War With Pakistan

The signs are ominous and people are getting to see some serious military manoeuvres occurring on either side of the border. As a patriotic Indian, I think now is the time to seriously show to the world we are not going to look back and shed copious tears over the dead innocent but are actually going to go all way to ensure that this evil Pakistan state is wiped off from the face of the planet. As in the Hollywood tradition of superhero movies, we are witnessing a battle between evil and good. It is the time for us to choose whether we really want to stand as mute witnesses and watch our brothers and sisters fall prey to the assassins of India's character. Such outrage should never be allowed to perpetrate on Indian soil and it becomes our solemn duty to wage war against this shaitan - the ugly face of evil. We must believe that it is our duty to protect and secure our borders, our people and our nation from the faceless, masked and ultimately reprehensible mind that operates with impunity across the border.

The title of this post is also a play on words - the topic itself exhorting our impotent Indian state to finally wake up to the reality that we have to fight this battle alone - to the death and winning this war would require sacrifices doubtless. In these charged times, it is easy to lose focus and pander to the pacifist, weak-kneed "love and peace" brigade and appear to comply with all those useless and pathetically inept United Nations Resolutions which are nothing more than eye-candy for the United States and its cronies to appear the do-gooders. Also, it is an important guarantee for the U.S. to prevent Pakistan's attention from diverting its attention with its unofficial war with Afghanistan in the north. And the wily U.S. is only too uncomfortably aware of it. Pakistan's policy of "bleeding India with a thousand cuts" has indeed paid rich dividends ever since the Partition, what with every terrorist attack in Kashmir being internationalized and India unwittingly playing into Pakistan's hands by even debating an issue like this in the U.N. - something which Pakistan looks forward to with glee because it would enable its bureaucrats to bring the Kashmir issue under international spotlight.

We have paid dearly for our impotent and miserably incompetent leader's follies and have been at the receiving end from our politicians and Pakistan's terrorist operatives. Picture Jaswant Singh escorting the three terrorists to Kandahar and bringing back the Indian Airlines passengers to a great homecoming reception. Boy, how proud we must be of Jaswant Singh! I daresay that it is his government's disgusting capitulation at the demands of the terrorist jihadis that has emboldened the enemy across the border and led them into attempting greater deeds of outrage with each passing year. But the water has flown over the bridge now and the people have spoken and our army and leaders must act. The time is now and there has never been a better or worse time. A low-intensity, high-precision surgical strike in areas where terrorist camps are located in Pakistan soil should be bombed and its organizers - be they ISI commanders or mercenaries, should be put to death with utmost lethal vengeance.

India need not kowtow to the U.S., U.K. or the great communist threat looming from across the border - the Great Dragon, China. Ultimately India needs to act and act really fast in its own self-interest and show the world that we would not sit back and weep silently in shocked silence. Never has there been a greater sense of urgency than now, never has the enemy attained seriously large dimensions as now, never have the people risen together in dignified but a real sense of outrage and horror at the sheer audacity of the terrorist mind and the cringingly ineffectual response of the Indian leadership. It would be a joke and a farce weren't it also mind-numbingly tragic and positively heart-breaking.

India needs to wake up, every Indian citizen must try hard to not forget the various outrages perpetrated on Indian soil by its enemies - and curiously those that belong to the so-called religion of peace. There would not be an India to speak of if the state of Pakistan was allowed to have its way in the international community by dangling the Afghanistan carrot. The sooner we realize this and act decisively and with single-minded vengeance, the better it would be for a country that has suffered far too many evil acts committed only because we still have not forgotten that Mahatma Gandhi is the Father of the Nation and we owe it to him to protect and enrich the philosophy of ahimsa and satyagraha. But enough is enough! This is the shriek heard in every nook and corner of the country that cares enough about the future of its children. Let's redeem our souls and our collective conscience by taking this battle - started by the malevolent enemy, to its logical conclusion.

In the Ramayana, Lord Rama has just that moment of self-doubt before attacking the demon king of Lanka, but the warrior prince is reminded of the evil demon king's many atrocities and his will is strengthened and the face of evil is vanquished ultimately. We are at a similar stage now - the actors are different but the result would be only one - triumph of good over evil. And Pakistan would exist no more...

My Religion and Me

When you live in India and are exposed to the riot of colours that is the Indian way of living, you would realize that India is a country that would probably not fall under any rule. Surprisingly, it would defy all exceptions too. Rightly has it been said that whatever you might think of India, the opposite is also true. Well, you would ask - "But what has that got to do with religion which is your subject title?" To that I just have to say this one thing: India would never have been India without religion playing a role. It is the sheer magic of all these religious and cultural forces that have totally made this sub-continent one of the grandest, most diverse and colourful regions in the world today and that is only because of the famed tolerance of the Indian people. We have withstood onslaughts on our culture, braved invasions and plunder, suffered horribly at the hands of conquerors and imperialists but never once have we been aggressors ourselves. It is, in no small measure, due to the stupendous Hindu psyche which surely must rank as one of the greatest philosophies the world has ever known. It is a delight to learn, for an Indian, that scientists are still discovering concepts and ideas that have long been already delineated in Hindu scriptures and writings. Our glorious ancestors have left behind a veritable treasure-trove of knowledge and it becomes our sacred duty to safeguard, enrich, conserve and propagate this body of knowledge for the next generation and the next.

