A Near PK Experience !

By Manuwant Choudhary

My car got amazingly stuck at this railway crossing at NH 103 on the Hajipur-Jandaha Road in north Bihar.

The powerbrakes just froze.

I could not move an inch.

I really did  not know what to do...

And my car does not even have a photo of Sai Baba or Ganesha or Hanuman...or the dangling Koran from the rear-view mirror.

No help !

No pics of any Baba's either !! (Many are in jail...and Sanju Baba is not a Baba)

I looked for signs of any oncoming train....luckily there were none.

But one never knew...

It had to  be a quick decision.

I tried the accelerator but it just made a loud hum and the car would not move.

How I missed my amby....where you wrote `Powerbrakes' behind on the boot but in fact there would be no brakes.

But no time for all that....

A train could come any minute and already a few cars were honking behind...

Then there were instant flashes of news headlines were tractors are hit by oncoming trains.....

But a thought did come... `Wait...this car does not move forward, let me see if it can move backwards at least...."

A reverse gear and Eureka !

My car moved.

I have never been so happy at anything moving backwards as now.

In fact, in the state I live in everything moves backwards....even caste politics.

Like Bihar was one of the best administered states at India's independence, today its at the bottom.

Quickly, I reversed and let others pass...and then I just drove in the reverse for a while...

Children at the roadside looked amused.....the elderly smiled.

They were all wondering this driver is crazy or just PK !

I smiled back.

I do not know why but I must have driven backwards for a few kms and then I stopped.

I stopped in front of  a house...there were a few bamboo poles in front..in preparation for something.

But I did not know why I stopped there and not anywhere else.

I did not get out of my car but just sat there....a void had set in.

My cellphone battery also had run out.

Then a man wearing a white dhoti and a white shawl stood next to my car and with folded hands he asked me if he could be of any help.

I asked him if I could get my cellphone re-charged anywhere?

He took me to his home...but could not promise if there was any electricity.

As I recharged my phone....the electricity went out again....but I managed to call Hyundai for help...

But during my wait for help..I noticed someone had passed away in the family.

An 86-year-old man sat on a chair assisted by another man...personally wrote down names of invitees on a thousand cards....for the bhoj (feast).

His wife had passed away due to the cold wave..She was 85 !

Jawahar Singh was a retired school teacher himself and he explained how it is important not to miss anybody for this feast...all castes...all the people in 5 villages.

"It is tough to remember all...but we try..because even if one person is left out he will feel bad....but more difficult is the distribution of the cards...."

A young family member was called, "Please ensure that you begin distributing the card in one village first..and finish it completely...not leaving anyone out...do not criss-cross the villages..."

Just then a wholesome meal was brought for me..despite my protests.

Rice, dal, aloo-gobi sabzee, chapatis and salad....

I wondered why they took such good care of me.

I was a complete stranger.

And wait this is `Kalyug', isn't it?

So I asked my host why he was good to me and this is what he replied, "Kalyug and Satyug are both on this planet....when you meet a good person and he treats you well it is Satyug...what if you met someone who robbed your car...then it is Kalyug."

On the road they met both.

Like once even a car thief met with an accident !

So generally I enquired if they were happy living on a busy highway.

I remember this road only some years ago was just a village road...and in many places there was nothing...

Then I also saw women repair the road under MNREGA...literally, no machines were used...stones were hammered in by hand..it must be the worlds second hand-made road..this first being in Gaya by the `Mountain Man', who built a road by cutting through a mountain alone.

But my hosts were not happy.

"It is bad for us..now they plan to build a four-lane highway here...They will destroy our homes..."

The Modi's & Jaitleys and Nitish & Manjhi's....will never understand their pain...

I only wish Anushka Sharma gave me some AIRTIME to explain......maybe the NATION does want to know !

http://blogs.tribune.com.pk/story/9573/rutties-love-letter-to-jinnah/

http://blogs.tribune.com.pk/story/9573/rutties-love-letter-to-jinnah/

This last letter from Ratanbai `Ruttie' Petit Jinnah to M.A. Jinnah is beautiful but it reflects the turmoil of the times, even personal. Ruttie must be a beautiful individual.

To Pakistan Without A Visa 4

If I were Narayanmurthy with 1.1 billion dollars for philanthropy I would invite Pakistani singer Misha Shafi to perform at the Taj Mahal Hotels poolside in memory of those killed on 26/11.....the terrorists from Pakistan did not know that they were desecrating a most sacred place...its at the Taj Mahal Hotel that Rattanbai `Ruttie' Petit Jinnah lived and died in her last years...she was the wife of Pakistani's Qiad-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah...

To Pakistan Without A Visa 3

Kangna HD - Fareed Ayaz & Abu Muhammad - This song is so amazing featured in Mira Nair Film The Reluctant Fundamentalist ....the deep emotions no western song can match and just love the `Lapak-Jhapaks'....

