The recent developments in Afghanistan have made one thing very clear. WE ARE ILL PREPARED TO DEAL WITH SITUATION IN AFGHANISTAN. Be it Americans talking to the so called ‘good Taliban’ or be it the growing number of attacks on Indian establishments and citizens. We are just not ready. We did not know how to react to Americans talking to Taliban and we do not know how to deal with these attacks on our interests and our people. A lot of guys would say -”WHAT THE HELL! Why are we even bothered about Afghanistan? We have enough of our own problems to deal with.” We couldn’t be more wrong. There is a lot to fight for. Read on to find out what the stakes in Afghanistan are, as far as we are concerned.

Defining Physical Space

If you want to defeat any insurgency you need to define the physical space of that insurgency. By defining this physical space I imply that the geographical location of that particular insurgency needs to earmarked and all efforts should then be made to restrict it to that particular area only. If you do not do this you run the risk of letting the insurgency spread to the rest of the country with disastrous consequences.

To give an example, the way Russians localized the spread of Chechen insurgency before it spread its tentacles too deep in the rest of Russia shows that this is a very effective method of handling terrorism. Though it threatened to spread in the rest of Russia but before it could take a firm hold the Russians struck, although some might say rather ruthlessly.

Even Americans have succeeded in localizing this insurgency so as to leave it within Iraq, Afghanistan and Middle East, outside America so to speak. They have ensured that mainland America is kept safe and secure from this. On the face of it they might say that they will not tolerate terrorism at all but what they actually mean is that they will not tolerate terrorism within America. And thats defining its physical space, though slightly differently.

Sri Lanka too paid the price of failing to define the physical space of LTTE. And when they did it resulted in loss of thousands of innocent lives which could’ve been saved had they acted earlier.

Indian Context

As far as we are concerned we’ve been partially successful in this endeavor. We failed to define the physical space of terrorists in Kashmir with the result that it spread to large parts of our country. And by the time we realized this and deployed our forces it was too late. We now have a situation wherein our forces have indeed insulated Kashmir from all directions and from within as well with the result that today Kashmir is relatively a much safer place to live in than the rest of the country. Ironic, isn’t it?

Apart from Kashmir, we succeeded in defining the physical space of terrorists of Punjab and in the end were able to eradicate this menace from the state. We have also succeeded in localizing terrorists from North East with the result that though this menace has not been completely eradicated it is limited to that region only. As far as Maoists are concerned our reaction has been slow, as it was in Kashmir. We are only now starting to deal with them when they have spread to large parts of Jharkhand, West Bengal, Bihar, Chhatisgarh, Maharashtra and Orissa. Whether it is too late or just in the nick of time remains to be seen.

Pakistan’s Context

Taliban's area of influence in Pakistan. This was not suppose to happen.

As far as Pakis are concerned they had initially defined this space for extremists. Taliban was supposed to be in Afghanistan. LeT, JeM and the rest were supposed to be only in India. They were only supposed to provide support to them to sustain their operations. But 9/11 changed all that. The definition of physical space changed drastically, not for Paki authorities but for terrorists. Apart from doing so in Afghanistan, Taliban now had to exert its authority and show their presence within Pakistan as well. As a result Pakistan army too which was in the process of sustenance of these terrorists had to turn inwards to fight them, and still sustain them, however illogical it may sound.

Afghanistan’s context

NEWS-US-AFGHANISTAN-MAP, courtesy Long War Journal

The situation in Afghanistan is inextricably linked to the internal security situation here in India. Once Americans leave by the middle of next year, Taliban is sure to strike back. Lets have no doubts whatsoever about both these things- Americans are going to leave and that Taliban will strike back. In all likelihood Americans will leave behind a seemingly stable and viable state with possibly a weakened Taliban. Mind you, thats just a weakened Taliban and not a decimated Taliban. Once the Americans are off Taliban will slowly but surely regroup and strike back. Whether the international community (read Americans) will permit Afghanistan to fall back in the hands of Taliban is just a moot question at best. They may or they may not come to their assistance, who knows?

The physical space for Taliban and Al Qaeda currently is a large part of Afghanistan, particularly the Eastern and Southern sectors bordering Pakistan. Americans have indeed tried to shrink this space to a large extent but it will once again expand once they are gone, like I said earlier. Currently, Americans and certain other countries are heavily engaged in training the Afghan security forces so as to achieve a target of 250,000 to 300,000 soldiers by the time they are leaving. When they indeed leave Afghanistan there are four distinct possibilities which may crop up. They are listed below.

First. Taliban may spread out in relatively smaller numbers throughout Afghanistan and create terror thereby weakening the authority of Karzai govt. On the face of it, it is very much possible but this is not the best option for them.

Second. They may concentrate and launch strikes to grab large swathes of land like the Helmand province and cities like Kandahar and Herat. Lets have no doubt again, given their numbers they are quite likely to succeed. By rough estimates, there are anywhere between 20,000 to 25,000 fighters in their ranks. And 300,000 soldiers are insufficient to fight this strength of Taliban fighters, who in any case would be not so well trained and inexperienced to boot. Some would even say that Taliban fighters would be better trained than Afghan soldiers, and they would not be too off the mark in this assessment. Also, they may still be able to strike terror at numerous other places to undermine the authority of Hamid Karzai and his govt.

That would result in a kind of stalemate with Hamid Karzai on one side and Taliban on the other with clear lines of conflict drawn between them. Mind you, as long as Taliban is confined to a particular space this may be a perfectly acceptable situation to Americans. At this juncture there is a distinct possibility of third and the fourth situation.

Third. Hamid Karzai may offer to hold talks, this time with the bad Taliban. Americans may not like this and they may put pressure on Karzai to not to talk. He may or may not agree with that. After all he doesn’t really share a lovey dovey relationship with them. He may also invite Taliban to share power with him. It may be a long shot from where we are currently but if you really think about it, it is possible. Its his country and he decides whats best for him and his country. But this is not the worst situation. The next one is.