Hinduism does not hold a central tenet, as is already known. There is no messiah that would have to appear to "save the people", there is no "vengeful and jealous" God of the Old Testament and there is certainly no hell-fire and eternal damnation for the so-called sinners. Isn't that such a beautiful thing to envisage?! Sure, Hinduism has its dose of arcane rituals and practices which we have unlearned over the course of civilization but, at its very core, the Hindu way of life would make this world a much better place to live. Jesus Christ and the Buddha's teachings incorporate a lot of the pacifist ways of the Hindu mode of thought and at times it becomes difficult to separate the one from the other. These skeins of thought have been moulded, twisted and utilized by succeeding generations to suit their own purposes. Hence the accretions that have formed are not the fault of the philosophy. Rather, it is us who have to blame for straying from the true path and adopting nefarious and dubious practices in the garb of piety and religion.

Hence, I am always proud to call myself a Hindu. But this differs from the way a rabid Muslim would thump his chest and exhibit his fervour. Mine is of a quiet and dignified confidence in the way of life I lead and I certainly abhor all attempts to "convert" you or anyone else into my mode of thought. The truly wonderful thing about my religion is that you could be Hindu without even knowing it. This idea of religion permeates all of space and time and it is no wonder that some of the greatest scientists, philosophers and thinkers have found their solace, comfort and refuge in the greatest ideas formulated by our ancestors ages ago. So my friends, do not despair that the Hindus have been subjugated and oppressed. It is only a transitory phenomenon! The Hindu shall conquer all through accommodation, love, tolerance and pacifism. Our way of life shall prevail and all those books that preach hatred against the "heathens and the infidels" shall die their natural death and confined to the dustbin of history - where Zeus, Dionysus, Athena and the other gods reside. Let this be very clear to all the Muslim and Christian fundamentalists reading this piece. The Hindu way of life shall overpower you, overcome your devilish designs and reassert itself on the world stage as the numero uno philosophy. Simply because it is.

Loneliness - Curse or Boon?

Of late, there is this creeping fear in me that I shall die one day unheralded, cold, alone and unnoticed. Does anybody else feel the same here? I dunno, but what really infuriates me no end is this unsettling feeling that probably there DOES exist something like fate. I mean look around you, do you notice that smart gal/guy who has it all in life and doesn't seem to waste a sweat in getting into that Ivy League institution? For whom it is not at all an effort to seduce the hottest member of the opposite sex? Don't you feel that rage, even if for an instant, and would rather wish the son-0f-a-bitch drop dead right there?

Okay, I was led on to thinking about this whole idea of loneliness and boredom after this Slate article and I was amazed to discover how much of me the article was really describing! All things said and done, the symptoms of loneliness, depression and the vague fear and dislike of random strangers and even close friends is a near-epidemic now what with increasingly secluded and isolated lives we live. Technology has catalyzed this rapid degeneration of our social lives and has increasingly intruded into the sacred personal domains of our lives so much so that we really do not own ourselves anymore. This is not really an attempt at decrying technology nor its wonderful after-effects in the way our lives have shaped up and improved compared to say, ten years ago. But what should be of utmost concern is that technology has substituted for life instead of complementing social life. We are plugged into our iPods 24/7, Twitter all the time, Facebook each other almost to the point of addiction but think twice about meeting someone over a cup of coffee!

That says something about our priorities but also is a damning indictment of the level of spiritual and moral degeneracy that has gripped almost the entire globalized world today. Teenagers seem to be the worst-affected as we cocoon ourselves deeper and deeper inside the wonderfully intoxicating and equally dangerously addictive tools of the Internet. It should come as no surprise to those of us who have been victims of the amazing fruits of technology and the opening up of a new world of opportunities the age of the Internet has spawned. Moderation is the key word here, any technology is as good as the person sitting and operating it. Surely, it is in our hands to make sure that we own technology rather than letting technology own us?

So, the next time you get this incredible urge to update your status on  Facebook or Superpoke some long-distance "friend", do remember that there is another equally uplifting and emotionally fulfilling world literally out there. Do take your time off to share your stories with your real-life friends, neighbours cousins and everybody else who you can touch. Remember, this is not your Second Life.

Oops, now who just kissed me on Facebook? Hmm, I better check out before they go offline.

Virtual love

To begin with, I need to confess that I have always been cynical about love and people in love. Maybe it could be due to my own inadequacies as a person who is empty from within or is just not good enough to "feel the love" that so many millions of people experience on a daily basis. Probably I was wrong and utterly so, I just do not know. It is just one of those situations in life when the story of the fox and the sour grapes rings so true. I was secure in the belief that people waste their entire lives loving one when there are so many out there who you would have fallen in love with if not for that one person you met at a random party. So, when you look at it, it is all a matter of timing isn't it? You meet someone, are attracted to them (physically and intellectually) and decide to know them better and one thing leads to another and lo!

But wait, let's look at it from a different perspective now: what if you had met this same person when you were in love with someone else or possibly even married? I am sure you would repress your feeling because it would just seem not right. Right?

So it all comes down to your perspective, I mean you have this infinite potential of loving an unlimited number of people but you stick to that one person! I mean, this surely goes against all manner of logic because you are not staying true to yourself. I, for one, would not believe that there is someone, only one mind you, out there in a world that, at last count, was teeming with six billion people (okay, Wikipedia is more accurate at 6.7 billion) of varying sizes and varying beauty.

So, to cut a long-winded story short, there is nothing magical about love! You love because you're content with that phase of your life, it's all there is to it. Reverse your circumstances or even alter them slightly and you shall find that the llight of your life is not so bright after all from that angle. The girl that was staring at you while you were partying last Saturday or that girl you found so damn uber-attractive at the traffic signal could provide for better accompaniment.

So my friends, this is not so much as cynicism but an opinion grounded in reality. Remember this, when you are in love there's something better somewhere still awaiting your notice and attention.