Border Crossings There is no economic problem in Kashmir

This is in the context of economic condition of Indian people. Maybe, Kashmiris are not doing too well compared to USA, Sweeden, Japan or other rich nations. But, in the Indian context they are not doing too badly. It is not India that has failed to integrate Muslim Kashmiris, it is vested interests who have not allowed this to happen.

In the winter season, many mountain dwellers comes down to North Indian plains - Tibetans, Kashmiris etc. They mainly try to sell their woolen products to locals. One such winter afternoon, a couple of Kashmiri pheriwallas (hawkers) knocked at our door. They were selling shawls and blankets. We started talking and they told us they are three brothers. The youngest had gone to some other block in the colony with a friend, and I was talking to brother No. 1 and 2. What was their source of income? Did they do anything besides weaving carpets, shawls etc.? They told me the eldest brother was a teacher in a secondary school in Pahalgam. He had Masters degree and teaching diploma (don`t remember if it was LT oe BEd). After the breakout of militancy, his school had to be closed down. Their youngest brother who was in school had to be pulled out. Things came to such a pass that the not-so-bright middle brother who was into weaving business, was now supporting their entire family. Out of despair, the other two had also joined him.

Now these people don`t care. They want to live a simple life, earn their living and wouldn`t mind living in India, Pakistan or Uzbekistan. And if you check-out colleges in Bangalore, you`ll find a good number of Kashmiri (Muslim) guys.

Border Crossings There can be no middle-ground in Kashmir between Art. 370 and UN resolution. Either J&K in fully, unambiguously and irrevocably incorporated into the Indian union or handed over to Pakistan. This autonomy, soft border, Veer Zaara, Cricket diplomacy etc. is nonsense.

For 57 years, Indian citizens have been trying to understand what the fuss is all about. What is so different about these Kashmiri people? Do they have horns? Do they eat pebbles, or pearls, whereas the rest of India eats ‘daal-roti’?

Economic opportunities - Ever heard of Orrisa? Does anyone know that these homicidal louts are in much better economic shape compared to boondocks of U.P. and Bihar?

Cultural Differences - They have a different language, different food habits and different values. So do Tamils, Marathas, Gujaratis and Bengalis. Heck, even Eastern U.P. and western U.P. are culturally different.

Discrimination - The last I heard, Shiv Sena goons had beaten UPites on Mumbai railway station. ULFA pimps are busy tormenting poor Biharis for trying to `grab` the class-IV jobs of `locals`. The lucrative careers that Biharis are snatching from Assamese involve sweeping the platform, hauling the luggage to cabins and serving tea to Sahibs who travel AC-II.

Reams are written in print media about ‘them’, hours are dedicated to coverage of ‘their’ events and the rest of the nation looks in sheer disbelief. Where did we go wrong? What is it that these carpet-weaving, angeethi-carrying, boat-rowing no-gooders do to earn such attention? The reason is tantrum-throwing and acting nasty. The spoilt brat keeps getting the candies and the shy kid is caned.

The moment disadvantaged people of India realize that all it takes to get undivided attention of centre is to pop-off couple of lathi-wielding sipahis, GoI will come to senses. And it is happening - Naxals, Maoists, terrorist organizations in North-East, the list is swelling as we interact on this board. But why am I writing this meaningless post when I should be discussing about the latest CBMs that would assuage the feeling of `hurt` of Kashmiris.

The Sweltering Sky People who have never contributed a single Paisa to Indian exchequer, live in North America, Europe and Middle-East, are the most vocal in Indian policy matters! It is hilarious to note that they want us to invest our hard-earned money, not on improving the infra-structure of our country, not on generating more avenues of employment, not on giving better health care to our wretched citizens, but to splurge it on some God Forsaken country that is at the receiving end of natural disasters. The saving grace is that they have not yet blamed the natural disasters on some hidden Indian hand - conspiracy theories being a popular pastime in their pseudo-intellectual circles.

In their warped worldview, India should be a compassionate nation, tending to jacka$$es, looking after thugs and doling out goodies to every failed and pariah state. All this while the aforementioned failed states continue to harm us in all ways possible - supporting terrorism, encouraging illegal migration, peddling drugs and slaughtering our Jawans by luring them into their territory being some pointers to their good intent and even better conduct. They are not rooting for the underdog, they are patting a Rabies dog that deserves to be shot.

And why are they worrying so much about India? Hadn`t they told us that they had torn off their passports? Then why are they pontificating about this poor third-world country, why not enjoy the champagne lifestyle of their adopted country and leave the residents on their own. Anyway, the whining of chawl residents is a case of `sour grapes` that is best handled when ignored.