To Pakistan Without A Visa 2 - Fatima Bhutto

To Pakistan Without A Visa !

If I organised the Saarc Summit I would have invited Arif Lohar and Meesha Shafi, love this song Jugniji...have a listen....

My Friend Sauvik

By Manuwant Choudhary

I did not know Sauvik Chakraverti...a pink paper editor/columnist...since I do not know too many editors or the newspaper owners...but a centre piece in support of the Swatantra Party...written in the Times of India caught my attention.

It was a very well written article on how India's socialist politicians have ganged up and banned a great party like the Swatantra only because the party refused to swear allegiance to a socialist constitution.

The author was Sauvik.

I cannot think of any Indian liberal who could have been more expressive...and no journalists for sure.

In India there are liberals and there are shopkeepers...and non like Margarette Thatcher who was both.

Sauvik was a great Indian liberal.

In fact, I got to know Sauvik in bits and pieces from then on..at conferences mostly....and through his blog Antidote.

We were both journalists but on another journey....and in Bombay we got to conduct a session together...

I loved it....since Sauvik did all the talking...he did not need a mike...he was loud all right and forceful..but if you did hear him out you would see the point he was making and always end up with a smile.

There were no Holy Cows in his vocab and he would  even attack Mahatma Gandhi !

But once I spoke up for the old man and was quite surprised to see  Sauvik hearing me out.

It was this that endeared him to his young fans....he would treat them at par...and let them argue over a point for hours.....countering it only with reason.

At Hyderabad I had an early morning flight to catch and I hear this knock at my door...and when I opened the door I found Sauvik...."I hope I am not disturbing you..May I come in..."

I said, "Yes, yes,...sure..."

He sat on one of the chairs wearing his silk gown....with a cigar...and his trademark sideburns...it was almost like having Winston Churchill there....

He then asked me, "Manu what flights have you taken to get to Hyderabad and return?"

I listed him the entire list....Spice, Jet Airways and even Air India....

He then tells me, "Manu don't ever fly Air India....we must fight the socialists at every level."

The blog gave us both that freedom to write for a lost cause.

I followed his intently...and what a journey.

Occasionally he would appreciate mine and even leave comments...like when I wrote on why Indians should not vote, he wrote, "Excellent post about the true condition of Bihar and its politics. Congratulations on your truthfulness and courage. DO NOT VOTE...this is the most powerful message yet...."

Sauvik was deeply influenced by Austrian economist Friedrich August von Hayek and French journalist Frederic Bastiat.

Its a happy coincidence that Sauvik became the recipient of the first Bastiat Prize for Journalism.

But more than that I will miss Sauvik for what he was...warts and all....in a bus returning from Gurgaon...the heat was getting to him..so he burst out..."They say Allah has an umbrella over Delhi !"

At another time he quietly asked me, "Manu what school did you go to?"

I replied, "North Point and St. Pauls', Darjeeling."

There was a smile on his lips, "I thought so...I went to Goethals. See we both went to Darj."

Sauvik was a Superintendant of Police when he went to the London School of Economics to study local government..he returned to India to quit the police service and become a journalist/writer.

In his book "The Essential Frederic Bastiat he writes, "One reason why Bastiat remains outside Economics classrrooms is that university professors do not accord much academic credit to the writings of a man they consider a mere journalist and pamphleteer. I, on the other hand, believe that the freedom we Indians aspire for today requires more and more such journalists and pamphleteers, who can write simply,  teasing the intellect, and exposing the dangerous fallacies in the arguments of statists, socialists and protectionists. Every journalist should read this book. After all, the professors of freedom have won their battles it remains for journalists now to sell the idea of freedom amongst the people; to echo these simple ideas of natural liberty amongst our long suffering populace."

The Reluctant Fundamentalist - Last Scene

Exploring The C******* of Mangalayam (Mars) !

By Manuwant Choudhary

Like NDTV's Science Correspondent Pallava Bagla I managed to get exclusive access to ISRO's celebrations as the Mars Orbiter Mission successfully entered the Martian orbit.

I found India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi using this rather large telescope to admire the red planet.

And there were so many smiling scientists....(scientists are usually very serious)...trying to smile more than Modi.

ISRO's explorer tweeted Howdy and NASA's responded by a Namaste...

I spoke to the  scientists on the sidelines why this is such an important mission....

Aryabhatta 1: This was so critical because the US said they cannot grant Mr. Modi a US visa directly but they would do so if he came via Mars !

Me: But Mars..thats very far.....these Americans are so unreasonable....is that the reason Mr. Modi compared the Mangalayan Mission to making a Hollywood film...

Aryabhatta 2: No, no, he meant only in terms of money spent..you see we have spent 450 crores on this mission while the Americans spend more on making just one film...

