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China's Nightmare!

2011-12-19T07:56:00.001-08:00

Dev Anand - The Hero

2011-12-18T03:43:00.000-08:00

By Manuwant Choudhary

Dev Anand is a timeless hero.

He passed away in London aged 88 and my heart is at Mehboob studios where tributes are being paid to a legend.

For the past week or so I have been reading obituaries by eminent film journalists and editors and why even Jug Suraiya wrote a wonderful piece in the Times of India on how he covered the Hare Rama Hare Krishna film shoot in Kathmandu as a cub reporter with The Junior Statesmen.

I am not a film journalist and during my stint as a journalist in Bombay covering filmstars was not on my agenda.

But some meetings are destined.

So one morning after doing an early morning shift I took this train to meet Dev Anand.

In Bandra we were taken up to his penthouse.

I really did not know what to ask him.

I think I was terrible at interviewing filmstars. I had not watched their films.

But as soon as we entered Dev Anand greeted us with a warm smile and a firm handshake requesting our photographer with loving kindness if they liked tea or coffee.

I recall in Bombay's humid summer Dev Anand had a yellow sweater slung around his shoulders and that unmistakable glint in his eyes.

But it was an unusual interview. There was so much going on.

Dev Anand seemed not busy but active...as he would move from one end of the penthouse to the other..issuing instructions as people came in and out.

And then suddenly like without even a thought he would put his legs on a low table and tie his shoe laces firm.

Only then was he ready to be interviewed.

As he sat on a sofa alongside I could sense an energy around Dev Anand.

Just like it was yesterday and with great style he told me how he graduated from Lahore Law College and then took the Frontier Mail and arrived at Bombay Central with just a suitcase.

He stayed with Raja Rao the famous novelist and how he was in awe of Motilal - the actor in those days.

Dev Anand said they would all read film magazines in college at Lahore.

"I came to Bombay to be a hero."

But before he got his breaks he did odd jobs and he even took up a job as a censor during the War days and he would travel by local train to Churchgate and read letters written by soldiers to their wives and to film stars.

Dev Anand enjoyed the odd jobs but he knew he had come to Bombay not to find a job but to be a hero.

His big break came with Hum Ek Hain - a film on Hindu-Muslim unity which bombed.

But his later films like Guide took him to great heights.

And as he told me all this...suddenly he got up from his sofa and pointed outside his penthouse glass ..."There down there was the garage I first stayed in...and you know even then I knew I would build a big film studio one day. And I built it right here itself!"

There was a spring in his steps!

Suddenly, large albums would be brought to him...Dev Saab was very busy and excited with the World Premier of his latest film.

"You know ..its being launched in New York and then London and the all over the world, " he would tell me....

We all knew that he put in so much effort and his own money to make those films which all bombed.

He did discover many of Bollywood bombshells though....and girls would hang around his studio all day to be noticed by Dev Saab.

But right now Dev Saab was interested in some Pakistani starlet..and large photos would be placed in fron of him and Dev Saab would instruct his photo editor.."Can you remove the hero from this photo and put my photo instead and yes do it properly...my arms should be around her..."

It all looked another world to me and I could not help ask him why he makes so many films and they don't do well...he loses his money.

He suddenly looked at me intently, "You know actually I don't lose that much money. I direct my own films. I am the hero...I hire new actresses...and I even edit my own films...I produce it also....I write the scripts....and I prefer not to shoot in India..I take the team abroad..get them to commit a few months and thats it..I am done..I have told what is to be told...."

And then I asked him what about ideas..what motivates him?

Without a pause he replied, "You."

Then taking the newspaper from my hands..he asked me so what is the news story that you have covered today.

I replied, "Bomb blasts!"

Yes, yes, thats it..Bomb Blast will be my next venture.

Every day its on the front pages, people getting killed senselessly.

As we finished, suddenly our photographer Sudharak Olwe politely asked Dev Saab that could we all take a photo together.

Dev Saab smilingly obliged.

News photograpahers generally don't do that...but I know Sudharak Olwe did that twice with me...once when I briefly walked the talk with India's finance minister Dr. Manmohan Singh.

I had asked Sudharak why he took my photo with Manmohan Singh. "One day you will know."

Id like the photo with Dev Saab.

Dev Anand few know but he actually launched a political party in the seventies.

But he told me as we left..."You know I am not a politician..thats not my job..but I will make a film called Prime Minister and show then what I can do.

You can't mourn a person like Dev Anand.

I am not going to shave my hair either.

I'd just colour my hair and sling my yellow sweater around my shoulders and tell the world my stories.

Even you can be Dev Anand.

Homecoming 25 Years, St. Joseph's, North Point, Darjeeling 7

2011-12-01T20:26:00.000-08:00

By Manuwant Choudhary

Children's Day should not be observed on Jawaharlal Nehru's birthday...its Nehru's socialist policies that kept India in a cycle of perpetual poverty..denying children even an opportunity to learn new skills.

Jhansi Ki Rani's birthday should be Children's Day.

Or every school should be free to observe Childrens Day to respect the educationist who founded the school or gave his life to.

We the Class 0f 86 gathered in Darjeeling to respect all such teachers....and even instituted an award `The Sunshine Award' to recognise an individual for his contribution in reaching out to the most needy.

Sunshine is scarce in the hills but it always made us happy since when we were in school...we would get a `Sunshine' Holiday..

At Glenary's all the teachers who taught us were invited...some could not make it due to old age.

This years `Sunshine Award was given to Father Gerald Van (rector Emeritus) for setiing up a school for children in Mongphu and Father Kinley Tsering (current Rector) for running a winter school for underprivileged children at North Point when the school closes for holidays.

The teachers who did attend are Mr. Manuel Coutino (English) who has been teaching for 52 years.

Mr. John West our Chemistry teacher more famous for his English `Utah' (water)...

Mr. Wangdi Lama the ever fit sports instructor (Lokesh Rana still plays football)

Mr. S. Jha our Hindi teacher.

Mr. S.C. Das our swimming instructor.

Mr. H.B. Chhetri our Nepali teacher who told us ghost stories could not make it as he was in Siliguri.

Mr. Bhutto Pradhan our art teacher was also unwell.

And Mrs. Lefevre is very much in Darjeeling.

We observed a minutes silence to remember those teachers and collegaues who have passed away.

3 of our classmates passed away - one killed in a MIG crash.

25 years is a long time but when your teachers remember you it feels wonderful.

We were really fortunate to have had such great teachers....

In fact Father Van was the Rector in 1977 when I first joined school and on the first day itself I had escaped from the study hall.

Mr. Venkat - the tough PD Prefect chased me down the corridor but I kicked him so hard I was able to get away - Mr. Venkat remembered my kick all through the ten years I was at NP.

A tall Canadian caught me and I was lifted and taken to Father Van's office where Father Van tried to talk to me but the only English I knew was my name.

And then he slapped me.

I sobbed and finally fell asleep in his office. (Father Van continued to work in the office)

He then lifted me and took me to the dorm and asked Sister Suma to give me some soup if I awoke.

Father Van would always squat when he spoke to a child.

So it was heartening to see him so active yet.

Sanjay Sharma was luckier than us..he managed to escape from school several times and when he reminded Father Van about it all..Father Van even recalled the window he had used !

Father Van spoke about his school at Mongphu "Today we had the sports day and the children are so small that when the race started ..some just stood there...they did not know they had to run.."

There was real joy in his eyes when he spoke of the children.

When we returned ..in the car I thought about all that had not changed and all that had changed....

25 years later still no Gorkhaland !

And Subhash Ghising now lives in Siliguri (under West Bengal police protection)!

And I am still like Father Van's Mongphu school children who don't know its a race....

Homecoming 25 Years, St. Joseph's, North Point, Darjeeling 6

2011-11-30T08:11:00.000-08:00

By Manuwant Choudhary

Darjeeling: Facebook is real dumb...it thinks I am an alumni of J.B. Petit (Bombay) and Convent of Jesus & Mary (Delhi).

But for us boys...those who had sisters we could say he were part alumni of Loreto Convent (Darjeeling)

Actually we were the lucky ones who could visit Loreto to see their sisters every month and on Rakhi..so we were really `privileged'.

And every batch had a pretty LC girl whom all the boys were after...

In our 86' batch we had a Marwari-Bihari girl if I remember clearly???

So this time we oldies took a walk to LC.

And it was so different.

Loreto is the place where Mother Teresa had taught before she took up her calling....

But Loreto doesn't have boarding any more...I think its one of the casualties of the long-drawn fruitless struggle for Gorkhaland.

The nuns found it impossible to continue.

25 years ago when you entered its gates even the most rowdy element would be silenced...such was its discipline.

And if you wanted to meet your sister you would first ring a bell then a lady would appear and you had to write your sisters name and your relationship with her onto a small slip which would then be taken on a wooden platter to the Mother...and a large register would be checked for details and only if your name figured there would the nun grant the 10 minute permission.

We would usually take Glenaries pastries for our sisters.

And the garden was breathtakenly spiritual.

Now its overgrown....

For the rest who did not have sisters they would simply wait for the annual social with LC girls and the party would be held under bright tube-lights alongwith some Shakespeare quiz contest and with the Nuns watching over..so that guys don't cross the unseen line.

And at elocutions the girls would always win (gender bias!)

Darjeeling girls are very pretty..and now you can see them wearing North Point badges on their blazers but they study in the college.

The school is still only boys.

But North Point plays have become more famous because of their girls...and at the school fet the NP girls were all over...

Its only in the evening when we watched the school play...`A Matter Of Pride' - NPs first Home Production - that we realised why....

Even the script is written by the students themselves....

At first it appears erratic and disjointed and it has all the masala of a Hollywood gangster film - drugs, women, songs, and crime.....but later it all fits in.

The star is JJ....a talented young singer...who makes it big.

But when he has it all he suddenly throws it all up.

`A Matter Of Pride' makes you think.

Why all education is not just about facts but it should makes us think...

Mr. Santiago's (our primary school teacher) daughter Ana Marie Santiago ....played the piano and directed the play.

Homecoming 25 Years, St. Joseph's, North Point, Darjeeling 5

2011-11-28T10:24:00.000-08:00

By Manuwant Choudhary

Standing just next to the speaker listening to Bob Marley's Get Up, Stand Up....Don't Give Up The Fight....with hundreds of young boys was literally a `Blast' !

But for us returning to school after 25 years the Bob Marley lyrics carried more meaning.

25 years of struggle on a daily basis is very, very different from the organised, protected life we all led at North Point.

I remember Mr. Maurice Banerjee, our very respectable physics teacher (who retired in 1986, we were the last batch he taught), warning us of how tough life is in the plains when you have to take a crowded bus or train in 45 degrees C.

Life is tougher than that...

Enjoy the song...and Never Give Up The Fight.....

Never Give Up The Fight....

Homecoming 25 Years, St. Joseph's, North Point, Darjeeling 4

2011-11-25T21:14:00.000-08:00

By Manuwant Choudhary

Darjeeling: A walk to Monkey Rock is full of memories...25 years ago we would walk here for a wash in a spring when Darjeeling was faced with acute water scarcity.

It was also here that I was unjustly caned.

Ranvir was singing this song `Night Flight to venus'' when he dropped his mug on the khudside and seeing the commotion the school prefect appeared and when he asked who did it, Ranvir immediately pointed towards me..and I was caned...the last one hit my little finger and a mark remains till today.

But it was a lesson..never accept an unjust punishment.

Life comes a full circle as I took a photo with Ranvir here.

But Monkey Rock is now called Tenzing Rock and on the opposite side is Phantom Rock now renamed Gombu Rock.

And a Hanuman temple has occupied the place.

Monkey Rock now has a permanent rope and you can climb it for Rs.30/- and the other side there are a dozen tea stalls.

25 years ago it was natural.

And yes the Haunted House !

But Darjeeling is become too crowded now literally the hills are for sale or up for grabs.

Just write Gorkhaland and its yours.

And its better to walk than take a taxi....the roads see traffic snarls and surprisingly no one honks...they seem used to it all.

We could not spot a single ambassador.

And this was the only Land Rover we saw.

25 years ago Darjeeling was full of Amby's and Land Rovers as Land Rovers were the only vehicles you could take to Tiger Hill.

We would look forward to our monthly outings and in Rs.10 we would like buy the town.

Keventers, New Dish, Glenery's and a dozen others....

Penang is still there and refurbished in all blue...the waiters wear dresses to match the flower-pot !

In Rs.350 four of us had our momo lunch.

A Big Bazaar has replaced the Link Cinema...

And the Capitol Cinema (with the clock Tower) now houses the Darjeeling Municipality.

I wonder what the municipality does.

Even the Capital Cinema seemed occupied.

The lower bazaar is still a shanty.

Darjeeling doesn't need Gorkhaland..it needs a car park.

Maybe the lower bazaar should be completely demolished to house a multi storeyed car park and a large mall to house all the dislocated shops in one place with a square in the centre.

The Chowrasta is still beautiful....Oxford book store and the Tin Tin Comics are still around in perfect shape.

In fact the upper mall is still beautiful. The Brits definitely did something right.

Planters Club....the Shangrila Restaurant....its a walk down memory lane...

Glenyry's now has three levels...upper a restaurant, the second a pastry shop and a third now which is a pub.

The tastiest pastry's anywhere and now you can sit in there and enjoy the view as well.

And yes..the Churpee (made from Yak Milk).....

Homecoming 25 Years, St. Joseph's, North Point, Darjeeling 3

2011-11-18T06:33:00.000-08:00

By Manuwant Choudhary

Sursum Corda !

Darjeeling: Sursum Corda - our school motto in latin - means `Lift Up Your Heart'. And this motto has stayed with us all through life.

And the first glimpse of North Point in 25 years is simply a joy that is hard to describe.

When in school we would often have `Old' North Pointers visiting and we would simply laugh when they spoke to us and said, "Aah every stone, every pillar is the same..."

Wish we could say the same.

But North Point has changed.

The Fraser Hall is still the same and its stone facade intact. But the schools main building has a coat of grey paint now and it doesn't look good. We `Oldies' just prefer the stone and the moss.

Hope the old stone facade can be restored somehow.

And we also hope the Fraser Hall isn't demolished.

It is a beautiful hall with a wooden room and best acoustics...and its benches are the same. In our time Father Lohar was incharge of films and we saw all the westerns here. If the primary boys were being punished by the Prefect for some reason he would simply cancel the show ! Father Lohar wore the black Jesuit gown and walked with a limp as one of his legs were short and he wore special shoes but we loved him.

A quote outside the Rector's office best explains why North Point has changed.

"All the art of living lies in a fine mingling of letting go and holding on." - Henry Ellis.

The current Rector is Father Kinley Tsering.

But some changes were not just necessary but also desirable.

The quadrangle is a gentle blue now instead of grey and with lawns, It looks beautiful and colorful. We had red dust that blew all over the place.

The old indoor swimming pool has been removed to house the 11th section and the new swimming pool is in the open.

The old dining hall was hardly an attraction and now the new one overlooking the pool looks 5 star.

But there are far too many pavilions.

The main pavilion on the lower ground still exists but not maintained while a new one has been built.

The tennis courts are gone and instead there are dozens of basketball courts.

North Point also doesn't play hockey anymore. Wonder why? Anjay Shah was our great goal keeper and aprt from basketball this was one game we would play with Loreto Convent girls.

We watched the Gold Cup Football. Tata Football Academy versus Baichung Bhutia's Sikkim United. The Tata's won..but the game was nowhere close to the Mohan Bagan versus East Bengal matches we saw in school. Aaah Shyam Thapa's scissor kicks how much we did that on the field ourselves.

The toilets look much swankier...we had those rows of locked toilets and we hated the guy who had the keys and sometimes finding him would be impossible and we would be in `deep shit'.

But we did see the washroom and it felt wonderful turning on the same taps.....except there was no Sister Suma now with a cane shouting `You Piggy, rub harder..."

No Brother James either !

And the commune steam filled bath does exist !

But one good news is that North Point has solved its water problems. Water Harvesting enables it to collect a years water supply.

In school we had 600 students, now there are 1200 !

Mr. Andre Lefevre is our Geography teacher's son and he explained how classrooms have become smarter. "33 classrooms don't have blackboards anymore....anything we write on the smart screens is saved and can be recalled the next day or even in another classroom...teaching biology is easier as we don't have to draw the heart...just call the image and explain !"

And yes, the women teacher's are still beautiful !

Homecoming 25 Years, St. Joseph's, North Point, Darjeeling 2

2011-11-17T08:50:00.001-08:00

By Manuwant Choudhary

The monsoons are just over but the river Teesta has very little water and on way we saw a huge dam being built across it.

Governments call this `development' but since India's independence the electricity and irrigation needs of the people have not been fulfilled.

And wonder how Dr. Manmohan Singh promises to give Bangladesh water from the Teesta.

But Mamata didi opposed him.

The climb to Ghoom is steep. On way we saw the bungalow owned by Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore (he probably spent his summers here).

Milestones saying Jorebungalow 18 kms seemed really far away.

This stretch ensures drivers remain slim and trim.

Our driver Sonu from Siliguri finally made it to Ghoom and before we realised we were near the Ghoom monastery and the Batasia loop (where the toy train takes a funny shape, moves in circles before heading towards Darjeeling).

But in 1976 when I first made this trip with my father driving an ambassador late evening we were dazzled by the lights of Darjeeling - a sight hard to forget - a wow!

Now you can't see Darjeeling from Ghoom. Houses have been built on both sides of the road.

We checked into Hotel Seven Seventeen - an unusual name - but we later found out that the hotel is owned by our lower division school prefect Mr. Tashi Penjore. (717 is the hotel owners lucky number, all his cars, bikes, shops have this number).

Price: Rs.2000 per room per night.

The hotel I always stayed in as a student was Hotel New Elgin.

In those days the room rent would be Rs.400 per night or even less and there were just 5 rooms.

Now the Hotel is called The Elgin Hotel and room rents are Rs.8000/- per night !

Seven Seventeen is reasonable with a Tibetan touch and freindly staff. A large dining hall serves breakfast and food as well.

But as soon as we arrived and rested two of our class mates arrived and we were soon on our way to Chowrasta.

Keventers, Glenary's, Das Studio almost all prominent shops had posters welcoming the North Pointers Class of 86.

And we were not Gorkhaland leaders.

The welcome dinner was at a garden resort on the opposite side of Chowrasta.

This photo was taken by Sanjay Sharma..after two pegs this is the best he could do.

Like the Bonfire - meeting old friends rekindled the warmth even in the November chill.

Homecoming 25 Years, St. Joseph's, North Point, Darjeeling

2011-11-16T06:23:00.000-08:00

By Manuwant Choudhary

Darjeeling: I really never expected to meet up with so many old school friends and I did feel like meeting my old teachers and Rectors of the school and even just a glimpse of our school St. Joseph's, North Point, Darjeeling, in the backdrop of a majestic Kunchenjunga would give me happiness thats hard to describe.

I spent more time here than anywhere else in the world, not even home.

So when I got an invite to attend `Homecoming 25 years' I thought I must take the time anyhow.

So Ranvir Choudhary (now a doctor) and myself found ourselves on a train Capital Express to New Jalpaiguri - a journey we did many times before but it felt so different now.

We were men now, busy with work & responsibilities, having our own agendas, our own minds and doing so much we could never ever think of doing.

Yet, as a country I am still not sure whether we are going forward or backward?