Shatranj ke Khiladi It makes me uncomfortable to concede this, but India might be playing a role in destabilizing Balochistan.

Some parts of the report that might interest Chowkies...

In Kohlu they met with some Baloch youth and one American stayed in Kohlu while two Indians and one American went to Dera Bugti and returned after a few days. They spent the next couple of weeks in intense consultations with some Baloch activists and their mentors and then the work started for setting up a camp.
.
.
Some Indians, a curious mix of businessmen and crime mafia, came in fishing boats from either Dubai or Oman and landed on the Gwater Bay in the Iranian territory before the start of 7 Jan eruptions. From there they traveled to Khuzdar and then Quetta where they met with some Baloch militants. It is rumoured in those areas that the Indians came with heavy amounts of cash but there was no way of verifying it. They were escorted both ways by some Sarawani Balochs who run their own fishing vessels.
.
.
Because of intimate connections with India and Russia, it was no surprise that Balach Marri was picked as the new head of the revived BLA. The mountains between Kohlu and Kahan belong to the Marris.

The first camp had some 30 youth and initial classes comprised mainly of indoctrination lectures. The main subjects were: 1. Baloch’s right of independence, 2. The Concept of Greater Balochistan, 3. Sabotage as a tool for political struggle, 4. Tyranny of Punjab and plight of oppressed nations, and 5. Media-friendly methods of mass protest.

Indian attempts at destabilizing Baluchistan

Wapsi (The Returning) Veeresh Babu,

``Tamil roots of Baluchi language`` ??

I thought Brahui had Dravidian roots, not Baluchi. AFAIK, Baluchi is a Semitic language. Please ignore if you were referring to Brahui as Baluchi language because it is spoken by some tribes in Baluchistan.

The Sweltering Sky We should support all the human rights organiztions that are facilitating the poor people of Bangladesh get into our country. Let`s be fair, we have enough for ourselves and some more to spare.

If you`ve not made up your mind, this will help you ...

BDR tortures, kills BSF officer

AGARTALA: Bangladesh border guards abducted a BSF officer from a flag meeting, beat him up and hit him with an axe before shooting him dead at point blank range at a border town near Agartala in Tripura, BSF officials said. Two other BSF personnel were also injured in the violence on Saturday.

Full Article

Shatranj ke Khiladi The latest stupidity that is doing the rounds is a seat in the security council, that too a permanent one. People are hyping it up as if it makes some real difference in international relations. UN and all such organizations work on the time tested principle of might is right. The earlier pack of jokers, the League of Nations proved ineffective in dictating terms to great powers in the interregnum between the great wars. They even aided Hitler to gobble up half of Hungary in the name of German speakers in Sudetenland.

The UN has also stopped genocide in Somalia, Rawanda, Haiti, Bosnia etc. When it comes to stronger nations, UN is toothless. Will UN take action against India because we are in violation of some resolution :-) We should give our vote to Germany/Japan and se what economic deal we can get from them.

Pakistan, as the natural leader of Islamic cresecent that extends from Maghreb to Indonesia has a more realistic claim to permanent seat than India.

Shatranj ke Khiladi DMji,

All this talk of Asian century and multi-polar world is a load of bull. History bears testimony to the fact that a nation as strong as America is today, falls because of catastrophes, not because some other nation simply outgrows the dominant power. Dominance and leadership positions are guarded jealously, even if it means stifling the challengers and nipping them in the bud. If anything, the `American Century` project should serve as a reminder to day-dreamers and wishful thinkers that America is serious about mainitaining its edge.

Look at all the great powers of the past, Egyptians beaten by Greeks, Persians destroyed by Arabs, Byzantines plundered by Turks, Romans ravaged by Germanic tribes, the list goes on and on. Who removed Britain from its leadership role? It was not that Russia and America simply outgrew the British, the Great wars did them in. It took a Genghis Khan to gut the Khwarezm and Mongols to destroy the Caliphate (Baghdad). When push comes to shove, Americans will unashamedly use their power and influence to contain the wannabes and put them in their place.

And what has China or India got? How many educational institutions from these countires figure in the top 100? What about infra-structure, health care and business leadership? What alliances do we have to counter American threat? All we have in the name of assets are vast multitudes of malnutritioned, uneducated and disillusioned people who`d want to see their quality of life improve rather than their countries indulge in `great games` with the greatest fu**ing country in the whole world.

