… AND SO WE FORGET – THE 26/11 TRAGEDY (18th Nov 2009, 1350 Hrs)

… AND SO WE FORGET! – THE 26/11 TRAGEDY (18th Nov 2009, 1330 Hrs)

Just after a week, rich & famous, celebrities & socialites and most of the senseless Mumbaikars will go all out to celebrate the dreaded terrorist attack on 26/11. That is right folks because for them, any event, horrible or non-happening, is an excuse to hog the limelight in Dailies Page 3 celebrating to the hilt even though hundreds of innocent lives were lost showing how incapable our government has been to secure our country and safeguard us. Well, the celebration, which has been planned by many celebrities just to hog those columns in dailies to show how much they care about their countrymen’s lives, families who have lost their family heads or relatives, are in fact, planning to resurrect their already dead existence from the party circuit. How callous they can be to celebrate over other’s dead bodies? Do we really care folks?

While crores will be spent on all these celebrations, there are still relatives of 26/11 victims, who have not received their compensation announced by the central government, state government and NGOs… Cheques that have been issued to the victims’ families have bounced and there has been no response from the Central Government Office, who issued these cheques. Is it an irony or else the bigger tragedy than 26/11? Well in a way, what the terrorists did to us is much better because they united the divided Indians as ONE INDIA… but the corrupt politicians with their selfish actions and motives divide us to spread hatred as small-small divided parts / regions of one India. Will these rich & famous, celebrities & socialites unite to force the government and demand as to why the poor victims’ families have had to suffer for one long year and run from pillar to post to get the announced compensation to lead a life without their beloved? NO! Instead, they will take their fee to perform and provide their presence in the celebration and forget the very next day about 26/11 for another year till 2010.

Soon after the horrible tragedy Mumbaikars united to shout some slogans, walk the talk with some beautifully crafted banners, burn some candles, laid down some fragrant colourful flowers and united to force the Centre to remove Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh. What has changed since that chain broke? Mumbaikars started fighting with Mumbaikars in the name of language, states, religion, political parties, drinking water and what not … so tell me, do we really need terrorists to unite us always against the corrupt politicians, who always divide us with their false promises and greed to exploit and mislead us to sell their own countrymen’s deaths and miseries to earn their crores… which they will accumulate, accumulate and die without really making the right use of all the money; because of which, they don’t even hesitate to deprieve millions of lives their basic necessities?

Well, greed is the basic problem that gives rise to everything that is horrible for creating chaos in the world. Sharing is the real solution of every problem in the world to overcome in a united manner. However, we will never unite while we can. We will never share and care because we always enjoy watching others suffering. Strange isn’t it? Why do we only care for others when tragedy strikes in various forms? Well, nothing has changed and nothing will because we forget so soon about tragedies in our fast-paced life that… a year will pass by and once again callous people will shed their crocodile tears for the senseless media to capture them in Page 3!

IT’S AMAZING, REALLY, TO BE AN INDIAN (17th Nov 2009, 1250 Hrs)

IT’S AMAZING, REALLY, TO BE AN INDIAN! (17th Nov 2009, 1250 Hrs)

We Indians are really amazing bunch of people, who realise the importance of being Indian, only when we are overseas and not otherwise. When we are at home, we fight among ourselves over trivial issues like language, religion, caste, creed and states… thereby creating chaos and mayhem in the society. However, isn’t it funny that when we are in any foreign countries, we search for Indians, irrespective of what language he may speak, which caste and creed he belongs to or else which religion he follows… if he is an Indian, we feel a sense of safety, comfort and sense of pride. The bonding is almost instantaneous and we don’t even hesitate to reminisce all those beautiful moments of growing up years in India, sharing with joy and pride to be an Indian.

Funny isn’t it? Why such a phenomenon is so common when we go abroad? Why do we then hate each other when we are in our own country? It is such a simple thought, isn’t it? If each Indian thinks about this simple strong bonding in foreign land and just the opposite happening inland… will we create all these senseless chaos in our every day lives? Yes, I know we have a very simple and famous game – BLAME GAME! Blame it on Politicians who use, divide, exploit, harass and then throw us like used napkins in dustbin once their purposes are solved. Hate each other because we belong to different parties, ideologies and what not… But has each one of us thought before blaming the politicians about all these hatred between us, Indians?