In the eighties when there was just a single Indian Airlines we flew from Patna to Bagdogra and then took the taxi to Darjeeling, now with so many private airlines there is not a single flight from Patna to Bagdogra.

But the train ride this time was light, no trunks and no beddings and no books.

And as children going to school always gave you that `Homesick' feeling.

As adults we were `Schoolsick'!

Our school chorus went something like this `Hurrah for our Home In the Mountains...Hurrah for the monarch's of snow..."

At New Jalpaiguri we took a taxi - a Maruti Wagon R - for Rs.1600. (In school we paid only Rs.300 for the full taxi)

And the taxi driver informed us that the Siliguri-Kurseong Highway is still blocked due to the landslide...so we would be taking the longer Mungphu road.

After driving on the Gangtok highway begins the climb to Ghoom.

And as `We Toil Up from the Valley Below...." we could see the beautiful flower-lined cottages and orange orchards.

Smiling children.

The air felt lighter and everything so clear - like truth.

(to be continued)....

Man Of Peace !

2011-11-10T22:01:00.000-08:00

By Manuwant Choudhary

Maldives: Exclusive interview with Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh

Me: Sir, my first question to you is that for the first time India and Pakistan seem so peaceful....

PM: Aaah, you see the sunset on the Indian ocean its like magic....

Me: You mean the beach...

PM: No, I mean the sunset....

Me: You mean the sand....

PM: No, no I mean how it all looks in the sunset...

ME. You mean the coconut trees....

PM: You fool why do people go to Goa?

ME: Ok, ok ..i think I know what you mean.....but lets get on with our interview...you said that the Pakistani Prime Minister is a Man of Peace.

PM: Yes, I did say that and I always stand by what I say.

Me: But the whole world says Pakistan is a `terror state'.

PM: I never said anything about Pakistan. I only said the PM is a Man of Peace.

Me: Okay, okay, but their foreign minister says Jamat-ud-Dawa is also a peaceful charitable organisation.

PM: Thats what they say.

Me: But they also say Hafiz Saeed is a Man of Peace.

PM: Right thats what they say.

Me: And that Kasab is he a Manof Peace 2?

PM: Pakistanis believe he is so..they told me he butchers peacefully.

Me: Butchers means kills.

PM: I didn't say that..he is peaceful with the AK 56..the way he shoots.

Me: But the Pakistanis say Hang Kasab, so why don't we hang him?

PM: We can't do what the Pakistanis say...you see we are a peace-loving country.

Me: And what about Dawood?

PM: Many in India worship him so he must be a Man of Peace.

Me: And that Tiger Memon who bombed Bombay two decades ago..

PM: He is a peaceful Tiger.

Me: And Osama bin Laden?

PM: Man of Peace....

Me: George Bush?

PM: Man of Peace....

Me: So who is a Man of War.

PM: Sri, Sri, Sri, Sri, Sri Ravishankar is a Man of War. How dare he go to Amethi !

India Censors Tibetan Flag In Film `Rockstar'

2011-11-09T18:35:00.000-08:00

By Manuwant Choudhary

India has censored the waving of a Tibetan flag in the film `Rockstar' to release this week.

Now the flag will be blurred.

You will not even get a glimpse of it.

But a flag is a flag not nudity.

But India's censors think otherwise...and they say they would have allowed nudity but Tibetan flag - definitely No.

Hott kissing scenes are Ok.

Good luck Ranbir Kapoor & Nargis.

I wonder if the censor board would block my blog as well.

Just watched Radhika Bordia's special tribute on socialist singer Bhupen Hazarika on NDTV and the singer talks about his love for Mao's communism and how he even sang songs in praise of their friend from across the Himalayas.

Until one day bombs fell on his home state Assam and the Chinese occupied it.

He talks with so much pain since he had just returned to India trained as a journalist at the Columbia school and he went to cover the fall of Bomdilla....and on seeing the 55 dead jawans he composed a song...on how they were invincible in death..and he wished he was one of them.

Hazarika talks about how let-down the people of Assam were because when Jawaharlal Nehru said Bye-bye, he was actually leaving portions of India to the Chinese.

Hazarika says, "My songs were in praise of two `Shaktis' - India & China - but what do you do when one `Shakti' attacks the other.

Bhupen Hazarika died a member of the BJP.

Yet, neither the Congress Party (which rules Assam mostly) nor the BJP gave him his due - the Bharat Ratna.

I would say S.D. Burman is the other person who deserves India's highest civilian award.

Bhupen Hazarika never made it to the Rajya Sabha also.

When Dr. Manmohan Singh our Prime Minister gets himself nominated to Rajya Sabha from Assam (although he is not from Assam).

And now they've even changed the rules to allow anybody getting elected from any state.

This is why India's federal structure is under threat.

Will this come under Jan Lokpal?

Dr. Singh is dishonest, just as IK Gujral would get nominated from Bihar.

So it hurts to see a Tibetan flag being cencored in free India when China captures our territory and on maps even show Arunachal Pradesh as being a part of China.

Recently, when a journalist asked a visiting Chinese Governor about this, the Chinese replied, "Shut up."

The Indian reporter reminded him, "Sir, this is India, not China."

Yet the Congress Party crawl before the Chinese.

Even when Hindi-Chini bhai-bhai became Hindi-Chini hai-hai....

Its a shame..

Dil Hoom Hoom Kare...ghabraye......

Free India, Free Tibet !

Paperless PMO !

2011-11-08T22:53:00.000-08:00

By Manuwant Choudhary

I wish the Prime Minister's Office looks like this...and not `Paperless' as Mr. Pulok Chatterjee, principal secretary to the Prime Minister, plans to do.

A senior journalist in Patna told me how difficult it has become for journalists to get anything out of the Bihar government after computerisation.

Before all you needed to do was take a clerk for some `chai' and paan and he would drop a highly confidential document on the streets.

But now the clerks can't help journalists as all they know is how to dust the computers !

And dust there is - a thick coat - as most `Babu's' still dont know how to operate a computer.

For this more jobs are created ..they are called `computer operators'.

With a `Paperfull' office its so easy to get a 2G note out or what Chidambaram wrote but now Mr. Pulok Chaterjee insists even cabinet notings must come in electronic form and through him.

And Pranab da, India's finance minister, wants to get out of the sticky situation saying its the cabinet secretary who asked him to mention all those bad things about Chidambaram.

And after all this the Delhi High Court gives an entire file to that fellow Subramaniam Swamy.

God what has this country come to.

Official Secrecy?

In Bihar the chief minister takes his chopper to remote Bagaha to begin his `Seva Yatra'.

A journalist said this time his District Magistrates do not know which school or hospital he may visit.

And the cabinet approves the chief minister be brought under the Lok Ayukta....but there will be no single Lok Ayukta, rather is will be a commitee.

I remember once at the Bihar Public Service Commission we covered a controversy where two persons both had offices with the nameplates saying they were chairman, BPSC.

Democratisation is not always a good thing.

Take this case for example - a doctor commits suicide in Siwan.

The reason being he took a loan from a bank of Rs. 8 lakh - not to go abroad for higher studies - but to bribe a Bihar minister so that he becomes a Civil surgeon.

But as things happened..the health secretary disagreed with the minister and delayed the file and instead sent it to the chief minister.

The final list had different names, not the ones selected by the minister.

Hence, the doctor killed himself.

And always be suspicious of bureaucrats who become Rajya Sabha MPs.

Like Nitish Kumar nominated RCP Sinha as his MP after the UP cadre officer took premature reirement from his service.

RCP was principal secretary to Nitish Kumar.

One internet report says he was exactly what R.K. Dhawan was to Mrs. Indira Gandhi.

Thats perhaps the politest way to put things...without attracting a defamation suit.

But even `honest' politicians thrive on the Department of Transfers & Postings.

And its worth crores.

Government officials willing to buy their positions and place of posting.

If you dont pay, the husband will find himself working 300 kms away from his wife !

Occupy !

2011-11-05T21:52:00.000-07:00

By Manuwant Choudhary

My editor commissioned me to visit USA to get the inside story on the Occupy Movement and so here I am at the Wall Street....

Me squatting with an Occupier: Hello, I am a junior reporter from India and I would like to ask you a few questions if you don't mind.

Occupier 1: Shoot.

Me: Can you tell me the inspiration behind the Occupy movement...like is it China because they occupy Tibet or is it India and Pakistan because they Occupy Jammu & Kashmir?

Occupier: No, no....we are not Occupier's like that....We are different kind...

Me: But how...at least you are leftist like the politicians in India and China.

Occupire: No, no...politicians in India and China love the Wall Street. the World Bank, the IMF...we hate em all.

Me: You mean China and India love Tibet and Kashmir so they occupy but you occupy only places you hate...

Occupier: Right..you are close but we are still different...

Me: Okay, okay who is your leader.

Occupier: Our Leader is a website!

Me: What how can a Leader be a website!

Occupier: yes, yes, thats why we all sit here with our ipads and iphones and Macs....

Me: And whats his name?

Occupier: Occupytogether.org

Me: You mean you do whatever they write on this website.

Occupier: yes.

me: But I here you sent some team to India to find out the places you hate most in India.

Occupier: yes, yes, we did and we found a lot. I was part of the team.

me: tell me like what...

Occupier: Like Indian trains are occupied to full capacity still they make a loss.

Me: And?

Occupier: Like the train toilets are forever occupied ...

Me: You mean they are in use...

Occupier: Used only sometimes, but mostly people without tickets travel in them.

Me: Did you actually see a toilet?

Occupier: I did and learnt a lot.

me: Like what..

Occupier: Like when the British occupied India they built the train system so that Indians could shit all over their country...they have holes in them..you can even check the train speed.

Me: I have not come all the way to talk about train toilets. My source tells me that you guys want to occupy the Indian parliament.

Occupier: Yeah, we thought we would do that..but the Indian parliament is already occupied !

No Prime Minister, Yes Madam !

2011-11-04T23:26:00.000-07:00

By Manuwant Choudhary

Who is this man? Well, err, most would say don't know, not seen him but what if I say he is more powerful than our Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh....

He is Sonia Gandhi's man in the Prime Minister's Office.

Recently returned to India after a stint at the World Bank he is now the principal secretary to the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh.

A sidey TV channel reporter a few days ago did his live reporting and this is exactly what he said and in excatly this order:

"Pulok Chatterjee will not be attending the G 20 Summit at Cannes in France as his daughter is getting married on November 6.....but Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will be attending."

Well, India's Prime Minister did attend the G 20 and returned after muttering useful nothings.

And most likely both Sonia Gandhi and Dr. Singh will be attending the wedding of the daughter of Pulok Chatterjee.

So who is this man?

Well, as the internet reports reveal he was handpicked by VP Singh to appoint him as an IAS in Amethi to look after Sanjay Gandhi's constituency.

After Sanjay's demise he continued working in Uttar Pradesh.

And was the District Magistrate in Rae Bareily from where Sonia Gandhi was first elected.

And served Sonia Gandhi as OSD when she was the leader of the opposition.

Now he replaces TKA Nair as principal secrtary and has issued strict orders that every file going to the PM must go through him.

Mr. Nair was also to be made Governor of Rajasthan but his appointment was reportely opposed by Mr. Chatterjee.

Wow !

Now 2 Gandhi Nehru servants in the PMO !

Its like Sonia Gandhi even tells the PM on which hand he must wave at public rallies!

Not Yes Prime Minister, but Jee Madam!!!

I Prefer This Anna

2011-10-31T06:19:00.000-07:00

By Manuwant Choudhary

I went shopping looking for an `Anna' cap and instead this is what I found...

And I like this Anna....

She talks.

He is on `maun' vrata.

Her blood pressures are normal.

His are high.

She eats food.

He doesn't.

She drinks, even alcohol.

He doesn't drink and bans others also.

She does not stay at Ralegan Siddi.

He lives at Ralegan Siddi.

She wears jeans.

He wears a dhoti.

She loves the RSS (internet feed).

He constantly denies any links to RSS.

She reads and writes her blogs.

He has a ghost blogger.

She likes sex.

He is single.

She has better freinds than Kiran Bedi, Arvind Kejriwal and Prashant Bhushan.

He has them.

She doesn't have Digvijay Singh barking at her every day.

He has Digvijay Singh barking at him everyday.

She has no plan A, B, C.

He has plan A, B, C, and the Congress Party has Formula 1 - make Rahul PM.

Pr Formula 2 - Make Priyanka PM.

She loves the Taj Mahal and India.

He hasnt visited Agra.

She cares about Kashmir and its people.

He cares only about Kashmir.

For her. her home is her castle, no one can take that away from her.

For the Congress, the Government of India can.

And for him the Gram Swaraj can.

Corruption?

Private Sector Bribery Bill?

2011-10-25T06:49:00.000-07:00

By Manuwant Choudhary

Did you see how serious India's Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh was at the CBI meet where he said he is going to bring a Private Sector Bribery Bill? For this he invited India's top bribery expert to the Prime Minister's Office...

PM: I am dead serious in bringing this Private Sector Bribery Bill in the winter session of parliament.

Bribery Expert: Sir, how can I help you?

PM: Well, first you have to tell me all the different kinds of bribery so that we can ban them.

Bribery Expert: Sir, before we start I have a query. Isn't bribery just bribery. What do you mean by Private Sector Bribery?

PM: No, no...already half my ministers are in Tihar jail...now we want only private sector bribery to stop.

Bribery Expert: What about public sector bribery?

PM: You mean oil companies?

Bribery Sector: Oil, fertliser, railways....all of them

PM: No, no all bills have exemptions so we will keep them exempted..after all they do national service.....and our job is to uplift the underprivileged.

Bribery Expert: Sir, okay lets begin but I have critical information about bribery by Ambani, Tata and Birla....

PM: Really? No, no they are all honest gentlemen.

Bribery Expert: Well, I followed their donations and they all bribe the Congress Party every election to get favours after....

PM: No, no no..you got it all wrong ..they just want to help Indian democracy and the Nehru Gandhi family remain in power...its not bribery..its social responsibility and that is tax exempt.

Bribery Expert: What about land? All of UP Mayawati is giving to those builders..should we go after them? Even that DLF fellow...DLF 1,2,3,4,5,6,...no land ceiling laws apply to them?

PM: I told you don't focus on government..the Bill is called Private Sector Bribery.

Bribery Expert: Sir, I don't think Rahul Baba understands anything when he writes to you that all kith and kin must declare their assets...you know even that Robert Vadra fellow will have to declare his assets and you know he is a private fellow..businessman you see..

PM: Just focus on them not us...your brief is clear.

Bribery Expert: Should we consult L K Advani see how he travels all over India on corruption....

PM: Do not go near him,,he wants only me in jail so that he can become PM.

Bribery Expert: Should we focus on BJP ruled states like Bihar where ministers build seven-storyed apartments?

PM: No, no..no...Lok Ayuktas are there for that..I just want you to draft this private sector bill.

Bribery Expert: Sir, do you know that Rs.400 crore was withdrawns from ATMs in poor Bihar on dhanteras?

PM: Really, but why?

Bribery expert: Its obvious...its bribery.

PM: You mean even on Diwali....

Bribery Expert: yes, sir..see all those gifts and flowers outside your house...we may just have to ban Diwali.

PM: Do not overstep your brief. Just focus.

Bribery Expert: Just tell me what you want?

PM: I want a bill against Arvind Kejriwal.

Kiran Bedi Upgraded!

2011-10-24T00:11:00.000-07:00

By Manuwant Choudhary

This morning I was at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (Domestic) and I see Kiran Bedi arguing with the red girl at the ticketing counter...

Ticketing Girl: Maam here is your Economy Class Ticket to Bombay.

Kiran Bedi: You don't watch television?

Ticket Girl: Sorry, what? I don't get time to even sleep. These private airlines keep us working 24 hours. But I just offered you your ticket.

Kiran Bedi: How will corruption end if young girls don't watch the news.

Ticket Girl: I just want to sell you the ticket and am not interested in ending corruption. Otherwise I would have been a policewoman.

Kiran Bedi: No, I mean you should watch the news at least...and maybe leave strong messgaes in support of Anna on Facebook...the least you can do for the country.

Ticket Girl: Ya, I work very hard and pay my income tax...and don't steal or rob or bribe others.

Kiran Bedi: Its not enough you must be ready to go to Tihar jail to fight corruption.

Ticket Girl: I don't want to go to Tihar jail. Id rather visit Bangkok.

Kiran Bedi: Exactly, see what liberalisation has done to our youth.

Ticket Girl: Excuse me?

Kiran Bedi: Do you know how to wave the national flag?

Ticket Girl: Yah once in school I did that....

Kiran Bedi: Not in school. Have you waved the national flag for 11 full days?

Ticket Girl: No, why. And why would I do that?

Kiran Bedi: Exactly, you don't even know how to wave the national flag for 11 days.

Ticket Girl: I don't understand. I am just giving you your ticket and you are talking about the national flag.

Kiran Bedi: You airline people only know how to put on make-up and wear red short skirts and nothing else.

Ticket Girl: Maam we are here to only sell you the ticket. And here is your Economy Class ticket.

Kiran Bedi: Do you want to be on the front page of Indian Express?

Ticket Girl: No, maam, I don't read newspapers and I am not a sexy model..anyway even thats Page 3, not Page 1.

Kiran Bedi: Okay, let me explain very clearly. The minute I take this Economy Class Ticket from you we will be on national TV...500 channels in 44 Indian languages.

Ticket Girl: But Maam. I am only selling you a ticket.

Kiran Bedi: Your are so dumb. For 20 days now I have been on the news for travelling Economy Class !

Ticket Girl: But why?

Kiran Bedi: I don't know. I just saved some money by not flying Business Class because I wanted to visit poor Bihar.

Ticket Girl: So you were like Mahatma Gandhi who travelled third Class by train.

Kiran Bedi: Yes. And these journalists have got it all wrong. They say I am as corrupt as Kalmadi.

Ticket Girl: Oh I am so sorry our valued customer has to go through this but Maam will you take this Economy Class ticket.

Kiran Bedi: No. Even my trustees have said from now on I must not save money and travel Business Class instead.

Ticket Girl: But maam, what happened to the austerity drive?

Kiran Bedi: Austerity is only for Sashi Tharoor. See how he lost his job because he stayed in a 5 Star Hotel with his own money.

Ticket Girl: But I know maam you are not corrupt. You did not take even Re.1 from any truck driver all your life as an illustrious policewoman.

Kiran Bedi: No its not that. You have to be very carefull with accounts these days...and not be like housewives who steal their husbands money and say they spent it on Phenyl.

Ticket Girl: But I know maam every salaried person does all that...

Kiran Bedi: All that meaning.....? Everyone? You mean even the reporter who writes against me????

Ticket Girl: yes even the reporter, even i claim medical bills by submitting fake bills...you at least travel?

Kiran Bedi: You mean for all disesases, even those you don't have?

Ticket, Girl> yes, I have AIDS, Cancer, Tuberculosis and yet I am fit to work 24 hours!

Kiran Bedi: Hey just give me Business Class. At least I will sit cross-legged on those wide seats and close my eyes and meditate.

Pakistan - A Failed State Or A Rogue State

2011-10-22T23:26:00.001-07:00

By Manuwant Choudhary

Ever since Osama Bin Laden was found living in Abbottabad and his arrest and execution (without Pakistan being informed), Pakistan is looking more like a Rogue State.

It has been a Failed State for a very long time but recent posturing by Gen Kayani warning the US against any unilateral air strikes in North Waziristan (where the terrorists could be holed up) and his reminder that Pakistan is a nuclear state, just indicates that Pakistan is of serious concern not just to the United States and India but to the world.

