Murder of Mahatma Gandhi: Truth

This is one of most outrageous lie being propagated  against Sangh. Communists and self Styled Seculars has used this Lie to beat Sangh at every opportunity. 

Lets examine some facts which will try to disprove some of popular notions

Truth 1: Godse had Severed his links with RSS

Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated by  Nathuram Godse, who felt that Gandhi had betrayed the Nations cause.
The sworn enemies of RSS ganged-up  instantly and tried to use this tragic incident to finish of RSS. They accused RSS to be responsible for the Murder! RSS was banned. Sri M. S. Golwalkar, the Chief of RSS along with thousands of RSS workers were arrested.
The primary accusation against RSS was "Godse was member of RSS". The fact was Godse had severed his connections with RSS long back and had in fact turned into one of its bitter critics. Godse himself explained in the court the reason why he had severed his connections with Sangh and categorically declared “I left the RSS.” Godse didnot agree with RSS on many points; for example, its refusal to get involved in day-to-day politics or to become an appendage of any political party. Hence he decided to form a militant volunteer body by himself. Accordingly in 1942 he launched the Hindu Rashtra Dal.

Also, another fact  which most of self styled seculars ignore is Godse had stated in court that he was once a Congress member also earlier

Truth 2: Sardar Patel's statements

His speech broadcast over AIR from Lucknow, as appearing in ‘The Hindu’ of Madras, dated January 7, 1948.

“Sardar Patel realised that they (RSS) were not actuated by selfish motives. The situation demanded they should strengthen the hands of the Government and assist in maintaining peace.
“He also had a word of warning ‘to those who were in power in the Congress’. He said, ‘In the Congress those who are in power feel that by virtue, of their authority they will be able to crush the RSS. You cannot crush an Organisation by using the danda’. The danda is meant for thieves and dacoits. After all the RSS men are not thieves and, dacoits. They are patriots who love their country.”

To a letter from Pt. Nehru pressing him to find out the RSS connection in the affair, Sardar Patel categorically stated in his reply of 27th February 1948,

“I have kept myself almost in daily touch with the progress of investigation regarding Bapu’s assassination case... All the main accused have given long and detailed statements of their activities... It also clearly emerges from these statements that the RSS was not involved in it at all.”

The Verdict No. 1

The much awaited judgment over the Gandhi murder trial was pronounced. It put the seal of justice, on what was already evident - that the RSS had no hand, direct or indirect, in the crime. Nor was there any countrywide conspiracy involving thousands as was made out to be. The RSS was so completely exonerated that the name of RSS did not figure at all in the judgment even as a remote cause.

It is well known that the Government’s communiqué of February 4, 1948, banning RSS centered round many wild charges,

The communiqué said

“....... It has been found that in several parts of the country individual members of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh have indulged in acts of violence involving arson, robbery, dacoity murder and have collected illicit arms and ammunitions. They have been found circulating leaflets exhorting people to resort to terrorist methods, to collect fire arms, to create disaffection against the Government and suborn the Police and the Military. These activities have been carried on under a cloak of secrecy...

“...The objectionable and harmful activities of the Sangh have, however, continued unabated and the cult of violence sponsored and inspired by the activities of the Sangh has claimed many victims. The latest and the most precious to fall was Gandhiji himself.”

But the Government’s communiqué of July 12, 1949, announcing the lifting of the ban, did not even so much as mention any of these charges, including Gandhiji’s murder. Instead it centered round the funny argument that since RSS had agreed to have a written constitution, the Government of India had come to the conclusion that the RSS should be given an opportunity to function!

Verdict No. 2 Kapur Commission

After a lapse of over two decades, the Government again instituted another enquiry under T. L. Kapur, a retired Judge of the Supreme Court in 1966. The Commission sat at different places, - examined no less than 101 witnesses and 407 documents before it published its Report, in 1969.
One of the important witnesses was Sri R. N. Bannerjee, I.C.S. (Witness 19) who was the Home Secretary of the Central Government at the time of the murder. The evidence of Shri R. N. Bannerjee was:

“It has not been proved that they (the accused) were members of the RSS which shows that they (the accused) were believers in a more violent form of activities than mere parades, rallies, physical exercises, and even shooting practices.” (Kapur Commission Report, Vol. 1, Page 165)

The Kapur Commission categorically declared:

“An experienced administrator like Mr. R. N. Bannerjee has stated that the RSS as such were not responsible for the murder of Mahatma Gandhi, meaning thereby that one could not name the organisation as such as being responsible for that most Diabolical crime, the murder of the apostle of peace, the like of whom the world, does not see excepting after centuries.” (Ibid, page 76)

Still More Verdicts: Self Styled Seculars even had to Apologize to RSS

The Statesman on January 15, 2000 published an Article by A.G. Noorani’s “RSS & Services, A Half Century’s Gory Record” in RSS was accused of Murder of Mahatma Gandhi

When the article was published in the Statesman on January 15, 2000, the RSS office in New Delhi filed a defamation suit against A. G. Noorani, C. R. Irani, Ravindra Kumar (Editor and Managing Editor of the Statesman, respectively), and Devvrata (cartoonist), in a New Delhi court. When two of these men did not respond to the court summons, non-bailable warrants were issued against them. The case even went to the Delhi High Court. When the accused realized that they would not be able to escape the guilty verdict, they begged the court that they be allowed to submit an unconditional apology to the RSS. Finally, on February 25, 2002 A.G. Noorani submitted a written apology to the Court in which he regretted writing the article. He promised that the newspaper would publish his apology prominently within a fortnight in the editorial pages. This was done on March 3, 2002. The apology says the following:

Clarification: “We wish to clarify that the publication was made without malice and with no intention to denigrate or defame any person or persons, or RSS. We regret the publication.” (The Statesman, March 3, 2002)

Finally

So over a period of last 50 years RSS has been Declared innocent of Courts NOT ONCE NOT TWICE BUT THREE TIMES!! Never in history has any Organization been declared innocent so many times but still continues to be accused!!!

The Swayamsevaks in its "pratah smaran pranam" recalls a long list of great personalities who have enriched the national heritage at different times in history. A section of the concluding part of this invocation (in Sanskrit) is the para :

Dadabhai Gopabhandhu Tilako Gandhiradrita |

Ramano Malaviyascha Sri Subramanya Bharati. ||

Here the people mentioned are - Dadabhai Naoroji, Gokhale, Tilak, Gandhi, Raman , Madan Mohan Malviy and Subramanya Baharati . This is the new and updated version. But if you examine RSS history carefully, then you get to know that Gandhi's name was not included as an after thought. Even as early as 1946-47, when Gandhi was alive, his name was remembered along with some other living great ones; but later on, the names of the living were dropped and a new set of Stotras brought into usage. The present one is called EkAtmataa Stotra, which includes the above Sloka.

 

Please also refer RSS and Sardar Patel here

Interesting Religious Survey in USA: Hindus compete with Jews to Outperform!

Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life  has conducted an extensive survey Based on interviews with more than 35,000 Americans age 18 and older, the survey details the religious affiliation of the American public.

The result of survey is very interesting:

1. 48% of Surveyed Hindus were Post Graduate or above. Jews were distant Second with 35%
2. 43% of Hindus are in Highest Income Group($100,000 Plus) second only to Jews who are at 46%
3. It shows 44 percent of Americans have switched religious affiliations (If shifts among Protestant denominations are included)
4. The Roman Catholic Church “has experienced the greatest net losses as a result of affiliation changes”
5. Sixteen per cent of American adults say they are not part of any organised faith, which makes the unaffiliated the country’s fourth-largest “religious group”.
6. Evangelical Protestant Churches form the biggest Group with 26.3%. Followed by Catholic who form 23.9% of Population. While Hindus form approx. 0.4% of Population

Income Distribution of Various religions: 43% of Hindus are in Highest Income Group($100,000 Plus) second only to Jews who are at 46%

 

Education Distribution of Various religions: 48% of Surveyed Hindus were Post Graduate or above. Jews were distant Second with 35%

 Spread of Evangelical Protestant Churches: Evangelical Protestants who are more conservative in their approach are more concentrated in East Coast of United States

Spread of Catholic Churches: Catholic  are more concentrated in West  Coast & Central Region of United States

Obama and the Trinity United Church of Christ

Barack Obama states that he has been an active member of Trinity United Church of Christ for the last twenty years. No problem with his belief's but the website of the Trinity United Church of Christ has several revealing and Interesting  written postings

This from the TUCC website –

We are a congregation which is Unashamedly Black and Unapologetically Christian... Our roots in the Black religious experience and tradition are deep, lasting and permanent. We are an African people, and remain "true to our native land," the mother continent, the cradle of civilization. God has superintended our pilgrimage through the days of slavery, the days of segregation, and the long night of racism. It is God who gives us the strength and courage to continuously address injustice as a people, and as a congregation. We constantly affirm our trust in God through cultural expression of a Black worship service and ministries which address the Black Community.