Me: But surely 450 crores is not a small amount..imagine how many crores of toilets could have been built in India....and women would not have to defecate in the open...

Aryabhatt 3: No, no, Modiji cares about women...so much..that is why this Mission is called MOM !

Me: You mean you have named it after Modiji's MOM or Rahulji's MOM ?

Aryabhatta4 : Basically, all MOMs...

Me: You mean Nawaz Sharief's MOM also...Is this also a Maa-Bete ki Sarkar?

Aryabhatta 5: No, no..all MOMs except Pakistani !

Aryabhatta 6: See we beat them...again....we have joined the elite club while they are busy doing dharnas like Kejriwalji and Long Marches....

Me: But what difference will this really make....

Aryabhatta 7: This will make Modiji more powerful.

Me: But Modiji is already very powerful like Indiraji....see the way he abolished the Planning Commision, the Electoral College and now he is planning to abolish all laws more than 25 years old !

Aryabhatta 8: Actually, we knew Modiji is coming to power so we built this in a record time..see how Modiji will address the UN now..with his head proudly held high...

Me: You mean like Xi-Jingping.....

Aryabhatta 9: More....

Me: But I heard him talking more about Gandhiji and Jharu..he said he plans to clean up India starting October 2. Do our scientists have a satellite to clear garbage...Imagine India's PM will have to sweep the streets...

Aryabhatta 10: We are working on that too....but need a few billion dollars...

Me: Money is not a problem...Can you clean the Ganga too....this Supreme Court is troubling Modiji about Ganga too...

Aryabhatta 11: Yes, yes, we  can do that too....



Me:  I am simply amazed at your powers....but congratulations on this...by the way how is Chandrayan? And what are you really looking for on Mars? Martians??

Aryabhatta 12: No, no,,we are looking and looking....and looking...

Aryabhatta 13: Mars is very beautiful...

Me: Its red...so looks nice from a distance..but surely like the moon it has those dark spots when u look closely...

Aryabhatta 14: No, no,,,we see its beauty...

Me: What beauty?

Aryabhatta 15: Curves...

Me: What are you talking about?

Aryabhatta 16: Don't you read whats trending?

Me: You mean on social media?

Aryabhata 17: Yes, yes, but also you don't even read headlines in newspapers?

Me: What headlines?

Aryabhatta 18: Even CNN and BBC are running stories....

Me: You mean on Mars...

Aryabhatta 19: Naa. naaa...you are too intrusive...let me just look at the photos...

Me: You mean the photos MOM is sending...

Aryabhatta 20: No, no..you don't understand...we are looking at photos in the newspaper...

Me: The creavice on Mars?

Aryabhatta 21: No, just cleavage...but we have to be careful not to put any arrows there..because that would upset Deepika Padukone.....

Me: Ah, that old lady of Boribunder is just so jealous of Deepika....

A Journey Across The Sand Dunes Of Rajasthan 13

By Manuwant Choudhary

They say you should not build castles on shifting sands...as we drove towards the Pakistani border...the metalled roads disappeared....

The landscape more rugged and bare...

The cellphone signals gone....

Just the hum from the car airconditioner...and the silences..disturbed only by the jolts of a rough ride...

You have to be careful not to drive into the sand as we discovered....our Toyota Innova did get stuck in the sands...just like the Pakistani tanks did in 1971 !

When you look out you see isolated hamlets with almost no one in sight...perhaps goats and just a woman.

We are told  the total population in these villages are just 10 or 20 !

It was like leaving everything behind.

The chaos of all that is modern-day India.

The big cities with their zillions of shanties, the millions of autos trying to take off on jammed Indian streets..the loudspeakers....the festivals..the gods and goddesses..the noisy TV debates...the big egos....the corrupt politicians...far from the maddening crowds...

The road is straight, no curves or bends...but you do realise how most people flock towards money and jobs...and live in menial conditions in cities...while large swathes of India remain uninhabitated.

You also think about why at least a few people still choose to live here...their only home.

The hamlets too disappear until we come across this on the desert...just two low huts....I felt like meeting the folks who lived in them...

In these parts...governments and their divisive politics cease to exist...they are on their own..every day a fresh battle to survive against the odds of nature.

At an abandoned health centre..a camel finds some fodder....

Then there is no road.

So we get onto Maruti Gypsies which are four-wheel drive and only their petrol engines take us to areas not on India's tourist map.

These are restricted areas...

But its something money cannot buy.

A 360 degree view of the desert...the Pakistani border just across...

In the silences you can feel the ages....the invaders..the mongols...attacking India...repeatedly....

Time stands still.

Here you would fight even a mighty enemy with everything you've got...your life.

No time for debates and talks..or convincing the other.

Or like what a Sufi saint said..."You can get enlightenment in two ways..one is by seeing the world..the other is by seeing within..."

All is quiet on the western front.