Pakistan's foreign minister Hina Rabbani is at odds with her beauty...she talks about `Sovereignty' but her dancing dark eyes are distrustful and nervous ..... she is not talking about Pakistan or her people but for the terror networks that exist on her soil.

The General says Pakistan will act on their own time and will, but the real question is will the terrorists also give the world enough time to foil their terror designs?

What we saw in Bombay and subsequent confessions with David Headley point towards just one thing that Pakistan is not just responsible for the terror networks but could be actively ordering the terror strikes as well.

Of course, I am no fan of the United States, its their billions that the Pakistani's have used to create such havens for terror.

But time may be running out and things are far from normal in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Hillary Clinton's last attempts to make the Pakistani's see sense may fail.

India Absent In Manipur

2011-10-21T23:03:00.000-07:00

By Manuwant Choudhary

Its now 90 days since two highways Manipur's only link to India have been blocked due to an ongoing feud between Nagas and Kukis over the carving of a disctrict and there is no sign of the government of India.

Wonder if Manipur is an `integral' part of India as our politicians often say about Kashmir.

Gas is selling at Rs.2000 per cylinder and petrol costs Rs.140 per litre and long queues can be seem at petrol stations

Potato in the rest of India is less than Rs.10, while in Manipur it is Rs.40.

Manipur depends on supplies from outside and trucks carrying essentials and other goods from the rest of India use the national highways (NH 53 and NH 39) passing through Nagaland and Assam.

The Sadar Hills District Demand Committee (SHDDC) had started its indefinite economic blockades on the National Highway 39 (Imphal-Dimapur-Guwahati) and National Highway 53 (Imphal-Jiribam-Silchar) on August one.

The SHDDC has demanded conversion of the Sadar Hills area in Senapati district into a full fledged district.

Opposing this, the United Naga Council (UNC) began its economic blockades on the two highways on August 21.

The government in Manipur is the same Congress Party that is in power at the centre and its chief minister is Ibobi Singh who is become India's most mocked at chief minister on facebook.

Instead of solving his state's problems he is busy scouting for land to build a 5 star hotel.

Manipur is also the state of Irom Sharmila who is on a ten year fast against the Special Forces Act, and the only time India took note of her was when Anna Hazare did his 11 day fast in New Delhi.

Wonder why India is not using the Special Forces Power Act to remove protestors from the streets.

Or is the Indian government scared of Nagas and Kukis?

The right thing would be to impose President's rule in Manipur, remove the blockades and deny any new districts.

Not The Last Tyrant

2011-10-20T22:37:00.000-07:00

By Manuwant Choudhary

Television today brings us closer to history and how brutal...a tyrant being caught alive...is assaulted with his own shoes and you see Muammar Gaddafi being taken on a jeep, his face bleeding, a bit drowsy and pleading for mercy...as his last words were `Don't shoot'.

He was found in a highway drain trying to escape after a Nato bomb hit his carcade.

And then we see images of a dead Gaddafi being dragged on the streets of his home Sirte.

Yet, is he the same man Tony Blair had dinner with just a year ago?

I distrust governments - all governments.

And you can have a tyrant even in a democracy - people will elect him.

Hitler was elected after all.

And as I read todays newspapers there is no word from the Indian government or Dr. Manmohan Singh.

When the people of Libya were being bombed by Muammar Gaddafi and they looked east towards India, India looked the other way.

`Interests', economic, diplomatic or just plain corruption, and definitely not principles guide all governments.

Oil.

And governments get so badly involved it it all that even their Prime Ministers become lackeys of oil companies and their interests.

And I am not an `Occupy' activist or supporter.

But stop and look around the world we live in and you will realise that we are just one big cruel civilisation unable to resolve our problems.

Few individuals like beacons on light still exist amongst us who willl never take the short cut and who do not seek to dominate and they are not arrogant about their goodness.

Muammar Gaddafi was quite handsome when young...and disgustingly ugly when old.

A pencil moustache, eyes that is better with the sungalsses, a goat beard and a rock star hairstyle, but his face was so rough he did not look human.

Yet, in a CNN interview with Larry King he said he was not the Leader of Libya but Leader of the Revolution and that the revolution was still on.

And he was right, his own people revolted against him.

Gaddaffi's brand of tyranny was a combination of socialism, religious fundamentalism and his Green Book. 42 years!

Mahatma Gandhi once said, "When I despiar, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love has always won. There have been tyrants and murderers and for a time they seem invincible, but in the end they always fall - think of it, always.

Dala - Life on Earth - From Folk Alley

2011-10-19T18:08:00.000-07:00

http://www.npr.org/2011/10/18/141457234/dala-sweet-and-gentle-harmony

The Blue Turban

2011-10-18T22:14:00.000-07:00

By Manuwant Choudhary

Have you noticed European leaders avoid inviting Dr. Manmohan Singh...Dr. Singh has made most trips to the United States.

So I asked an EU MP and he confided it was because of his turban.

But why turban?

EU MP: You see its blue in colour.

Me: So what blue is a beautiful colour. I love blue shirts.

EU MP: No, no its not just the colour its also the turban.

Me: You mean Europe has become like France, no veils no turbans kind of policy.

EU MP: No, no, its not that. Dr. Singh is a gentleman.

Me: Then why? He is after all India's honestest Prime Minister.

EU MP: Look we value our ties with India but we just cannot invite him.

Me: Has that Anna Hazare asked you not to invite him?

EU MP: No, don't blame Anna.

Me: I would say if Anna wore a blue cap instead of white the Jan Lokpal Bill would have been passed.

EU MP: No this has nothing to do with the Jan Lokpal Bill.

Me: Then what? Is it that Arvind Kejriwal threatening you that they will campaign against European MPs?

EU MP: Arvind Kejriwal is an activist and we know how powerful he is...even slippers don't get him. And that poor fellow Prashant Bhushan gets bashed up in the Supreme Court for telling the truth about Kashmir.

Me: What truth? You see even Anna does not support his Team member Prashant Bhushan on Kashmir.

EU MP: Thats because Anna is scared of Balasaheb Thackeray.

Me: Why Balasaheb? Balasaheb has not visited Kashmir in his entire life. And that would mean Anna is intellectually corrupt? Should that also not come under the Jan Lokpal Bill?

EU MP: No, it seems you don't read wikileaks. WE know more about Indian politics than even the Indian people.

Me: How do you do that?

EU MP: we just take the Indian journalists to dinner at 5 star hotels and they tell us the juciest secrets that they do not write about.

Me: Is that so? So tell me the latest.

EU MP: Well, Digvijay Singh is better at shooting letters than shooting his mouth.

Me: I agree.

EU MP: That LK Advani is a tall leader so tall that even his chariot get stuck under bridges and trees have to to be removed across India for his yatra.

ME. What else you know?

EU MP: That Rahul Gandhi is getting married soon.

Me: Really? How come?

EU MP: He went for the Kind of Bhutan's wedding and after all he is the prince of India. But until then we are still worried about the blue turban.

Me: I know those hosiseries manufactured surplus blue turban material when Dr. Singh became PM but they remain unsold. Sikhs prefer wearing red and black like the Ranbaxy brothers ...see they built more hospitals in four years than Dr. Singh in ten years.

EU MP: Can you just ask Dr. Singh's wife to give him a pink turban.

Me: I did ask her once but she said Dr. Singh wears only blue.

EU MP: But why insist on blue? I know Montek Singh wears blue in India and purple in the United States.

Me. Well, even your EU flag is blue so whats your problem?

EU MP: You don't understand.

ME: Dr. Singh himself told students that he was always known as The Blue Turban.

EU: Thats what scares us?

Me: But why? Dr. Singh told me he likes blue because of his alma mater Cambridge..its their flag colour too!

EU: You dont have to wear your flag? Whatever happened to the flag code? Will he next wear the tricolour turban just because he loves the Congress Party.

Me: I think you are still not telling me anything?

Eu MP: Well, errr, eerrrrrr, I think I have to tell you that Nostradamus has predicted that
World War III will start when a man wearing a blue turban enters Europe.

Me: But Dr. Singh has not hurt a fly.

India's Poorest Pay Bribes

2011-10-17T20:03:00.000-07:00

By Manuwant Choudhary

Rajiv Gandhi got it all wrong....India's poorest pay higher bribes than estimated - a bribe in his mothers name -- Indira.

The Indira Aawas Yojna or the Indira Housing Scheme is about providing basic shelter to India's poorest and over the years the fund available has been increased.

Now a poor family would get Rs.45,000/- or roughly 921 US dollars to build a house.

But in practice he gets much less.

First he has to pay Rs.7,000/- to a local village tout and then another Rs.500 to open a bank account, another Rs.200 for paperwork.

Following this the tout goes to the local mukhiya (village head) and after the mukhiya gets his cut then he signs on the documents approving that the person is poor and deserving.

Then Rs.20,000 is sanctioned to construct the house as a first installment.

Once this is done, then there is an inspection and then the rest Rs.25,000/- is sanctioned. This is to be used for the cement/concrete roof and windows and doors.

But since the poor family have already spent Rs.8,000 before in reality he gets only Rs.17,000/-

So if a poor person does not have the Rs.7000/- bribe then he will most certainly not even get the Indira Awas Yojna fund.

What the mukhiya does is that he grants the scheme to those who already have a house, they just whitewash their old homes and pocket the money.

A better way for `gareebee hatao' would be to send the money directly to the poor man's bank account and let him spend it on what he feels like.

The scheme is also faulty in that it takes away the property rights of the poorest. Having built the Indira Aawas he cannot sell his dwelling land.

Politics Is For The Mediocre

2011-10-16T20:15:00.000-07:00

By Osho

If you are intelligent, why should you be in politics? It is for the stupid, for the mediocre.

The intelligent person will have much more important things to do - he won't be interested in dominating others. His whole interest will be in knowing himself. To dominate the other is a way of escaping from one's own inner meaninglessness, inner emptiness, and hollowness. It is an escape from oneself. The intelligent person is not an escapist.

Politics is an escape, a great escape. It keeps you so occupied day in, day out that you cannot find even a few minutes for yourself. Even when you sleep you think politics; it continues in your dreams. To be a politician is a 24-hour job. You cannot relax because if you relax you will be left behind. It is pure violence.

Honesty does not pay in politics. And even if sometimes a politician is honest, he is honest only if it pays, not for honesty's sake. The proverb that 'honesty is the best policy' must have been invented by a politician. Even honesty becomes a policy! How can honesty be a policy?

Honesty is religion, not a policy. You are honest for the sheer joy of being honest. You are honest even if you have to lose everything; it is worth losing everything. Honesty can never be a policy, but politics makes everything a policy. An honest person in politics? Impossible!

A politician named Strange lay on his deathbed. His lawyer was summoned. "As an epitaph, on my tombstone," he gasped, "i only want to have the words, `Here lies an honest politician'."

The lawyer protested, "How will people know who's buried under that stone?"

The old man nodded wisely. "Don't worry," he advised. "Folks will take one look at those words and they'll all say, 'That's strange!'" And Strange was the name of the politician...

Honesty needs guts. The politician has to wear masks, he has to fulfil the expectations of people, so whatsoever you want he pretends to be that. Whatsoever you want, he is ready to promise it. He goes on promising contradictory things to different people; his promise means nothing.

And the whole world complains about these politicians, but somehow man is so stupid that if he gets out of the clutches of one politician, immediately he enters into the cage of another.

Man has to be freed from his stupid mind; only then will he be free of the politicians. Hence politicians don't want you to be intelligent. For thousands of years they did not allow people to be educated because that was dangerous. Now they allow people to be educated, but the education is such that it makes you less intelligent.

When the child enters the school he is far more intelligent than when he comes back from the university. Those 20 years will destroy much that was immensely valuable. He will carry just words, jargon, theories, knowledge. He will have sold his intelligence and he will have brought home just dead knowledge.

The older generation tries to mould the mind of the new generation. The teacher is just an agent of the older generation. He is the agent: he corrupts the minds of the new, but the corruption is done with such skill that you will not become aware unless you are really alert, watchful.

Courtesy Osho International Foundation and Times of India Speaking Tree

Steve Jobs - My Tribute

2011-10-15T05:09:00.000-07:00

By Manuwant Choudhary

God is definitely not Steve Jobs.

God is more likely to be someone like Bill Gates and so we have all the bacteria and viruses floating around. And Cancer.

Steve Jobs passed away recently and so this is my tribute to a great individual whom I never met and know him only through his gadgets I use.

I am not a techie nor do I care much about Silicon Valley.

Yet, computers have become a part of our lives in a way much like electricity.

I am more like the man on the street in rural India scared of technology and when they work I simply marvel.

Of course, I must be among the really privileged to use computers at St. Joseph's College, North Point, Darjeeling, way back in the eighties. We solved some very simple Mathematical problems on them and played some games!

But I would not say it was enough to take the fear out of me.

The first time I really felt how important computers had become when I went to apply for a trainee job at The Afternoon Despatch & Courier newspaper in Bombay and the editor Mr. Behram Contractor asked me, "Do you know how to use a computer?"

I replied, "Well. err, errr, I did something way back in school but no."

Editor, "Do you know how to use a typewriter?"

And I replied No.

Editor, "Then please go and learn how to type on a computer. Remember no notes, just think from your head and type straight onto the keyboard."

I joined a computer course for a month and still have no clue about softwares and hardwares and what all they explained. But after classes I would just type my love letters from my head.

Thats how I got my first job.

Occasionally as a reporter we would hear of Shammi Kapoor trying to promote the internet in Bombay and I wondered why. Was it because of him having some stake in Yahoo !

Chahe koi mujhe junglee kahe ...Yahoooo! is a song which was more famous than computers and the internet and search engines.

Once in a while someone would mention Apple and we would say What?

Among our friends Anurag Sharma was considered just next to Bill Gates in understanding computers.

Yet, as a reporter my editor once gave me an invite to cover a public meet. "Here, here go Manu Bill Gates is coming."

For me it was just another assignment until my Malabar Hill friends began calling up for extra passes.

And when I passed on some I was doing them a favour greater than India's Prime Minister.

So as I walked towards Navy Nagar with my `jhola' and a pen, hundreds of Mercs whizzed past me.

Only then did I realise that Bill Gates was the richest man in the world.

His talk was quite ordinary and at the end he announced that he would be donating a few hundred computers to poor school children perhaps to please shifty Congress politicians like Murli Deora.

I just reported.

My report was as ordinary as the talk.

What was brilliant was my editor Busybee's take on it all in his daily column Round & About on how Bill Gates went to meet his friend on the 21st Floor (Who was richer than Bill Gates).

Later while studying in the UK I decided to buy myself a computer after saving every penny.

So I go to the Computer Advisor on how to buy a laptop. And his advice was `Don't buy."

But I pleaded but why?

And he insisted that laptops don't work, they are not reliable, why don't you buy a desktop.

But how do I take a desktop back to India with me.

I just went and bought a Compaq laptop with a Windows 95 software.

It had a one-month guarantee. I was too busy with studies and when I used it first I realised there was a problem.

And then many long walks to the Computer Store.

The one month guarantee had lapsed.

They had a one year worldwide warranty and the Store explained how I had to call the helpline (international charges would apply)

Its only when I called and called and finally shouted that they gave me a new laptop.

And I walk back.

And the new computer also had the same problem. Windows would just not save!

I tell you how much I hate Bill Gates.

And then the viruses that would stare you in the face while you worked on the more serious threats to society - our politicians.

So when my compaq laptop finally died I did not buy a new one immediately.

I just did not feel like it until one day I see this MacBook Pro.

And so this tribute.

Thank you Steve.

Recession in India? What Recession?

2011-09-26T22:57:00.000-07:00

PIX Manuwant Choudhary

Recession in India? What recession? Mercedez Benz has sold 22 of these beauties in India already in just a few months since they were imported from Germany. Cost somewhere around 3.5 crore rupees each! I can understand why our Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh says India can lift the developed world out of their slump!

Vera Brezhneva's Real Life

2011-09-25T23:51:00.001-07:00

Translation of this Russian Song

My tiny bird, you only see the sun on TV
Look out the window, I'm sending you a ray of light, catch it!
You know a lot about love from the Internet, definitely
But it's not your story, your tears are in vain
And the sun shines on everyone equally

The Ron Paul Campaign Video

2011-09-25T23:07:00.000-07:00

Our Prime Minister Defends His Ministers, Only

2011-09-24T22:18:00.000-07:00

By Manuwant Choudhary

Every Indian Prime Minister have their own style like Nehru's white sherwani's with thered rose, Lal Bahadur Shastri's simple dhoti-kurta, Indira Gandhi's sarees, Morarjibhai's Gandhian cap, Rajiv's shawl slung across his shoulders, Vajpayeejee's poetry, VP Singh's Muslim cap, Chandra Shekharji's brutal honesty that India's parliament should not discuss corruption, and Manmohan Singh's sky blue turban.

But Manmohan Singh looks more peculiar by the day.

Before it was just an intellectually high forehead and his wave that looks like he is dusting his home furniture.

Now its not just his gestures but what he has been saying makes one feel its time for him to go.

Like his latest from abroad, "I will defend my ministers."

But if you defend your ministers then who will defend the people?

I would say he is responsible for the 2 G Mess. Like if it was public policy that the spectrum prices be kept low then why doesn't the Prime Minister say so.

His ministers are going to jail one by one so its hard to believe the Prime Minister is even defending his own ministers.

And his other statement aimed at the western powers that they must not be involved in regime change. Did the Libyan leader Muamma Qaddafi call Dr. Manmohan Singh and should he have been allowed to bomb his own people?

I wonder what our Prime Minister has to say on Indira Gandhi's role in the creation of Bangladesh?

Milking The Nation - Finally A Supreme Court Verdict

2011-09-17T20:01:00.000-07:00

Mr. Rama Reddy a prominent liberal from Hyderabad has spent the last three decades fighting for genuine cooperatives in Andhra Pradesh and opposing State Control over cooperatives and now finally a Supreme Court verdict on the issue confirms that he was right and the politicians we elect were wrong. Mr. Rama Reddy himself outlines the struggle for freedom of cooperatives.

Supreme Court endorses Cooperative Principles and says Protection under Articles 14 and 19 is available to Cooperatives

Supreme Court’s judgment of 2nd September 2011 in Andhra Pradesh Dairy Cooperatives case:

Dear friends of cooperatives,

1. These are the days of the Reddy Brothers of Karnataka, Jagan & Kiran Reddys of Andhra Pradesh, etc. More than proverbial twice, I asked myself whether it was the right time for Rama Reddy of Hyderabad to get into circulation. Since I have to share with you a significant event on a subject of mutual interest to you and me, there is no escape from writing a note, after a long time, for your perusal. I hope that it will be informative and interesting. If it is not so, my apologies to you for taking some of your precious time.

2. My training in and practice of Journalism have not changed my thought process much; on most occasions, my narrations will be in chronological frame. I am an avid reader of print media and a keen viewer of electronic media. However, it is of not much help when I start to write a news story. Your level of tolerance has to be quite high when you read my notes.

3. This is once again a story of “Goliath and Davids”. In this story, the Government of Andhra Pradesh is “Goliath” and Dairy Cooperatives in Andhra Pradesh are “Davids”. All-powerful governments rarely learn lessons from experiences and, therefore, ordinary citizens have to teach them tirelessly the same lessons repeatedly.