The Pastor as well as the membership of Trinity United Church of Christ is committed to a 10-point Vision:

1. A congregation committed to ADORATION.
2. A congregation preaching SALVATION.
3. A congregation actively seeking RECONCILIATION.
4. A congregation with a non-negotiable COMMITMENT TO AFRICA.
5. A congregation committed to BIBLICAL EDUCATION.
6. A congregation committed to CULTURAL EDUCATION.
7. A congregation committed to the HISTORICAL EDUCATION OF AFRICAN PEOPLE IN DIASPORA.
8. A congregation committed to LIBERATION.
9. A congregation committed to RESTORATION.
10. A congregation working towards ECONOMIC PARITY.

Trinity United Church of Christ Website

Centaur Sale Corruption Charge Against NDA a Farce: CBI

After three years of investigation, CBI has concluded its inquiries on Sales of Centaur Hotels and found nothing wrong in the privatization process.

In 2002, NDA Disinvested the loss-making Centaur hotels. However, when things came to a head when UPA came to power in 2004 with the support of the Left who demanded that the UPA not only cancel the sale but also investigate NDA Disinvestment Minister Arun Shourie’s “personal role” in it. 

According to CBI

“The CBI was asked to look into the points raised by the CAG report. But our investigation hasn’t revealed any irregularities and preliminary enquiries have been shut down.”

However Communist parties are not letting it go. CPI’s D Raja said,

“We do not know on what grounds and facts the CBI has given the clean chit. We have to see them.”

UPA Govt. should show honesty and apologize to Arun Shourie for raising unsubstantiated charges against him. It would do well if they ignore the "Barking Dogs"

Source

Meredith Whitney: The Gal with Balls

Meredith Whitney is the lady whose research note on Citigroup in late October triggered a $369bn sell-off in global equities.

She even received death threats last year for this. She has again dramatically  reduced her forecast for the Citibank this year, giving warning that the shares could fall by more than a third.

In an investor note , Ms Whitney has cut her earnings per share estimates for 2008 from $2.70 to only 75 cents and said that these revised estimates "could still prove optimistic"

I was always amazed at the Guts of this lovely lady. I guess being married to former World Wrestling Entertainment champion Death Mask has its advantages ;)

India can intercept and destroy objects in Space: Dr APJ Abdul Kalam

India has the requisite capabilities to identify, and target, satellites and other objects in Space, according to the nation's ex-president and also father of India's missile programme, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam. Queried by the media if India could deploy same capabilities as the US when faced with similar eventualities, as when they destroyed a satellite in Space last week, Dr Kalam replied in the affirmative.

Talking to the media on the sidelines of a two-day International Conference on Avionics Systems (ICAS-2008) here, Dr Kalam said, ''We have the ability to intercept and destroy any spatial object or debris in a radius of 200 km. We will definitely do that if it endangers Indian territory.''

Dr VK Saraswat, chief controller, R&D (MSS), the man associated with India's ballistic missile defence system agreed with Dr Kalam's assessment. ''We have the technological capabilities. It is just a matter of time before we could place the necessary wherewithal to meet such requirements,'' he said.

''We can predict and can always tackle such challenges,'' he said.

Source

In US case, A US warship successfully shot and destroyed a stray American spy satellite before it pierced the Earth's atmosphere at a distance of 150 Miles (242 KM) .

RSS chief Sudarshan criticises Raj Thackeray

RSS chief K S Sudarshan has come down heavily on Maharashtra Navanirman Sena (MNS) leader Raj Thackeray for his alleged comments against outsiders saying it was aimed at bagging votes.

Joining BJP stalwart L K Advani who had earlier lashed at Raj for his 'biased' comments, Sudarshan said "the outcry by Raj is against the Constitution and tradition of the country".

Sudarshan, who was addressing a public meeting here on Sunday, said the MNS chief was only interested in garnering votes.

"Raj's offensive against the north Indians in Maharashtra has threatened to destroy the fabric of brotherhood and amity," the RSS chief said.

How to Increase Your Metabolism

 

If you're trying to lose weight and think your metabolism might be the culprit, there are changes you can make to improve it. But with the commercialism surrounding "metabolism-enhancing" products, it can be hard to separate fact from fiction (or advertising) and pin down techniques that are scientifically proven to change one's metabolism.

Steps

1. Understand what metabolism is.

   In the simplest terms, metabolism is the rate at which your body burns calories. The rate differs significantly from person to person. You and your friend can have the same activity level, diet, and weight but still gain or lose weight at different rates based on differences in metabolism.

2. Determine what is influencing your metabolism. There are some factors that you can change, and some factors that you can't.
   • Age - metabolism slows 5% per decade after age 40[1]
   • Sex - men generally burn calories faster than women[1]
   • Heredity - you can inherit your metabolic rate from previous generations[1]
   • Thyroid disorder - problems in the thyroid gland can slow metabolism but this is rare[1]
   • Proportion of lean body mass - metabolism increases with muscle mass[1]
3. Calculate your resting metabolic rate (RMR).

   RMR is often used interchangeably with basal metabolic rate (BMR); although they are slightly different, estimating either is sufficient for the purpose of losing weight. To calculate your RMR, use the Mifflin-St Jeor equation (which is more reliable than the Harris-Benedict equation[2]). There are also calculators online that can do this for you:

   • RMR = 9.99w + 6.25s - 4.92a + 166g-161
   • w = weight in kilograms; if you know your weight in pounds, divide by 2.2 to get your weight in kilograms
   • s = height in centimeters; if you know your height in inches, multiply by 2.54 to get your height in centimeters
   • a = age in years
   • g = gender = 1 for males, 0 for females
4. Adjust your diet accordingly.

   Your RMR will tell you how many calories you need to maintain your body at rest. Your daily consumption to maintain your weight should be:[3]

   • RMR x 1.15
   • E.g. RMR = 2000, so the maintenance intake is 2000 x 1.15 = 2300
   • To lose weight safely, consume no more than your maintenance intake but no less than your RMR.
   • Count calories by recording what you eat and looking up how many calories each food item contains (either on the food packaging or in tables provided in books or online).
5. Eat small, frequent meals.

   Extending the time between meals makes your body go into "starvation mode", which means it'll hold onto as many calories as possible and store them as fat. This is why fasting and skipping meals will only make things worse. In addition to having four to six small meals per day[4] eating healthy snacks will also increase metabolism.[1]

6. Drink water.

   As with food, depriving your body of water can encourage it to "hoard" rather than "burn". In order to encourage your liver to focus on metabolism rather  than water retention, make sure you drink an appropriate amount of water.

7. Boost metabolism temporarily with aerobic exercise.

   Different activities burn different quantities of calories, but the important thing is to raise your heart rate and sustain the activity for approximately 30 minutes.

8. Boost metabolism in the long run with weight training.

   Muscle burns more calories than fat (73 more calories per kilogram per day, to be exact)[1] so the more muscle you build, the higher your resting metabolic rate (RMR). Every bit of muscle that you gain is like a little factory that burns calories for you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This is the only way to increase RMR, which accounts for 60 to 70 percent of the calories you burn daily.[5]

Tips

• There are no "fat-burning" foods. You might've heard that certain foods (like celery and grapefruit) increase metabolism, but it's just a myth.[4] While some foods and drinks like red peppers and green tea have been studied for their potential metabolism-increasing properties, there is no conclusive evidence that whatever influence they have on metabolism is significant enough to result in weight loss.[1]

• However, some believe that certain extremely low-calorie foods, such as celery, cause the body to burn more calories in the act of consumption than are absorbed by the body. Still, half an hour walking will burn many more calories than half an hour of chewing celery.

