Awaaz Dey KahaaN Hay Salim,

A turkish collegue of mine was talking about the ``Ural Altaic`` family a few months ago, so I did some research and found there is quite a bit of controversy surrounding it. A linguist friend of mine feels its baloney, but its obviously something lot of Turks believe in.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ural-Altaic_languages

Why Do We Reject Our Past? #172

man, you obviously havent read ``The protocols of the elders of Sion`` which details the Yahudi-Yindu-Yesus anti-momin conspiracy.

Modi’s Men and their Mean Machines #69 Ref: Bene-Israel
Jango,

Came across this film sometime ago about the Indian Jewish experience in Israel and the racial tension between the various communities of Israel.

http://www.newenglandfilm.com/news/archives/05march/turnleft.htm

Also Miss Asia-Israel is one Ms Datoakar!
http://in.news.yahoo.com/060326/139/635zz.html

It would be sad if Indian`s have to sever their historical links to the bene-Israel under pressure from Indian Islamists.

Modi’s Men and their Mean Machines #14
I visit both Nagpur and Thane on trips to india and I cant say enough of the wonders he has done in both places. He bcame famous for this work in Thane and then was asked to do the same in Nagpur. Nagpur to my mind is one of the nicest towns in India (If you discount the weather).

That being said, in this case it seems like a deliberate provocation to a riot.

Why Do We Reject Our Past? #90

``Try this link for sumptuous biryani``

why does that website say ``Indian food and spices``?

Why Do We Reject Our Past? #75

Sorry, my mistake, I must be thinking of `65 with regard to Sukarno.

Why Do We Reject Our Past? #72

If I am not mistaken Iran also supplied a squadron of F-5 fighters to Pakistan, but these arrived to late to see any action.

I am no great fan of Indira Gandhi, but let us not forget the mountain of international opposition she scaled to bring freedom to Bangladesh.

Why Do We Reject Our Past? #66
``With exception of Nixon, enamoured of Yahaya Khan, there was not a single leader ( as revealed recently by Kissinger) who sympathized with Pakistan.``

I cant say about sympathy, but it was widely viewed in Islamic countries as dismemberment of an Islamic state. Many countries (mostly US aligned) provided material support to Pakistan in `71. Jordan supplied a squadron of F-104 fighters, Iran (under the Shah) helped with spares for F-86 Sabres. Iran has previously acted as a conduit for German F-86 fighters to Pakistan. Indonesia and Turkey provided spares and ammunition. All this may have been under US prodding, but the diplomatic stance of these countries was strongly pro-Pakistan as well. Most egregiously Sukarno of Indonesia, to whom Nehru had provided vital support during his guerilla days fighting for Indonesian independence, was also a stunch Pakistan supporter.

With one notable exception, as I remember my mother saying: ``The Bengali`s only friend, Tunku Abdul Rehman of Malaysia``.

Bollywood and Gender Equality Maybe the author has a point.

Once upon a time Bollywood (or ``Bombay Talkies``) made well crafted socially responsible movies. Sujata, Bandini, Do Bhiga Zamin all come to mind.

Why do we not find even one such movie nowadays? Or it was just one Bimal Da who was an amazing individual?

The Untruth of an Indian Majority #165

swarrier, could you tell us about the asiatic cheetah? Till when could one see a cheetah in north/central India?

There are so many moghul miniatures with depictions of Cheetah hunts, which indicates it must have been plentiful. It breaks my heart how it was wiped out.

Saviour or Tinpot Dictator? IB,

tell your friends in Sikri/Delhi, they are welcome to distribute mithai on 14th August, on Pakistan cricket team victories, what the heck, even on Jinnah`s birthday. They are welcome to paint their beards with mehndi, wear black burkha`s in the heat, slaughter cows on Eid...

... its something bigots like you (and the majority of your countrymen) will never understand.

Celebrity Courts and Kangaroo Justice #25

``...that`s so typical of the FV/LM kemps corner type of people who use flyovers all over bombay...``

If I had any doubts left, this proves for sure you are Bandra kid :)

Saving the Female Fetus #63

`` Bengali women with even a little education will dominate the household; bengali men will agree with this arrangement.``

yaar, tum sab ke samne hamari potli khun khol rahe ho :-)

Finding Kashmir\'s Pain in London #29

I wanted to point out a few things with the article.

1) the timing of the offer to help the JKLF, its ``early `87``. This was probably before or at best at the same time as the elections. Seems to me like the `87 election disaster came as no surprise to the ISI.

2) the JKLF is ofter potrayed as ``totally indegenious``, and Pakistan became involved only with Hizbul. This is a falsehood.

Finding Kashmir\'s Pain in London FYI, the rigged Kashmir assembly elections were on March 23rd, 1987

Finding Kashmir\'s Pain in London #20

From http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4099740.stm

Mr Khan says the ISI first made contact with the JKLF in early 1987, through the organisation`s senior leader Farooq Haider.

He says Mr Haider made a deal with the ISI whereby the JKLF was to bring young Kashmiris willing to fight Indian rule to Pakistan-administered Kashmir.

They would then be given military training and arms by the ISI, he says.

The objective was to start an insurgency in Indian-administered Kashmir.

Mr Khan says he was not a part of the deal at the time it was made, but went ahead with it because the JKLF was told that ``General Zia ul-Haq`s ideology was similar to that of the JKLF.``


The JKLF was told the move had Zia ul-Haq`s blessings

``I remember thinking that Gen Zia had said he wanted Kashmir to be a part of the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC), which clearly meant an independent Kashmir.

``So I went ahead with the deal.``

Another reason for accepting the offer was that two previous attempts by the JKLF at starting an insurgency had failed for want of ``external support``, Mr Khan adds.