4. NT Rama Rao (NTR) never thought of himself as a social and political animal like you and me; he thought of himself as a divine incarnation, who takes birth on this planet once in a millennium. As the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, he was in the habit of granting boons occasionally. In 1995, he saw to it that the State Legislature enacted a new liberal cooperative law, without repealing the old regressive law on cooperatives. The old law is titled “Andhra Pradesh Cooperative Societies Act 1964” (henceforth the 1964 Act) and the new law is titled “Andhra Pradesh Mutually Aided Cooperative Societies Act 1995” (henceforth the 1995 Act). The new law is also known as the MACS Act. The new law was one of those few boons that NTR granted to the ordinary mortals like you and me. He, thus, sown a seed that sprouted to start a significant change in the course of cooperative history in the country. On similar lines, state legislatures enacted liberal and parallel laws in eight other states.

5. Thrift Cooperatives and Dairy Cooperatives flourished and continue to flourish under the 1995 Act. Most of the thrift cooperatives are newly registered under the 1995 Act and most of the dairy cooperatives have migrated from the 1964 Act to the 1995 Act. The process of migration is permissible under the law.

6. The Congress Party, under the leadership of YS Rajasekhara Reddy (YSR), won the 2004 General Election and formed the Council of Ministers, YSR as the Chief Minister. For two full years, the Congress Government explored all possible executive actions to replace the elected boards of the eight District Dairy Unions, which were working in the 1995 Act, by its party nominees. Finally, it realised that no provision in the 1995 Act allows the Government and/or the Registrar to take such step. The 1995 Act is designed in such a way that a mutually aided cooperative has to always have an elected board accountable to its general body.

7. YSR almost succeeded in creating an image for himself as a messiah of all people - poor and rich, illiterate and literate, weak and strong, powerless and powerful, backward and forward, etc. Under the guise of being a messiah, he was, in fact, building an empire for himself and his only son, Jagan. He had a coterie of selected rich, clever and influential persons who were being helped, left and right, by him by transfer of public resources - material and financial - to them. It was not in his nature to tolerate the existence of any individual or institution that was not amenable to him. The autonomous functioning of dairy cooperatives, particularly district dairy unions, was not to his liking.

8. On 2nd February 2006, the YSR Government amended the 1995 Act. The 2006 Amendment stated:

(a) All dairy cooperatives that were working as on that day under the 1995 Act would stand transferred to the 1964 Act;

(b) All dairy cooperatives would be treated as if they have always been under the 1964 Act;

(c) All dairy cooperatives would be treated as if they never existed under the 1995 Act; and

c) Henceforth, no dairy cooperative would be registered under the 1995 Act.

9. The same night, by executive orders, the Government appointed District Collectors as persons-in-charge (one may say “administrators” or “special officers”) of all eight district dairy unions. In turn, the District Collectors appointed thousands of small and big government employees as persons-in-charge of more than 3500 village dairy societies, in the place of elected boards. The same night, all these government employees assumed charge of their additional assignments. The YSR Government thought that it was a clever step forward to get the Congress Party members into the boards of dairy cooperatives.

10. When dairy cooperatives and Cooperative Development Foundation (CDF) filed writ petitions in the High Court challenging the constitutional validity of the 2006 Amendment Act and statutory validity of appointment of persons-in-charge, the High Court suspended the executive orders, as an interim relief. In effect, the elected boards continued to be in office.

11. After prolonged hearings, on and off, spread over 15 months, on 1st May 2007, the High Court declared all provisions of the 2006 Amendment Act as violative of Article 14 (equality before law) and Article 19(1)(c) (right to form associations) of the Constitution. Thus, the dairy cooperatives continued to function under the 1995 Act, with their own elected boards. YSR was not an ordinary mortal; he was a messiah. The State Government filed an appeal in the Supreme Court with a plea to quash the judgment of the High Court.

12. The process of admitting, hearing and disposing the Government appeal is a separate story in itself. One may have to write a separate note on that process. For the present, let us confine to the final result. On 2nd September 2011, the Supreme Court delivered the judgment. The Supreme Court said that it found no reason to intervene in the judgment of the High Court, which had declared all provisions of the 2006 Amendment Act as unconstitutional. The essence of the Supreme Court’s judgment would be found in the reasons it gave in support of its conclusion.

13. For the first time since 26th January 1950, Republic Day, the day from which the Constitution of India came into force, the Supreme Court emphatically speaks of voluntary association, principles of cooperation, voluntary action, free will, etc in respect of cooperatives. The Supreme Court judgment states:

(a) The cooperative, by its very nature, is a form of voluntary association where individuals unite for mutual benefit in the production and distribution of wealth upon the principles of equity, reason and common good. Therefore, the basic purpose of forming a cooperative remains to promote the economic interest of its members in accordance with the well-recognised Principles of Cooperation.

(b) Members of an association have the right to be associated only with those whom they consider eligible to be admitted and have right to deny admission to those with whom they do not want to be associated.

(c) The right to form an association will be infringed by forced inclusion of persons unwanted by the incumbent members of an association. Right to associate is for enjoying in expressive activities. The constitutional right to freely associate with others encompasses associational ties designed to further the social, legal and economic benefits of the members of the association.

(d) By statutory interventions, the State is not permitted to change the fundamental character of the association or alter the composition of the association itself. Any significant encroachment upon associational freedom cannot be justified based on any interest of the Government.

(e) However, when an association is registered under a statute, the provisions of that statute govern it. In case the association has an option/choice to be registered under a particular statute, if there are more than one statutes operating in the field, the State cannot force the association to get itself registered under a statute for which the association has not applied.

(f) The very existence of a Cooperative is based on voluntary action of its members. Once a cooperative is formed and its members voluntarily take a decision to get it registered under the X Act, the registration authority may reject the application for registration if conditions prescribed under the X Act are not fulfilled. The registration authority does not have a right to register the said applicant-cooperative under the Y Act. Even an authority, which is superior to the registering authority, is not competent to pass an order that the applicant-cooperative would be registered under the Y Act. Such an order, if passed, would be in violation of the first Principle of Cooperation, which states that its members should voluntarily approve every action of a Cooperative. Introducing an element of compulsion would violate Article 19(1)(c) of the Constitution. It is not permissible under the Constitution or any law to do something indirectly, if it is not permissible to be done directly.

(g) The Legislature has a right to amend the 1995 Act or repeal the same. Even, for the sake of an argument, if it were considered that the Legislature was competent to exclude the Dairy Cooperatives from the operation of the 1995 Act and such an Act was valid i.e. not being violative of Article 14 of the Constitution, etc, the question would arise as to whether the Legislature could force a Cooperative registered under the 1995 Act to work under the 1964 Act. Importing the fiction to the extent that the Cooperatives registered under the 1995 Act could be deemed to have been registered under the 1964 Act would be tantamount to forcing the members of the Cooperative to act under compulsion/direction of the State rather than on their free will. Such a provision would be violative of the very first basic Principle of Cooperation, which states that its members should voluntarily approve every action of a Cooperative. More so, the Act would be vitiated not only by non-application of mind but also by irrelevant and extraneous considerations.

14. It is time for cooperatives and their members, whether working in the regime of the old regressive cooperative law or in the regime of the new liberal cooperative law, to identify provisions in the said laws. which militate against the Concept and Principles of Cooperation, and advocate for their deletion and/or modification both in the Legislature and in the Judiciary.

15. During my active professional career in the field of cooperation, voluntarism and local governance, I have had the opportunity to go through most of the High Court of Andhra Pradesh and Supreme Court of India judgments that dealt with the subject of cooperation. Almost none have touched the widely accepted definition of cooperative and/or the principles of cooperation. It means that the contesting parties before the courts did not feel the necessity to bring them to the notice of the courts. It is strange that the courts have been adjudicating the disputes relating cooperatives without giving a serious thought to the definition of cooperative and/or the principles of cooperation.

16. In my view, cooperatives, labour unions, societies, associations, public trusts, etc, whether registered or unregistered, are the most appropriate and potent instruments in the hands of the powerless and the dispossessed to protect and promote their legitimate interests through collective action.

17. It will, certainly, be rude on my part to say that the communication ends here. I will be happy to hear from you. If you are interested in the full text of this note, please let me know. I will respond at the earliest.

All the best,

Rama Reddy of Hyderabad
(formerly of Cooperative Development Foundation, Warangal, Andhra Pradesh)

India's Gross Domestic Politics!

2011-09-16T21:58:00.000-07:00

By Manuwant Choudhary

As Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi begins his three day fast for `communal harmony' under national media spotlight, its hard, really hard to miss the grossness of India's politics.

And even the media give him the airtime he needs to showcase his `makeover'.

Under Gandhiji's portrait and loudspeakers blaring Gandhiji's favourite bhajans its hard, really hard to forget thata member of the Rashtriya Swayam Sevak Sangh (RSS) who killed Gandhiji on January 30, 1948.

Gandhi had planned to walk across the border to Pakistan.

The white turban replacing the saffron, its hard, really hard to forget the riots in Gujarat or Godhra.

What Modi needs is not the outer, but inner - a change of heart.

And that I don't see.

The tamasha is just to project him as India's next Prime Minister.

And God forbid.

Sau choohe khakar billi chalee haj karne. (after eating a hundred rats the cat is going on a Haj!).

Just Want To Walk

2011-09-16T10:19:00.000-07:00

By Manuwant Choudhary

Its just impossible walking in India's cities.

And when we have all kinds of rights I wonder why there is no Right To Walk?

Every pavement is occupied by pavement dwellers and hawkers (who are useful but they need a place) and so people are forced to walk on the roads.

In Bombay you can see the traffic police hold thick ropes to stop people like they would do to cattle!

In Delhi, even after a yearof the Commonwealth Games and with Kalmadi & gang in Tihar jail the dust hasn't settled at Cannuaght Place...I asked shopkeepers when the dug up roads would return to normal and they just shrugged.

If you get into New Delhi you will see its not really a city...the only green cover is some thorny bushes, there are no pavements even on the main roads, and if they exist they are usually broken and in poor shape.

Then garbage....its such a stink.

Calcutta, its worse. Now they don't let you park your vehicle near the Victoria Memorial so its a breath of fresh air there but the rest is madness.

And in the monsoons,,,the lanes become the Hoogly.

Patna under Nitish sushashan still does not have street lights and in five years all he did was build road dividers which made the traffic situation worse.

In fact, Buta Singh has been the best ruler of Bihar since independence. His sons may have looted but at least he gave Patna's streets Cats Eyes.

Our rulers don't really love this country.

Anna The Fastist

2011-08-26T06:20:00.000-07:00

By Manuwant Choudhary

I am getting many, many calls from Anna's supporters who now say they don't want the Jan Lokpal Bill passed.

But I ask them why? Isn't this why your Anna has been fasting for the past 11 days?

And they inform that some actress has offered to go nude if the Jan Lokpal Bill is not passed.

But there is a split in the camp especially those who sing Vande Mataram because another model has already gone topless and that too has bodypainted the Indian tri-colour?

Whatever happened to the flag code?

And even the Thackeray's are not protesting.

After all Anna is a Marathi manoos.

But the Thackeray's don't like him when he says he is an Indian.

Aaah how great would it have been to see Anna fast under a large photo of Balasaheb.

Apart from Anna's supporters I am also getting calls from Arundhati Roys haters after she wrote, I AM NOT ANNA.

They are more angry this time because she has written both Anna and the Maoists are out to destroy the State.

They ask me how can Anna - a Gandhian be compared to Maoists who kill by the dozen.

Look at Anna he sits on the dias fasting for 11 full days.

And the entire country has started wearing the Gandhi cap with `I AM ANNA' written on it.

But if everyone was Anna then why is Anna fasting alone?

Or is it because Anna knows how to fast and you and I don't.

I recall meeting Anna Hazare way back in 1994.

Like today, Anna was on his 11th day of fast at his village in Ralegan Siddhi, fasting against corruption in the Shiv Sena government.

We travelled by bus and truck to his village to meet Anna Hazare.

I sat with him in his one room in the temple.

He smiled at me.

I am not sure how many journalists would see him then but I was given a tour of his village.

Several projects had been undertaken to improve agriculture and irrigation in the village.

But there was no alcohol available.

Anna and his supporters had forcibly closed the last shop.

Congressmen today want to paint Anna as a fascist - someone out to destroy democracy.

The fact is the Congress Party has already destroyed both our democracy and constitution.

Liberals are not allowed to form a political party in India.

Anna is not a Gandhi either.

I would say Anna is just an activist who has perfected the art of fasting.

Even in 1994 when there was no Right To Information Anna ran a residential camp at his village where the youth from different parts of the country would come and he would personally impart training on how to get information from the different government departments, how to go to court, how to expose a minister.

So when I see him `centre stage' today I am not surprised.

Anna is an honest man so it hurts to see an honest man in prison for even a day.

But I do not support the Lok Pal idea.

We must address the root causes of corruption rather than trying to police it.

We are already a Police State.

Do we need another policeman?

What will our judges do?

Do we need a police to police the Lok Pal?

But yes fasting is a weapon and Anna has proved this many a time.

Even in 1994 he had a loudspeaker on the temple room where the government owned All India Radio News would be broadcast.

I recall Anna's fast entering its 11th day was the headline, the Maharashtra chief minister Manohar Joshi going to Singapore was the second news item.

Anna is still making headlines.

He does not have solutions.

All I want is an honest and hardworking India.

Border Crossings After 25 Years !

2011-08-21T22:01:00.000-07:00

By Manuwant Choudhary

Its nearly 25 years since I finished school from St. Joseph's College, North Point, Darjeeling and so when an old friend Sanjay Sharma calls saying he is visiting my district in Bihar and that too will come by train (for the first time in his life) if I agreed to receive him is a sure surprise.

Sanjay and I studied together since class 2 and by some coincidence our parents always and I mean always stayed at the same hotel `New Elgin', owned and run by a great hotelier Diamond Oberoi.

Sanjay's father Mr. Tansen Sharma, a prominent businessman from Kathmandu, would come to Darjeeling in a very large white Ford, while our white amby would be parked just behind his Ford.

His father and my father got on pretty well. They would sit in a bar late into the evening. His father would order a Limca for my father (as my father did not take alcohol).

It was here that my father met many underground Nepali Congressmen many of whom became Prime Ministers of Nepal in an unstable democracy.

Sanjay I remember was good at studies and sports and for us at boarding he sure had the most amazing taste for music and at our library reading post dinner sessions he played us the classics on a Sonodyne.

So I did receive him at the train station. He was here on a personal visit but he stayed at my place too but Bihar is not an easy place to visit and he was lucky enough that he only caught a `flu'.

But how does one really mark an event like meeting an old friend after 25 years?

Sanjay is `Global' having lived in most parts of the world as his father owned an export-import business so it was really interesting to know about his vast experiences.

I had my own share.

We had just too much to catch up on.

So I offered to drive him to Birganj, a border town in Nepal.

But I decided not to take the normal Muzaffarpur-Raxaul route instead try a new one - The East West Express Corridor.

So early 4 am we were on the road through Muzaffarpur-Darbhanga. But we were surprised that the Super Highway is still incomplete at many places so we had to take diversions and sometimes even a detour through Bihar villages.

We were told that a company owned by the son of India's former Prime Minister Narasimha Rao was given the road contract but because they did not pay local mafia work had been stalled. `But now locals have been taken care off.'

This was like driving halfway across the Bihar-Nepal border, then entering Nepal, and then driving again halfway across the Nepal border.

At Phulparas Sanjay's relative was ready with some home cooked parathas and medicines and then we took a left turn near Bhotaha Chowk (The Ghost Crossing) towards Kunauli border.

The road from then on was unmetalled so we could drive only in first gear.

I wanted this journey for long because I wanted to discover a new route, to drive through better roads and have to deal with lesser traffic.

But the road to the border was just too long.

And there was no traffic !

No fences either.

Suddenly we see armed Gurkhas under a tent and we ask if we were in Nepal and they confirmed, Yo Nepal Hunchha....

Sanjay asked them where we could take the permit for the car (bhansar) and they informed the office was on the left side road a kilometre away but that our car could not go there. We could only take it upto a point.

So we took the left side but suddenly we came across a culvert and I knew my Sonata would definitely fail here. Sanjay believed it would make it. I tried. And failed. So we decided to leave the car there and walk to the office.

Sanjay took my car papers and I followed him a little behind.

There was another culvert I was sure my car would not have manouvered.

Then suddenly I noticed Sanjay moving into the paddy fields. I thought my friend had truly lost it !

Until I came to that very spot I realised why - there was no road - water flowed across.

I too removed my shoes, pulled up my trousers and wade across.

When we arrived at the office we found the office was also marooned.

Water all around and so we carefully went across.

Inside a Nepali officer wearing just a vest was sweating it out. There was no electricity.

He seemed surprised that we took this route.

And asked us that he wanted to see the car.

We told him it cannot come here and was parked a kilometre away (He would need binoculors to see the number plate)

He just gave us the papers.

So very soon we were happy to be driving on the Nepal side on the border on the King Mahindar Highway.

Sanjay's fever was better after walking into the warm flood waters but the drive was too long so he was getting impatient.

Also we would have to drive across dense forests.

It was beautiful.

Forests on both sides and a straight road running into the sunset.

During the royal rule for every tree cut three would be replanted but now deforestation was severe and the rules mostly ignored

And we spoke about everything in our lives - our successes and failures - and about the one girl we really liked.

Sanjay said he was without news for a few days now and it would be great to watch television at the hotel.

Nearing Birganj we met up with a hail storm.

And the ice stones were large.

We inched our way into Birganj, could barely see the road.

At Birganj we stayed a hotel.

Dinner and brandy and some TV news.

Not much had happened.

Nepal's politicians were still quarelling over how to write a new Constitution.

The next morning Sanjay looked better and we drove him to the aiport before returning via Raxaul-Motihari-Muzaffarpur highway.

I smiled told him that now he will definitely remember me.

He threatened, ` Wait till you come to Kathmandu I will make you climb a mountain called `Manokamna'.

But my return journey was not so pleasant.

There were literally no roads from Raxaul to Motihari.

The photo you see above is taken at the Motihari bypass.

Trucks were stuck trying to jump across lake-size potholes or as they say `Sadak mein gaddha yaa gaddhe mein sadak'.

Its when you see this that you will truly understand that India is a very corrupt country and we need not one but a thousand Anna Hazare's.

And surely one Lokpal is just too little.

Hackings, Lies & Shaving Foam

2011-07-19T22:24:00.000-07:00

By Manuwant Choudhary

As a News of the World editor would say the story doesn't have enough sex, I would say the the questioning of Media Moghul Rupert Murdoch and James Murdoch were drab and contrived at best.

The only statement of Mr. Murdoch senior worth it was when he said he had been betrayed by those whom he trusted and they in turn had been betrayed by those whom they trusted.

It runs deeper.

But he also said categorically that it is wrong to hack phones of ordinary people who are victims and also that it is wrong to pay money to the police for a story.

It is understandable that a founder of an empire cannot keep track of 55,000 employees but it is still his job to take action against those found guilty.

Instead, Mr. James Murdoch went to lengths to explain why they paid compensation and legal aid money to someone guilty and convicted of hackings. He said it was as per `outside legal advice' and huge sums were paid because the corporation would lose the legthy case for illegal dismissal of the employee.

The Murdochs it seemed knew about their employees only when outside agencies like the police and courts found some evidence. They never found anything themselves.

When it came to giving names of people who let them down they again said nothing and took the alibi that they would not like to prejudice an ongoing police investigations into the charges.

The rot runs deeper.