• Always consult a dietician or doctor before making a major change in your diet and exercise routine.

Warnings

• Avoid smoking as a weight-loss method. While nicotine is a metabolism booster and appetite suppressant, the health hazards far outweigh any benefits.
• Expect your metabolism to slow down as you lose weight. The more weight your body is carrying, the more calories your body has to burn in order to sustain itself, even at rest. When you begin restricting your calorie intake, you'll lose weight relatively easily because your body's high caloric needs are not being met. But after you begin to shed the weight, the body has less mass to carry and thus needs fewer calories. In order to continue losing weight, you will have to restrict your caloric intake even further in order to maintain a difference between what your body needs and what you are providing.[1] Let's go through a hypothetical example:
  • You are 200 lbs and your body needs 2500 calories a day to sustain itself.
  • You cut down your caloric intake to 2000 calories.
  • You lose 25 lbs. Now your body only needs 2250 calories to sustain itself because it's carrying less weight.
  • If you continue with your 2000 calorie per day diet (the diet that helped you lose the first 25 lbs) you will still be losing, but at half the speed. In order to maintain a steady weight loss you will need to reduce your caloric intake further. However, it is at the utmost importance you do not try to consume fewer calories than your RMR!
  • Another possible problem: If you continue with your 2000 calorie per day diet (the diet that helped you lose the first 25 lbs) you may actually gain weight back because of varying levels of exercise. Let's say you lose 50 lbs. on your 2000 calorie diet. Your sustaining calories might be 1800. You're actually consuming enough calories to gain weight, but how would that happen if you had stayed to your diet. This can happen when your exercise has burned through many calories. If you slowed on exercise at this point you would actually gain weight again. The point here is to recheck your RMR when you lose weight and compare it to your consumption.

Related wikiHows

• How to Decrease Your Metabolism
• How to Lose Weight Fast
• How to Calculate Your Body Mass Index (BMI)
• How to Gain Weight

Sources and Citations

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/guide/make-most-your-metabolism
2. ↑ http://www.adajournal.org/article/PIIS0002822305001495/abstract
3. ↑ http://books.google.com/books?id=gRrp3yphhC0C&pg=PT259&lpg=PT259&dq=%2B%22caloric+intake%22+%2Brmr&source=web&ots=En__f5a15l&sig=j7IwWkrMdgfTuDb5Fd27QqWNW14
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/rev-up-your-metabolism
5. ↑ http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/features/jump-start-your-metabolism

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Increase Your Metabolism. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

Obama dressed as Somali Elder

The Associated Press photograph portraying  Obama wearing a white turban and a wraparound white robe presented to him by elders in Wajir, in northeastern Kenya. Obama's estranged late father was Kenyan and Obama visited the country in 2006, attracting thousands of well-wishers

How cartoons caused total shutdown of YouTube for two hours

YouTube suffered a system-wide outage on Sunday that lasted two hours according to Keynote Systems, which measures Web site performance.

The BBC reported that Pakistan's attempts to block access to YouTube may have been inadvertently been responsible for the outage. Earlier in the day, Pakistan shutoff access to the video site to its country's residents in response to the posting of cartoon.

The BBC Web site's technology editor, Darren Waters, says that it's likely that--to prevent Pakistan's residents from accessing the site--Pakistan Telecom hijacked YouTube's IP and passed that information on the country's Internet service providers so that queries to YouTube would be redirected. However, the details were apparently leaked by Asian ISP PCCW, leading to the global blackout, the BCC reported.

Reminds me of Famous Nana Patekar Dialogue "Saala Ek Machar, Admi ko Hijra banadeta hai"

Undersea Internet Cable disruption, A Sabotage?

Recent Internet outages have affected 85 million users in Middle East, North Africa and South Asia.

The trouble began on 30 January 2008 when  two cables were cut off the Egyptian Mediterranean coast,  disrupting Internet and telephone traffic in India and Several Middle Eastern Countries.  The two cut cables "accounted for as much as three-quarters of the international communications between Europe and the Middle East."  These cuts were initially attributed to dragging ship anchors caused by rough waters in the eastern Mediterranean. But later, the Egyptian Ministry of Communications and Information Technology said video footage of coastal waters in the region of the two cables showed there was no ship traffic for 12 hours preceding and 12 hours following the time of the cable cuts.

A few days later, another undersea cable was found cut in the Persian Gulf, 55 kilometers off Dubai. It was followed by reports of another damaged undersea cable between Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Soon another report mentioned a cut undersea cable running through the Suez to Sri Lanka. The Khaleej Times reported on February 4, 2008 that as many as five undersea cables were damaged, including a cable in the Persian Gulf near Bandar Abbas, Iran; and SeaMeWe4 undersea cable near Penang, Malaysia.

There is no logical explanation for the sudden damage to nearly five undersea cables in the course of a week.

Was it sheer coincidence that Iran government’s planned to inaugurate its Iran Oil Bourse between Feb. 1 and 11 for trade in ‘non-dollar currencies’. If Iran manages to open its own Oil Bourse, there is a very good possibility that  GCC will trade there on account of geographic proximity. This will make Iran the main hub for oil deals in the Middle East. A functional Iranian Oil Bourse, selling oil tankers in non-dollar currencies, would be a terrible snub to America.

The "Iran Oil Bourse (IOB)" system is planned to work as a "Peer to Peer" network using the Internet rather than the traditional centralized method to avoid the market manipulation by intermediary traders which affects other oil trading centres. With complete elimination of Internet connectivity to Iran , this launch may have been severely disrupted.It would also put doubts on the mind of potential users on the reliability of the system.  

Attukal Pongala - The largest religious union of women

Thousands of women on Friday participated in the 'Pongala' festival at the Attukal Devi temple, famed as the "Women's Sabarimala" for attracting one of world's biggest female devotional congregations.

The entire city turned into a virtual sea of women since the day-break as devotees poured in from far and wide and joined the local crowd to participate in the annual ritual, which made the temple enter Guinness Book of World Records.

The Attukal pongala festival is all set to break its own record. The festival, which entered the Guinness Book of World Records in 1997 for being the largest religious gathering of women, has now received the go-ahead from the Guinness authorities to update its record.
In 1997, the Attukal pongala festival entered the Guinness Book with the participation of 15 lakh devotees. This year, the Attukal Bhagavathy Temple Trust authorities are expecting 25 lakh devotees, Trust members said at a news conference here on Wednesday.

I guess "liberals" should start a new movement to allow men to take part in this event and give a writ petition in High Court

RSS launches SAVE GANGA campaign thru Ganga Sanskriti Pravah Yatra

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has launch a 99-day 'Save Ganga' campaign. This is first time RSS is directly getting involved in a environmental Program.

The rally will start from Gangasagar where the river merges into the sea and go all the way up to the river's source at Gangotri. One of the high points of the campaign will be when Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L.K. Advani and RSS chief K.S. Sudarshan will participate in a special yagna, or fire ritual, in Varanasi.       Hindu clerics, including the four Shankaracharyas, yoga guru Swami Ramdev, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar as well as Ramjanmbhoomi Trust president Mahant Nritya Gopal Das will join what the RSS has billed as the Ganga Sanskriti Pravah Yatra.

"Pollution and commercialization has increased a threat to river Ganga. The society is also polluting Ganga in the name of development. We believe this initiative would help in creating awareness regarding cultural and water pollution," said Indresh Kumar, All India Karamkarini Member of the RSS.

Daytime dozing may up stroke risk

The next time you feel drowsy while watching the television or reading a newspaper, just get yourself a cup of coffee. Nodding off inadvertently during the day may increase your risk of a stroke.
A team of researchers in the United States has carried out a study and found that daytime dozing raises the risk of a stroke by nearly two to four fold, particularly in people who are a little aged.
"Our study suggests that daytime dozing may be an important and novel stroke risk factor," according to lead researcher Professor Bernadette Boden-Albala of the University of Columbia.