Fourth. When there is a stalemate between the two in Afghanistan Pakistan may start pushing Taliban for an all out march towards Kabul, with covert support in terms of weapons, ammunition etc. Egged on by Pakis Taliban will go for it. At this juncture Afghanistan may accuse Pakis of openly supporting Taliban following which Pakis can declare an all out war on Afghanistan. And they will win, no doubt about this. Americans may or may not intervene in this battle. And when Pakis win this battle who do you think will form the govt in Afghanistan? Of course, Taliban. And this is their over all aim of supporting Taliban in Afghanistan.

India’s Stakes

Like I said, you never know if Pakis continue supporting Taliban there might just be a war between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Notwithstanding all this, when Taliban have regrouped, alongwith fighting against Karzai they may well start infiltrating into India with the help of Pakis. We may be able to stop some but you cannot rule out the possibility of some of them succeeding into getting inside our country. We can also expect Osama bin Laden, Mullah Omar and Zawahiri sending out video clippings where they will claim some kind of victory over American withdrawal and point out their next target- INDIA.

As of now Al Qaeda and Taliban have not spread their tentacles within India because they are busy fighting Americans. But after this they will not only physically enter India but recruit many Indians who may do it for ideology or money or both. And we all know that there are thousands if not lakhs who are just waiting for this opportunity. And don’t forget the Maoists who already have a support structure in the country and who may extend their support to Al Qaeda and Taliban to fight the govt. And no, this is not too far fetched. Maoists too do not believe in our democracy and want to overthrow our govt, like Pakistan, Taliban and Al Qaeda. It will then be nearly impossible for us to keep these terrorists in their defined physical spaces. The lines will keep getting blurred and will eventually vanish.

Think again people, Maoists, LeT, JeM, Taliban and Al Qaeda all fighting hand in hand, against the Indian state. Also, Pakistan too, in all likelihood, will join the party and may go for an all out war, in which case our security forces will hardly be in a position to handle all these forces simultaneously. Also, you cannot say for sure that in such a scenario if China will remain just a mute spectator. In fact, they may attack us before the Pakis do. Not to forget that there are thousands of extremists in our North Eastern states as well who want to break away from India. You can well imagine what will happen after that. CHAOS, THOUSANDS OF INNOCENTS INCLUDING WOMEN AND CHILDREN WILL BE KILLED AND INDIA WILL COLLAPSE. And that is Pakistan’s second aim of supporting Taliban- To use them to bleed our country and finally defeat us in a conventional war.

Let us not live in a fool’s paradise because this is a stark reality and there is no denying this fact that there is indeed such a possibility. Yes, this may be the worst case scenario and may take a couple of years to happen but don’t we have to be prepared for the worst case scenario too? As the doomsday sayers say, if it can happen, it will happen. We therefore cannot let things be but be prepared for it. And time is fast running out for us.

No, we cannot let Afghanistan slip into chaos once again. The last time when Taliban was in power in Afghanistan Al Qaeda executed 9/11 against America. This time it will be against us and possibly much more catastrophic than 9/11.

I’m not even talking about economic factors here which in itself are quite compelling as India is in the process of investing heavily in Afghanistan to upgrade their infrastructure. For this purpose we have so far put in nearly 1.5 billion dollars into their economy. This includes highways, power projects, Parliament building etc. Pertinent to mention that Afghanistan has very large reserves of natural resources like iron ore, copper, gold and other minerals but most of all, it has a very large reserve of natural gas, more than half of what India does. You would agree that in today’s world oil is something which is worth fighting for. China is already in the process of tapping these resources and once Americans are gone they will pursue their interests even more vigorously. Taliban may not exactly be fond of Chinese because of their (Chinese) clamping down on Uighur Muslims but Pakis are sure to influence their (Taliban’s) opinion on this issue. Not too forget that we already have 4000 Indians who are currently working on various infrastructure and training projects in Afghanistan who need to be protected too.

For purists there is yet another factor- Cultural affinity. We’ve had good relations with Afghan people for centuries and we consider them as our friends. To let them go down in this manner would be a terrible shame for us.

Having said what I have, as you can very well see even if we leave aside economic and cultural reasons, the reason of national security alone is enough for us to come up with a plan to ’save’ Afghanistan and in the bargain, us.

So what can we do? How can we ensure that Afghanistan does not fall back into the hands of Taliban? One very simple option which has been discussed by media and some experts as well has been to send a force to Afghanistan to fight alongside Americans and Afghans. Some have even given a number to it- 100,000. Frankly, this is the easiest but the costliest option for quite a few reasons. Firstly, according to some estimates there are nearly 20,000 to 25,000 militants who make up the Taliban. Ask any military specialist and he’ll tell you that 100,000 troops are insufficient to fight these numbers. Pertinent to mention that NATO forces in Afghanistan currently fighting Taliban are more than this and they are still losing. Also, there are just about a few hundred terrorists in Kashmir today and to deal with these numbers Indian army has more than 400,000 soldiers deployed there. And we are winning this battle, though only of late.

So do we send our troops to Afghanistan or not? Is that the only answer to this imbroglio? Well, all I’d say is that this not the only answer. Not as of now. There are many other things which we can do to keep this situation under control, our control that is. More about this in my next post which I will write shortly.

Thank you Sonia!!!!

Don’t start celebrating yet, gals. This is just the first hurdle which has been cleared. There are many more. The Lok Sabha has to pass it which is going to be an even more grueling contest between supporters and non supporters of this bill. The bill also has to be passed by respective state assemblies to finally become an act. And then will come the final question of implementation. As you can see it has a long way before we can start rejoicing. Nonetheless, a good start. Being a woman I’ve all the reason to feel good about this bill which now has a real probability to become a reality.