A Journey Across The Sand Dunes of Rajasthan 12

By Manuwant Choudhary

These cows stared back at us as if saying `The Elections Are Over, Now What Do You Want?'

India must be the only country in the world where Cows Vote !

Yes, you heard right....I mean it....like caste..the Cow factor is critical.

Let me explain.

If Cows did not Vote..the Bharatiya Janata Party and formerly Jan Sangh would not have carried out so many political movements to ban cow slaughter.

And even Narendra Modi is today India's Prime Minister because he won in the `Cow Belt'...

His victory has thrown up a debate whether Majoratarian Rule would lead to Authoratarian Rule.....

If only cows could speak, I wonder what they would have asked for?

In Rajasthan we saw ordinary people like all good Hindus feed the cows.

No sign of the government.

Cows like camels just die in the desert heat...for want of water, fodder and medical care.

So cows should be a priority for a Hindu government in Delhi and Jaipur.

Sadly, it is not.

If cows could speak probably they would ask India's Prime Minister to bring back Nandan Nilekani to New Delhi so that he could make UID for all cows.

And maybe..even bank accounts in their individual names...it would be called the `Go Dhan Yojana'...

And they would be happy that the Planning Commission has been abolished..after all for 60 years cows got a raw deal.

Even the Gaushalaas (trusts to keep cows) have lands but they are all captured by the mafia.

And then like camels they too have to walk right across North India...to be smuggled across the border into Bangaldesh.

Cows are definitely not happy with Maneka Gandhi, after all she is only a `Kutte-Billi' politician.

And this time they gave her child welfare.

But Modiji got rid of her child Varun...despite him being from the cow belt....

Holy Cow !

If you are secular you would think about all animals, not just cows...Rajasthan has a rich animal heritage...

The peacock is our national bird...and is beautiful.

Indians are an indisciplined lot...and all Indians should see these disciplined ducks in the army...when soldiers take them home...they stop when the soldier stops and move only when the soldier moves.

Then as we drove across we saw speed limit signboards warning us about Sambars..and we did see several of them.

I always think how Bollywood does not do enough for animals.

Instead they manufacture crass songs like `Aunty Police Bulwa Degi'.

Just then I saw a Black Buck dart across the fields...but I did not shoot it like Salman Khan.

No Kaitrina Kaif to see me in Jodhpur prison.

A Journey Across The Sand Dunes Of Rajasthan 11

By Manuwant Choudhary

I would not like to write about Modi's 100 days or nights but rather about the women of Rajasthan and India.

But first, Rajasthani women.

They are not the `Bold & Beautiful' types but you can say `Brave & Beautiful'....and shy.

30 years ago we stayed with some doctors on a hillside overlooking Ajmer town and the view at night was simply amazing...with the lake shimmer in the moonlit night.

I thought to myself this must be the most amazing place to live in...

But my night was disturbed by some commotion until we realised that it was 3 am and the women of the house had to go downhill and carry dozens of buckets of water for us `guests'.

It was a horrible feeling to see our good hosts work so hard for us... so I will never forget their hospitality.

But not just middle-class families..all women in Rajasthan work...and long before mechanisation and hot-mix plants happened..you could see women build the roads in Rajasthan.

And the roads were like Hema Malini's cheek.

I wondered why women in Bihar don't build roads.

But women in Bihar don't even plant paddy !

On this visit to Rajasthan at the Jaisalmer Fort I saw this woman who was involved in some construction work.

She was still young..but rather tall and a strong built...partly from the hard work...but suddenly I see her face...and she was pretty...like from another age...her skin colour....golden....no amount of gold facials could get you that tone.

She was very shy because in just a second she moved away..like a darting deer...

But women in rural Maharastra planting paddy in ankle deep slush amidst lush greenery is also a sight.

But if you want to find a beautiful bride..the district which even promotes the idea is... Kangra... in Himachal Pradesh.

On one of my visits to Dharamsala...on a winter day...I got a complete Presidential suite for Rs.300 only...and on the walls of the bedroom were these large portraits of Kangra women.

I thought it was just an artists imagination.

But I awoke the next morning with sunshine flooding my room as I had left the curtains open... the air was crisp....as I looked out...I could see the snow-clad hills around amidst the pines.

After breakfast as I walked to town..I see a dozen pretty Kangra girls walking up..holding hands....and they just kept looking at me...somewhat hypnotised....until I realised if I was not careful..they would push me into the khudside!

Kangra women can be dangerous....

And I see this really old woman carry wood briskly up a hill singing `Sheila Ki Jawani'...such sights are even better than watching Isabelle lilt to a `Dal-Makhani' item number.

But yes I did see one pretty Kangra girl...in blue jeans and red top....a college student...someone who could work her way to the glass corner office in Gurgaon or London or even New York.