Obviously (or Should we say Unfortunately) Its not Working in India

The Need of Hour: More Hanna Yasir's

The finale of the week-long Nheralath music festival lived up to the tradition of religious harmony of Thirumandhamkunnu Temple. Seated in front of the portraits of the Bhagavati and the legendary Sopana sangeetam maestro Nheralth Rama Poduval, Hanna rendered ‘multi-religious’ keerthans’ in Jaunnpuri, Mohanam raga and Arabhi raga.

Hanna has earlier sung at the music festivals of Kalpathy and Subramania Temple, Paloor. Hanna’s two-hour performance at the Bhagavata Navaha Satram at Manidweepapuri, Padinjattumuri near Malappuram, recently won her much fame.

“Music is divine. It’s beyond all religions. Nothing should be allowed to be a barrier to the flow of music,” says her father, Karuvattil Yasir.

MY SALUTE TO THE FATHER AND DAUGHTER DUO

Aussie PM Kevin Rudd & his Chinese Passion

Kevin Rudd, the non-Chinese world's first Chinese-speaking prime minister seems to be in a hurry to Rub India's the wrong way.

Australia's Labor government says it will scrap a deal to sell uranium to India, reversing a decision taken by the previous government, unless New Delhi signs up to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

He also  dealt a lethal blow to a budding "Asian Arc of Democracy" that was actively pushed by then Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe that appeared designed to isolate Beijing.

Kevin Rudd Speaking in Mandarin

Instead, Australia has decided to improve relations with China and has just launched the first "strategic dialogue" between the two countries with Stephen Smith, the new Australian foreign minister, meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Yang Jiechi.

During the bilateral strategic meeting, Smith informed Yang that Australia would no longer participate in the quadrilateral strategic dialogue, which also involved the United States, Japan and India.

Rudd’s avowed lifelong interest in China, its language and its history, is born of a childhood interest and led to a diplomatic and private career in Beijing. He was even invited by Brookings Institute president Strobe Talbott to speak in Washington on the rise of China and its strategic implications for the US-Australia alliance. With this background, It seems Mr Rudd is going out of way to please China, last Year Mr Rudd impressed Chinese Premier Mr Hu with his Mandarin Skills. He used the language to welcome Mr Hu to Sydney during a luncheon hosted by Prime Minister John Howard.

Is India's Foreign Ministry (being remotely driven by CPM) taking Note!

TATA: Truck to Nano

1954
Tata launched its first Mercedes Benz diesel truck, Telco.

1977
Tata manufactures its first commercial vehicle at its plant in Pune.

1986
Tata launches its first light commercial vehicle from Telco, the Tata 407.

1992
Tata Estate, Telco's second passenger vehicle launched by JRD Tata and Ratan Tata.

1994
Tata Motors released its multi-utility car, Tata Sumo in the year 1994.

1998
Ratan Tata drives the first Tata Indica off the assembly line

1998
Tata Motors produced an SUV, Tata Safari. It was the first SUV to be designed, developed and manufactured entirely in India.

2002
Tata introduced India's most competitive indigenous sedan, the Indigo.

2004
Tata Motors acquires Daewoo Commercial Vehicle Company, South Korea. The first range of Tata Novus vehicles from Tata Daewoo is launched soon after.

2008
Tata Motors launched the most-awaited car of the year, its one-lakh car called Nano, at the 9th Auto Expo.

Nepal Maoist launch Shrill attack on Indian Political Parties from India!

Top-rung Maoist leader and party's central committee member C P Gajurel launched a scathing attack on Indian Opposition Party BJP by holding it responsible for "sabotaging" the April elections to the Constituent Assembly of  that country. C P Gajurel had come to the Chennai to attend a meeting of an Indo-Nepalese forum.

Speaking at the program he said, "Elections have been postponed thrice... The US and the BJP and its sister organisations such as VHP and RSS in India do not want the elections to be held for their own vested interests,"

I am amazed at the audacity of  a foreign political player to launch an attack on India's Opposition Party while in India!!!

It seems Indian backers of Nepal Maoist CPM and Congress has given them an Open Cheque!

 

News

February 19 day on which Era of two despots comes to an end.

Yesterday Fidel Castro who ruled cuba for over five decades resigned as Cuba's President, effectively ending the ailing Communist icon's iron-clad rule. Castro, who took power in a 1959 revolution, was the world's longest-serving head of government. He handed over power to his Brother Raúl Castro.

With the end of  Soviet era proved catastrophic for President Castro's revolution. Moscow in effect pulled the plug on the Cuban economy by refusing to take its sugar any more.

Still under American blockade and with its Soviet lifeline cut off, chronic shortages and empty shelves in Cuba were inevitable. Tempers grew shorter as the food queues grew longer.

By the mid-1990s, many Cubans had had enough. Thousands took to the sea in a waterborne exodus to Florida. Many drowned. It was a crushing vote of no-confidence in their leader. Even his own daughter Alina Fernandez prefers a life of exile as a dissident in Miami to rule under her "despotic" father.

In 2006, Forbes magazine estimated Castro's personal fortune at $US900 million ($980 million) - almost double the fortune held by Queen Elizabeth. Castro denied the claims.

In another Landmark event, Pakistan’s two centrist opposition parties have routed the pro-Musharraf Pakistan Muslim League (Quaid-e-Azam), a pillar of the military-backed regime that has ruled for eight years, speeding the country towards a return to democratic rule.

Long Live Democracy

Believe on your own Peril!

This is a photograph that everybody is familiar with, its picture of Famous Qinghai-Tibet railroad. The Tibetan antelopes and the train on the Qinghai-Tibet railroad appeared simultaneously in the eye of the camera.  This photograph was selected as one of the top 10 most memorable photographs of 2006 and its author received innumerable honors.

"The antelopes in the photograph are real.  The overpass bridge is also real.  But they were taken at two different time and stitched together using photoshop!

 

The influential America-based Science magazine published a photo which it claimed to be of a wild South China tiger, which was taken in northwest China.
The magazine quoted Gary Koehler of Washington State's Department of Fish and Wildlife as saying that "it's tremendously exciting news, if it can be substantiated".  The photograph, purporting to be the first sighting of a South China tiger for more than 30 years. The photo was chosen from 71 digital and film photos, reportedly taken by a local farmer named Zhou Zhenglong in early October in Zhenping County, Shaanxi Province.

However when a netizen broke the bubble when he posted online what he claimed was a "convincing proof" that the pictures are fakes - a New Year picture of a tiger (above) that hangs on the wall of his home!!!

Raoudram Mamooty beating his fan at malappuram

Pathetic!!! That poor guy was extending his hand for shake hand. A civilized man will never beat a person extending his hand for shake hand.

No GandhiGiri here!

Malaysian police used water cannon and tear gas on Saturday to break up an anti-government protest by ethnic Indians carrying roses to symbolise a peaceful demand for justice. The demonstrators consisting of about 300 men, women and children, gathered near Parliament House were defying a ban on rallies.

The children in the group were led by Hindraf chief Wayathamoorthy’s five-year-old daughter Vvaishnnavi, who wanted to present roses to Badawi and had last month written a letter to him urging him to be present at Parliament house to receive the flowers.

In Sudan even Donkeys commit suicide

Reports coming in from the UN Mission say that donkeys in Malakal,  are being severely mistreated by their owners, leading to their casualties.

Two cases of donkeys “taking their own lives” have been cited in a UN report filed by the Indian Army recently. In the first incident, according to the report, an overworked donkey preferred to be beaten to death by his master rather than pulling a heavily loaded cart through the market.

In the other case, a donkey jumped in to the Nile river, along with its load of a water barrel. “A donkey, who had decided to end his miserable and wretched life, ran towards the Nile. As he approached the banks, he plunged into the river and moved towards the current and the strong current of the mighty river swept it to a watery grave,”” says the report, written by Major Shambhu Saran Singh, posted at the UN mission. “He (the donkey) was still tethered to the water cart he was pulling when he decided to go and drown.”

Why Seculars failed to Condemn Raj Thackeray

The most intriguing feature of the ongoing turmoil in Maharashtra provoked by Raj Thackeray's posturing against North Indian migrants was the total silence of those professing to be the watchdogs of Secularism!