Though I’m not exactly her biggest fan but you have to grant it to Sonia Gandhi for having persisted with her promise. Guys, take a minute and think about it. It took a woman who was not even an Indian to start with to push this bill to fruition. No party, not even her own, had the gumption to do this till such time Sonia herself put her foot down. And she rightly deserves all the kudos for having achieved what even people like Vajpayee could not. It remains to be seen how and when her party will take the next steps necessary to make this bill an act. More importantly, it also remains to be seen how she reigns in people like Mamata Bannerjee within her own cabinet who oppose the bill in its current form, not to talk of Lalu, Mulayam and Sharad Yadav who have openly revolted against her as also people like Mayawati who have been not so vocal in their opposition.

Having said this, it would be in order to talk about issues which these people are raising. Should Muslims and Dalits be given a quota within this quota? Well, on this score my answer is a flat NO. The reasons are far too many.

1. If you really think that by further giving a quota within this quota the poorest of Dalits and Muslims will start getting elected to our Parliament and Assemblies, please think again. Parties will still only give tickets to women who have a clout and are financially sound. To expect anything else would be rather naive on our part.

2. Even ideally, if for a moment, we think that these poor women were to be indeed elected I’d damned if our highest governing bodies were to be made up of women who are absolutely illiterate and work as maids or do some such menial jobs. I really do not have anything against them but they do not have the aptitude or ability for this job, not as of now at least. As for my maid, I’m thankful to God if she completes my household chores satisfactorily, leave aside managing the country. This is not to say that Dalits or people like my maid should not get elevated to such positions at all. They should but only after they’ve been given the right kind of education and are able enough to handle this very important portfolio. It is for this reason that I say that they should be given quotas in education, not in governance. You might say that the same logic applies to SC/ST who have already been given this quota. Yes, for sure but if you have made this mistake once does it mean you have to compound your follies? Yes, there shouldn’t be any reservations based on caste, color or creed in the governing bodies. But this bill is thankfully not about any caste or creed. It is about one half of Indian population. Personally, it is about me and my two daughters.

3. Again ideally, if for a moment, we say that these poor destitute women from Muslim and Dalit communities should indeed be given a quota we can be rest assured that they would be mere pawns in the hands of their male political bosses who would use them just to win elections and vote according to party whips. Nothing more. Their own contribution and opinions would be zilch, which they would be incapable of delivering n any case, like I said earlier.

4. If parties like SP, RJD and JD(U) are so vociferous about demands for quota for these people why didn’t they themselves give tickets to women from these communities in last so many elections that they have been contesting? It is ridiculous to ask for such a thing if they themselves have not been adhering to it. Yes, Congress, BJP and Left parties too are guilty of this but they are now making amends for their past whereas these people are not and are only playing for their vote banks.

5. If you talk of reservations for Muslims why not for Sikhs, Christians and the rest? They too have very poor sections within their community. As you can see there is no end to it. You give it to one and there will be hundred others asking for the same. The answer is quite simple- Don’t give it to anyone.

6 The British too introduced Minto-Morley reforms in 1909 where they propagated separate electorates for Muslims but it was rightfully done away with at the time of independence because both Gandhi and Nehru were against it. Gandhi was even against communal awards for Dalits which the British tried to introduce in India but were  taken back after Gandhi’s staunch opposition. If Gandhi, who was the champion for Dalit and minority causes, was against it I’m sure he knew what’s good for the country and its people.

7. Women, from any class they may be from, are more likely to transcend caste inequalities, more so an educated and capable women. A poor and uneducated woman, on the other hand, would find it very difficult. Also, women from any caste or creed are less likely to be criminal and are unlikely to indulge in practices which we have seen in Parliament yesterday.

8. Barrack Obama did not become the President of United States on account of any reservations. He became the President on account of his capabilities and that too at just 44 years of age. And those of you who say that this India we are talking about, I wonder what you have to say about Mayawati? She did not become the Chief Minister on account of just reservations. Not that that I’m a big fan of hers but she reached where she has because of her capabilities.

The only argument in favor of Muslim and Dalit women is that if SC/ST have been given a quota they too should be, as I said earlier. Well, if that be so why not give them this quota out of existing SC/ST quota? But unfortunately, these parties have not said anything of this kind only because that would not be politically correct. They do not want to be seen saying anything which might hurt their votebanks, even if it is correct.

Be that as it may, the bill has been cleared by Rajya Sabha, to start with. Both Lalu and Mulayam have also toned down their opposition from yesterday. They are not talking of bringing down the govt anymore. I wonder what has made them do so? Probably, because Lalu has realized that he has eight women at home (wife and seven daughters) and Mulayam has just lived upto his name, ie gone Mulayam.

And before I sign off, here’s a moot question. Apart from the men in general who are the people who would be adversely affected by this bill?  Simple- EUNUCHS, because as per Election Commission’s guidelines they are neither considered male nor female but have been categorized as ‘others’. And this bill is for women’s reservation not for ‘others’. Sadly, they will have to keep fighting in the open category. My heartfelt sympathies to them!!!!!!!! And if you guys think that I’m joking, I’m not. There are 1.2 million of these people who are called ‘others’.

4.15 PM. I wanted to wait for the Women’s Bill to be tabled, discussed and passed in the Rajya Sabha before I chose to write about it but decided to write about it when I saw my stats which said that hundreds of people have come to this site looking for my comments on this subject.

RJD and SP have withdrawn support and their Rajya Sabha MPs have openly said that they will do anything implying physical disruption to stop the bill from being passed. After initial hesitation JD(U) has come around to supporting it thanks to Nitish Kumar. While there is no doubt that Lalu and Mulayam Singh do have a right to protest and they may have some logic in their argument as well but frankly speaking, their protests have very little to do with logic or their good wishes for women of Muslim community or Dalits for that matter, whose cause they seem to be espousing. Both these parties are down in the dumps in their respective states. Their traditional voters, ie, Muslims for SP and Dalits and Muslims for RJD are deserting them in hordes. To show these castes that they are the true champions for their cause these people are doing what they are doing. Moreover, if they really wanted to do good they could have let the bill pass in its current form and then asked for it to be amended to include quota for these communities within the number of seats for women.