Why Not Adopt ``The other day an older gentleman told me he had wanted to adopt a little girl but could not do so because being a Muslim he felt it was not an option open to him and his wife.``

Is this religious thing related to the Zaid and Zainab episode? Is it still taken seriously in Muslim societies?

Why Not Adopt Thanks for initiating discussion on a socially relevant issue like adoption. World would be a better place if the fortunate amongst us devoted a little time and some resources to uplift the cause of the under-privileged. It goes without saying that the most needy of all unfortunate people are the orphans, children whose life is scarred with the feeling of being unloved and uncared.

It is a good thing that western nations have taken up adoption in the way they have. Perhaps, it is `cool` in these societies to adopt children from poorer Asian and African countries. The case of a Swiss boy of Indian origin who was inducted in the Pope`s guard comes to my mind. Without the support of his Swiss foster-parents he could not have done as well as he did. Even the `Page 3` crowd makes the right noises in this context, Sushmita Sen has an adopted child and many more claim to be wanting to do so.

For those of us who can`t adopt a child, yet would like to do something, there are organizations that can help us in this direction. These NGOs allow you to sponsor as many children as you would like by donating a certain amount to their cause. They encourage you to participate in their social activities as well. Some have directed programmes where you would get a chance to meet the child who is benefiting by your compassion. If you must know, donations to most of such organizations are tax exempt :-) Infact, it is a good idea to contribute to only those organizations which have been exempted from tax by the govt, this means the govt. has done the necessary screening and your donation is going for the right cause.

A Personal Connection Harimau,

God Bless You!

The Covered Trucks How many people were killed? Mohd. Arif Khan answered this very well in a TV interview. He said that tragedy is complete even when a single life is lost, after that it is mere stats.

Anyway, in Godhara 59 people were charred. In the following riots 763 people lost their lives (200 killed in police firing).

http://mha.nic.in/annual-2002-2003/ch-1.pdf

Monsters Unlocked Jawahara,

The character of Paul resembles that of Oscar Schindler - person belonging to the community that perpetrated the crimes throwing his weight behind the victims. The Rwanda massacre inevitably brings back the gruesome incidents of partition. Millions of lives destroyed, displaced and brutalized in the name of religion. It must have been the same in India too. An orgy of rape, pillage and plunder, victimization of people who were neighbours and friends not long ago. Unfortunately, these things are always analyzed in the hindsight, when passions have cooled down, and the macabre dance of death looks senseless. In the heat of moment we never think about scars and blood, broken bones and crushed craniums, revenge is the driving force.

The sad part is that we`ll relive the horrors of partition one day. This time it`ll not be with machetes, daggers and swords, it`ll be with nukes, missiles and tanks. Uncountable number of people will be roasted to death, centres of civilization will be converted to craters and sub-continent will be turned into a haunting graveyard. I`m not prophetic but...

Intimacies Remapped Re: # 11

Goofy Ballu :-)

`First-borne` is incorrect, the correct term is `twice-born` or `dwija`. The second birth is the `sacred thread` ceremony.

Intimacies Remapped Shambhu incident brought back memories of a similar incident we had in our group...

We used to celebrate TGIF, TGIS and other assorted festivals with free flowing alcohol and unlimited bakwas. In one such get-together, a guy from a friend`s hometown joined us. He was studying in Bangalore at that time. He has a Hindu pet name and does not sport a beard. Even look-wise he does not have the tell-tale signs of mians (don`t ask me what they are).

After a couple of large, the topic switched to defence. One of our pals is a major enthusiast of defence related issues and has three shelves filled with books on strategy, warfare, foreign policy and other such stuff. Somehow the topic veered to RAW and mians crept into the discussion. My friend loudly proclaimed that RAW does not induct mians coz they are not trustworthy. We tried to warn our friend that Pappu is not Pappu, but alas! Pappu didn`t agree to his proclamation. Drinks and UP, Bihar background made it worse and they switched to `Hindi` to put across their point . Ultimately, Pappu threw up his hands in despair and fired the Brahmastra - his uncle is in RAW. The truth took some time to sink in, and then our defence kid went ashen faced. Even today, he gets embarrassed when we mention the incident to him. He blames it on us saying we should have warned him; Baccardi has nothing to do with it.

India Through Pakistani Eyes Why are Indians pontificating about Nehru-Gandhi clan? Our interests are best served when they are at the helm. His majesty Rahul Gandhi is currently undergoing political training. The day he figures that sugar is not grown but extracted from cane, he`ll be ready to lead us into a new era of `Hum dekhenge, humne dekha, hum dekh rahe hain`.