I am yet to hear Sonia Gandhi taking a strong stand against Raj Thackeray. Neither did CPM who have an opinion in everything ranging from Palestinian Issue to China have an opinion on this issue. Perhaps Sonia Gandhi had more important issues like membership of the Order of Leopold Association to be distracted by the antics of a small-time politician in Mumbai. and CPM Leaders were busy ducking Bottles being thrown by their Drunk Followers.

Or was it a calculated assault by an interloper on the traditional vote base of the country's most enduring saffron alliance? It followed the methodology of a party that tacitly built up Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale to outmaneuver the Akalis and pumped up the ULFA in Assam to cripple the AGP.

Sonia and Order of Leopold

In a unique honor, Belgium on Saturday conferred the Order of Leopold, the country's second highest civilian award, on Sonia Gandhi, Congress president and United Progressive Alliance chairperson, for her "constructive nationalism" and her efforts to foster a multicultural, tolerant society in India.

I am not sure what they mean by constructive nationalism?is she being awarded for the effort she took to construct her "nationalism" here? 

Anyway, The Order of Leopold  is one of the three Belgian national honorary Orders. It is the highest Order of Belgium and is named in honour of King Leopold I.  The decoration was established in 1832 and is awarded for extreme bravery in combat or for meritorious service of immense benefit to the Belgian nation.

Now what is this meticulous service which our Madam Sonia has given to Belgium? And it is hilarious as this award also recognise Extreme Bravery in Combat. During the India-Pakistan war of 1971 (coinciding with the liberation struggle of Bangladesh), under emergency provisions, the leave applications of all Indian Airlines pilots were cancelled so that they could be used for providing logistical support. The only exception was Rajiv Gandhi, a full-time pilot with Indian Airlines. Sonia Gandhi nee Maino, who now claims that she is an Indian till her last breath, flew off to Italy with Rajiv Gandhi and their two children.

After news came in that the Congress and Indira Gandhi had been defeated in 1977, Sonia Gandhi nee Maino packed an overnighter and, with husband and children in tow, took refuge in the Italian embassy in New Delhi's Chanakyapuri. It took the combined efforts of Indira Gandhi, Sanjay Gandhi and the other 'bahu' of the household, Maneka Gandhi nee Anand, to convince her to return to the Gandhi home.

Responding to the honor conferred on her, Sonia said, "I do believe that by conferring this distinction you are recognizing not the individual that I am, but the values that I have imbibed and stand for." Ahem Ahem...

2,500 years ago, a city bigger than Athens in Orissa

From under the ruins of an ancient fort on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar, archaeologists have dug out the remains of a 2,500-year-old city which they believe was bigger than classical Athens.

"The city had four gateways and could have housed up to 25,000 people. Even classical Athens had only 10,000 people," said R K Mohanty from Deccan College, Pune, who was part of the excavation team which also had members from the Archaeological Survey of India and University of California.

Eighteen pillars were found among the remnants of the grand city at Sishupalgarh, a ruined fortification first discovered 60 years ago. The findings include debris of household pottery and terracotta ornaments, pointing to an advanced lifestyle led by the people who lived there. The polished potteries even have ownership marks on them. 

Sishupalgarh was once ruled by the Kalinga kings.

2,500 years ago, a city bigger than Athens in Orissa-India-The Times of India

Crocodile tears?

Tears are every woman's most powerful and manipulative weapon.

Hillary Clinton used this weapon most effectively atleast twice during her battle for the Presidency of the United States.

Just as the political commentators were writing her off after shock defeat at Iowa, she got a little chocked up during an appearance before supporters at a coffee shop. The Media wend Ga Ga over getting an opportunity to see the softer side of otherwise her ice-queen reputation. We are not sure whether this gave her the much required boost for New Hampshire primary. but consider this, just before the elections Obama led the former first lady 39 percent to 29 percent. But Hillary Won the Elections!

And then the day before Super Tuesday, Clinton was all in Tears again, this time during an event at her alma mater, Yale: "Well, I said I would not tear up; already we're not exactly on the path," she's quoted as saying. Guess what She also won the Super Tuesday Marginally.

Now with both Obama and Hillary being neck to Neck,  how many more times will we have to sit through Hillary's teary-eyed confessions.

Now everyone is asking the question uppermost in the mind(of atleast us Dimwit Guys) is whether those tears were real? and can Hillary weep her way to the White House?

of course how can we dimwit men really understand the politics of crying. Our own tears, by and large, are restricted to unimaginative basics: bereavement, heartbreak and India losing at Cricket.

Did you know?

1. The Muslim population in Israel totaled 1.142 million people in 2005, which constitutes 16 percent of the country's population(6.9 Million). The Muslim population in Israel is growing at a faster rate than the Jewish population, and is expected to reach 2 million by the year 2025 making up 22 percent of the Israeli population
2. Indian passports prohibited travel to Israel as late as 1992

An unsung Hero

Baba Amte who fought against caste and religious prejudice and founded clinics for lepers and handicapped children, died in his sleep today at a clinic he founded for the disabled in Chandrapur. He was 93.

Amte was born on Born on 26th December 1914 into a wealthy upper-caste family. Baba Amte has devoted his life to the care and rehabilitation of Leprosy patients, even allowing his body to be used for experiments to grow leprosy germs. His community development project at Anandwan (Forest of Bliss) near Nagpur in Maharashtra, India, is recognised and respected around the world and has done much to dispel prejudice against leprosy victims. Baba Amte also launched the Bharath Jodo (Unite India) movements from Kanayakumari to Kashmir in 1985 and Gujarat to Arunachal Pradesh in 1988, with the mission of establishing peace and raising environmental consciousness.

People like Baba Amte are rare in todays India where people are jostling each other for Bharath Ratnas. If there is one person who deserve Bharath Ratna then its Baba Amte.

My Salute for the Great Soul

One more Hindu Minority District in Kerala

Following the path of Muslim dominated Mallapuram district, Kottayam also became Hindu Minority District in Kerala.

As per the details published by Department of Economics and statistics,  out of 19,53,646 population the so called Minority Religions counts for 9,88,057 while the Hindu population is only 9,63,497.

It may be recalled that the secularists CPM in the state had the distinction of creating firstever Muslim-majority district. The district was created on the basis of religion, adopting vote bank politics.

The current demographic trends in Kerala indicate that within the next five years Hindus will become a minority in the land of Sankaracharya (Kerala).

The new National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme

Two Years back UPA Government rolledout its National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme. As per scheme , It aims to provide 100 days of guaranteed wage employment  every year to each rural household that needs work. Since the scheme is specifically designed to help the very poor, it has been decided that work will be provided to one person in a poor family. A very Noble scheme indeed.

However, for last two years Government was at its wits end to find ways to make this program successful. Now they have come up with a Winner Idea.

The Law Commission has proposed reducing the minimum age of marriage for men from 21 to 18 years. This would be great now Boys can Marry straight after their schools. This would be great favour to the guys also since now they are spared from the rigor of going thru the motions of getting a good degree/Good Job to impress Gals. I guess now they will be saying "Will you marry me? I got 95% marks".

Congress again at its old Tricks!

Old Habits rarely die. one of the legacies of Indira gandhi was her subversion of independent constitutional institution. During her time, every constitutional Institution was subverted and was used to further her political agenda.

After almost 50 Years, it took one Mr. T N Seshan to take Election Commission out of clutches of Political Leadership. Most of the elections held after T N Seshan was free an fair(gone were the days when entire J&K Election was rigged by Congress Government). The election held in J&K under Atal Behari Vajpayee was considered as first independent election in J&K.

Now Congress is back with their old tricks. Earlier, they had appointed Navin Chawla who is considered very close to congress. Ford the uninitiated, Navin Chawla was Indira Gandhi and Sanjay Gandhi's stooge during the Dark Days of Emergency. His excesses during Emergency is mentioned in Justice Shah Commission report which investigated excesses during Emergency. The Shah Commission, which inquired into the  excesses during the Emergency, indicted Mr Chawla for having been  'authoritarian and callous' and for gross misuse of power "in cynical  disregard of the welfare of citizens". Further, it declared that he was  "unfit to hold any public office which demands an attitude of fair play  and consideration for others".The  Congress has planted Navin Chawla so that he would be the Chief Election Commissioner in 2009 when the general election is due.