Driving through Rajasthan we did see a large group of men in their turbans and I asked aloud if the men here had finally started working and our driver replied promptly, "No, sir. Opium is being distributed !"

A Journey Across The Sand Dunes of Rajasthan 10

By Manuwant Choudhary

I am happy that the `Mahagatbandhan' for `Secularism' has won in Bihar....but I do worry why we have left secularism to mean simple `arithmetic' to be protected and defended by the likes of Laloo Yadav....

So today my appeal is to the people of India to reclaim the essence of India.

Otherwise, we will continue to elect the Modi's to power...`Ab Ki Baar Money Sarkar' !

Yet, if I tell you that India is not a secular country you may think I am batting for the RSS.

But that is exactly what  Minoo Masani, a member of India's Constituent assembly that framed India's constitution in 1949, told me.

He said India was not a `Secular' country and that is the reason why after debates we decided not to include that word in the Indian constitution...

So if its not Secular then what is India supposed to be?

He explained, "India cannot be Secular..because Secular in its strict sense means to be anti-religion...so if we call India Secular it is wrong...since India is a deeply religious country..with its thousands of gods...so if you ask me I would say our constitution when it was framed was `non-denominational'..that is the government was not to have a religion or favoured religion...."

So in reality `Non-denominational' is what we mean by `dharmnirpeksh' or the equal treatment of all religions.

This word would also give equal treatment to the non-believers or atheists.

But Indira Gandhi in the national emergency introduced two words into the preamble of the Indian constitution...`Secular and Socialist' so now we have a situation that liberal parties cannot even contest elections,,,while a communal BJP rules India !

But right through my journey across the deserts of Rajasthan I came across stories of how Hindus and Muslims co-exist peacefully....they do not really have to be at war.

Like at this temple Tanot Devi at Tanot..just 10 kms from the Pakistan border...we saw a pir baba housed in the same temple as the Devi and both Hindus and Muslims worship together.

The story is that in the 1971 war when Pakistan attacked the temple complex...none of the shells that landed here exploded...so the diety has all the unexploded Pakistani shells around her even now !

Tano Devi is actually an incarnation of Hinglaz Mata in Balochistan...in Pakistan...and both represent `Shakti' or Durga....

Alone under a tree in a desert camp... with a full moon looking down at me through the branches...my mind wandered across the fenced international border with Pakistan....

....to an India of the Hindu Kush mountains...when we were all safe...even Allah..and all our Gods....

A Journey Across The Sand Dunes of Rajasthan 9

By Manuwant Choudhary

I am not sure about others but for some years now I am not interested in speeches from Delhi's Red Fort, extempore or otherwise.

What interests me are stories like Longewala...

I am told Sunny Deol's film Border is based on this famous battle.

But watching a film is nothing like actually being at Longewala...

While India was focussed on the eastern front..liberating Bangladesh...Pakistan attacked India at this point on the western front...

First a tank moved in but it got stuck in the sands...so it called for back-up...soon a crane arrived...accompanied by some force and a Pakistani brigadier....like some siblings fighting over land....in the cover of darkness they tried to shift the Indian border pillar some 10 kms here...

It all happened on the the night of 4th-5 December 1971.

A lone gunner and some soldiers stood guard at this Indian post..the back-up forces were 70 kms away....

The Pakistani's did not see them....

The Indians sent an SOS but they all knew that the back-up could not arrive immediately...

The soldiers had just two choices, either they face the assault or they retreat.

They chose the former.

The lone gunner took his aim and boom....the Pakistani tank was destroyed, alongwith the crane and the Pakistani brigadier killed...

More Pakistani tanks followed but the few Indian soldiers obstructed them and died here fighting until Indian airforce gave them air-cover and destroyed the Pakistani tanks completely.

36 Pakistani tanks were destroyed here and so Longewala is called `a graveyard of tanks'...this was the highest number of tanks destroyed in battle since the second world war.

Forget the Red  Fort, this independence day and every other day always say a prayer for the lone soldier who stays awake on the frontlines...in the line of fire...only to protect us. 

A Journey Across The Sand Dunes Of Rajasthan 8

By Manuwant Choudhary

The top story is that India's Home Minister Rajnath Singh is a rubber stamp !

Its been discovered that files for top appointments don't even come to him...instead it goes directly to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and in the end it is sent to Rajnath Singh and he just has to sign on the dotted line.

In parliament when the Congress MP Digvijaya Singh raised the matter..Rajnath Singh flustered for words....

But was there ever a doubt that Rajnath Singh was a rubber stamp?

It was he as BJP President who rubber-stamped Narendra Modi to Prime Ministership...

And Modi simply bulldozed his way to the top !

Modi is at best a bully...and even his best attempts to playing the good guy by giving money to Nepal and Bhutan does not win him trust.

Its like Amjad Khan (Gabbar Singh) being asked to play hero !