While we don’t hesitate even a bit to bond and unite in overseas, even with all the thinking, we will never unite with joy and harmony in our own land. WHY? It is really an amazing phenomenon that makes us so vulnerable for politicians to exploit us for their personal gains. Think about this simple phenomenon and it is not at all complex in any nature. The politicians have made it look complex, dangerous and what not…

I really wonder as to what our Prime Minister, Chief Ministers and Home Minister are doing to curb such a phenomenon to unite all of us as INDIANS? Well, we all know, watch them on TV and read about their every day fight about seats and portfolios with each other, so but obvious how and why will they unite us? The irony of ‘Independent India’ because of our basic problem is that even after 62 years, we still need a foreigner (Sonia Gandhi) to unite and govern us. Isn’t it a shame for every Indian born in this country? We cannot even produce ONE, I repeat, ONE Indian to unite us into a beautiful Indian Sovereign Country that will teach the world the true meaning of ‘UNITY’!

I really wonder at times – is India in Maharastra or else Maharastra in India? When we go abroad, do we say I am from Tamilnadu, Kerala, UP, Bihar or Maharastra, no, we proudly announce – ‘I am from India’? But obvious, since foreigners don’t know too well about Indian states, we have no option but to say – ‘I am from India and I am an Indian’… We are proud to be Indian in foreign countries but we are ashamed of being called an Indian in our own country. How funny this can be? Because in India, we are Dalits, Harijan, Brahmins, Thakur and what not from Maharastra, Bihar, UP, Orissa etc, etc… we have been divided by our leaders to solve their greed to give them power over us while we succumb to become weak in front of them since we are not Indian in our own country.

I was born to an Indonesian mother and Indian father. And I still remember distinctly how my mother was proud to learn Hindi for my father and be an Indian wife rather than being called a foreigner. Ask me, I have suffered racism ever since I went to school however, I was always proud to be an Indian rather than being always called ‘Angrez’! Even now, I do face curious looks by many because of my features and fair complexion and greenish brown eyes and golden brown hair. I still do face racial discrimination by fellow Indians, working colleagues and wherever I have traveled within India. However, you will be surprised to know I can speak as many as 17 different languages (11 Indian and 6 foreign languages) and can understand 6 more languages (4 Indian and 2 foreign languages) to be able to tackle the problem of racism. Language breaks the barrier between two cultures, states and countries to unite two different individuals on a common ground. Language doesn’t divide but unites and I have learned it from my own experience.

I would like to share my mother’s triumph and I am very proud of the fact. When my mother married my father, she didn’t know a single word of Hindi. My father was smart enough to learn Bahasa Indonesia to woo my mother. There was really no one to teach my mother Hindi, so she started watching Hindi movies. She used to watch repeatedly a single movie to master each sentence and slowly and steadily she learned Hindi to perfection. A very funny incident I would like to share here… while she was learning to speak Hindi, mom used to goof up big time about various sentences and ladies from our neighbours used to laugh and make fun of her. She kept on with her self-taught lessons watching more Hindi movies and I used to accompany her since I was a baby.

One day, one of the ladies (an Indian of course) said something to mom in Hindi. Much to the lady’s surprise, my mother corrected her grammar and told this is how the sentence should be told and that she was grammatically incorrect. Almost all the ladies present laughed out aloud much to the lady’s embarrassment and they were very surprised as to who had taught my mom such high level of Hindi… My mom just smiled and I was very proud of her achievements and dedication to learn her husband’s country’s national language.

There are many states in India where Hindi is not spoken but there is no one like the Thackerays who threaten others not to speak Hindi in their state. Even though Hindi is India’s National Language, there are millions of villagers living in remote Indian villages, who don’t speak Hindi, so does that mean they are not Indians? In Maharastra itself, many don’t know how to speak Hindi, so should they be sent to other countries? No, it is just not possible. There are many Maharastrians who migrate to other states in search of work but other states never object to their migration or impose them to speak in their respective state language because India is an independent country and every Indian has the right to freedom and equality. Why there has been no Indian Prime Minister till date to put a full stop to such a ‘divisive phenomenon and policy’?