One hundred and eighty MPs have signed a petition addressed to the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) asking him to recommend the “removal” of Navin Chawla as Election Commissioner. There is a very good chance that CEC would consider this petition favourably. In an attempt to pre-empt Mr Chawla’s disqualification UPA Govt is contemplating amending the Constitution. Yes You heard it right! UPA is planning to amend Constitution to protect one individual.

A B Bardhan, General Secretary, CPI correctly captured the sentiments when he said "to amend the constitution will be admitting that there is an attempt to save one person. Constitution cannot be changed everyday,''

The issue was reminiscent of an equally partisan and ill-conceived initiative in 1975 by the then prime minister Indira Gandhi, after being unseated from the Lok Sabha by the Allahabad high court.

Keeping one child hungry to feed another

In a highly controversial move, The central government today approved a scheme, providing for 2.5 million pre-matric scholarships to meritorious minority students, entailing an expenditure of Rs 1,868.50 crore during the 11th Plan period. Under the scheme, to be launched during 2007-08, scholarships will be awarded to minority students who are studying in India in government or private schools from classes I to X, including residential government institutes, and eligible private institutes.

In another related Incident, Central Govt. has reduced the Scholarship Benefits for Scheduled Castes . The central government Wednesday said students from the Scheduled Castes obtaining less than 60 percent marks at the higher secondary level will not be considered for the scholarship.

This is consistent with Various other moves of UPA turning Hindus into a second Class Citizen in their own country.

Now some eye Opening facts:

- As per the National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) report of March 30, 2007, unemployment rate among Muslims and Hindus of both sexes in urban areas differs by just about 0.5 per cent

- Per Census Report of 2001 Muslim males have higher literacy rate than Hindu males in eleven states (Andhra Pradesh, Andaman & Nicobar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Kerala, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharastra, Orissa, Pondicherry and Tamil Nadu).

- In Kerala, Muslim literacy rate is 89.4 per cent, Hindus (90.2 per cent) and SC/ST (80.8 per cent). Still the Congress manifesto of 2004 declared all Muslims as educationally backwards in Kerala

-

Shoaib Malik, Ayesha Siddiqui Issue & Marriage registration in Islamic

All-India Muslim Personal Law Board has opposed recent recent Supreme Court order making marriage registration certificates mandatory. The AIMPLB has said that community would not accept the directive, as it was an infringement of the Muslim personal law.

Mohammed Hashmi Kanpuri, a member of the board, stated that each and every Muslim was bound with Shariat laws, given by Islam and guaranteed by the country's Constitution. According to him, "Any marriage in Islam is certified by three people including a Kazi, and there is no need for any other certification. Muslims are governed by their own rules which are different from the rules of other communities,".

Interestingly, according to Shariat law, a girl can marry once she attains the age of 16 years, whereas the Constitution allows marriage only after the girl reaches the age of 18.

The alleged ‘marriage’ of Pakistan cricket team skipper Shoaib Malik & Ayesha Siddiqui, a girl from Hyderabad has shown the importance of Marriage registration. Shoaib Malik and Ayesha met in Jeddah, KSA, in 2001.  After two months of courtship, the couple married on June 3, 2002, over phone, with witnesses from both sides as per the Muslim law.

However, Now Shoaib Malik has backed off and is denying the claim. Accordning to him, he was just  engaged with Ayesha

I hope atleast now All-India Muslim Personal Law Board will understand the importance of Marriage Registration!

Whats cooking at China Front?

If you have noticed in last several weeks there has been some high level activity at China Front.
This week, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh travelled to Arunachal Pradesh on his maiden visit, First Prime Minister to Visit after a Gap of 13 Years! Unfortunately, he skipped Tawang! Tawang has symbolic and historic significance as several Indian soldiers laid down their lives during the 1962 war with Chinat. It was all the more important as China was laying claim on it.

"The sun kisses India first in Arunachal Pradesh," Singh said at a public rally in Itanagar, the state capital. "It is our land of the rising sun."

During his visit he laid foundation of a number of major projects. The projects include the 3,000 MW Debang Multi Purpose Hydro Electricity Project, the largest in the country to be executed by NHPC. Singh will also lay the foundation stone of the Harmoti-Itanagar railway line putting the state on India's railway map.  Dr. Singh announced a grant of 60 lakh rupees to improve the facilities in the transit camps for the forces posted in the border area. 

Only last Week, Former Army chief Gen Joginder Jaswant Singh was today appointed Governor of Arunachal Pradesh. JJ Singh is known for his intimate knowledge of Arunachal Pradesh.

Today, Army and air force commanders in Arunachal Pradesh will apprise Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of their concerns about their assessment of China's infrastructure growth and its military capabilities.

In another incident,
China has lodged a diplomatic protest over Indian military activity in Sikkim and claimed that Indian troops were trying to be active on the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) that divides their troops along the disputed Himalayan border.

Is Govt suspecting something sinister?

Question: Who is gentleman who is so "lovingly" Hugging Chinese armymen?

Answer: None otherthan Arunachal Pradesh Congress Chief Minsiter Dorjee Khandu

Commenting on the controversy, Gegong Apang, Former Chief Minister, Arunachal Pradesh said:"Neither did he obtain prior permission from me or from Governor or from the Union Ministry of External Affairs."

While it is obligatory for all ministers, who want to travel to a foreign country, to obtain necessary clearances from the Centre.!!

Story of a Magnate

She was born on January 18, 1956 into a Dalit family in Delhi and grew up with eight siblings in a modest home in a crowded neighbourhood. Her father  Mr. Prabhudayal was employed as a supervisor with the Post and Telegraph department in Delhi and her mother Ram Lata was housewife. Her family traces its roots to Baadalpur village of the then Bulandshahar and now Ghaziabad district of UP.

According to her, Her relatives' used to live in huts and were always in the most neglected and impoverished part of the village.

She did a BA and LLB from Kalindi College at Delhi University and later took a BEd degree from Delhi University.

According to her father, her biggest qualities was her fighting spirit. He believes she draws her fighting spirit from her grandfather who was a soldier and has fought in Italy in World War I. A Italian Connection here also!!!

Between 1977 and 1984, she taught at various schools run by the Delhi administration. She left teaching in 1984 and joined Kanshi Ram, who had by then floated a non-political outfit, the Backward and Minority Communities Employees Federation, and the DS-4, another organisation set up to look after the interests of Dalits and Backward castes.

She contested her first Lok Sabha election from Kairana (Muzaffarnagar) in December 1984, but could not win. She then contested the Lok Sabha by-election to Bijnor and Hardwar in 1985 and 1987 respectively. She stood second with 1.39 lakh votes in the Hardwar by-election.

She was elected to the Lok Sabha for the first time in 1989 from the Bijnor seat. from then she never looked back.

She became chief minister of Uttar Pradesh for the first time with the BJP's support on June 3, 1995. In 1997, She again became UP Chief Minister with an agreement between BJP and BSP that both parties would have its own chief minister by rotation for six months each. However, At the end of her six-month tenure, Mayawati withdrew support from the coalition government, saying the Dalit Act had not been properly implemented in the state.

Her third tenure as UP chief minister commenced on May 3, 2002 but abruptly ended on July 25, 2003 after the Taj Heritage Corridor scam surfaced. The Supreme Court ordered a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the controversy. Later, the apex court also ordered a probe into the alleged disproportionate assets of Mayawati and her family.

Last year, her income was estimated at an impressive Rs 52 crore, while she has already grossed Rs 60 crore and is expected to close the fiscal with an even bigger kitty. Till the December quarter, the Dalit leader had paid Rs 15 crore advance tax.

Based on her Rs 9.7 crore payout on December 15, Mayawati was already ranked 18th in the all-India individual taxpayers category, a remarkable rise for the former government schoolteacher. And based on her payments till December, which amounted to Rs 15 crore, she was placed 19th. She is ranked a few notches below Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan in the advance tax list. Not only is Mayawati's income more than that of any politician, she ranks higher than the Ambani brothers, Birlas, Bachchans, Ratan Tata and Infosys' Nandan Nilekani. Kumaramangalam Birla trails the Dalit leader, at 57th place, while the richest cricketer, 'Master Blaster' Tendulkar is a distant 85th. Aamir Khan is placed even farther, at a not-so-impressive 123rd. She has attributed her remarkable financial rise to her supporters who had given her large amounts of cash and pledged their personal properties out of "love and affection" and for the welfare of the downtrodden and the Dalits.