Also, if quota for Dalits was exactly the issue why haven’t we seen Mayawati championing their cause? After all she’s a Dalit and a woman too. Well, she’s much smarter than Mulayam and Lalu put together. She had initially opposed this bill but now nothing much is being heard from her. She will extract her pound of flesh after this bill. With withdrawal of support of SP and RJD who have 25 MPs Congress will now depend on BSP from now on to survive in Parliament.

Congress seems in a very poor position. No home work had been done on how to control the passage of bill despite having support of BJP and the requisite numbers required for this purpose. A very sad display of how a handful of MPs with ulterior motives can hold the entire country at ransom. More later in the day……….

6.00 PM 09 Mar 10.  I’ve indeed been surprised. Congress has saved its face for now. The bill has been passed in Rajya Sabha. Can they now see this bill through the Lok Sabha? More about this later…………………

I know I just wrote about MF Hussain and some of his blasphemous paintings in my post Insensitivities of MF Hussain but the way the debate has been going on in the media has forced me to write on this very relevant issue once again. It was really very painful to see some very prominent persons from the world of art and culture justify what Hussain has done. It doesn’t really matter whether they Hindus or Muslims or Christians. What matters is that they said quite categorically that NUDITY HAS BEEN PART OF INDIAN CULTURE FROM TIMES IMMEMORIAL. They said that we could take a look at Ajanta-Ellora cases or even Khajuraho for that matter and see for ourselves how nudity has been used aesthetically in scultures. By that yardstick, they said, that Hussain had not done anything wrong. What crap!!

Firstly, weren’t Khajuraho temples constructed nearly a thousand years ago and Ajanta-Ellora caves even before that? Times have indeed changed since then and a proof of that is that we no longer roam around in just lungis anymore. I’m sure MF Hussain and his friends must’ve noticed this subtle change which has taken place. But they still don’t realize that art and its definition too has to change and should reflect the times that we live in.

Secondly, why has he painted only Hindu Gods in the nude? Why not Buddha, Guru Nanak or someone else? (Pertinent to mention that nude Buddha is indeed worshiped in some parts of the world) Quite simply because he thought that he would get away with this because we are a tolerant and subservient lot. And may be we are.

Thirdly, if those sculptures in Ajanta-Ellora and Khajuraho were indeed nude, they were made so out of reverence for these deities and not for anything else. Moreover, being topless was not such big thing as it is today.

These detractors further add that Hussain has been hired by Qatar to paint the evolution of Arab civilization which clearly shows the kind of respect he has even in the Muslim world. Moreover, they say, in these paintings he will have to depict Prophet in some form or the other. Lets be candid about it. He may be insensitive towards our feelings but he’s not stupid. If indeed he has to depict Prophet while describing the evolution of Arabs most likely it will be in some form of light or a shadow where you can’t define it as a mortal form. And lets not forget that Qatar officials and govt must’ve briefed him on this issue. I mean, Hussain is only painting it. They will be the property of Qatar govt and they have to survive in the Muslim world. So don’t expect Hussain to do what the Danes did. He won’t.

Another very dangerous aspect which not many people are talking about is that MF Hussain has actually dodged or fooled our judicial system by fleeing from India. It quite clearly shows that he did not have faith in our judicial system or our govt. If he was so sure of his artistic freedom he should’ve fought for it. But he didn’t. Also, it must be said that those who have been offended by his paintings have a right to feel so. Just as Hussain has a right to paint what he must. By that analogy, they too need to be given justice.

There is yet another facet to this whole debate. While Muslim fundamentalists are quite vocal about their feelings whenever they are offended by something or someone like Taslima Nasreen, they have not spoken about this issue at all. We may say- “How the hell are they bothered? It doesn’t really affect them”. Yes, it doesn’t concern them directly. But hypothetically, if some prominent Muslims like Vice President Hamid Ansari or may be columnist like MJ Akbar or even any Muslim organization were to say that it is incorrect on the part of Hussain to have hurt the feelings of Hindus in such a manner, wouldn’t it go a long way in building bridges between the two communities? I think it would. I’m not really sure of Hamid Ansari but MJ Akbar very well can. Lets see if he does. As for Muslim organizations, well, your guess is as good as mine. Nonetheless, this is an opportunity which can be gainfully exploited to serve a bigger purpose.

But this not just about Hindus and Muslims. It is about being able to live together peacefully. You don’t really have to be a rocket scientist to see that what you are doing is going to hurt the sentiments of a particular community. If Muslims feel bad about Prophet being painted, don’t paint him. Similarly, don’t draw or paint anything which might hurt other religious beliefs. Whats so difficult to understand in that simple logic? Even my eight year old daughter understands this much. She may not yet understand all the reasons behind these beliefs but she still knows these basics.

On the face of it any secular person would exonerate MF Hussain from any wrongdoing whatsoever. It would really cringe our hearts if an artist of his caliber were to be prosecuted or harassed in any manner, least of all by Hindu fundamentalists. But thats just on the face of it. If you look deep inside there is indeed a lot for Hindus to really feel bad about the insensitivities on the part of the painter. I would call them insensitivities but you guys are your own judges. So take your pick after reading the post.

There is little doubt about the fact that MF Hussain is a gifted artist. Even Hindu fundamentalists would agree with that. But artists too have to know their limits. Just take a look at these pictures.

Thats the Hindu deity Durga, in his own words, and nude. Here’s another one. Thats another Hindu deity Laxmi sitting on the shoulders of Lord Ganesh, and again nude. Here’s yet another one.

Thats Saraswati, considered the God of knowledge by Hindus, depicted in the nude. Take a look at this one.