AN INDIAN IS NOT AN INDIAN IN INDIA BECAUSE… (9th Nov 2009, 1555 Hrs)

AN INDIAN IS NOT AN INDIAN IN INDIA BECAUSE… (9th Nov 2009, 1545 Hrs)

He cannot and is not allowed to speak in Hindi in India.

He cannot and will not be allowed to work in any part of India, he wishes.

His hard earned money as tax is looted by politicians and deposited in Swiss Banks.

When in Australia an Indian is beaten, the media covers with Foreign Ministry, PM and Home Ministry giving statements of racial attack but, no one cares when Indians are killed, exploited, harassed, looted by corrupt system and the news channels will not even bother to highlight such serious issues.

An Italian is ruling the country.

He cannot or not allowed to sing ‘Vande Maataram…’.

He has been misled by the Head of the State and law makers that ‘Jana Gana Mana…’ is the National Anthem, even though history reveals that Tagore wrote it to please King George V – the adhinayaak!

He never cares for his own motherland.

He doesn’t hesitate even for a single moment to sell his motherland to foreigners for crores of dollars.

Political leaders have become so shameless that instead of uniting India, they are dividing the nation and blame China.

He doesn’t even have a single ‘Right’ as mentioned in the Constitution of India.

He doesn’t have a Ration Card or a PAN or a Birth Certificate.

Politicians blame the poor tribals for the Naxal movements, even though they have never developed Indian villages since the last 62 years.

He is not protected or safeguarded from various terrorist attacks by the government.

Pakistani singer Adnan Sami is accumulating wealth and property in Mumbai and there is no one to object and send him back to Pakistan while Indians from India cannot stay or work in the city.

Pakistani comediennes are welcomed, treated like stars and paid higher package for their performance in Indian channels as compared to Indians.

Elected representatives of the people are busy accumulating crores through scams and not at all bothered for the welfare of their respective areas or zones.

Hindu festivals have time bound restriction except all other religions by the law makers.

PM, Home Minister, Agriculture Minister, Finance Minister, CMs, Railway Minister, Foreign Minister etc etc lie point blank on various national channels shamelessly and fearlessly to the citizen and do nothing about the welfare of poor people.

Indian government is meant only for Ambanis, Mallayas, Goels, Mittals, Tatas and other rich industrialists and not for the 70 per cent village based farmers and poor.

Their political leaders fight in open in Parliament abusing in obscene language and the CM, PM and the whole nation is watching with a smile of disgust because no one is punished by the system.

Rich criminals are let lose on 10,000 rupees bail but a poor stealing a piece of bread will be thrashed to death and spend his life behind bars.

Government officials and leaders are hands-in-gloves with black traders of food grains to loot the poor population with continuous price rise.

The government of Maharastra is planning to celebrate in a big way the first anniversary of 26/11… what a shame… people have died and they want to conduct musical shows with celebrities and rich and famous.

Even after a year, many victims of 26/11 Mumbai Terrorist Attacks have not got the announced relief amount from the PMO and State Government.

Villagers are dying in floods and due to drought but the government leaders are only bothered to give statements of lies, lies and more lies without doing anything for them.

The government will give subsidies in crores to all private airliners but will never even build proper roads, irrigation, health, education and proper drinking water facilities in villages.

…. The list will never end….

A GREAT SHAME

A GREAT SHAME OF INDIA

Ab kahe ki hai worry
Last match mein maara tha century
Agle dus match mein na bhi banao main total hundred
Cricket jagat ka sirf main hoon great
Jeetein na jeetein India
Mera personal record hai badiya
Selectors nahin kar sakteh mujhe bahaar
Kyunki politics bhi khelta hoon mere yaar
Dravid, Ganguly ko kiya maine bahaar
Taaki crore banao jab saath mein hai mere Pawar
Media nahin likh sakta mere baare mein kabhi bura
Kyunki Gavaskar hai mera, mera PR
Koi nahin todh sakta mera record
Kyunki cricket jagat ka main hoon god
2011 world cup khelonga main
India ko zaroor haraonga main
India ke haar se banonga main god
World cup tak bane mere aur bhi record

Johnny D
8th November 2009

AMERICA TASTES ITS OWN MEDICINE TO CLAIM – OH IT IS SO HORRIBLE AND BITTER (7th Nov 2009, 1915 Hrs)

AMERICA TASTES ITS OWN MEDICINE TO CLAIM – OH IT IS SO HORRIBLE AND BITTER! (7th Nov 2009, 1915 Hrs)

Two incidents in two days! Americans were shaken and stirred to witness 15 deaths by just two gun men… Imagine, how scared they are to witness deaths in their own backyard… but do they ever think how many deaths in the world is courtesy American soldiers and Presidents?

