to India, the majority in the Chambal river system. Gharials are fish eating reptiles which can grow to a length of about 20 feet long and about 1 tonne in weight.

Last winter about 10% (more than 100)of Gharials suddenly died in mysterious circumstances! How come one of evolution's most successful species suddenly perish? This programme is about finding the mystery regarding these deaths. The programme follows Rom Whitaker who is a living legend in Herpetology for the last 60 years. {He established the Centre for Herpetology, popularly known as the Madras Crocodile Bank, the Madras Snake Park and the Andaman and Nicobar Environment Trust (ANET)}.

Despite its immense size, Gharial is not a man-eater. It has thin, fragile jaws that makes it physically incapable of devouring any large animal, including a human being. The characteristic elongated snout shape varies with the age. The snout becomes progressively thinner as the Gharial gets older. The bulbous growth on the tip of the male's snout (a lump of cartilage) is called a 'ghara' (meaning 'pot'), present in mature individuals. The bulbous growth is used to generate a resonant hum during vocalization and it acts as a visual lure for attracting females

The detailed autopsy on these dead Gharials from Chambal river shows that internal organs are with in normal limits except some white powdery material and abnormal kidneys. Further analysis shows that the white powder is uric acid suggesting 'Gout' like illness. The acute renal failure raised the possibility of poisoning by metal pollutants. The search for the source of pollutant/ toxin leads Rom to river Yamuna.

The Yamuna is one of the most polluted rivers (carrying the industrial waste with it) in the country and Chambal is one of the cleanest river systems. It is more than likely that the toxins enter chambal-river-system where it meets Yamuna river.

The breeding at Madras crocodile bank was shown and the wonderful 'makeshift maternity ward'. The Gharials lay about 50 eggs, usually on a small sand hill at the river bed. It takes about 70-80 days for the eggs to hatch just before the arrival of the monsoon.

The inbred animals from Madras are released into the wild/ river. The small conservation project at Katarnia Ghat (Lucknow) was also shown. Rom also mentions here about Indian white-rumped vulture which suffered a near-extinction from ingesting the carrion of diclofenac (a pain-killer)treated cattle.

It is clear that the flora and fauna in India are facing tremendous pressure as a result of population migration, hunting and trapping for food and sport, global warming, rapid deforestation and industrialization. In fact, India contains 172 of IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) -designated threatened species. These include the Asiatic Lion, the Bengal tiger and the Indian white-rumped vulture. There are many conservation projects that aims to nurture these near-endangered species. I hope the success story of 'Project-tiger' is mirrored in conservation projects for other animals/birds too. If not, Gharial will be next on the long list of extinct animals from India.....

The epicentre

The epi-centre is defined as the point on earths surface where an earthquake or underground explosion originates. Iam not talking about the earthquake, but the epi-centre of terrorism in today's world; as the Indian Prime minister says about its neighbour, Pakistan.

This country which at the time of independence had all the ingredients to make a powerful state. It had fertile land, rivers, natural& human resources and above all the newly found nationalism as a result one common religion binding the people.

How come in six decades the country has gone from a potential powerful state to the 'rouge state' of the world. What has led Pakistan to being such a failed and lawless state in the world? Iam not a political or strategic analyst to answer that. As many analysts say this could be a contribution of factors including the virulent motives of the army, its blind Anti-India attitude, its proxy war against India and other countries, state or non-state terrorism (don't know what 'non-state actors' means as the present president of that country repeats all the time) or corruption and inefficiency of its rulers.

Madeline Albright, Former US Secretary of state says, Pakistan is an International migraine; "It has nuclear weapons, it has terrorism, extremists, corruption, very poor and it’s in a location that’s really, really important to us".

British prime minister, Gordon Brown says that three-quarters of the most serious terror plots being investigated by UK authorities have links to Pakistan.

Armed tribesmen supported by the army from Pakistan's north-west frontier province invaded Kashmir in October 1947. Since then Pakistan has lost 4 major wars against India. It also lost about half of its original state when Bangladesh was formed in 1971 going against the 'two-nation' theory propounded by the nation's founders that Hindus and Muslims were two separate nations by every definition, and therefore Muslims should have an autonomous homeland in the Muslim majority areas of British India. But in reality it was a partition between Hindus/Muslims and Sikhs in the north and eastern India. It didn't affect South India that much as North. The Muslims in the Indian Sub-continent were divided among the 3 countries ie one third each in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh(formerly east Pakistan). It has been the agenda of the Pakistan army that as they cannot win back the state of J&K, the alternative is to have state sponsored terrorism , though they deny this vehemently (as is the case with any statement against Pakistan) even in the presence of solid evidence.