In fact Rebecca Brooks openly admits having hired private investigators and said it was a common `practice' at Fleet Street,but again she feigned ignorance about those private investigators already convicted.

The impression she gave was that at the News Of The World no one was really in-charge.

In all this, I watched a lady sitting behind Mr. Rupert Murdoch. A mauve sweater, silky hair and a black skirt , Wendi Deng is Mr. Murdoch's wife.

And she sat gracefully and intelligently listening in without distracting. Sometimes she played with her fingers until there were shouts and we saw her leap and hit the man who attacked Mr. Murdoch with shaving foam. It was British commedian Jonnie Marbles.

Wish the Murdoch's employed only people as beautiful and trusted as Wendi Deng.

And its a shame on the British parliament that anyone could enter a highly secure zone...when you question someone for propriety you must first have your own house in order.

Rupert Murdoch's Crumbling Empire

2011-07-18T22:42:00.000-07:00

By Manuwant Choudhary

I would have perhaps never got a job in any of Rupert Murdoch's newspapers not because I am not qualified but because I simply do not know how to hack.

Techinically incompetent.

The Rupert Murdoch story seems to be getting worse by the day ..now that we hear the whistleblowing journalist Sean Hoare dies in his home at Hertfordshire under mysterious circumstances.

Hoare had been a celebrity correspondent with the now shut News of the World tabloid and it was he who first told the world that it was routine for News of the World to hack phones.

Earlier he had been dismissed by News of the World on drink and drug charges.

Whats most damaging about his revelations in that the editor Andy Caulson was not only aware of the hacking by his staff but that he actively encouraged it.

The details get murkier with allegations that you simply had to ask the news desk about the location of a person and they would use police technology to detect a person's location and come back with the information. They called this `pinging'.

Isn't this the scary world George Orwell imagined in his book `1984', a book he wrote in 1948.

But the line between a journalist and his police sources would blur so quick is hard to understand.

Even as the senior Murdoch faces the MPs panel today, I wonder how the veteran lost control of his empire?

Or is he simply being hounded for being a rich successful media baron?

How much did Murdoch know about all this?

And the tragedy is that not just Murdoch..even Britains Prime Minister David Cameron hired the services of Andy Coulson.

Its interesting reading the sequence of events into all this available at CNN and one does sees a pattern emerge...it looks like News International had kind of gotten into a habit of paying compensations periodically.

Whatever happened to the good old ethics about journalism?

Do you pay a policeman money to get information?

The senior Murdoch has been apologising frequently now but the real question is how involved is he personally in the news gathering mechanism or is he just involved in the business of news, where his company is a huge success.

It would also be relevant to fix responsibilities. When did Mr. Murdoch come to know about the hackings and what action did he take against those involved?

I think this could clear the air.

News is simply not just another business.

News is news.

In India too if you see unedited tapes of news being gathered by the zillions of stringers some of them could horrify you, just as it horrifies the British audience today.

But yes I would anyday prefer the noise over `a silent airwave'. We owe it to Rupert Murdoch for having invaded India through his sattelites. Recen'tly the Indian government made this huge announcement that they would now allow All India Radio news (owned by the government) to be re-broadcast on private FM stations. But AIR is all gas.

I still think governments and the police are worse than Murdoch but when they all become one I do feel insecure.

Its not really Murdoch's empire that I am worried about - it is journalism itself.

Bombay Bombers Roam Free

2011-07-16T19:13:00.000-07:00

By Manuwant Choudhary

Bombay bombers roam free and the Congress Circus continues day after day....

First the union home minister P.Chidambaram arrives in the city only to say that there is no intelligence failure as there was no intelligence input.

Mr. C...may I ask you if there was no intelligence input then isn't that an intelligence failure?

Surely, the intelligence's job is to know.

Or simply you have no intelligence or you think the people in India have no intelligence?

Then you have the routine visit by our Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi, only to be overshadowed by scion Rahul Gandhi's remark that the government can only prevent 99 per cent attacks but that one per cent will get through.

Surely, we don't elect you to allow us to be attacked...even once.

Can you at least foil the bigger attacks if not all?

To set records straight India has always been attacked right through her history. Mongols on horseback would raid our temples and return with the booty.

Now they just carry the bombs in tiffins and walk into our crowded bazars and leave them there.

But are we really prepared to foil such terror? Especially, since the police are themselves corrupt busy finding out ways and means to earn money underhand.

We have one former chief minister Vilas Rao Deshmukh taking over a cricket board defeating a veteran cricketer Dilip Vengsarkar.

While we have the Maharashtra chief minister passing the buck and saying that the Home department is with the NCP - their ally, so the delay in taking action against terror.

Then they say they still not have CCTVs because of the slow government procedures in procurement.

And in all this we don't see or hear the junior Milind Deora (MP) although we see Meera Sanyal, the defeated candidate, still talk for Bombay's security concerns.

Why do we elect such fools?

And in Pakistan a banned terror group chief Mallik Ishaq of the Lashkare-Janghvi gets a government stipend while in jail and now he even gets a bail.

And a few days later we are going to be talking to the same Pakistan government.

Sharad Joshi's Freedom Bill Negated

2011-07-15T17:45:00.000-07:00

India is not a democracy as only socialists and communists and those who are willing to swear false allegiance and compromise their conscience are allowed to contest elections so a very brave attempt was made by a lone liberal MP in India's parliament Shri Sharad Joshi who moved a private members bill to remove this discrepancy and the word `socialist' from India's preamble but his bill was negated.

This shows that there is no justice in the Indian parliament.

A case by the Swatantra Party is still pending in the Bombay High Court for nearly 17 years challenging the Peoples Representative Act which forces political parties to swear allegiance to a socialist constitution. Another PIL by an NGO failed in the Supreme Court.

Excerts of the Parliament Debate

SHRI SHARAD ANANTRAO JOSHI: By 15th August, 1947, socialism was not even a significant thought in the Indian polity. In 1977 an amendment was made to the Preamble. By the Forty-Second (Amendment) Act, 1976, three words, ‘Socialist’, Secular’, ‘Integrity’ were introduced in the Preamble to the Constitution.

There are some problems, which are because of addition of the word ‘Socialist’ and therefore, my Bill demands that the word ‘socialist’ be deleted from the Act.

While socialism may be perfectly good, may be perfectly ideal thing to have but I must have the right to dissent. I am not taking any anti-socialist position. I am not taking a position that the preamble is wrong but I should have the right to change the preamble, if necessary. We decided to form a political party. We got a reply from the Election Commission saying that you will have to sign a register, or, have a clause in your memorandum of Association that you subscribe to the tenet of ‘socialism.’

Now, this is something which is alright for those with a pliable conscience. The problem is for the honest people who do not want to make a false statement. There is no provision for any verification of the truth of the memoranda or regulations. It is only used according to the convenience and both the parties play the game. It compels an association to swear allegiance to the principle of socialism without any attempt to define or even indicate the meaning of the term ‘socialism‘. The sub-section is, therefore, illegal, unconstitutional and being arbitrary violative of Article 14 of the Constitution of India. The term ‘socialism’ has not been defined in the Constitution of India or in the Representation of the People Act. This term has been applied to a large spectrum of theories over the last two centuries. Now, which particular meaning you have, is not clarified either in the Constitution or in the People’s Representation Act.

…To bear allegiance to the principles of socialism as a precondition, goes against the freedom of expression and thought..

The historic fall of the Soviet Union has put a question mark on all nations practicing socialism. Socialistic economics have been found to be not good not only in theory but also in practice. In most of the countries of the world, the socialist systems are collapsing under the weight of their own non-viability. Even the Government of India admitted in 1991, the errors of its socialist past and professed to be pursuing the path of market-oriented economies. I am not trying to override socialism.

…That socialists have the possibility of organising themselves as political parties while those having problems of conscience in declaring adherence to socialism should be stopped from organising themselves in to a political party is wholly discriminatory, and hence, clearly in breach of the fundamental right of association.

…without going into the question of the precise definition of the term “socialism” the right of a non-socialist citizen to hold his personal views and be entitled to all the privileges enjoyed by the socialist fellow-citizens cannot be denied.

Firstly, the dispensation of section 29(A) does not serve any particular purpose. Secondly, you are asking the people to swear by a word “socialism” which has not been defined…I am only demanding that the legislation should be modified to remove this kind of a contradictory position.

SHRI MOOL CHAND MEENA: “Socialism” is one of our basic concept which had been incorporated in our Constitution after independence but Shri Joshi ji has not understood the basic concept in its true spirit and, therefore, purposes an amendment to it. I do not support the amendment moved by Shri Joshi but I will rather request him to understand the basic concept of ‘Socialism’ and not temper such basic concept.

…Today, we are talking of socialism but the poor is getting poorer and the rich is becoming more rich. This needs to be stopped because it is a great threat to the democracy. If this is not stopped, the people would capture Assemblies and Parliament on the basis of money power. Not only our Constitution, but our Independence and our Democracy has been attacked and are being attacked. Strict Action must be taken against those political parties which do not respect the basic spirit of the Constitution. Therefore, I request Shri Joshi not to stress upon removing the word socialism, rather, he should emphasize for its implementation.

SHRI RAM JETHMALANI: To oppose socialism is a very unpopular thing. The strongest point that Mr. Joshi, has made is that socialism is one of the many economic doctrines that have arisen in this world throughout the core world’s economic history. To say that you are bound down to a particular economic doctrine, is to curtail the liberty of a speech, and which is inconsistent with democracy. Therefore, Mr. Sharad Joshi is absolutely right that democracy and socialism cannot be equated, because democracy itself means you are right to say things which others do not accept. In spite of all things, he has no chance of getting this Bill passed through this Parliament. But, certainly, in the Supreme Court of India, he is bound to succeed on the constitutionality of the provision. As regards his current speech here,with a little expansion and with a little deletion here and there, it should be published in the form of a book which must be made available to every student and every teacher of political science throughout the country. Today, socialism and supporters of socialism are becoming unpopular. There are some political parties which bravely say that they do not believe in socialism. It is their right to say it and they should be allowed to exist. It is not a practical wisdom to pursue this Bill here.

SHRI RAASHID ALVI: Thebiggest evidence of this country’s democracy is that despite this preamble of the Constitution, Mr. Joshi is a Member of this House and with all his vigour , he has every right to oppose the word socialism. India is country having population of 100 crore people. Who follow different religions, languages and ideologies etc. But, this is not possible that the Constitution should have 100 crore ideologies. When we attained Independence, our country chose to be a democratice country inspite of the fact that Pakistan declared itself to be a Muslim country and that 90 per cent of the Members of Constituent Assembly were Hindu.

I do not say that everyone in the country is working for secularism. There are political parties, the leaders of which claim to be the followers of great socialist leaders like Dr. Lohia and others, but they are in politics having connection with the richest persons in India. Mr. Joshi said that taking oath in the name of constitution is wrong, because, we do not follow the basic spirit enshrined is its pre-amble. It is provided in the Constitution that you can bring amendment in it and even you can amend the whole of the Constitution. Therefore, it is not proper to state that the word socialism should be removed from the preamble. I strongly oppose this amendment Bill.

SHRI E.M. SUDARSANA NATCHIAPPAN: ShriJoshiji is proposing this Bill despite the fact that the evolution of Indian democracy and Independence is over-based on socialism. In almost every proposal adopted by the general conferences of Congress before India got independence, a stress was laid that India would follow the path of socialistic pattern of democracy. Therefore, we cannot say that the socialist word is borrowed from some other literature and, therefore, it may be a thing we need to hate.

…Socialism is for the distribution of economic produce which is meant for the society. We have the Panchayati System in which any person who has crossed the age of 18 can become a person to decide about the property of the community. This right has been given by Panchayati Raj system. It is the unity of the people at the grass-root level and they decide their own economic welfare. We cannot depend on the FDI alone; we cannot depend on the WTO alone; We cannot depend on the system where we pray that foreigners come here. No doubt, we need better infrastructure, better roads, lot of trains, and more agricultural produce. We need employment for our unemployed people. One day, India will be a Super Power.

Supreme Court says that the word ‘socialist’ should not be removed. That is the judgement of the Supreme Court. The same Supreme Court says that the word ‘secular’ should not be removed. India is a secular country, it is a socialist country. That is the verdict of the Supreme Court. The ‘Socialist, Democratic Republic’, these words will give spirit to the future of India.

SHRI JAIRAM RAMESH : I think the most important charge that has been levelled was that before 1991 the Indian Economic Policy was based on socialism which was an imported ideology. It is a gross misreading of the economic policy that this country adopted after 1947 on which there was a consensus. I would like to request Mr. Joshi to be sensitive.

Our basic political commitment was to parliamentary form of democracy. We did not adopt the Soviet model lock, stock and barrel. India remained a country in which farms were owned by individuals but we did not introduce collectivisation of agriculture, of the type that was introduced in the Soviet Union and China with disastrous consequences. Socialism in the India context meant equality of opportunity. Today, we are still fighting the battle of extending the benefits of education and health to a large sections of our people. After all, even the Avadi Resolution of 1955 commits the Government to a socialistic pattern of society. And a socialistic pattern of society means equality of opportunity, brotherhood, and education, etc. The Green Revolution was possible because of investments in irrigation and investment in Agricultural Universities.

You might argue that today that system requires reform. But to say that the entire Green Revolution in India was ‘market force’ is, a totally wrong view. If there was no Government, there would have been no Green Revolution. I would request Mr.Sharad Joshi to withdraw the Bill.

THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF LAW AND JUSTICE (SHRI K. VENKATAPATHY) intervening in the debate, said: I am extremely happy that the attention of this august House has been drawn to one of the cardinal principles embodied in our Constitution by Shri Sharad Anantrao Joshi by way of the Representation of the People (Amendment) Bill, 2004. The hon. Member has sought omission on the word’ socialism’ from sub-section (5) of Section 29A of the Representation of the People’s Act,1951.

The hon. Member has singled out the word ‘socialism’ possibly in the background of globalisation of the national economy. It may be stated that in view of the widespread poverty and economic disparity, socialism will always remain relevant to the Indian social condition. Any Government or political party cannot administer this country remaining oblivious to the plight of the general public. In the Indian context, there is no role or scope for a political party, which does not have faith in socialism as reflected in the Directive Principles of State Policy. The fact that you could make a speech against socialism is itself evidence that this right has been conferred by the Constitution.

Our Directive Principles of State Policy also insist that socialistic pattern should be adopted. Therefore, in adherence to that Policy, we have to follow the principle of socialism. Hence, it may be very difficult to subscribe to the view of the hon. Member that the word ‘socialism’ should be removed from sub-section (5) of Section 29A of the Representation of the People’s Act, 1951. Hence, it is not possible to accept the Bill in its present form or with any modifications. In the circumstance, I appeal to the hon. Member to withdraw the Bill.

SHRI SHARAD ANANTRAO JOSHI replying to the debate, said: I thank all the Members who have participated in the debate. Shri Meenaji said that at the time of Independence the general sentiment and the consensus of the people in India, was in favour of socialism that is something which was partly repeated by Mr. Natchiappan and Mr. Jairam Ramesh also. I stoutly deny that. Pt. Nehru himself had admitted that this was not the majority view in the Congress. That was only his personal view. So, to say that in 1947 the general sentiment in India was for having a socialist country is incorrect.

At that time, the entire freedom movement was fought under Gandhian ideals. Pt. Nehru is on record, as saying that he does not subscribe to the economic policies of Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhiji necessarily stood for predominance of the primordial importance of villages, agriculture, farmer and the individual. After Independence and after Gandhiji was gone, Pt. Nehru tried to turn to a socialistic pattern in which not the villages but the cities became important, not the agriculture but the heavy industries became important, and not the individual and the freedom but the public sector became paramount. This was change the which happened without debate. I never said that Pt. Nehru’s taking the country to socialism was wrong. At a given point of time, there were decisions that had to be taken, and that were taken. But, to say that the socialism was the general consensus and sentiment at the time of Independence, is wrong.

I have never objected to the concept of a democratic and secular India. As a liberal, I stand for democracy and secularism. All that I am saying is that as you are being pluralistic in the matter of secularism, religion and faith, why are you not becoming pluralistic even about the economic doctrine? Socialism may be right, and probably, what you are doing is right. But, do I have not the right to say that I do not believe in socialism? Therefore, what I am saying is, consistent with the glorious history of the Congress Party, which is essentially pluralistic, you may believe in socialism, you carry out your socialist programme, but, permit me the right to not to be socialist. That is all that my Bill was about. Who would have believed that by 1980 we would have come to a time where socialism would be considered a ridiculous doctrine world over. The important thing is my time is still to come. I said that the word ‘socialism’ does not have any meaning and if that is so, then, asking anybody to swear by it is wrong. If you are socialist remain socialist. But please give me my right not to be a socialist.

The Motion moved by Shri Sharad Anantrao Joshi was negatived.

Why Is India's Supreme Court Angry?

2011-07-05T23:28:00.000-07:00

By Manuwant Choudhary

India's Supreme Court is very angry ...at least thats what the Times of India would like us to believe and over what..over land acquistitions in Uttar Pradesh where Rahul baba sits in the sweltering sun hearing out farmer woes on live TV.

But while our judges say how can the government extend `public purpose' to malls and hotels and how can they acquire land from the poor and give it to the rich they forget that it is they too who are party to this peculiar situation in India.

When fundamental rights were disregarded by our parliament and politicians and not considered sacrosanct like the US Bill of Rights, the courts remained silent.

When property rights were removed from our fundamental rights our courts kept silent.

When land belonging to the landlords were taken and given to the poor the same courts said that this is socialism and must be done to bring about equality.

But what they forgot is when you write a constitution its not for the rich or for the poor - it is for all its people - rich or poor and from whatever caste of creed you belong to - for all Indians.

A constitution is supposed to unite all its people not divide.

Robbing Paul to pay Peter is no constitution.

Unfortunately, India's constitution is not what we the people gave to ourselves on November 26 1949.

Either, we go back to the old constitution or we write a new one.

I fear India has already become like Nepal..where they are struggling to even write a constitution...they even have a constitution God.

The situation in India is......

Charlize Theron On Gays & Marriages

2011-07-05T07:05:00.000-07:00

India's Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad says homosexuality is a disease that came in from the west..I wonder if he saw this interview.

Black Money

2011-07-04T18:24:00.000-07:00

By Manuwant Choudhary

Switzerland: Even as the Indian Supreme Court order came in to bring back all the `Black Money' stashed away in foreign banks I was sitting at the Gujarati pure vegetarian restaurant just opposite the Swiss Bank and I met thousands of businessmen all eager to withdraw their black money. And they all had their faces veiled with a black `burqa'.

A Swiss banker was offering them the most expensive vegetarian pakodas pleading with them not to withdraw their money.

Swiss Banker: "See if you all withdraw your money then our bank will shut down."

Client 1: "We don't care. Please return our money. The Swiss can keep their money here."

Swiss Banker: "No, no, you don't understand. We only keep black money, not white. The Swiss have only white money."

Client 2: "The Swiss are very rich. You can't be rich without having black money. Aaah I love spending my holidays here..what beautiful cottages and view of the snow."

Swiss Banker: "You can stay here as long as you want but please don't withdraw your money."

Client 3: "But why not? Do you want the Indian government to withdraw our money?"

Swiss banker: "No, no, we will definitely not allow that. We have thousands of treaties on secrecy."

Client 4: "Forget treaties man, first you tell us why are you being racist. You call Swiss money white and our money black?"