Thats a painting depicting a nude Sita sitting with Ravana who is possibly nude too. Well these are just some of the blasphemous paintings. There are many more. You can check them all out here. Is it therefore any wonder that there are well over 900 judicial cases pending against his name in various courts of the country? Pertinent to mention that apart from Hindu deities he has drawn paintings which are offensive to not just Hindus but Indians in general as well. Take a look.Thats the way he has portrayed Bharat Mata, in the nude, with possibly a nude brahmin in the background. But this is not the worst. This one below is.

A naked Hindu but a fully clothed Muslim, possibly. What is Hussain trying to show here? That Hindus are possibly, intellectually and financially, bankrupt as compared to Muslims or something to that effect? I mean you really have to be quite insensitive to draw such paintings where you are openly biased against a religion. If not, why has he not drawn a painting of Prophet, even fully clothed? Is it because Hindus are more tolerant than Muslims who would’ve possibly issued a fatwa against him had he done so?

Just pick up today’s newspapers and you’ll see that people have been killed in rioting in Shimoga in Karnataka, just because Bangladeshi writer Tasleema Nasreen has reportedly written an article in a Karnataka daily against use of the veil by Muslim women.  One one hand you have a situation wherein just a small inconsequential remark has led to an uproar in which people are being killed and on the other hand you expect Hindus to consider these paintings as just creative genius of an artist. I’m definitely not saying that Hindus should also start killing or rioting against these paintings of Hussain. I’m also not saying that current violence against Tasleema Nasreen is correct. What I’m saying is that this shows that just because Hindus are a tolerant lot does not mean that anyone should be so insensitive towards their feelings. And it is not just Hindu fundamentalists and me who are saying this even painters like Satish Gujral, in reference to Hussain’s paintings, have said that artists should know where to draw the line.

But tell you what? I do not want this to be a Hindu vs Muslim argument. And thats because, to be fair to Hussain, he has even rubbed Muslim fundamentalists the wrong way when he used versus of Quran in a song in his 2004 movie Meenaxi: Tale of three cities in praise of the leading lady of the movie, Tabu in this case. The movie had to be withdrawn from theaters because of this reason. Suffice to say that these guys are not exactly Hussain’s best friends either.

Recently when the govt of Qatar granted Hussain their citizenship without him having even asked for it the govt on its part said the most politically correct thing which they could say- MF Hussain is the pride of India. And he may well be that and more despite these ‘transgressions’. Also, it would be absolutely politically incorrect for our govt to quash all these 900 cases against him because that would offend Hindus, and not just these 900 who are directly involved in these cases.

It is for this reason that I say that if Hussain indeed were not to come back to India it would be best for not just him but for Indian govt and art as well. Because if he came back and if he were to be put behind bars on account of a conviction in any one of those 900 cases, despite all his insensitivities, it would be a very sad day for all of us.

As always, Holi brought a riot of colors not just to our lives but more importantly to our bathrooms as well. Because by the time we finished having our baths today the loos were a complete mess, as you can very well imagine. Even the soaps have become unusable. Hahaha!!! Jokes apart, on a more serious note(?) Holi, though slightly different for us from last time, was great fun nonetheless. I say different because after having moved to our new house it was no longer possible to go to our parent’s places because they are rather too far now. Instead, we got together with all our friends and had a blast. All of us assembled in a swimming pool and as you can guess most of us got wet, though not me.

No sooner had we reached the location than we were attacked by friends who did not waste any time in transforming us from our decent selves into indecent looking rogues.

Unrecognisable, within moments of our arrival

Even Aleena was not spared, as you can see. Then followed a round of beers with Manish downing more than a few.

Quite happy after a few bottles of beer

Even Aleena wanted to have one.

Should I or should I not?

And she was not the only one to feel bad at having been given an empty bottle.

Like I said, this guy wants a beer too

As for Mansie, she was in the pool throughout the party.

She had a whale of a time

And so were all her friends.

Thankfully, the pool was only half full

But this is not the best. The best was this guy.

He forgot how to salute

Our Nigerian friend too had a great time for whom it was a first.

A perfect shot for Colgate ad

And there was splash of silver too.

These two brothers are getting it good from their mom today, for sure

Or may be from the father, mothers were guilty too.

Who was having beers among the two?

And I lost track of Manish in all this chaos. When I found him, he was in the pool with the gang.

Thats him in the grey shirt

But what the hell, its Holi. And so I let him have a ball. And alls well that ends well.

Don't miss the little one behind, the one who was not given a beer. He's still pretty angry.

HAPPY HOLI GUYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Getting into a house is an experience in itself. As soon you enter the new house you feel you are intruding into someone else’s domain, as there are still some tell tale signs of the previous occupant. Everything about the house is new and unknown and you look at everything very critically, the first few minutes. Once you move to the bedroom or the kitchen, the two most important parts of any household, your mind automatically starts visualizing where you are going to place what. And as your future bedroom or kitchen virtually appears before you, you start connecting with the house. The condition of the house is another factor which helps in connecting with it. If its neat, the connection is instant, but if on the other hand the house has been left in a shabby condition by the previous occupant, you really take time in envisioning  the house as your future abode. I have been quite lucky so far to get clean houses. But then I always make it a point to leave behind a neat and clean house, whenever we shift. So I guess if we do good, somewhere in some form it comes back to you. Having seen the house and deciding to shift in was a very easy job. The real action follows after that….?????? In shifting from one house to another, one does get uprooted for a couple of days, hence the urgency to settle down into the new one.

So, once we moved backed to my mom’s house to decide on the date to shift in, Mansie and Manish starting making a list of what they wanted to be opened immediately as we moved into our new home. Aleena also joined them and made some suggestions with her actions and baby-talk. And really their suggestions were very passionate and personal and each one wanted his/her whole stuff to be opened first, right away.  Manish wanted all his clothes, shoes, books, music system and not to forget his golf-set opened, right away!!! Mansie too wanted all her clothes, shoes, toys, story-books, computer and her personal diaries (she has one for every month) and her barbie-sets opened right away!!! Aleena also made some noises, which probably implied what she wanted, which I guess could not be more than her toys and food, right away!!! I also would have loved to open up my lap-top, get internet connection and get down to work, right away, but……I guess in these situation the home-maker in me came to the fore-front and vetoed everybody’s suggestion. As a home-maker, I felt that in any household to be functional, at the very onset, you need to have your kitchen, bedroom and bathroom operational, along with few sets of clothes. The rest could follow. Nooooooooooooo!!!!!! was the reaction of my kids and hubby, but that’s the power of a home-maker. What’s got to be, got be.