Its interesting to read the cover story in Newsweek recently (July2008) about Pakistan...."The whole world knows that today no other country on earth is arguably more dangerous than Pakistan. It has everything Osama bin Laden could ask for: political instability, a trusted network of radical Islamists, an abundance of angry young anti-Western recruits, secluded training areas, access to state-of-the-art electronic technology, regular air service to the West and security services that don't always do what they're supposed to do. These Islamist fighters now operate relatively freely in cities like Karachi—a process the U.S. and Pakistani governments call "Talibanization."

Wikipedia says; The Islamic Republic of Pakistan has been branded frequently as a 'Haven for Terrorism', supporting terrorist organizations and is considered amongst the most dangerous nations in the world.

Pakistan is a "failed state" as Islamabad does not have complete control over its own territories and its land is being used by terrorists to launch attack against other nations.....But is it just Pakistan and its rulers or military to blame?

Everyone knows who first sowed/sown the seeds of hatred in British India by their "Divide and rule" policy. When the partition occurred eventually; why was it done in such a haste leaving about 1 million dead?...Wikipedia says "Partition was accompanied by one of the largest and most rapid population transfers in history, with 17.9 million people leaving their homes. Of these, only 14.5 million arrived, suggesting that 3.4 million went "missing"...

We cannot change history but we have to learn from the lessons it has given us. Isn't US/ former USSR responsible for the state of affairs in Pakistan at the moment in one way or another when they intervened in Afghanistan in the late 70's and early 80's for their own hidden motives... Infact almost every country has a responsibility in some way or other for Pakistan to be in the present state including India.

No one seem to have a solution for how to 'normalise' the state of affairs in Pakistan. India definitely has a role to help Pakistan and the first aspect of this should be in how to increase the confidence and trust among the South-Asian neighbours

However, its up to Pakistan and its authorities to take the initiative and try to reign in the terrorists as early and effectively as they can; other wise it is likely to perish because, as in an earthquake everyone will be affected and has to suffer aftereffects, the greatest damage will be located at the epicenter.....

Lessons learned

Its more than a fortnight, since the Mumbai attacks. Let us see whats the aftermath; At least 188 people were killed in the attacks.Among the dead were 141 Indian civilians, 17 policemen and army and 30 foreign nationals from 10 countries ( and about 300 injured physically and many many more mentally and emotionally). The government has announced compensations; but the loss suffered by the individuals, relative and families are irreversible. At the end of the day common people (and the brave security forces) are on the loosing side. A few political heads rolled....

The Prime Minister apologised (in parliament) to the nation for not preventing “this dastardly act”, the new Home Minister rolled out a revamped internal security road map, the Leader of Opposition offered full support to the Government and the External Affairs Minister, while ruling out war as a solution, sent Pakistan a tough message that if it did not act against elements using its soil to target India“it will result in some sort of situation that we (Indians) do not want.”

I don't know what all that means??...

The lesson learned for the Indians is that they cannot take their life for granted (and this is true for any global citizen); but in India, specifically the government is not in a position to completely guarantee safety and security. The common people(not politicians) are at risk of terrorism from anywhere, but especially across the border at anytime irrespective of the place, religion, class or caste.

The new home minister announced a few measures to bolster internal security:

1. a national investigation agency would be set up
2. Vacancies in the country's intelligence agencies would be filled and they would be equipped with advanced equipment
3. a coastal command would be set up to secure India's 7,500km-long coastline
4. a total of 20 "counter-insurgency, anti-terrorism" schools would be set up in various parts of India to train to train police and security personnel
5. commando forces to be set up in the states
6. laws relating to terrorist acts would be beefed up
7. money laundering laws to be strengthened.

These are all good in theory and principle. But will this be practical? We have seen and heard many politicians saying this and that....I think the most important aspect in this whole saga is the urgent need for an introspection and change of attitude for the politicians. If India wants to prosper and flourish, to become an important power in the twenty first century and to ensure the safety of the homeland, I propose a few ideas:

1. Politicians to retire after a certain age
2. The minimum qualification of contesting in an election should be at least a graduation. I know that people who have haven't done formal school education has gone onto become great leaders; But times have changed and we have to change with time.
3. The 'VVIP' security and 'Z category' nonsense etc should come to an end!...instead these resources should be directed for the welfare and security of the common people.
4. Compulsory one year military training for all citizens especially youngsters...
5. More integration and communication of the various security services at the local, regional, national and international level.

India has suffered more than 4,000 terrorist attacks since 1970, with an average of about one killing per day. Has anyone thought why is that places/cities/countries in other parts of the world who have become victims of terror never had a repeat attack again? Why is Mumbai or Delhi or for that matter Indian cities targeted again and again?

The answer is that people learn from mistakes and put a plan in place for the prevention of such attacks. Iam sure there are many attacks that have been foiled in other parts of the world. But India has not learned and becomes a soft target again and again. This has to end..enough is enough..wake up everyone...defend our homeland....