Swiss banker: "Okay, okay, I promise you we will not discriminate agaisnt black money. In fact, we give more protection to black money?"

Client 5: "Is money from China called yellow money?"

Swiss banker: "Money has nothing to do with colour of your skin."

Client 6: "Very angry. Please call our money Brown Money...we are not from Africa."

Swiss banker: "Anyway what will you do by withdrawing your money?"

Client 7: "I will make the tallest building in India, taller than Mukesh bhai's ..and have the slimmest TV to watch while I relax in my roof top pool, with my helicopter watching over me."

Client 8: "Aaah I will give it to a good cause..to built the Ram mandir at Ayodhya."

Client 9: "No, no the BJP is against black money. "

Client 10" "The BJP believes black money given to a good cause becomes white money."

Client 11: "You saw how their party president accepts black dollars but only for the `parrrrty."

Client 12: "I will invest in vibrant Gujrata...Narendrabhai is a good man...see how he burns all records related to black money. He has built an incenarator that burns all records..so if you invest with him..your money will become white."

Client 13: "I think Kerala is better....all white money has become black. Keralites eran salaries abroad and invest in land in Kerala...so they convert it into black..its Gods Own Country after all."

Client 14: "I think we all made a mistake - a bluder really."

Client 15: What?

Client 14: "We should have hired Ram Jethmalani..paid him first to argue for Black Money...and not for White Money."

Client 16: "yes, yes, I also wonder how this criminal lawyer has turned a saint. He argues for India's top murderers and gets theim freed and then sits in parliament as a Rajya Sabha MP."

Client 17: But thats his job as a lawyer He is a good friend.

Client 18. I just wonder why the Congress Party argued so weakly for Black Money. That Solicitor General did not even whimper.

Client 19: I suspect they have a deal.

Client 20: yes, yes, they agreed to agree that Italian businessman Octavio Quattorocchiii's money is white money (from Bofors!. See how beautifully the gun performed at Kargill !

`Kudasana'

2011-07-03T19:32:00.000-07:00

By Manuwant Choudhary

Shri Laloo Prasad Yadav says in The Week that Baba Ramdev was only teaching a new asana at Ram Lila Grounds - Kudasana (the asana to jump).

He also mentions his similarities with the Baba - both are Yadav's, both come from poor families and both are Gurus.

Laloo says that Baba Ramdev should come to him if wants lessons in politics !

Both are also socialists.

The similarities end there.

Baba Ramdev is a new-age crusader against corruption while Laloo supports corruption.

And while Baba Ramdev knows `Kudasana' a very senior journalist once told us how Laloo knows `bhagasan' (asana on how to run).

Once when his procession was lathicharged Laloo ran and hid in the old Telegraph newspaper office in Patna and he had his slippers neatly tucked under his armpits!

Wonder whether a rich Laloo Prasad would still not forget his slippers when he runs.

Socialists have been very corrupt in India yet they can be colourful and go on a dharna or fast for anything and everything...like I would say more President George Bush effigies have been burnt at Patna than anywhere else in the world.

And about fasts...the Swatantra Party's founder C Rajagopalachari (a Gandhian himself) when asked by journalists why he did not undertake fasts against Indira Gandhi's misrule he replied, "I am not a fool. When Gandhiji fasted he fasted against the British who were democratic. Indira Gandhi and the Congress Party are not democratic. They would let me die."

`Just Techicalities' About Sonia Gandhi

2011-07-02T23:11:00.000-07:00

By Arun Shourie

The day I entered Indiraji's household I became an Indian, the rest is just technical -- that is Sonia Gandhi's latest explanation for not having acquired Indian citizenship till fourteen years after her marriage to Rajiv Gandhi.

First the facts. Surya Prakash, the Consulting Editor of The Pioneer, has documented these in detail. Sonia married Rajiv on 25 February, 1968. Under section 5(c) of the Indian Citizenship Act she became eligible to register herself as a citizen of India on 25 February, 1973. She chose to continue as a citizen of Italy. She applied for Indian citizenship only ten years later, on 7 April, 1983.

A foreigner seeking Indian citizenship has to state on oath that he or she has relinquished his or her citizenship of the original country. This requirement was all the more necessary in the case of an Italian citizen: under Italian law, an Italian taking citizenship of another country continues to retain his or her Italian citizenship. Sonia Gandhi's application did not have the requisite statement, nor did it have any official document from the appropriate authorities in Italy. The omission was made up in a curious way: the Ambassador of Italy stepped in, and wrote to the Government saying that Sonia Gandhi had indeed given up her citizenship of Italy. He did so on 27 April, 1983. Sonia got her citizenship forthwith -- on 30 April, 1983.

Another nugget Surya Prakash has unearthed is that while Sonia became a citizen on 30 April, 1983, her name made its way to the electoral rolls as of 1 January, 1980! In response to an objection, it had to be deleted in late 1982. But sure enough, it was put back on the electoral roll as of 1 January, 1983. She hadn't even applied for citizenship till then.

All technicalities! If any ordinary person were to proceed in the same way, he would be up for stern prosecution.

Maruti was one of the most odious scandals connected with Mrs Indira Gandhi and her family. The Commission of Inquiry headed by Justice A C Gupta recorded that, though she was at the time a foreigner, Sonia Gandhi secured shares in two of their family concerns: Maruti Technical Services Pvt. Ltd. (in 1970 and again in 1974), and Maruti Heavy Vehicles (in 1974). The acquisition of these shares was in contravention of the very Act that Mrs Gandhi used to such diabolic effect in persecuting her political opponents, the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act, 1973. Just another technicality!

But the Mother of Technicalities, so to say, is to be found in the way Sonia Gandhi, without having any known sources of income, has become the controller of one of the largest empires of property and patronage in Delhi. The Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Library and Museum is one of the principal institutions for research on contemporary Indian history. It is situated in and controls real estate which, because of its historical importance, cannot even be valued. The institution runs entirely on grants from the Government of India. Sonia Gandhi has absolutely no qualification that could by any stretch of imagination entitle her to head the institution: has she secured even an elementary university degree, to say nothing of having done anything that would even suggest some specialization in subjects which the institution has been set up to study. But by mysterious technicalities she is today the head of this institution. So much so that she even decides which scholar may have access to papers -- even official papers -- of Pandit Nehru and others of that family, including, if I may stretch the term, Lady Mountbatten.

Real estate, only slightly less valuable, has been acquired on Raisina Road. The land was meant to house offices of the Congress. A large, ultra-modern building was built -- the finance being provided by another bunch of technical devices which remain a mystery. The building had but to get completed, and Sonia appropriated it for the other Foundation she completely controls -- the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation. The Congress(I) did not just oblige by keeping silent about the takeover of its building, in the very first budget its Government presented upon returning to power, it provided Rs 100 crores to this Foundation. The furore that give-away caused was so great that the largesse had to be canceled. No problem. Business house after business house, even public sector enterprises incurring huge losses, coughed up crores.

The Foundation has performed two principal functions. The projection of Sonia Gandhi. And enticing an array of leaders, intellectuals, journalists etc. into nets of patronage and pelf.

But the audacity with which the land and building were usurped and funds raised for this Foundation falls into the second order of smalls when they are set alongside what has been done in regard to the Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts.

This Centre was set up as a trust in 1987 by a resolution of the Cabinet. The Government of India gave Rs. 50 crores out of the Consolidated Fund of India as a corpus fund to this Centre. It transferred 23 acres of land along what is surely one of the costliest sites in the world -- Central Vista, the stretch that runs between Rashtrapati Bhavan and India Gate -- to this Trust. Furthermore, it granted another Rs. 84 crores for the Trust to construct its building.

The land was government land. The funds were government funds. Accordingly, care was taken to ensure that the Trust would remain under the overall control of the Government of India. Therefore, the Deed of the Trust provided, inter alia,

Every ten years two-thirds of the trustees would retire. One half of the vacancies caused would be filled by the Government. One half would be filled by nominations made by the retiring trustees.
The Member Secretary of the Trust would be nominated by the Government on such terms and conditions as the Government may decide.
The President of India would appoint a committee from time to time to review the working of the Trust, and the recommendations of the committee would be binding on the Trust.
No changes would be made in the deed of the Trust except by prior written sanction of the Government, and even then the changes may be adopted only by three-quarters of the Trustees agreeing to them at a meeting specially convened for the purpose.
Now, just see what technical wonders were performed one fine afternoon.

A meeting like any other meeting of the trustees was convened on 18 May, 1995. The minutes of this meeting which I have before me list all the subjects which were discussed -- the minutes were circulated officially by Dr Kapila Vatsyayan in her capacity as the Director of the Centre with the observation, "The Minutes of this meeting have been approved by Smt Sonia Gandhi, President of the IGNCA Trust."

What did the assembled personages discuss and approve? Even if the topics seem mundane, do read them carefully -- for they contain a vital clue, the Sherlock Holmes clue so to say, about what did not happen.

The minutes report that the following subjects were discussed:

1: Indira Gandhi Memorial Fellowship Scheme and the Research Grant Scheme.
2: Commemoration volume in the memory of Stella Kramrisch.
3: Sale of publications of the IGNCA.
4: Manuscripts on music and dance belonging to the former ruling house of Raigarh in M P
5: Report on the 10th and 11th meetings of the Executive Committee.
6: Approval and adoption of the Annual Report and Annual Accounts, 1993-94.
7: Bilateral and multilateral programmes of IGNCA, and aid from U N agencies, Ford Foundation, Japan Foundation, etc.
8: Brief report on implementation of programmes from April 1994 to March 1995.
9: Brief of initiatives taken by IGNCA to strengthen dialogue between Indian and Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, China.
10: Documentation of cultural heritage of Indo-Christian, Indo-Islamic and Indo-Zoroastrian communities.
11: Gita Govinda project.
12: IGNCA newsletter.
13: Annual Action Plan, 1995-96.
14: Calendar of events. 15: Publications of IGNCA.
15: Matters relating to building project.
16: Allocations/release of funds for the IGNCA building project.

There is not one word in the minutes that the deed of the Trust was even mentioned.

This meeting took place on 18 May, 1995. On 30 May, 1995 Sonia Gandhi performed one of technical miracles. She wrote a letter to the Minister of Human Resources informing him of what she said were alterations in the Trust Deed which the trustees had unanimously approved. Pronto, the Minister wrote back, on 2 June, 1995: "I have great pleasure in communicating to you the Government of India's approval to the alterations."

The Minister? The ever-helpful, Madhav Rao Scindia. And wonder of wonders, in his other capacity he had attended the meeting on 18 May as a trustee of the IGNCA, the meeting which had not, according to the minutes approved by Sonia Gandhi, even discussed, far less "unanimously approved" changes in the Trust Deed.

And what were the changes that Sonia Gandhi managed to get through by this collusive exchange of two letters?

She became President for life.
The other trustees -- two-thirds of whom were to retire every ten years -- became trustees for life. The power of the Government to fill half the vacancies was snuffed out.
The power of the Government to appoint the Member Secretary of the Trust was snuffed out; henceforth the Trust would appoint its own Member Secretary.
The power of the President of India to appoint a committee to periodically review the functioning of the Trust was snuffed out; neither he nor Government would have any power to inquire into the working of the Trust.
A Government Trust, a Trust which had received over Rs. 134 crores of the tax-payers' money, a Trust which had received twenty three acres of invaluable land was, by a simple collusive exchange of a letter each between Sonia Gandhi and one of her gilded attendants became property within her total control.

The usurpation was an absolute fraud. The Trust Deed itself provided that no amendment to it could come into force -- on any reasonable reading could not even be initiated and adopted -- without prior written permission of the Government. Far from any permission being taken, even information to the effect that changes were being contemplated was not sent to Government. An ex post "approval" was obtained from an obliging trustee.

That "approval" was in itself wholly without warrant. Such sanctions are governed by Rule 4 of the Government of India (Transaction of Business) Rules, 1961. This Rule prescribes that when a subject concerns more than one department, "no order be issued until all such departments have concurred, or failing such concurrence, a decision thereon has been taken by or under the authority of the Cabinet." Other departments were manifestly concerned, concurrence from them was not even sought. The Cabinet was never apprised.

The rule proceeds to provide, "Unless the case is fully covered by powers to sanction expenditure or to appropriate or re-appropriate funds, conferred by any general or special orders made by the Ministry of Finance, no department shall, without the previous concurrence of the Ministry of Finance, issue any orders which may... (b) involve any grant of land or assignment of revenue or concession, grant... (d) otherwise have a financial bearing whether involving expenditure or not..."

And yet, just as concurrence of other departments had been dispensed with, no approval was taken from the Finance Ministry.

The Indian Express and other papers published details about the fraud by which what was a Government Trust had been converted into a private fief. Two members of Parliament -- Justice Ghuman Mal Lodha and Mr. E. Balanandan -- began seeking details, and raising objections.

For a full two and a half years, governments -- of the Congress(I), and the two that were kept alive by the Congress(I), those of Mr. Deve Gowda and of Mr. I. K. Gujral -- made sure that full facts would not be disclosed to the MPs, and that the concerned file would keep shuttling between the Ministry of Human Resource Development and the Ministry of Law.

As a result, Sonia Gandhi continues to have complete control over governmental assets of incalculable value -- through technicalities collusively arranged.

A latter-day Dalhousie -- annexation of Indian principalities through technicalities!

Arun Shourie is a former journalist, now a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party...this article was published at voiceofdharma.com

This Sardar Pays A Bribe For Being Innocent !

2011-06-20T00:53:00.000-07:00

By Manuwant Choudhary

India's Prime Minister may be a sardar but even innocent sardar's pay a bribe.

Like I saw a crowd of policemen and people on a highway and I inquired what the commotion was all about so the inspector told me that there had been an accident and this large container truck parked alongside was the accused in the FIR.

But I had seen the truck parked there since morning. It had not moved an inch.

So I told the inspector, "Kya paisa kamane nikle hain?" (Are you on your rounds to earn money?)

The inspector sheepishly promised, "Sir, thana paisa nahin lega." (Sir, the police station will not take money.)

The police wanted to move the truck and the truck driver protested because if he moved his truck the only evidence he had that he was not involved in the accident would be destroyed.

Since it had rained just after the accident and the underside of the truck was a dry spot meaning the truck was stationed there before the rains.

But the police forced himto move.

For a few days the police said they were investigating the matter.

Some 200 local people gave in writing that the truck was stationed since morning. But the DSP refused to believe them.

And round the clock a chowkidaar was posted to guard the truck.

Everyday I told the chowkidar as to why he worked for thieves.

The chowkidar would get onto his cycle and and rush to the police station to complain that a person said the police are thieves.

The local DSP argued that 200 witnesses were not enough evidence.

He wanted money.

A few mechanics acted like go-betweens, pretending to support the truck driver, but convincing him that it would be better that he pays the DSP rather than be dragged into the case.

Just then the owner of the truck sent a fax - a copy of the printout - of the satellite GPS system which was installed in the truck.

It gave minute by minute account of the trucks movement.

It had not moved at all on the day of the accident.

The DSP settled for Rs.1100 ! (Eleven hundred rupees)

I asked the truck driver why he paid when he was innocent.

He replied he had no choice as he would be harassed by the police on this route everytime.

I asked him whether he was aware a sardar was India's Prime Minister.

He said, Yes.

I asked, "And you still pay a bribe."

I told him not to pay a bribe.

Only then can this country become great (Mera Bharat Mahan !)

Forget Anna Hazare and Manmohan Singh and the Ramdev Baba's and their committees.

I am the Lokepal.

You can be a Lokepal too.

Lock-up the police stations and 50 per cent of corruption will stop.

The Royal October Wedding

2011-06-05T17:52:00.000-07:00

31-year-old Bhutan's King Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuk is all set to marry Jetsun Pema, who studies at London's Regent College, this October so all weddings in Bhutan have been cancelled till their beloved king announces a wedding date and gets married. This means no weddings in Bhutan till October. Just wonder what would happen to our economy if Indians decided to wait for Rahul Gandhi to get married!

I am not sure about Bhutan's Gross Domestic Happiness but the Royal couple sure look happy.

India Raids Holy Money To Karmapa - 5

2011-03-25T17:25:00.000-07:00

By Manuwant Choudhary

McLeodganj, Dharamsala: I envy the monks who sit on their computers overlooking the pines at the Dalai Lama Trust study room but am sure the Chinese hate this place and must be sending a million viruses to bug the Dalai Lama's computers.

As a journalist I have had a few extraordinary encounters that are still memorable.

One event was being pushed around by Tibetan women bodyguards of the Dalai Lama at Bodh Gaya even as we tried to get close enough to attract the Dalai Lama's attention, the women bodyguards were tough and rude but effective, "What journalist? We know no journalist."

So we were sent back some hunderds of metres away but even as the Dalai Lama emerged journalists shouted at the top of their voices, "His Holiness, His Holiness, His Holiness!"

And to our delight and surprise His Holiness looked at us and contrary to the itenary came towards us.

Hordes of cameras clicked away while TV crew pushed mikes into his face.

And His Holiness said, "Ask."

There was silence.

He smiled, "Ask. ask."

Complete silence again.

His Holiness laughed this time, "Questions, please."

Nothing came from the journalists who expected the Dalai Lama to give a sermon.

Just then I realised what the problem was...all the journalists there were Hindi speaking and they simply did not know English.

So on the spur of the moment I asked some 6 questions.

The Dalai Lama for the first time spoke out against the war in Iraq.

There was so much insecurity in the world that I asked his what is security and the Dalai Lama pointing to the gun weiliding bodyguards around him laughed, "This, this, no security."

He went on to explain perhaps like no one has what security means to the individual.

A rare insight into a great mind.

He looked me in the eye.

I have also seen the Dalai Lama being greeted by lakhs of Tibetans who worship him, and I can think of no individual who has shouldered his responsibilities as well as he has.

I asked him who will be the next Dalai Lama?

And he had replied, "I will be the last Dalai Lama."

Then added, "Tibetans should elect their leader. They can call him the Dalai Lama if they want to."

It is this democratic views of the Dalai Lama that really scare the Chinese.

The Chinese say they do not recognise him, yet they spend all their propoganda machine trying to target the Dalai Lama.

Over the years I have somehow become a pilgrim of peace.

I have been lucky to meet a few Nobel laureates like the Dalai Lama and South Korea's late President Kim Dae Jung.

Outside the Dalai Lama house is the familiar wooden post `May Peace Prevail On Earth."

Just as health is most important to an individual, peace is most important for the world.

I have also had an opportunity to visit the International Court of Justice at the Hague, where they have this post outside.

And I want to meet the brave lady of Burma Aung San Suu Kyi one day.

Near the Dalai Lama house is a museum of rare photographs. If you do visit Mcleodganj you cannot miss them. There are rare photographs of the Dalai Lama escaping from Tibet and about brave Generals who died fighting the Chinese.

I watched a film there. There were just three persons in the audience, the other two were westerners.

It was called `Red Flag Over Tibet."

I cried.

India Raids Holy Money To Karmapa - 4

2011-03-05T21:53:00.000-08:00

By Manuwant Choudhary

McLeodganj, Dharamsala: I wanted to see the Tibetan parliament so I wandered down a path but I suddenly found myself surrounded by a million prayers.....a solitude...when even if you don't believe in God..you can feel his presence....a strong breeze made the prayer flags flutter....

I felt this once before at Kedarnath when I walked across the snow to the temple for the evening aartee. I had said, "If God exists, he lives here."