On her 47th Birthday, her birthday bash cost the state exchequer around Rs10 crore, Even by conservative estimates

She is None other that Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati

Sethu Samudram Shipping Canal Project: A economic Perspective

The Sethusamudram Ship Canal Project (SSCP) envisages the creation of a navigable canal from the Gulf of Mannar to the Bay of Bengal to facilitate movement of ships. The project documents claim that ships moving from the west coast to the east coast of India do not need to navigate around Sri Lanka but can use the channel to save 36 hours of shipping time and 570 nautical miles. One of the major Hyped claim is that it will save up to 30 hours of shipping time. Lets look at various aspects as told by several experts in their respective fileds:-

1. Security of Ships: Setu project a threat, says Coast Guard. The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) has said that the controversial Sethusamudram shipping canal project has “security implications” which have been “conveyed” to the government.

Addressing the media ahead of the 31st anniversary of the ICG, its Director-General Vice-Admiral Rusi Contractor said, “There are security implications because of the closeness of the India-Sri Lanka maritime boundary”.

I guess in such a Narrow channel all the ships would be a sitting duck for Pirates and LTTE

2. Long term Cost: The wind and waves bring in a large amount of silt and wash it ashore. The same thing is going to happen to the Sethu Samudram Canal. Marine scientists have identified five areas on the Indian coastline they call high-sinkage pits, and one of them happens to be the Palk Straits.

What is left unsaid by the Sethu Samudram authorities is that maintaining the 12 metre depth (of the channel) will entail round the year dredging. But this cost is not mentioned anywhere. It is estimated that 2 million cubic metres per annum of sand needs to be dredged, the total amount of maintenance dredging could in fact go up significantlydue to the fact that the Palk Bay is a sediment sink for the rivers of the southern peninsula as well as due to the action of
the sea on the coastline of Tamil Nadu.

3. Travel Time: The voyages that are used as reference points in the draft project report (DPR) start either at Kanyakumari or Tuticorin and move to the east coast. While this might be true for journeys that originate along the west coast of India, for other voyages, the choice of these starting points overstates the distance saved.

For voyages from other destinations, will save just 215 and 70 nautical miles respectively: significantly lower than what is stated in the DPR.

Details Available here

4. Reduction in Cost: The primary claim of the SSCP is that less time at sea will mean both lower time charter rates (to hire ships) and lower fuel expenses as less distance has to be covered. The reduced expenditure by using the canal can then be charged as a tariff by the SSCP. In dollar terms, the DPR hopes to charge up to 50 per cent of the calculated savings as a tariff for using the canal. The saving as calculated by the DPR for a 20,000 DWT ship will give a canal tariff of around $ 8,981. On average, non-coastal ships, that constitute 70 per cent of the projected users, will lose $ 4,992.1 if they use the canal at the current tariff structure. Many from the shipping industry opine that ships will go around Sri Lanka rather than have to go through a canal with draught restrictions and with a need for a pilot to embark and disembark from the ship. If on the other hand, the company charges the total savings made by the ship (around $ 4,000), the pre-tax internal rate of return (IRR) of the project falls to just 4.5 per cent. On the other hand, if the SSCP charges 50 per cent of the amount saved by these ships, the pre-tax IRR falls to just 2.6 per cent!

Details Available here

5. Lack of Support: For a project like the SSCP, that is to be completed by November 2008,5 it is time to ask the company why it has not been signing up customers to use the canal or published possible sea lanes around the canal. The focus has been proclamations on how the canal would be beneficial for ship users, but there is little evidence in terms of customers (especially foreign shipping lines). Despite appeals by the finance minister that the shipping industry shares the costs of building the canal, there have been no takers for this proposal. In fact, if it is, as many report, the fulfillment of a 100-year-old dream, why are there no shipping companies lining up outside the SSCP office waiting to sign contracts with the company?

6. Short Term Vision: The Suez and Panama Canals save ships thousands of miles, and that makes them profitable. Sethusamundaram is not remotely comparable. It is designed for small ships (the project documents talk of 20,000 DWT), whereas the Panama Canal takes ships of up to 65,000 DWT and Suez takes ships up to 150,000 DWT. Global shipping is shifting to ever-larger vessels. Bulk carriers and tankers often exceed 200,000 DWT, and those under 60,000 DWT are being phased out as uneconomic. Old general cargo vessels have been replaced by container ships, which started small but now exceed 35,000 DWT, and may soon touch 75,000 DWT. Such vessels cannot use the canal.

7. Ecological Disaster: This would cause a Major Ecological Disaster!

Other Links

'Civility' in cricket is a thing of the 50s, says Ponting

I guess Australian cricket captain Ricky Ponting is trying to give a official burial for Decency in Cricket field. He has ignited another controversy by saying the public must not judge modern cricketers by the "civil and gentlemanly" standards of the 1950s.

news.com.au quoted Ponting as telling Fairfax Radio "I think one thing that a lot of people overlook is that we are not playing cricket in the 1950s and a lot of people I think are still living in the 1950s. It's now a fully professional game. It's not a game of just going out there and having a bit of a bat a nd a bowl and having a laugh and giggle with the opposition. This is fully fledged international sport played by fully professional athletes and we are trying to do the best by the game and by the Australian public and the on-field umpires and everyone involved in the game,"

Height of Helplessness

 

Height of Helplessness: Manmohan Singh as PM

Crown Prince or Clown prince?

Last month the congress crown prince created a political storm by claiming that "Babri Masjid (destruction) would not have happened had any Gandhi family member been there,". He went on to add "My father (former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi) told my mother: 'Were the Babri Masjid to be razed, I will stand there and get killed rather than allow the masjid to fall'." He was rubbishing his mummy’s first handpicked prime minister when he went to the den of fundamentalist Islam, the Dar-ul-Uloom in Deoband.

I guess we can excuse him for his naivety as apparently he was studying and making a living Overseas between 1990-1999. That brings an interesting question on Rahuls Education. Unlike father Rajiv Gandhi, Rahul did not go to Doon School. He went to St Stephen's College, Delhi, for a year. But the the most interesting part is he was not admitted to St Stephen's on merit, but on the sports quota. and the sport was (hold your breath... ) rifle shooting!!! Also, Most of the our English Media refer Rahul as Harvard Graduate but the fact of the day is he was at Harvard in 1991 then he transfered to Rollins College in Florida, from which he graduated with a BA in 1994.

After Studying and working hard for nine long years, he did return to India with a Columbian girl friend Juvinita. The young Lovebirds were first photographed together watching the 1999 World Cup in England. More recently, Rahul was accused of 'immorality' after staying together with Juvenitta at a resort in Kumarakom, Kerala, even though they were not married! Since we are on the issue of Rahul and Juvinita, i am tempted to do some maths. Indian Rajiv + Italian Sonia = 1/2 Indian Rahul, 1/2 Indian Rahul + Columbian Juvinita = (I guess) 1/4 Indian?

In an Interview in 2004, Rahul claimed that "I learnt to be an Indian from my mother." I hope marrying a foreigner and not taking up Indian citizenship for the first fifteen years of her marriage were not part of this education.
In the same interview, He went on to add that he had certain ideas for the country that he would "keep them to myself for now". I guess it makes sense "why put your foot in mouth when it can be avoided"

West Bengal: Reverse Land Reforms

If we ask any communist about their single biggest achievement in Last 50 years of their existence in India. The answer will be always be Land Reform. According to Communists, its because of Land Reforms Kerala and Bengal are in better shape. But if Asked why Gujarat and Maharashtra is doing better in spite of not having Land Reforms, you will get a silent Stare. But this is a different issue.

Now it seems that the Communist Govt. is working hard to reverse the Land Reforms. They are busy creating new landlords on the Agricultural Land. In Last 1 year, Communist Government in West Bengal has given thousands of Acres of Prime Agriculture Land to Industrial Groups. The list include:-

1. 5,100 acre to the Salem Group: This will cause eviction of over 225,000 farmers from their agricultural land spread over seven mouzas in South 24-Parganas district.