Mumbai

It has been a terrible 24 hours (or more) for India. Mumbai is virtually a war zone, looks like a battle field. I started following the incidents from about 19:00hours from yesterday. Mumbai has been brutally attacked by 20 or so terrorists at 10 different locations; more than 100 people are said to be dead; among them about 6 foreigners and many taken hostage. It seems that the terrorists arrived in a boat from Arabian sea after having dropped from a mother-ship off the Indian coast. Most of the news channels around the world have been covering the incidents live with in-depth analysis of what has been taking place. How long will this continue? Hasn't human life got any value?

There will be a lot of questions asked in the next few days. Who are responsible? How can a bunch of people just come in a few boats and attack a country which claims to be the biggest democracy and boast of third largest armed forces in the world? What are the politicians and the government doing?

India is not a stranger to indiscriminate terror attacks. Such attacks have occurred regularly, and with steadily increasing frequency, in recent years. In this year itself there have been bomb blasts in many major cities of India that has left many dead. Mumbai, India's financial capital, has been targeted before. So why did the government not have a Crisis- Management team in place? The terrorists it seems knew exactly what they were doing; where to hit , how to move around the city and even the layout of each hotel probably better than the security forces. Is this an intelligence failure or a Coast guard failure or a security failure or a total failure of law and order in the state?


Countries and individuals are of mainly 2 types; some are proactive, some reactive (early or late!)...In this case I felt that the government and authorities were almost inactive (with due respect to all the security, police and other forces who are still trying to rescue the innocent lives). It took the government about 24 hours to even establish a help line! I remember a movie which I watched recently called 'Wednesday'. In this movie a common man who was sick of living in terror, decided to act as he felt that the government and police were inefficient to maintain the safety and security of common people. No wonder people start thinking along these lines; There is widespread shock, anger and sadness around; especially anger against the politicians. I hope the politicians and authorities start doing something for their country. This should be a wake up call for everyone and let episodes like this never be allowed to be repeated again.

Growing clout?

Just now read an interesting article in BBC. ie The Indian navy has been given formal approval by the United Nations to go after pirate ships in Somali waters.

The background to this is that 2 days ago, on Tuesday, an Indian warship sank a suspected Somali pirate vessel after it opened fire on it in the Gulf of Aden. Piracy incidents have surged off the Somali coast. A number of Indian crews have been on ships hijacked by pirates.

I was thinking can United nations give authority to a member country to patrol another countries coast? Yes, I understand that it will be under certain circumstances that Indian warships can enter Somali waters. Buts still critics can draw comparisons between this and what is happening at present in the world especially Afghanistan and Iraq, though on a different scale....

Over the Moon

India successfully launched Chandrayaan-1. Its a major achievement for Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). It is a time for jubilation for all Indians and specifically the scientific community of India and they are cherishing every moment of it with the successful launch. In two weeks time the robotic probe will reach the lunar orbit (about 100 km).It will orbit the Moon, compiling a 3-D atlas of the lunar surface and mapping the distribution of elements and minerals.

ISRO revealed that Chandrayaan-1 is only the beginning, and that the mission, which is expected to last for two years, will be followed by Chandrayaan-2, which will go even further, by landing on the Moon, and continue exploration with a rover. India’s plans don’t stop here, and in the future, the ISRO also hopes it will be able to send an unmanned spacecraft to Mars and beyond (to asteroids and comets, and even one to study the Sun). Mr Madhavan Nair Chairman of ISRO announced that they plan to send a man to space in 2015. For the time being, the Moon awaits......

Unlike the lunar and space race in the 60's and 70's that was probably exploratory or for supremacy (between erstwhile Soviet Union and US), the present spike of interest in moon exploration (especially from Europe, Japan and China) is more commercial, scientific and even has tactical implications. It is to find out what is there on the moon, and whether technologies can be developed on earth to make rewarding use of lunar resources.The presence of helium-3, believed to be a clean and excellent fuel of the future is just one of the reasons why countries want to literally, reach for the moon. The Moon may well hold hidden tales about the early history of the Solar System, its evolution and of the crucial period when life emerged on the Earth.

The Chandrayaan-1 lunar probe marks an effort by ISRO to go beyond the Vikram Sarabhai dream (Father of Indian Space Program) — a first step in taking on the challenges of deep space exploration. ISRO is setting a trend in space exploration by demonstrating the fact that we are all one world ie "Vasudeva Kudumbakam" (the entire creation of God is one family). It is exemplified by the fact that the mission includes five ISRO payloads and six payloads from other international space agencies including NASA, ESA and the Bulgarian Aerospace Agency, which are being carried free of cost. Congrats to all the scientists and people behind this successful venture. I conclude with the words of Professor Vikram Sarabhai (1919-1971)

"There are some who question the relevance of space activities in a developing nation. To us, there is no ambiguity of purpose. We do not have the fantasy of competing with the economically advanced nations in the exploration of the moon or the planets or manned space-flight. But we are convinced that if we are to play a meaningful role nationally, and in the community of nations, we must be second to none in the application of advanced technologies to the real problems of man and society. "