Despite great resistance for my ideas, it being a weekend, everybody got together to help out in setting the basics to have the house going.  Wow!!! I love my family.  No matter what, we were into this together and it was great fun doing it together, though there were moments when Aleena and Mansie would get distracted and start playing hide-n-seek behind the boxes and cartons. That was still okay but sometimes I would open a cupboard to keep my clothes and eeeeeeeks!!! find Mansie hiding inside. Hahahahaha!!! She would be very pleased at the thought of having scared me. This commotion would reach Aleena’s tender ears and she would come running. Bhaaaoooo!!! was her reaction on seeing Mansie, meaning I have caught you. Me and hubby enjoyed these interruptions for a while as a respite from all the unpacking. But the girls took it as a sign of approval and went on and on till they were firmly told-STOP IT!!!! Amongst all this chaos we managed to have our kitchen, bedroom and both the loos functional, though it took two full days…..PHEW!!!!!

Then came the bombshell, from Mansie’s side!! She wanted to celebrate her birthday, which was just three days away, in a proper manner, in this house. And she had a guest-list of 30-odd people. GREAT!!! We had barely moved in and more than half the stuff was packed and she wanted a party. I looked at my hubby for support and he said “Ya, why not”? If after a decade of marriage a couple could misunderstand each other, well then this was just the right example. I do not mind a party but then let’s be prepared for it first. Except for the two rooms rest of the house was bare and we needed to put up curtains, wall pieces, open up carpets, crockery, crystal, get decent potted plants and various other nick-knacks before we could throw a party. But NOOOOOO!!! Mansie was adamant and her tears moved us to agree for the party. Easier said than done.

Now my mind was running in two different directions one to get the house in order and the other to organise a birthday party. GAWD!!! help me. And each was hindering the other. Mansie was more than eager to help out with her party preparation. That was very sweet but not when you are running against time. She still wrote her invitation, went to the length of delivering them, decided on the return gifts and turned around to remind me that I was very slow in getting the house ready. REALLY!!! Well sweetie, you please do not rub me the wrong side now!!! Here I was trying my level best to give her a decent party and she had the gumption to tell me that I was slow. Manish also, trying to put in his bit, got a carpenter, electrician, plumber, tailor, gardner, cook etc to help me out. The only problem was they all arrived at the same time, were all over the house and each one had to be told individually after couple of minutes to do what, next? MAN!!! I just went beserk handling these guys. And as luck would have it they came after the cleaner had left. These so called “help” guys literally left their footprints all over, much to my dismay. Minor stuff to put up with, if you want some work done, I guess. With my house resonating to the sound of hammers, clamps, cutters, saws, drill and sewing machines and a lot more, thing were finally falling into their respective places. Now the house was looking just the way I wanted it to look…welcoming and warm.

The terrace also beautifully decorated with bunches of balloons and streamers also had an inviting look. With the return gifts all packed, chocolate iced cake in the fridge, other eats ready, music flowing at loud volume, we were ready to rooooooll!! Mansie wore her red gown and looked pretty! Her friends and few teachers gave her gifts and wished her. She was evidently very happy with all the attention she was getting. They played games and were ready to cut the cake and give Mansie birthday bumps, which Mansie  was eagerly waiting for. After the eats were polished off, the kids were interested in getting and opening their return-gifts. Mansie too after bidding good bye to her friends quickly ran to her room to open her gifts. While me and my hubby had a piece of her birthday cake, we could hear her exclaiming with joy. She ran out to hug us and say that this was the best birthday party she has had. We smiled to ourselves more for having shifted and finally having settling down. It was definitely not an easy job with two small kids but Mansie’s happiness wiped away all my tiredness. Then Manish dropped another bombshell- WHEN SHOULD WE HAVE OUR HOUSE WARMING PARTY? Gawd!!!! NO!!!! Please help me. Please!!!!!

Well, its over and done with. Salman Bashir came to India, met Nirupama Rao, addressed a press conference and went back. No joint statement but just polite handshakes, some smiles and thats it. Well, the meeting achieved what it was supposed to achieve, nothing. Nothing new came out of the meeting. No fresh ideas, no change from respective pre-stated positions, in fact nothing at all to write home about (OOOPS! Why the hell am I writing about it then?). What we heard were the same old statements emanating from both sides with India harping that terror must stop and Pakistan saying Kashmir first. To be candid it was expected. No body expects anything anymore to come out of Indo-Pak talks, especially this one coming as it did after Mumbai was attacked fourteen months ago. Nonetheless, aim achieved. Yes, aim achieved. More about this later in this post.

Even though the meeting did not go beyond expected lines the entire episode of these talks has brought to the fore some very clear facts once again. Once we had announced that we want to talk, albeit under American pressures, we expected Pakistani establishment to tone down their aggressive rhetoric which they very often use to gain political mileage both within and without Pakistan. But that did not happen. No sooner than we had announced our intentions to talk that we had their foreign minister Mahmoud Qureshi belittling us for having made this offer. He made it look like India had gone down on its knees in requesting them to talk to us. The Indian govt, on its part, dismissed this as one stupid act by someone who wants to score brownie points at home.