What you sow is what you reap – the old proverb is so true when these incidents happened. Bush must have never thought that one day he would bring war and deaths in his own soil by various means. Imagine, after 9/11, the Fort Hood incident has surely shaken the American leaders, army generals, serving soldiers’ families and civilians about the value of one’s life. But do they really care when their soldiers are killing others in Iraq, Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, African countries??? Millions and millions have been affected by American war, legal and illegal… well, they tasted the medicine they created to claim how horrible such an act of violence is!

It is only when your own dies, you feel the pain. However, when you kill others for your selfish greed for oil and poppies or to sell arms and modern weapons for countries to fight among each other, you celebrate in your crystal towers with champagne overflowing in crystal glasses amidst laughter and joy… do you ever think, how many of your own soldiers have died with really no good cause and results? So much pain and concern were seen on faces of American diplomats and general while praising their soldiers’ action. Once again, it also showed the vulnerable side of American psyche that they can only suppress the weaker with their might and when they are taken off guard, they are scared and not mighty as they project themselves to be. However, one cannot deny the fact that the Americans, who consider themselves to the Superpower have failed to win a war against the small country Iraq in 7+ years and Afghanistan in 8+ years. Still they claim to be the Superpower, what a joke!

Deaths in India are treated as mere political game, forgotten the very next day. Hundreds die in India either with bullets from terrorists, goons, diseases, train accidents or natural calamities… in fact, every Indian walks with ‘death’ as their shadow. No one really knows when the shadow will engulf the self. Families living near the border area are always escaping bullets or bombs from Pakistan terrorists and one wonders, how America has been helping them with military aid since the last six decades. While they dread and hate the Muslim world and its citizen because of terrorism, they have never stopped supplying arms and weapons to them. WHY?

It is fascinating and an irony that today a Muslim Barack Hussein Obama is ruling the United States of America and is considered the most powerful man in the world. Did the Americans really thought backing Obama during his presidential election that one day, they would be ruled by a Muslim in their Christian world? A smile always arrives on my lips when I think about this. Isn’t it strange folks? Is it why Obama has cleared the bill to buy loyalties of the Taliban by offering them money? Points to ponder!

WHY SENIOR CRICKETERS DON’T LAMBAST SACHIN WHEN HE FAILS TO WIN MATCHES FOR INDIA? (6th Nov 2009, 1230 Hrs)

WHY SENIOR CRICKETERS DON’T LAMBAST SACHIN WHEN HE FAILS TO WIN MATCHES FOR INDIA? (6th Nov 2009, 1230 Hrs)

There is no doubt about Sachin’s greatness in World Cricket and I have never denied this fact. However, what is more surprising is that nowadays he is playing only for his own record rather than winning matches for his country. While there will be many in the world, who would disagree with my opinion but the fact cannot be denied that in this Australian series, Sachin has failed big time. His 175 couldn’t win India the match that was so much in our grasp, so what is the use of such greatness?

Mind you, he failed in the last four ODI scoring 4, 14, 32 and 40 runs consuming double number of balls. He failed in all the four occasions when Australian bowling line-up was good and pitches tested all the batsmen. He scored yesterday 175 on a batting pitch and when Australians didn’t had their best bowling attack. On top of that, once he had created his own records, he played such a stupid shot to get caught. So what is the use of such records and greatness when he couldn’t win the match for India?

Senior cricketers and media paint him to be the greatest and yes, he is when you look at his individual records. However, when you look at his overall records, he had scored when India loses the match and his numbers of successful innings are lesser as compared to the winners. It clearly shows his inclination that once his records are broken, he doesn’t care for team India. Surprisingly, yesterday only Kapil Dev was a little vocal on Aaj Tak about Sachin’s failure to win the match for India, otherwise, everyone has been singing praises for his 175 and 17000 runs. What a shame that the greatest batsman of World cricket can create individual records but cannot win a match for India. Truly disgusting indeed!