But as I travelled across the deserts of Rajasthan I came across milestones...with Barmer written on it.

And I thought of Jaswant Singh.

Barmer is far..very far...and I wondered how difficult it would be not just to contest an election from this place but even to nurture this constituency.

Jaswant Singh was born in a princely family and he joined the Indian army having been selected as a cadet at the National Defence Academy.

But at as an army officer he went up to his boss and told him he wanted to resign.

When the boss asked him why he told him that he wanted to write a book and he didn't have time...

On seeing the young officers hurry, the senior officer asked him, "How old are you?"

Jaswant Singh replied, "21".

The officer laughed at him and refused to accept his resignation, "You are 21 and you say you don't have time...The Indian army is the only place where we have all the time..we don't know what to do with it..."

Jaswant Singh resigned again later...this time he told his boss he was getting into politics...

It is the tall leader Bhairon Singh Shekhawat (later India's vice-president) who mentored him to join the Jana Sangh and later the BJP.

Jaswant Singh went on to become India's foreign minister and finance minister.

He is among India's few politicians who has a perfect website (yes, its better than Narendra Modi's website)...check it out at jaswantsingh.com.

He writes there how he never got any pension but what he learnt in the army was his real pension.

Jaswant Singh is a soldier-politcian.

Always dressed in a safari-like shirt with flaps on his shoulders..he did not quite fit the Indian politician mould.

And Swapan Dasgupta writes that its quite amazing how someone like Jaswant Singh could remain on the front benches of Indian politics for such a long time.

Of course, Swapan Dasgupta questions Jaswant Singh's loyalty when he rebelled against the BJP when they did not give him a ticket.

But I would  not think like that....Jaswant Singh is simply the right man in the wrong party.

So it did not surprise me one bit when he chose to contest in Barmer as an independent...and fight for his honour.

I have covered a few pressers of Jaswant Singh and I must admit I never could get myself to do a sit down interview with him...because I may perhaps not comprehend his English fully.

In the Lok Sabha when Jaswant Singh spoke you would think its the House of Commons !

Jaswant Singh is more British than the British.

I would not have written about him..but he unlike other BJP leaders openly condemned the 2002 Gujarat riots and even revealed how Prime Minister Vajpayee wanted to sack Narendra Modi but Advani prevailed over Vajpayeeji...."Bawaal Ho Jayega..."

But Jaswant Singh's interests were for the BJP...not to destroy the party but to make it broader...more appealing and just.

But he is not a very popular leader within the BJP...and people did not quite understand why Vajpayee gave him such importance...Swapan Dasgupta enlightens us that people uncharitably said Vajpayee was over-awed with Jaswant Singh's English.

What made matters worse was that like Advani praised Jinnah and got into trouble...Jaswant Singh went a step ahead and wrote a book praising Jinnah !

Both paid a huge price.

Jaswant Singh disagrees with the Indian view that Jinnah was a demon as well as with the ideography view of Jinnah in Pakistan...

But like in Pakistan...Indian politics too has no place for truth or liberals !

Jaswant Singh lost the elections.

The new BJP is in power and  Ajit Doval has become the National Security Advisor to PM Modi...

Doval is the same man involved in the negotiations in the release of terrorists when Kandahar hijacking took place...and he was critical of Jaswant Singh accompanying the terrorists to Kandahar.

What was worse was when Advani said he was not a part of the decision to send Jaswant Singh to Kandahar.



Jaswant Singh got a reprimand not just from the RSS but a bad press too.

Yet, the fact often missed is the bravery...we must not forget India did not recognise the Taliban government and it was a very difficult moment for India to even figure out whom to talk to...

So Jaswant Singh's presence itself meant something to the Taliban....and to Indians back home.

Jaswant Singh did not go to return the terrorists as `honoured guests'..but to bring back 157 Indians held hostage at Kandahar....

Only Jaswant Singh could have done that...

The mornings papers have a routine report `Jaswant Singh Critical', he remains in coma after a fall at his Delhi home....

Jaswant Singh loved his wine and Scotch. (he was even accused of serving drinks laced with opium)

Do not hold all that against him...

Instead heed his warning against the new BJP that rules India....

India remains critical.

A Journey Across The Sand Dunes Of Rajasthan 7

By Manuwant Choudhary

Our guide at Jaisalmer Fort had warned us about guides at Sam sand dunes they could cheat you...and sure enough we were swarmed by them promising us to take us on a camel safari upto `Sunset Point'.

I had never done a camel ride before.

First you get onto the camel, once seated...the camel is told to rise...but this can be quite tricky...its almost like a roller coster..and if you don't hold on tight you could tumble on your face.....

But once its up..then its a very comfortable...I'd... lets say..journey to Afghanistan...and won't feel  a thing...

But barely had we climbed a dune..the camel-walla...a boy named Ali stopped and said...`Here it is....?'