But then something else happened. On 04 Feb 10 the banned JuD, a front organization for LeT, held a meeting in Muzaffarabad in POK, with other terrorist organizations where they made statements like-ITS FAIR TO ATTACK PLACES LIKE PUNE, INDORE, KANPUR etc. Immediately after this on 06 Feb 10 they organized a rally in Lahore where they openly made statements like - ONE MUMBAI IS NOT ENOUGH. What is so completely baffling is how can the Pakistani establishment allow fundamentalists to openly preach about killing innocents in India, right under their very nose? And that too by a banned organization? Or may be it is not so baffling after all. May be these rallies show the true intent of Pakistani establishment. To kill Indian innocents so that Indian govt actually does go down on its knees. Its just that that they cannot say it themselves. And they don’t have to either. Fundamentalists are saying it on their behalf, and doing it too with their help, of course.

Then, Pune was indeed attacked and we are still counting the dead even today. Yes, it was not as severe as Mumbai but that was their aim. Not to bleed us profusely but to inflict another cut. Another stab wound after Mumbai 26/11 would’ve invited trouble, more than what they can handle. In India, there were some muted calls to call off the dialogue. But Manmohan did not. Even after three major provocations he held still. He showed the world (Read Americans) what they wanted to see. The meeting may not have achieved anything but it showed the world that India was more than ready to talk to Pakistan, if it stopped exporting terror. That achieved, its now time to take stock and move forward.

The very fact that despite our intention to normalize relations Pakistan still does not seem to be doing anything substantial against terrorists, is a sure sign for us to move on and be prepared to explore other options. Like I said in my post To talk or not to talk, there is no meeting ground for the two countries. We want them to stop exporting terror but they want to discuss Kashmir first or in other words they want Kashmir. So whats the point of meeting anyways? After having showed the world that we are indeed ready for dialogue it is now time for us to dig our heels in. No further talks till terror indeed stops. Yes, I did advocate reaching out to Pakistani citizens in my post Is it Pakistan vs Hindus?, but I guess it will have to wait till we get a clear indication from their govt about their intention to improve relations with us. Merely saying it is not enough.

The options that we have are many, besides launching an all out attack, the first one being scrapping of Indus Water Treaty. One more terrorist attack and we would indeed need to show our resolve. And scrapping of this treaty is one surefire way of telling them that we mean business. As it is they have said that they need more water from rivers which flow from India into their territory. If we really abrogate this treaty it would not be India but Pakistan who would be on its knees. And we would’ve achieved this without even firing a shot. Even sounding them on these lines about our intention to abrogate this Treaty in the event of another attack or even if they do not punish likes of Hafiz Saeed, Lakhvi and others who are freely roaming around preaching violence against Indian citizens, would serve as a clear indicator that ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. There are other methods too but one step at a time is what we need to take.

Before I sign off I would like to point out what Salman Bashir said in the press conference when he was asked about those anti India rallies being held by a banned organization- I’m not qualified to answer that question. What a stupid joke it was! Pakistan had sent an unqualified person to India for talks. But that raises another question- Who the hell in Pakistan is qualified enough to talk on behalf of the entire Pakistani establishment? If the answer to that question is General Kiyani, should we indeed be talking to him instead of these politicians and bureaucrats who in any case are just stooges? Or some of his corps commanders? Or some Brigadier? Or a Colonel even? Crazy!!

Yes, I saw one God yesterday. He plays for the Indian cricket team and goes by the name of Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar for lesser mortals like you and me. To expect me to do justice to such a genius in one small post would itself be injustice to both Sachin and me. And in any case Gods don’t need us to praise them. If anything it is the other way round. We are the ones who need Gods. You can very well imagine what Indian cricket would’ve been without this one God.

When he scored the double hundred yesterday against bowlers like Dale Steyn who were clocking 150kmph I was on the edge my seat. The entire innings epitomized what Sachin is known for. His tenacity, shot selection and the way he dismissed genuine pacers with disdain symbolized the kind of confidence and freedom that Sachin enjoys at the moment. I say freedom because this Indian team is no longer a team which only revolves around Sachin alone. Gone are the days when after Sachin there was no one who could bat and the team collapsed like a pack of cards, as we have all seen happen on numerous occasions (Read my post God of nineteen runs). That is what has given him the freedom to play the way he did yesterday. Also, if Sachin achieved whatever he has while being under that onerous pressure and bearing all the responsibility even before this double hundred it only shows the mettle that Gods are made of. And yesterday the God exceeded his own limits.

Yes, when you are 36 your body has certain limits to which it can go to. You can only run so much, you can only be alert so much and you can only bat so much. But not Sachin. Batting continuously for four long hours even as you score at more than run a ball to reach 200 is by no means an ordinary feat. And if you consider that Sachin achieved this feat when he is 36 years old speaks volumes of the kind of cricketer he is. How many others have come even remotely close to this when they are 36. Well, forget it. The very fact that he’s the only one on this planet to have achieved this feat proves that there has been no one else in his class. Yes, Sir Don Bradman did  score a century when he came back from retirement at 40 years of age but that was in a test match where the pace of scoring done or required is not what it is in a one day match. Anyone who feels otherwise has either not played cricket or does not know how your body behaves at 36 years of age. Yeah, I know this because I’m indeed 36 (OOOPS!!).

Having said this I would like to add that Sachin has indeed set his sights firmly on the cricket world cup to be held next year. With the kind of batsmen we have in our line up which includes Sehwag, Gambhir, Raina, Yuvraj, Pathan and Dhoni with the tail enders too capable of chipping in with the bat Sachin may be more than justified in his aspiration to realize this long elusive dream. The only factor which goes terribly against us is our lackluster bowling attack. Apart from Zaheer Khan there is no other bowler of repute who can swing the ball the way Zaheer does or can bowl at 140 kmph. Ishant, Praveen, Nehra or Sreesanth are just not match winners, at the moment, given the way they are currently bowling.

Though Gods don’t really need help to realize what they wish to but if you are a God only of lesser mortals like you and me I guess you will need the others too to do their jobs. Like I said in my post God of nineteen runs we may need another God if we really want to win the world cup. A God who can shoulder this responsibility alongwith Sachin and be hungry enough to realize his dream.