Heights of height, experts tell youngsters to emulate Sachin… that means everyone wants players who can create individual records and not bother about country’s win or loss. When you look back at Javed Miandad, his innings had always created wins rather than loss. Ponting too wins for Australia. Dhoni’s century won India the match. But Sachin’s 175??? India lost by just 3 runs, isn’t it a shame? On top of that he said – It was his best innings! Surely it was because he created multiple individual records against a poor Australian bowling attack and allowed India to lose the match and maybe even the series as Australia leads 3-2.

Four flop innings and one successful inning? I would differ though and consider it worst than his earlier four flop innings. At least, when he didn’t score, India won two out of the four outings. When he played, India lost!

Greatness is not about individual records but winning matches for India. Now that he has cemented his place with that century, one can expect Sachin not to score many runs in the last two ODIs. Thankfully, when he doesn’t score, India tends to win more matches than lose! I would pray that he fails in the next two ODIs, so that India can wrap up the series with 4-3 results!

DO THESE LEADERS REALLY CARE FOR OUR COUNTRY OR VOTERS? (3rd Nov 2009, 2105 Hrs)

DO THESE LEADERS REALLY CARE FOR OUR COUNTRY OR VOTERS? (3rd Nov 2009, 2105 Hrs)

No, they never have and they never will really care for the country or the voters. They are only worried about powerful seat, which will fetch them crores and crores for each signature on each file… the truth is known to one and all, yet like fools, the janta waste their precious time to stand in long queue each election day to cast their vote, in the hope against hope that at least one leader will be honest and will take care of their problems. The truth is just the opposite. No sooner the voters have cast their vote, their job is done and for leaders and parties, they become useless. It is here the fight or one can aptly say the duel begins for the highly lucrative ministry. The fight for power takes an ugly shape as leader wants the creamy portfolio or ministry, so that the next five years, they can loot the state treasury and central government’s aid… who really cares for the janta or public?

While none of the parties have charismatic honest leaders in their respective parties, they don’t hesitate to compromise on various terms and conditions before the election. We have seen how each one of them have made alliance with respective so-called like minded parties… Congress – NCP, Shiv Sena – BJP, etc etc… Once the election is over, the power is shown by blackmailing each other to occupy those creamy ministries for their respective leaders. After all, for five long years, they can suck royally blood of the respective ministry and aam janta… yes, they really don’t care about you, me or the nation! Why should they? After all they have become politicians just to suck blood of the nation, which includes you and me.

So who is at fault if the government has still not been formed after 13 days? It is ‘us’ my dear voters, who sincerely and honestly vote for respective leaders in a hope that every problems will be solved and we will live happily. Sadly, every party is the same and that is a pity in our nation. Whether it is Congress, BJP, NCP, Shiv Sena or else MNS… they will divide us, spread hatred among us, exploit us, rob us, suck our blood, use and throw us and come next election, they will be at our door to beg from us, our meaningless votes. Yes, while they show us a bright future and value of our vote, sadly, each precious vote becomes meaningless once the results are declared. The reason being, after the results are announced, there is no use of aam janta…

Party leaders will meet, lick each other’s, make deals and that is how the government is formed in our democracy. Who cares for the nation or the voters? As long as they get the respective ministry, they will not even shout or compromise on any thing less. Now take example of NCP, while they are demanding creamy ministry for their leaders, Congress is not willing to let that to happen, knowing pretty well that means, Congress leaders won’t be able to make the loot from non-creamy ministry. It is a shame that Congress leaders who claim to be austere are the most corrupt politicians of our country. Greed has made them sold their ‘conscience’ to such an extent that they will not even shed tears if they lose their father/mother/son/daughter or wife or husband… almost immediately they will fight for the seat… Imagine YSR Reddy’s death was announced and immediately his son started his campaign to be the next Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh - The reason being all those crores that one can loot from the treasure of aam janta’s hard earned money.

Well, the less said is the better because these corrupt politicians will even sell their own mother, forget the motherland. So next time during election, think and act accordingly – think every single vote is a total waste because ultimately various parties will fight for their own selfish motives, so why should you suffer in hot sun, long queue and waste your time. Let us see, how they can get the respective ministry if none of us vote them! Even though, aam janta has lots of power, because we are not united, we will keep seeing these politicians rule and loot us.