We looked around and asked, "Where? Er...emmm....what??"

Ali, "Saheb, this is it..Sunset Point !"

We argued without success that he had promised us a ride over the dunes...

So we had to look around and yes the sun was there alright but it was blistering hot...and even though it was evening...it was hardly the sunset we imagined...with some trick posturing with my cellphone camera I managed to get some pictures though...

In the distance we could hear some Gujaratis boisterously cheering some desert nautch girls and throwing Gujarati currency on them...

They must have definitely voted for Narendra Modi....

And there were beer bottles littered around the lovely dunes..left overs from midnight parties earlier....

Despite India's beauty...we do not get enough tourists because of the way we mob them and also because of our poor civic standards.

But then I noticed a Gujarati family seated on the dune..attempting to get the best of the sunset...

They were sober and looked educated but they too must have voted for Modi.

The women wanted to appreciate the sunset...but the man...seemed disappointed....I overheard him interrupt them..."What sunset? This is no sunset...they don't know what a sunset is....The sunset from Tiger Hill in Darjeeling is what a sunset is..."

I smiled quietly and thought he must be a lucky man..because in my 11 years at Darj I never got to see the sunset at Tiger Hill...

Actually, Tiger Hill is famous for its `Sunrise' !

And what efforts we made..getting up at 4 am...in all that chill...and roaring up the slopes on rusty  Land Rovers..only to find ourselves in thick white...

And you can't blow away the clouds...

We would have coffee and return....

But yes both sunrises and sunsets in Darjeeling are memorable..nothing like it...

But we argued with Ali once more about Sunset Point...

What is a Sunset Point? There are no boards to suggest that this is Sunset Point...

The sun sets from every point in the world...

Like even the sunset on the Arabian sea at Bombay's Marine Drive is beautiful.

I have not been to Goa but Atal Behari Vajpayee would always choose Goa for his `Chintan' Baithaks..and his photos with the sunset looked lovely....

I won't blame the Gujaratis for the littered beer bottles because that could be the act of beer guzzling Punjabis....they are so boisterous on flights returning from Bangkok...if I was an airhostess I'd jump out...

But I suspect Gujaratis love only sunrise, not sunset....

(To be continued....next on the Mahabharata within the BJP)

A Journey Across The Sand Dunes Of Rajasthan 6

By Manuwant Choudhary

Jaisalmer is by far the most amazing of Rajasthan's fort towns...its built in yellow sandstone and people actually live in the fort..so its refered to as `The Golden Living Fort'!

Built in 1156 AD by the Bhati Rajput ruler Rao Jaisal, the city gets its name from him....this used to be an important part of the ancient trading routes that linked India to Persia and Egypt.

The fortress is beautiful...and Golden...a guide took us around...and he explained how the kings lived here in the olden times and nothing existed beyond the fort walls. 

Just Brahmins and Rajputs live here as they were the ones brought here by the Rajpur rulers - the Brahmins to perform the pujas and the Rajputs to fight the battles.

People here have some fascination for films...even as I stood simply awed at the marvel that Jaisalmer is..our guide explained how Satyajit Ray made a film based on this fortress called `Sonar Kella' or `The Golden Fort.'

The film itself is based on a novel which is a mystery thriller about a Bengali boy who can recall his previous life and he sees treasures hidden in a golden fort...what follows are kidnappings, suspense, greed and disappoinment.

I know Bengalis love all things golden but if I was a film director I would not have made a Bengali film here but rather a film on the people living within the fortess...

Satyajit Ray should stick to Sonaar Bongaal ! (Golden Bengal)

The guide also showed us in the distance, "That is the Patwon Ki Haweli...its very beautiful.....they were the tradesmen who were very rich and they also sponsored the wars fought by the kings here..."

And we could see large boulders perched at the fort ridges ready to be pushed at enemies below...but it is said boiling oil and water also formed a part of the forts defences.

The fort was captured by Alauddin Khilji and remained in captivity for 9 years and the Rajput women killed themselves at the time...later Mughal ruler Humayun also captured the fort.

Even in ancient India Rajasthan defended India like no other region..from the Mongols to the Khiljis to the Mughals...so honour and valour is a part of their landscape.

And this is what I would call a room with a view !

Jaisalmer has some amazing modern palace hotels...the best of them being Suryagarh...the top room rents are Rs.35,000 per night only !

I wish to revisit Jaisalmer but I'd stay at the ancient fortress and watch the sunset over the city below....I imagine by nightfall everything would turn from gold to diamonds !

A Journey Across The Sand Dunes of Rajasthan 5

By Manuwant Choudhary

This photo I took at Pushkar could be a scene in the Bollywood film..Ramleela !



Of course, Ramleela was based in Gujarat.

But it portrays the violent India we live in.....an intoxicating concoction of  violence dressed in tradition and modernisation (as in a cellphone)...