Many years later when I worked at the Afternoon Despatch & Courier, my editor Behram Contractor wrote a piece on Kedarnath saying the same `If there is God, he lives at Kedarnath'. Mr. Contractor was a Parsi and he had visited Kedarnath many years before I did.

As I stood amongst the fluttering prayer flags I felt closer to `The Maker'.

I also thought about distant Tibet.

The breeze carried with it something of Tibet.

I thought about the strange world of Tibetan buddhism where faith in non-violence is stronger than a rock....even thorns had prayer flags tied around them.

I thought about the world of incarnations and whether it was real.

Was it just a succession plan?

Does one have a past life?

Or a rebirth?

Why do we do what we do?

Why do we fall in love?

Why do we not fall in love with everyone?

What was I really doing at McLeodganj surrounded by these prayer flags, overlooking the breath-taking view of the plains.

From here it made everything that goes on in the world really petty....

I entered very briefly into the world of Tibetan Buddhism.

It is said that Buddhism came to Tibet in the reign of King Trisong Detsen - 755 CE, wherein Buddhism becomes Tibets official religion. It was the King who had invited famous Indian teachers like Shantarakshita and Padmasambahava to Tibet.

Until then the religion followed in Tibet was Bon.

It was Padmasambhava - a master of Tantra - who is credited with spreading Buddhism in Tibet. He built the Samye montastery and his influence on develpment of Tibetan Buddhism is incalculable. He was also referred to as Guru Rinpoche.

Nyingma - the oldest among the four major Tibetan Schools of Buddhism - claims Guru Rinpoche as its patriarch.

According to legend when Guru Rinpoche arrived in Tibet he pacified the Bon demons and made them protectors of `Dharma'.

Then comes the Kagyu sect, of which the Karmapa is the 17th descendant, so its the oldest lineage. The Karmapa is discovered only through letters left behind by the previous Karmapa..which should cite the time, year, place of birth..and other clues to enable high monks to find the incarnation.

Then comes the Gelug or the `Yellow Hat Sect'..the Dalai Lama is their spiritual leader and they value `compassion' the most.
It is said that a high lama from this sect Sonam Gyatso converted Mongol Altan Khan to Buddhism and it is bleieved that he gave the name to him Dalai Lama or `Ocean of Wisdom' in 1578. Sonam Gyatso was the 3rd Dalai Lama. The first two got their title posthumously.
Later Gashri Khan declared himself King of Tibet and in 1642 recognised the 5th Dalai Lama as spiritual and temporal leader of Tibet.

But again there is another theory which suggests the Dalai Lama existed before the invasions of the Mongols.

Then there is the Sakya whose head is Nawang Kunga Thekchen Rinpoche (born 1945) and their headquarters are at Rajpur in Uttar Pradesh.

THE KARMAPA CONTROVERSY

There are two claimants to being the Karmapa.

1) Trinley Thaye Dorje, born May 6 1983 at Lhasa, Tibet, and it is said that when he was 6 years old he began saying that he was the Karmapa. So in 1988 Shamar Rinpoche went on a secret visit to Lhasa since the boy appeared to him in a dream. In March 1994 Trinle Thaye Dorje escapes from Tibet to Nepal and then to India where Sharam Rinpoche recognises him as Karmapa. He lives at Kalimpong and apart from Tibetan studies he receives western education as well.

2) Ogyen Trinley Dorje, born June 26 1985, in eastern Tibet, he was born to nomadic parents who moved from one place to another...but his parents found his behaviour unusual when he insisted that his parents move camp early.

Thus when the search party came they found the boy in exactly the same place as was predicted in the letter handed down from the 16th Karmapa..he was recognised as Karmapa at the age of 7.

Tai Situpa gets an intution and finds a prediction letter in an envelope marked "Open in Metal Horse Year." Letter said the Karmapa was to be reborn `to the north, in the east of the land of the snow.'

Is a country where divine thunder spontaneously blazes.

In a beautiful nomad's place with the sign of a cow,

The method is Dhondrub and the wisdom is Lolaga.

Born in the year of the one used for the earth.

With the miraculous, far-reaching sound of the white one, is the one known as Karmapa.

Ogyen Trinley Dorje's mother's name is Loga and father is Karma Dondrub Tashi.

In June 1992 he moved to Central Tibet to Tolang Tsurphu Monastery - main seat of all previous Karmapas..

The Chinese recognsed him as a Karmapa.

So did the Dalai Lama who says he had a dream about the area where the Karmapa was found. Although the Dalai Lama has no say in lineage of other sects, lineage itself is extremely important in Tibetan Buddhism since tradition is sustained through teachers passing along their knowledge and wisdom to the next generation of disciples..

In 1999 the Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorge escapes from Tibet and arrives in India. Here he is warmly received by the Dalai Lama and the Indian government grants him asylum.

However, the Sharmapa Rinpoche refused to recognise him.

The first Karmapa & Sharmapa Rinpoche control the Karmapa Trust but have no control over the Rumtek monastery in Sikkim.
The monks who control the Rumtek monastery support Ogyen Trinley Dorje as the Karmapa. The matter has now gone to India's Supreme Court.

The Dalai Lama held a meeting with the Sharmapa Rinpoche to resolve the dispute for the sake of all Buddhism.

Ogyen Trinley Dorje met the Sharmapa Rinpoche at Oberoi International Hotel in New Delhi on January 9 2007..and the Dalai Lama met the Sharmapa on August 13 2010 and the Sharmapa promised to work towards an amicable solution, "Although this matter is not easily resolved since it is connected to the politics of China and India....."

The 16th Karmapa wrote this song in 1940.

In the springtime, a cuckoo comes as guest.

In the fall when the harvest ripens, it knows where to go.

Its only thought is travel to the east of India.

In the lofty land of Tibet, inhabitants high and low,

And in particular, you, Tai Situ the Lord and Protector of Maitreya,

Who remains above the crown of our head,

May your activities, like the sun and moon set in space,

Be continuous, stable and without hindrance.

I pray that we meet again and again.

(Credits to Wikipedia)

India Raids Holy Money To Karmapa - 3

2011-03-02T23:33:00.000-08:00

By Manuwant Choudhary

McLeodganj, Dharamsala: Even as the Indian media cover the Karmapa issue like a cheap spy-thriller, this action of the Indian government in attempting to portray the Karmapa as a `Chinese spy' has hurt all Tibetans.

The Karmapa in his decade of exile has not said a word against the Indian government or against the Dalai Lama.

India is of course jittery that the Chinese have sent the Karmapa to India to gain control of the rich Rumtek monastery.

And what happens when the Karmapa succeeds the Dalai Lama as the spiritual and political heir of the Dalai Lama and says that the Chinese government is doing great work giving jobs to the Tibetans?

Questions and more questions.

But the real question is that is the secular Indian government meddling in Tibetan religious affairs only to control the Karmapa?

They have accused the Karmapa of violating foriegn exchange rules and also that he wanted to buy benami properties to build a monastery.

But while this may appear to be news to Indians, at Dharamsala itself this is an old issue and the Tibetan government in exile has been in talks with the Himachal Pradesh government to relax the rules to enable Tibetans to buy land openly.

Its ironical that while the BJP activists campaign against article 370 which grants special status to Kashmir, denying Indians the right to buy property there, it doesn't talk about section 118 Himachal Pradesh Tenancy & Land Reforms Act which is an old socialist act, which says only farmers can buy land in Himachal Pradesh.

Yes, you got that right even Himachali businessmen need government permission to buy land.

As for the Tibetans, India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru granted asylum, successive Indian governments have not addressed core issues faced by Tibetans. In 50 years their population has increased and surely they cannot live at refugee colonies all their lives.

They also have larger families to support so they become hotel oowners or run restaurants or sell wollens, many such businesses require land.

But Titebans were not allowed to buy land.

So like the Tibetans, the issue of the Karmapa should not be viewed from a purely legal viewpoint.

Surely, the Karmapa does not have a Chinese passport !

Near the Dalai Lama residence is a Buddha temple, and outside I watch a 3-year-old Tenzin Chechup plays with an Indian child.

I wondered what Tenzin would grow up to be.

Just a refugee - a child with no country.

I also wondered whether he would be as freindly to Indians when he grows.

Or will he be angry?

Would he even question his faith?

Tenzin's future lies in what we Indians do to him.

How our governments treat him?

So with all these questions I went to meet another Tibetan Member of Parliament Mr. Dawa Tsering. He also runs a school called Yongling School.

As I arrived at the school kindergarden school children greeted me with a smile and a `Namaste'.

When I just smiled at them, they became a chorus and shouted `Jee Maharaj' and burst out laughing.

It was clear they love to watch TV serials like the Mahabharat where courtiers worship their kings.

But Tibetans are no courtiers and hence the glee.

Tibetans are independent and free.

They want to return home but with self-respect and dignity and freedoms.

Never without.

By evening Mr. Dawa Tsering was at home. The first time he entered the Tibetan parliament was as a nominee of the Dalai Lama himself.

But through his years as Mayor of Mcleodganj and social works in the area he has a greater understanding of the problems faced by the Tibetan community.

He said, "The Tibetans did not buy the benami lands on their own, its their Indian friends who showed them a loop-hole in the laws that would enable them to get on with their lives."

Mr. Dawa Tsering explains, " the Indian government should have a policy that if a refugee is born here then he should be allowed to buy land."

Since 1996 Mr. Dawa Tsering has been campaigning for land rights to Tibetans.

But the Himachal government said that the only way to legalise benami transactions was for the Central Tibetan Administration to first submit them a list of the benami properties which the HP government would acquire and then lease it back to the Central Tibetan Authority after they pay 10 per cent of the market rates to the HP government.

So after years of struggle the Tibetans submitted a list of 70 benami properties, both individuals and institutions, and a cabinet order was passed on May 8, 2005, under Clause 3 of article 348 of the Constitution of India as a one-time settlement.
Later on a case to case basis also the HP government would grant permissions for buying land.

Said Mr Tsering, "So the Karmapa also has applied for permissions to buy land."

But the process is slow and even Tibetans are lazy about it all. "Its so much easier to give money and buy land."

Mr. Dawa Tsering's father served in the Indian territorial army and talking to him we did not see the time, until we found dinner on our tables in front.

Mr. Tsering is a vegetarian.

After a long day I relished the home-cooked chicken curry and rice.

I asked Mr. Tsering whether he enjoys his life as a Tibetan MP and what do the MPs do? His reply, "Often we have MPs taking credit for works completed months ago by someone else."

As I walked through the dark to my hotel I wondered why the Indian government agreed to stop talking about Tibet when China said that Sikkim is an integral part of India.

Its not the Karmpa, but the Indian government which has sold out to the Chinese.

We have abandoned Tibet.

India Raids Holy Money To Karmapa - 2

2011-02-09T02:32:00.000-08:00

By Manuwant Choudhary

McLeodganj, Dharamsala: Drinking ginger tea with a Tibetan Member of Parliament-in-exile at the Chonor House overlooking a spectacular view of the hills and the plains beyond, one would have thought Tibetans are happy being sheltered in India.

They are happy to escape the Chinese occupation and oppressions in Tibet and in India they are free to practice their religion and breathe easy.

Recently, the Dalai Lama said while China used every means to control the Tibetans, the Tibetans in Tibet look towards India.

But it has been 50 years since the Dalai Lama fled China into exile and the younger Tibetans are getting impatient. Last year they even attempted to walk back to Tibet but the Indian police arrested them.

And for 50 years not a single Tibetan has got Indian citizenship.

On December 22 2010 the Delhi High Court gave a landmark judgement after a young 25-year-old Tibetan girlNamgyal Dolkar approached the High Court as she was being denied an Indian passport.

The Delhi High Court ruled in her favour due to a changed citizenship rule which allowed citizenship under naturalisation to all those who arrived here before 1986 and their children.

In the case the Ministry of Exernal Affairs had argued that according to a ministry of Home Affairs policy decision that a Tibetan who enters India after 1959 will not be given citizenship under naturalisation under Sec 6 (1) of Citizens Act. Only by marriage to an Indian can the case be considered for citizenship.

According to the Demographic Survey of Tibetans-in-Exile 2009 the total population of Tibetans outside Tibet is 1,27,935.
This includes 70,556 male and 57,379 female.

94,203 live in India.
13,514 in Nepal.
1298 in Bhutan.
18,920 elsewhere.

It is noticed that Tibetans in the United States and Canada do not resist taking that countries passport.

So i asked Mr. Penpa Tsering how Tibet's parliament-in-exile views the citizenship issue and he replied, "We welcome the Delhi High Court order but we think its a personal choice whether Tibetans want the citizenship or not."

But what about the disadvantages in not being an Indian citizen, and he replied, "We do get private jobs easily but yes we cannot get government jobs. Also sometime at educational institutions we are treated as a foriegner."

Tibetans do not vote in the Indian elections, either.

They vote for their own Tibetan parliament-in-exile.

The reason I am going to such detail is not to bore you but to bring home certain truths about life as a refugee.

The Tibetans may have escaped Chinese occupation and violence to a free India, but even here the bureacratic oppression they face is formidable.

Some of this bureacratic opression is faced by every Indian as well.

I have always wondered why this bruhaha over the money found at the Karmapa residence when in fact the Karmapa himself entered India illegally, crossing over the Himalayas, I am sure he doesn't have a Chinese passport.

It is the Indian government who granted him asylum.

So it is also teh Indian government who should have made sure that all his legal requirements are met so that the Karmapa can live and stay in India without a hitch.

The Karmapa is not an ordinary person. He heads the religious sect so it is natural people from aroundthe world will come to him.

I had covered the Karmapa on his first visit to Bodh Gaya and at the Gaya train station as he got out he smiled.

There were a dozen intelligence officials accompanying him and he has never really been on his own.

At McLeodganj he lives in a temporary accomodation under Indian security, virtually under house arrest.

Every move is watched.

In a decade just once he was allowed foreign travel to the United States of America for 15 days only.

A Chinese spy being allowed foreign travel?

India's government is in trouble and it must be liberal in its use of legality and not misuse government machinery to harrass the Karmapa and confiscate money meant for the poorest of the poor.

India Raids Holy Money To Karmapa - 1

2011-02-08T02:01:00.000-08:00

By Manuwant Choudhary

McLeodganj, Dharamsala: The road leading to the Dalai Lama's residence has always been busy but this time there is an unease evident as I take a photo of the Karmapa from a CD being sold on the roadside, the young tibetan CD seller Nwalkho burst out almost apologetic, "You are taking his photo because of all the foreign money found at Karmapa residence. It was so simple...they just had to take it to the bank and put it there."

Not quite simple as that.

But to the simple minds of Tibetans a daily shout from the Indian media saying their Karmapa is a Chinese spy has shocked them but with a confused disbelief.

A Ladhaki Buddhist girl said, "So many TV crew are on this road but no one speaks to them. Everyone is so scared."

I travelled to Mcleodganj, which is on the upper reaches of Dharamsala, to tell the other side of this story.

So I met Mr. Penpa Tsering - a Member of Parliament of the Tibetan Parliament in Exile. The Tibetan parliament meets only twice a year in September and March. But when there is no parliament in session there is an 11 member standing committee of parliament empowered to take important decisions.

So when the story broke that 6 crore rupees worth of money was found at the Karmapa residence which included money from 25 foreign countries, the 11 member committee led by Mr. Penpa Tsering met on January 28, 2011.

Mr. Penpa Tsering is the Speaker, "We met and discussed the matter following which we met the Karmapa and found him to be in a calm mood. We went there to not just enquire but also to express our solidarity with him."

The Karmapa's first reaction on meeting the committee was, "I do not know whats really happening."

He then told the committee, "I do not deal with financial matters."

It is at the age of 16 in late 1999 that Ogyen Trinley Dorje escapes from Chinese controlled Tibet into exile to India. He first meets the Dalai Lama on arriving in India and the Indian government grants him a refugee status.

Mr. Tsering explains, "the Tibetan-parliament-in-exile does not interfere with the workings of the various religious sects, but one thing we can say is that the Karmapa is not a Chinese spy."

"The money that has been found is simply the offerings made to him by his followers. "

Initially when the Karmapa arrived, a trust was set up in 2003 called the Saraswati Trust. Then in 2006 another trust was set-up called the Karma Garchae Trust and in 2009 it is the Karma Garchae trust that applied for blanket permission for recieving foreign contributions under Foriegn Contributions Regulations Act.

But so far the permissions have not come.

Mr. Tsering goes on, "Then there is something called the Labrang. All high Lamas have this and this is basically unregistered and under the management committee of the monastery. All offerings collected by the Labrang personnel are put in a box and on a given day the responsible persons of the Labrang make an inventory of offerings."

"Since the FCRA permissions have not come in they cannot go and deposit it in the bank or return it to the disciples who made the offerings."

Mr. Tsering says the Tibetan parliament-in-exile holds that the Karmapa is personally not involved in this and even as patron of the trusts his name is not there on the Trust Board. "Earlier it was there but it was later removed since patrons cannot be on the Trust Board."

The Himachal Pradesh police have seized the 6 crore rupees and arrested Shakti Lama(alias Chosang Dhargy), the cashier to the Labrang. They also detained a property owner Mr. Bhardwaj but released him later but detain two of his representatives.

The Himachal Pradesh police suspect Karmapa's china links because of the Chinese Yuan's found, but Mr. Tsering says, "Of the 6 crore rupees found less than a crore was Chinese Yuan. There are Buddists in China also and even Tibetan pilgrims from china offer Yuans."

Police are probing a hawala angle to this.

But on the interpol website there is an interesting case study which says Hawala is a legitimate way to transfer money and it existed long before the banking system came into being. You could give the money to an agent in one country and the beneficiary would recieve it in another country by another agent without the money having actually travelled.

So in the case of the Karmapa, money has travelled from 25 countries, hence its not hawala.

It is money brought in by pilgrims and offered to the Karmapa, unsolicited.

If it was hawala money would have come to him in Indian currenny and he would have deposited the same in the banks without any fuss.

The Dalai Lama who has himself had an unblemished 50 years in India as an exiled leader has said the money is for charity.

The Karmapa on his arrival in India had gone straight to meet the Dalai Lama and the Dalai Lama had received him warmly.

The Dalai Lama has done more for India's positive image than all our politicians and I am not sure why we want to fritter away the goodwill.

The Tibetans have been grateful to India to a fault.

I am a critic of Jawaharlal Nehru but his single great act was to grant asylum to the Dalai Lama and his people fleeing Chinese oppression, even at the risk of the Chinese declaring war on India.

But todays Congressmen have no such courage.

India's home minister Mr. P Chidambaram says this on the Karmapa, "I have not concluded anything so I cannot share my conclusions with you."

But I have not heard the Indian government say anything on the Karmapa.

The Chinese government says the Karmapa is not a Chinese spy and India's suspicion only indicates India's deep distrust towards China.

The Indian media say the Karmapa plans to build `China freindly' monasteries across the Himalayas.

I disagree.

I would think we have a `China friendly' government.

Mubarak Must Go

2011-02-02T21:58:00.000-08:00

Egypt is in chaos and the world watches.

Hosni Mubarak must go.

And he must go now.

His speech on television saying he would leave after September is another lie as the anti-government demonstrators believed.

Mubarak has unleashed his goons to attack protestors and journalists. This video shows how CNNs Anderson Cooper was caught up in the mob and he just managed to escape.

The United Nations should step in and send peace-keeping forces. What we see is Egypt heading towards civil war. The world must step in before more lives are lost.

Mubarak's soldiers just watch the violence.