The recent incidents of violence perpetrated by Maoists have brought to the fore the ironies of our society as well as our govt which are so stark in nature that they compel us to take a re- look at our civilization in general and its ridiculous system of treatment of its various components. Check them out.

The first irony

The first irony is the way we treat our women. In the first instance there is a policeman who beats up a dalit woman in UP in full glare of a video camera, as if he couldn’t care for the rest of the world. Check out this video.

In the second instance we have a Cobra eyed dalit woman Jagari Baskey leading the charge on a police station in Silda in West Bengal, almost simultaneously. To my mind this attack was symbolically a sort of revenge by oppressed women against those in power. This is not to say that Maoists are justified in killing those 24 policemen in Silda but it does bring this irony to the fore. The beating up of dalit woman also shows why women have taken to arms and are joining Maoists in the first place. This is the exact injustice that these Maoists are fighting against.  As they say- Hell has no wrath like a woman scorned, and like I said, a Cobra eyed dalit woman. Have a look at this report of Times Now.

The second irony

Diary of Suraj Thapa, with a bullet hole

The second irony is the fact that West Bengal Chief Minister Budhadeb Bhattacharya said in the news conference which was held in the aftermath of the attack on Silda that he would check whether there was any intelligence failure or whether there was any prior information of this attack. Well, this statement seems quite ridiculous when you read the diary and letters of the police constable Suraj Bahadur Thapa who died in this attack (Check out this report on Indian Express). In an unfinished and unposted letter to his wife he says

“Mera yahaan har samay jaan ka khatra rahta hai, kab kahin kuchh bhi ho sakta hai… duty pe jaan haath mein leke chalna parta hai…”

Well, do you really require anymore intelligence inputs than this? And if a constable of the police station knew about the kind of threat that they face isn’t it really ironic that Budhadeb Bhattacharya says that he will still see if there was any intelligence failure or not? He can keep seeing whatever he wants to now but the fact remains that this threat is real and his govt is ill prepared to deal with it. As if to substantiate what Suraj Thapa had to say the Maoists literally blew a bullet hole through his diary. Yeah, what an irony, again!

The third irony

Well, the third irony is that from all accounts it is amply clear that Maoists are better trained than our policemen. They say that Jagari Baskey is so well trained that she can load one rifle with one hand while firing another rifle with the second hand. As for our policemen, we should be thankful if they can load their rifles using both their hands. Thats the level of training they have. It is for this reason that Maoists are able to defeat them in their own backyard, over and over again. No one in the police or political establishment ever talks about this issue, knowing fully well that this is their own fault.

This brings us to the next question of police reforms. Please note, my friends, that Indian Police Act is of 1861 vintage, which the Prime Minister has himself said was legislated to protect the establishment, not the people. Quite obviously, what else could anyone expect from the British? But why has this act not been replaced even after sixty years of independence is anyone’s guess. Or may be it has not been amended for the same reason, to protect the establishment. Though there have been numerous cases and PILs which have been filed by individuals and retired officials but nothing has come of it so far. So much so that even Supreme Court rulings in this regard have been ignored by the most states and the central govt too is reluctant to carry out the necessary reforms.

The fourth irony

To be candid the fourth irony is more stark than all the others. While we expect Pakistan to act against LeT, JeM and other such terrorist organisations operating from Pakistan to create terror in India our own political leaders are reluctant to act against Maoists who are nothing but terrorists, in my view. They may have a just cause or they may basically be Hindus but their methods are wrong. If killing innocent villagers, govt officials/ policemen and detonating bombs is not terrorism, what is? If this is indeed terror why is our response to these activities any different than what it is against LeT, JeM, HUJI and others? Is it because Maoists are not exactly demanding a separate country, yet? Or is it because they are also fulfilling some political objectives of certain politicians?

Also, I would like to ask parties like BJP who have not questioned their allies like Shibu Soren who is openly giving in to demands of Maoists which include release of prisoners. I really wonder how these kind of exchanges are any different than Kandahar? And if you thought it is only the BJP think again. Union Home Minister P Chidambaram too has more or less endorsed these actions by saying that it is Shibu Soren’s call and that he would go with him on this one. If the central govt itself is not firm enough in their stand against Maoists how do you expect others to be, who in any case are reluctant to act against them?

Conclusion

A lot of people generally question whether Maoists are indeed terrorists or not. Well, here’s the definition of terrorism as propagated by Alex P Schmid (See this report on Wikipedia), an official of United Nations, and accepted by Supreme Court of India in 2003 in a case Madan Singh vs State of Bihar.

“Terrorism is an anxiety-inspiring method of repeated violent action, employed by (semi-) clandestine individual, group or state actors, for idiosyncratic, criminal or political reasons, whereby - in contrast to assassination - the direct targets of violence are not the main targets. The immediate human victims of violence are generally chosen randomly (targets of opportunity) or selectively (representative or symbolic targets) from a target population, and serve as message generators. Threat- and violence-based communication processes between terrorist (organization), (imperilled) victims, and main targets are used to manipulate the main target (audience(s)), turning it into a target of terror, a target of demands, or a target of attention, depending on whether intimidation, coercion, or propaganda is primarily sought”.

Any English speaking person will tell you that by this definition CPI(M) or Maoists or Naxals are a terrorist organisation. To be fair to the central govt they have indeed named this group as such and has banned it, though only in 2009 and much to the consternation of left parties (Check out this report on Voice of America). But it is also true that the kind of effort required to handle this threat is not being put in. This, despite the fact that they have a sway over nearly one third of the country as brought out in my posts One third of India lost and Why ballot did not win the war against bullet? It is most definitely not a question of resources but that of political will or lack thereof, particularly on the part of left front govt in West Bengal and JMM in Jharkhand. Suffice to say that if LeT, JeM, HUJI, CPI(M) etc are all terrorist organisations they should be treated as such, equally.