My nephew who lives in England visited his village in Bihar and he told me that he could not understand why Indian villages have no electricity or toilets but they have five cellphone towers !

30 years ago Rajasthan was more peaceful.

We stayed in a small town called Gangapur in Bhilwara....and in a month the only crime report that appeared in a newspaper was a theft...within a few hours the thief was caught..and the thief was a Bihari !

I'm not a Shiv Sainik.

But now there are high-profile kidnappings in Rajasthan..and crime news is a daily event...even rapes..and the criminals are not just Biharis.

The Hindu right wing Bharatiya Janata Party is in power.

Driving down from Ajmer to Jodhpur you can see just barren land....stony...and treeless.

The highway is wider and in a planned way modern dhabas have come up which is a nice concept.

So its not hard to guess why so many have migrated from Rajasthan...over the years....long before Rajasthan began its journey to industrialise. Now it has a very rich textile industry and stone industry...

I often tell the owner of `Rajasthan' restaurant in Patna that I will open a restaurant in Jaipur  called `Bihar'!

Its the marwaris I am talking about...as our car entered Jodhpur..I realised this region is called Marwar...

The marwaris are India's traditionally trading communities..and it is them who have done remarkably well in post-independent India.

Most left Rajasthan with nothing but a `lota' (a utensil to drink water), today they run small businesses in every nook and corner of India...some like the Birla's are household names..while L.N. Mittal is a global tycoon.

Even now it is economic interests that keep Marwaris glued to where they live...but its never a problem for them....if economic interests demand... they move...

That could be a secret to their success amongst other things like hard work...and the single-minded pursuit of money and profits.

But once rich they also do charity like no other community, they are religious if only it may be to redeem their sins.

But Indians have a lot to learn from the Marwaris.....if India wants to become an economic superpower.

As you enter Jodhpur all you can see is the dome of a palace..its called `Umaid Bhawan'....

It houses a 5 star hotel and a museum and the private residence of the Maharajah of Jodhpur....

Its beautiful and the driveway to the palace is lovely...you can spot peacocks here and they will even pose for you.

The Maharajah it seems is building apartments below and they look modern and upmarket for NRIs perhaps..but much better  than the ones in our cities....though it may be expensive...But living here you will look like his subject.

I would rather buy an old fort like Mehrangarh !

A Journey Across The Sand Dunes of Rajasthan 4

By Manuwant Choudhary

Indian journalists have simply lost the plot.

They are highlighting Natwar Singh as though his name never figured in the UN's Volcker Report...on corruption in the Oil For Food program...

Did it not become Oil For Food & Money Program...and Saddam Hussein regime happily obliged.

Or was this money meant for the Congress Party?

I am not saying Sonia Gandhi is without fault but let us not crucify her for the wrong reasons.

Otherwise you will get another book..this time by Suresh Kalmadi !

As for Mr. Natwar Singh he should know better `The Nehru-Gandhi family does not wear old shoes !'

But why just Sonia Gandhi,  in ancient India we did not even spare our Gods.

The Pushkar Lake  is said to be created from Shiva' s teardrops after his wife Sati passed away but the other story is that the gods released a swan with a blue lotus in its beak and wherever the lotus fell the lake was created for Brahma to perform the Mahayagya..

                                        Brahma is the creator, Vishnu the preserver and Shiva the destroyer.

The story is that Brahma wanted to perform a yagya (a prayer) at Pushkar Lake to overcome the demon who was killing people...but his wife Saraswati or Savitri did not arrive on time so he married Gayatri a Gujjar girl...only so as to perform the puja.

But when Sarawsati heard of this second marriage she was angry and she cursed Brahma that he would never be worshipped anywhere and  allowed only one temple for Brahma in the entire world.

So the only Brahma temple in the world is at Pushkar.

But people pray to Brahma only at the lake...at the Brahma temple no offerings are made...just a darshan...even Muslims come here..(and no I am not suggesting they are Muslim Hindus like Goa's Christian Hindus !)

I think Brahma is a lucky God.

At least he is not thronged by the crowds of people from all over asking for this and that...like our other 3000 Gods.

The blessings of Brahma and Saraswati is important for creativity and knowledge and solving the worlds problems.

He is also known as the timekeeper for the universe...

I wonder why Saraswati was late at the Mahayagya...and no not just women, all Indians are so poor at keeping time.

The book to read is Mark Tully's `Non-Stop India'..in its opening he describes the scene at one of India's railway crossings, how the traffic builds up...and how slowly a long train passes and how leisurely the gates are opened...and what follows is a complete jam in the middle of the railway track !

I wonder how many stops our Bullet Train will have ?

But somehwere I get this feeling Brahma married Gayatri because she must have been very beautiful.

My neice gifted me a nice leather shaving bag....on it was written....

"Happily Unmarried"!!!