2. 1,000 acres to Tata Group: for their Automobile Group: Approx. 20,000 Farmers would be Displaced due to this move.

3. Another 1,000 acres in Kharagpur for Tata Metaliks.

4. Infosys: 1000 acres.

5. Haldia chemical hub: 25,000 acres

6. Airport to Raichawk Expressway: 500 acres.

7. Kulpi Mini Port: 3,000 acres

8. Uluberia two-wheeler factory: 400 acres

It is said that in this mad rush for industrialization, Communist Government in West Bengal plan to acquire more than 60,000 Acres of agriculture land will be acquired. All this under the guise that it will provide Employment to the farmers. We would kindly request the Communist Lords to Educate us on "How can anyone even think of the locals, mostly farmers, getting any kind of work in such a highly mechanised unit?" I am waiting for the reaction for One Ms. Brinda Karat who was in fore Front of Sardar Sarovar Agitation.

I remember a statement from Mr. Buddha Months back.

As chief minister I cannot pursue socialism here. We are not fools. So, given the ground reality, we have to invite capitalists for the state’s development,” he said. “We have to bring in private and foreign capital for setting up industries.”

I agree Mr. Buddha you are not a foo, but Neither are We

Image: poster from 50th Anniversary Celebration of the Tebhaga Uprising, “Let the paddy no longer be sown with our blood, our life: fifty years of Tebhaga peasants uprising”, designer: Qayum Chowdhury.

Detailed Report on the Singur can be read here

Is MP = Minister on Parole?

In 2004, the UPA Ministry narrowly missed a golden opportunity of appointing First foreign born Prime Minister. However, it seems that are trying to makeup for missing the " firsts". Now they have the distinction of having the first Union minister to be convicted of murder. Other honorable "MP's" in the ministry are

Lalu Prasad, Railway Minister: Facing trial in five cases of Rs 1,000 cr fodder scam and a separate disproportionate asset case

Jaiprakash Yadav, Minister of State for Water Resources: Dropped from the Cabinet last year after he forced the police officials to release his brother involved in booth capturing during the elections. As Minister for Minor Irrigation in Bihar's Rabri Devi Government, Jaiprakash Yadav was named as accused by State's Vigilance Department under several provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act

MAA Fatimi, Minister of State for HRD: Alleged to have had close nexus with kidnapper/ extortionist syndicate. The then (1998) DSP of Darbhanga, Rama Shankar Rai, had stated in a report of a kidnapping case (No. 133/98): "To conclude from the study of facts and details, it is clear that the criminals had links with Fatimi." A warrant of arrest was also issued against Fatimi in 1998.

Mohd Taslimuddin, Minister of State for Agriculture: Apart from his violent and criminal record that compelled him to quit the Deve Gowda Ministry, he has suppressed several cases against him in his affidavit while filing nominations for the 2004 general elections.

Premchand Gupta, Minister of State for Company Affairs: ED has charged him in a $4.5 million embezzlment case.

How much more our democracy can sink? We have a HRD minister who is accused of Extortion and Kidnapping. I guess "Human Resource Management" takes a entirely different meaning here.

My question to Prime Minister is

Doctor what happened? We trusted you! Isnt it time that you took a stand. Your silence in issues ranging from Arunachal Pradesh to Minority appeasement is Deafening! Otherwise there is only one this which this nation will ask you "Et tu, Brutus"

Education or Religion? Its a decision which Muslims Society has to take

It seems the UPA government headed by Madam Sonia is in Christmas mood. Atleast it seems so by the gifts this government is showering on Muslim Community.

Its only weeks since Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced that he favored a "fair share" for minorities in central and state government as well as private sector jobs. I think Mr. PM should clarify whether he is suggesting that we are not "giving" fair share to Muslims in India? Never to be left behind in the race for Minority Votes, CPM also has now decided to ask the government to specifically allocate development funds for Muslims to improve their socio-economic levels.

Perhaps to prove the point, the Centre today decided to enhance the quota under haf subsidy scheme to 1.1 lakh pilgrims from the existing one lakh. With this, the Government Haj subsidy is all set to mount to Rs 385 crore approximately!

If this is the "fair share" which this government meant then sad to say that our "mai-baaps" has got it all wrong! As per NSS data Muslims comprised 12.2 per cent of the country’s population, their "fair share" in those who passed school was just 7.2 per cent. Due to low percentage of Pass out, Muslims formed just 6.5 per cent of the proportion of those enrolled in college, though they still managed to get 9.7 per cent of the total number of “professional, technical and managerial” jobs in the country.

Practicing religion is a personal Choice & Government has no role there. This "Secular" Government should put money where mouth is. Government should spend the limited funds in more useful ways. If this government would really like to Improve socio-economic status of Muslim community then they should spend money in education where it would cause impact.

On Hindsight, whom am I saying this to? This is afterall a secular government!

Tail piece:
- Our Revered "SECULAR" Leader Arjun Singh is now planning to fund madrassa education system!!
- On the issue of Government employment of Muslims, West Bengal(where CPM ruled for last 3 decades) ironically, is one of the worst, with a 24 per cent Muslim population having only 4 per cent of Government jobs. There is not a single Muslim officer in the public sector in West Bengal.

Kargil War - Pakistani Army surrenders and accepts bodies

 

BJP Back to Winning ways

BJP's win in UP Civic Elections will be turning point in Indian Political History. The BJP won eight of the 12 mayoral seats and the number of BJP corporators also went up from 237 to 324. This election was note worth for several reasons. First of all, this the first election after several years in which RSS has actively helped BJP. In fact, RSS pracharak Ram Lal Agrawal was loaned to the BJP to supervise the party’s election management in Uttar Pradesh and Uttaranchal.

Now it has been proved beyond doubt that BJP's political survival is closely linked to they following the Diktats of RSS and remaining within the boundaries of Ideology.

On the other side, Hindus in UP has every reason to Alarmed. In February this year, minister for haj and minorities welfare Yaqoob Qureshi shocked the world when he offered a Rs 510-million bounty to anyone who would kill the Danish cartoonists who drew images of the Prophet. His wife was put up as the SP's mayoral candidate in Meerut—a seat held by the party. She lost to the BJP. Then it was Azam Khan, the other big Muslim in Mulayam's set-up. He declared on July 17 this year that western UP be made into a Muslim Pradesh. There were also reports of eggs and meat being consumed at the holy ghat of Har ki Pauri in Haridwar during roza-iftar organised by SP.

This election also spelled bad news for Rahul Gandhi who had personally led Congress in the Civic Election. Rahul was expecting to lead congresss party in UP during the coming UP Assembly elections

On hindsight, it seems that BJP losing the General Elections was the best thing which could have happened to Hinduvta Movement

Blasting Mushy

Please watch this video in which a student in Pakistan gives a royal Tongue lash to Musharaf. Mushy's face is worth watching. 
The student even praised the  democracy in India and moans its absence in Pakistan

Looming Clash of Civilsation

Last month the Islamic world was drowned in protests over a lecture by Pope Benedict XVI's. The controversy revolves around a lecture by Pope Benedict XVI titled "Faith, Reason and the University — Memories and Reflections" given at the University of Regensburg . During the lecture, Pope used a quote originating from a 1391 “Dialogue Held With A Certain Persian, the Worthy Mouterizes, in Anakara of Galatia”and the Byzantine emperor Manuel II Paleologus, touching on such issues as forced conversion, holy war, and the relationship between faith and reason. It read :

Show me just what Muhammad brought that was new and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached.

The intensity of Protest surprised most of the observers coming only months after the Danish Cartoon Episode. It spread like a Wild fire from India to Middle East to Parts of Europe. As usual Al-Qaida second-in-command Ayman al-Zawahri also chipped in. Demand for apology poured in from almost every Islamic Nation.

Buckling under intense pressure, Pope apologised atleast 4 times. Three times in Public and One time in person to Muslim ambassadors and representatives.

This is not the first time Pope Benedict has been at the centre of criticism for his views on Islam. During his time as a cardinal, Pope Benedict opposed Turkey's bid to join the European Union, saying it belonged to a different cultural sphere, adding that its admission would be a grave error against the tide of history. And in 1996, he wrote that Islam had difficulty in adapting to modern life.