A Raja Arrested

2011-02-02T03:05:00.000-08:00

Former telecom minister A Raja arrested by the CBI which probes the multi-million rupees telecom scam.

The Congress Party spokesman Abhishek Manu Singhvi says there is no collective responsibility in the corruption as far as the government is concerned.

But he remains evasive on questions whether the telecom minister Raja had kept the Prime Minister informed vis-a-vis 2 G spectrum allocation.

One is not confusing the criminal liability from the collective responsibility, but if there is a criminal liability of Raja and there is policy support to 2 G pricing from the cabinet, then it can be a criminal liability as well as a collective responsibility.

Opposition parties are still harping for a JPC probe when in fact, they should ask this government to go.

Sick of hearing law will take its own course.

Not Indian Students, Radio Tag S M Krishna

2011-02-01T20:51:00.000-08:00

By Manuwant Choudhary

It is shocking to see 30 Indian students being radio-tagged in the United States simply because the university `Tri-Valley' closed down and US authorities say instead of confining students the radio collar is a better alternative.

And our foreign minister S M Krishna seems to agree with the US and says that more than a lakh students go to the US, so radio tags for a dozen students should not be an issue.

Surely, if this is his view then I would say we should radio tag SM Krishna and all our cabinet ministers.

At least we will know what and where they go.

And surely, in a billion plus population a dozen ministers being radio-tagged will not matter.

As for the US, they must investigate their own visa procedures rather than radio-collar legitimate students whose only fault was they did not know the university would fold-up.

There are enough fake universities in Bihar and India, why would they spend so much to go to the US for a fake degree?

Aung San Suu Kyi Begins Her Party Website

2011-01-30T21:31:00.000-08:00

Recently freed Nobel Laureate aung San Suu Kyi starts a new website for the National League For Democracy nldburma.org.

The website is still under construction although a few videos have been uploaded.

Aung San is rebuilding her party and her social work is very much on.

The supporters of Aung San did a fundraiser by selling traditional clothes, t-shirts and Aung San's paintings and collected 11000 US dollars in two days, the money will be used to help the families of political prisoners in Burma and fund social programs of NLD.

Winds of Change in Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen

2011-01-28T22:50:00.000-08:00

By Manuwant Choudhary

Winds of change sweep the middle east...it started with Tunisia..moves to Egypt and perhaps even protests can be seen in Yemen.

The United States under George Bush wanted to export democracy to the Middle East but what we now witness is that the Americans don't know where to look and whom to support - an ally `dictator' or the freedom loving people of Egypt.

Egypts President Hosni Mubarak has dismissed his government but like all dictators he does not yet see the writing on the wall and talks about protecting his people.

The people want him to go.

The people want a better Egypt.

They want freedom.

This revolution is not Islamic. It is for freedom.

Thats why the Egyptian government blocks twitter and facebook.

Democracy and freedom will come to that region as you can see the courage with which the youth face police brickbats and teargas and even armoured vehicles don't scare them anymore.

They have nothing to lose, except their chains.

Will this also spread to India?

Well, India could also see some agitations as corruption and the governments role in dealing with it comes under a cloud.

India's Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and his government need to act fast to address growing concerns if they want a stable and prosperous India.

It just takes an incident to push a country towards chaos or freedom, whicever you may choose to call it.

India's New Fight Against Corruption

2011-01-27T22:15:00.000-08:00

By Manuwant Choudhary

A march against corruption in New Delhi on January 30 led by Swami Agnivesh, Baba Ram dev, Kiran Bedi, Anna Hazare to make India's government accountable and stop corruption.

Swami Agnivesh says India must bring back all the Indian money stashed away in Swiss banks...he tells NDTV anchor Vinod Dua that the only way to bring back the black money of tax defaulters is by citizens stoppping to pay taxes to the Indian government.

He says the money in Swiss accounts is equivalent to 9 years of all taxes collected by the Indian government and all its states - if the money is brought back India can have a 9 year tax holiday.

Anti-corruption movements in India have been popular in the past and governments have also changed yet corruption has always increased.

Not just oil mafia..in everything you do you pay money...even if you want a gun licence.

The only way to reduce corruption is by reducing the role of governments, but this motely crowd of anti-corruption movement will always want more regulation, more government being fed on socialism all their lives.

It is only Rajaji's Swatantra formula that can bring corruption to its minimum but India's social and religious leaders don't understand economics and the root cause of corruption.

Yet, the public mood in India is getting hotter and the anti-corruption movement could spread across India and there could be more civil unrest on the streets in months to come.

Jaipal Reddy You Are Bluffing

2011-01-27T00:51:00.000-08:00

By Manuwant Choudhary

India's Oil Minister Jaipal Reddy addresses a press meet after a high level meeting to tackle adulteration.

His high level meet was with publc sector oil companies who have given 25 lakh rupees to the kin of Mr. yeshwant Sonawane.

He now talks of re-introducing the marker system.

But admits that kerosene tankers don't even have a lock on them when they leave oil depots.

Its also surprising that while oil companies open lakhs of new retail outlets and kisan seva kendra's for petrol and diesel there is not even a oil dispenor for kerosene.

Jaipal Reddy is bluffing India and protecting the corruption of government owned oil companies.

A Burning Republic

2011-01-25T17:54:00.000-08:00

By Manuwant Choudhary

I know politicians would not like to remember the eve of India's Republic Day but television footage of a burning additional collector Shri Yeshwant Sonawane in Mahrashtra is shocking - he was burnt alive simply because he was preventing oil pilferage.

Who did it?

The Oil Mafia.

Are the oil mafia private individuals only?

No. The oil mafia includes private individuals, government officials, oil company officials, politicians and governments.

Ever wondered why there was a fire in Jaipur Oil Depot, or just sometime ago in Bombay !

The inquiry reports are guarded secrets.

Kerosene at subsidized rates almost always go into the wrong hands - they are even smuggled out of the country.

Who pays?

The taxpayers. The poor never get kerosene.

This Republic Day we should pause and think whether we have really entrusted our great country into safe hands.

Not just Shri Sonawane, they burn India.

WHAT IS RAREST OF RARE CASE IF COLD MUDER ISN'T?

2011-01-23T22:10:00.000-08:00

By Manuwant Choudhary

Dara Singh should have been hanged to death.

But he got a life imprisonment and the Orissa High Court judges supported a lifer and said the criminality of Dara Singh did not fall into the rarest of rare category.

The judges said he only wanted to `teach a lesson to those who convert others.'

Just to remind you Dara Singh is the Bajrang Dal activist who torched a vehicle of Graham Staines and his two sons as they slept kiling them all.

So I wonder what is a `Rarest of Rare Case'?

The riots in Bombay? The riots in Gujarat?

No.

Even the Supreme Court is harsh on Teesta Setalvad simply because she wrote a letter on the Gujarat riots to the United Nations Human Rights Organisation.

Surely the Supreme Court should have shouted at India's Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru for taking the Kashmir issue to the United Nations.

We would not have the BJP activists forcing their way into Kashmir simply to hoist our Indian flag by force. Kashmiris don't feel like hoisting a tricolour.

I wonder if the BJPs program will make Kashmiris feel more Indian?

Just wonder whatever happened to our `Basic Structure of our Constitution'.....Secularism?

In India liberals are not allowed to have their own political parties.

Property Rights are not guaranteed either.

And now the Orissa High Court judgement shows even Secularism is just a sham.

For our courts only perhaps Ajmal Kasab falls into the `rarest of rare case'.

I am not for capital punishment yet it hurts to see how pests get away with murder.

"Freedom and Democracy Are Goals You Never Give Up" says Aung Saan Suu Kyi

2011-01-23T17:39:00.000-08:00

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

DRONES - A Dangerous Decade

2011-01-19T22:16:00.000-08:00

Courtesy ectropic

Almost everyday we hear how drones cross-over the Pakistan border and kill dozens of alleged `terrorists' in Pakistan but as Gayane Chichakyan of RT reports that it may feel like playing a video game but the Drone could become the worlds biggest danger as the Drone Market explodes. And what happens if the drone technology falls in the hands of the terrorists? Drones are a departure from conventional warfare but this could become a real threat to peace.

REMEMBERING SRI C. RAJAGOPALACHARI (RAJAJI)

2011-01-18T17:42:00.000-08:00

The above bhajan (sacred chant) was written by India's First Governor General C. Rajagopalachari for MS Shubhalaxmi to be sung at the United Nations in 1966 (There is nothing to lament) but this is a remix version and even if you dont follow the language you will find the song uplifting.

This link REMEMBERING SRI C. RAJAGOPALACHARI (RAJAJI)is a tribute to Rajaji by Mr. Annaswamynatarajan (based in the United States), who remembers a great soul who passed away on Christams Day in 1972. Rajaji must be 80 when he founded the Swatantra Party in 1959 to challenge the socialism of Jawahar Lal Nehru's Congress Party. He was also a rare civilian to be receive a state dinner at the White House!

When Freedom Will Come

2011-01-17T21:23:00.000-08:00

My friend Sauvik points this amazing quote from Frank Chodorov on Aristotle the Geek's blog:

"When people want freedom they will get it.

When the desire of the business man for “free enterprise” is so strong that he will risk bankruptcy for it, he cannot be denied.

When youth prefers prison to the barracks,

When a job in the bureaucracy is considered leprous,

When the tax-collector is stamped a legalized thief,

When handouts from the politician are contemptuously rejected,

When work on a government project is considered degrading,

When, in short, the State is recognized to be the enemy of society, then only will freedom come, and the citadel of Power collapse."

Wheat For The World

2011-01-16T05:02:00.000-08:00

My Farm: PUSA HD 2733 Wheat Variety - a Director of Agriculture, Phillippines, visited us to see this.

By Manuwant Choudhary

India's Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh is unfit for the top job for two reasons - he has never been a farmer nor has he ever been a businessman.

I recall Dr. Manmohan Singh as India's very successful finance minister in the early 90s at one of his last Bombay public meetings at the Indian Merchants Chamber said how his mission was incomplete..in that he had been unable to liberalise the agriculture sector.

I felt, like many other liberals, that Dr. Manmohan Singh was the right man to cure India of its problems.

But now looking back I have to admit that we were all wrong.

Dr. Singh is only a loyal Congressman, but he has no vision for India. Hence, it is not surprising that while India deals with `unacceptable' rates of inflation, the government simply has no solution to the price rise.

All that he knows is how to pump the taxpayers money into all the wrong places - from oil companies to public sector banks to NAREGA.

I got an opportunity to be a farmer for a season and there was simply no labour available. (They were all digging dirt when they could be harvesting wheat).

This compelled me to purchase a reaper instead and get the job done. There is simply no money in agriculture. You can call it subsistence farming where a farmer with small land-holdings grows potatoes to feed his family and maybe carry a sack to the market.

Its not surprising why farmers in Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh have committed suicides in such large numbers.

And then there are city dwellers (including neo-liberals) who believe the farmers should also be taxed.

But I still hold agriculture to be India's main challenge.

India can feed the world and get rich while doing so.

But we must first get rid of socialism.

I wonder when will Bombay run for Freedom?

And we have been experimenting for long.

After the Bihar-Bengal famine in the early 1900s a very rich individual donated all his money to build a research centre in the poorest district of India - hence PUSA was built in Samastipur getting its name from Mr. Pitts of USA - to solve the food problem.

As an autonomous institute under British rule it did commendable research but after its take-over by the Government their experiments have been kept within their own laboratories. The farmers living near PUSA can be counted as the most backward in India.

But for a year now the scientists have begun working and want to see their experiments succeed on the farms as well.

We came in touch with Mr. Govind Singh, a very active young man originally from Gwalior - and he is the officer in charge of introducing zero-tillage method in Bihar (where one saves the cost of cultiavtion as well as retain crucial soil nutrients). Mexican levellers first level the fields completely so that the plants get uniform water.

So at my farm he introduced HD 2733 PUSA Wheat Seeds, which is not hybrid variety - but gives a high yield.

The photograph you see above is taken at my farm and a week ago the Director of Agriculture from the Phillippines came to see it - my farm has never looked so green.

Is This The End Of America?

2011-01-04T05:44:00.000-08:00

Warning: Viewer discretion is advised and indiavikalp does not advise investments yet we would like you to watch this video for the economics it contains and think about it.

Bofors - The Ghost Is Real

2011-01-03T19:28:00.000-08:00

By Manuwant Choudhary

A day before the CBI is to tell an Indian court that the Bofors case should be `closed' due to lack of sufficient evidence, an Income Tax Tribunal's findings are made public where both the Bofor's agents the Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi and Win Chadda are asked to pay INcome Tax on the commission money that went into their accounts.

The tribunal uses the same CBI findings that the CBI plans to use to close the case.

An independent lawyer Ajay Aggarwal is doggedly opposing this `closure' by the CBI in public interest. He says if the guilty go unpunished in this then there will be no further detterent on the corrupt in India.

The IT tribunal passed this judgement on December 31, 2010 where in it held that Quattrocchi was paid 9 crore rupees and Win Chadda got Rs.52.6 crores by the Swedish gun manucaturer Bofors.

Quattrocchi had an interpol notice on him but India has failed in extradition attempts or has simply not tried and the present Congress government allowed the defreezing of his London account enabling Quattrocchi to take his money out. Win Chadda is dead.

The Congress spokesman told a private TV channel that it is not his concern if Quattrocchi or Win Chadda took money, whats his concern is that the Congress Party is not involved.

The BJP spokesman Arun Jaitley says this scam worth only `64 crores' is important because it was one scam that reached closest to the Prime Minister's doorstep.

Let us go back in time.

The Bofors exposure actually turned this country's history, even if the guilty are yet to be punished.

It also exposed that honest politicians are not needed in New Delhi.

The central character by default became Mr. Vishwanath Pratap Singh who as finance minister in the Rajiv Gandhi government had a clean image (but Rajiv's image was cleaner) but when V.P. Singh was confronted by the FAIRFAX issue where prominent persons like the Ambani's and Rajiv's own friend Amitabh Bacchan were suspected of having illegally parked money into foriegn accounts, he ordered an inquiry, so Rajiv Gandhi shifted him to defence.

This was followed by the HDW submarine scam when V.P. Singh found the German company claiming they paid 7 per cent as commission to Indian agents to secure the deal, when the Indian government asked them for a discount in two submarines that they wanted to purchase from the HDW shipyard in Germany.

But the HDW submarine deal went back to 1981 when Mrs. Indira Gandhi was Prime Minister, so Congressmen viciously oppsoed V.P. Singh even in a cabinet meeting because he had not taken `permission' of the Prime Minister to order the inquiry.

V.P. Singh resigns as defence minister.

V.P. Singh was a raja without a kingdom.

Yet, a Swedish radio broadcast stunned India wherein it was said that Bofors paid 64 crore rupees as commission to agents to procure the deal.

India's Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi had told parliament that no commission was paid (Paying commissions are illegal in defence deals in India).

The Hindu's Chitra Subramanyan filed hunderds of reports from abroad tracking the case but the newspaper under pressure eased her out, Chitra moved to The Indian Express, which took up the Bofors case in a big way.

V.P. Singh, who had no mass support as a Congress politician, soon saw himself ride on an anti-corruption wave that ultimately made him Prime Minister.

Of course, V.P. Singh did very little to bring the Bofors accused to book, except file an FIR (which did not name Rajiv). In fact, V.P. Singh all along did not ever say that Rajiv took the commission, he only said Rajiv shielded the guilty.

V.P. Singh is his book `Manzil Se Zyada Safar', reveals that the Bofors officials had come to India when he was Prime Minister and wanted to reveal the names, but Congressmen got wind and convinced Bofors officials that the National Front government would not last so there was no need to be reckless.

V.P. Singh launched his own brand of caste politics (to become a Mandal messiah), while the BJP went the other way on a rath yatra to destroy the Babri Masjid mosque.

The Mandal-Mandir politics put Bofors and corruption on a back-burner.

Yet, on hindsight this is not surprsing considering how the BJP leaders were caught on camera in the Tehelka expose where the BJP president himself accepted money (asked agents for dollars). So corruption is not really an issue amongst political parties.

India's former Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar (who had succeeded V.P. Singh) was most candid about it ..he would often tell parliament that corruption should never be discussed in India's parliament.

So stalling parliament over 2G, wanting a JPC probe actually mean little.

Indian politics is extremely corrupt, so its really surprising how and why they charge people under `Sedition' laws. Because if Sedition laws are to be applied all our politicians will find themselves in prison.

Is it right to take money underhand, while our men die in Kashmir?

Is this Nationalism or patriotism?

Bofors should be investigated. What has been overlooked is also the role of the Indian military in the Bofors deal. At every stage of approvals it is the military that gives sanctions and if these sanctions were given after commissions were paid to agents then clearly our men with honours are certainly involved.

I was just wondering what award winning journalist Chitra Subramanyam was doing these days. Her book `India Is For Sale' is a must read. But this is what I found on the WikiPedia:

"Chitra Subramanyam co-founded a Swiss watch company BorgeauD SA borgeaudwatches.com. In a global first, BorgeauD SA has launched La Collection Gravitas, the world’s first watch that incorporates the Rahukaalam, a daily 90-minute sequence which is avoided for the taking of important decisions. The Rahukaalam calculations are part of the ancient Indian panchang."

Perhaps, India's corrupt politcians can finally be her clients. Wow a watch that tells you when you will be Prime Minister!

Rajiv Gandhi's widow Sonia Gandhi is the UPA chairperson, so its not surprising that Octavio Quatrochhi is being let-off. (he was after all a family freind of the Gandhi's)

We are afterall like Nepal.

As for Dr. Manmohan Singh, I just have this for him, "How High Can You Stoop, Mr. Prime Minister?"

Fatima Bhutto - On Being A Bhutto

2011-01-03T05:03:00.000-08:00

CBI - Confused Bureau of Investigations

2011-01-02T03:54:00.000-08:00

By Manuwant Choudhary

Since New Delhi journalists do little to unravel the Aarushi-Hemraj double murder case I decided to visit the CBI headquarters to find out why even the CBI has decided to close the case:

Manuwant to CBI woman officer: Madam, what is on your forehead..have you been threatened by the Shiv Sena to wear some Hindu tika that looks like a question mark.

CBI lady officer: No, no, no, even our men officers wear it.

Me: But why men madama. Men don't wear tika.

CBI lady officer: Not outside but in CBI men also have to wear the same uniform.

Me: But it doesn't look nice. It looks kind of dangerous like those `snake' tikas worn in saas-bahu serials on Star Plus.

CBI lady officer: I like the `snake' tika also but this one is compulsory to us.

Me: But your tika looks like a question mark ?

CBI lady officer: Exactly, it is a question mark.

Me: But why?

CBI lady officer: See, because you are asking us too many questions.

Me: Ya, but thats because we want to know.

CBI lady officers: In a single day we have to handle a billion questions. Is it possible for us to answer all of them?

Me: Not answer but you have to solve some questions at least. Thats why you are CBI.

Lady CBI officer: I don't have so much time.

Me; Why?

Lady CBI officer: Even as you speak hundreds of government Babu's rob this country and ultimately its the CBI which is asked to find out who.

Me: But everyone knows the Babu-politcian who does it.

CBI Lady Officer: For you its easy to say, but we must have conclusive proof. After all every corrupt citizen in India is also `respectable'.

Me: Ok, ok, but I've come here to find about the Aarushi-Hemraj double murder case.

CBI lady officer: Its too complicated.

Me: But tell me if the door was locked and Mrs. Nupur Talwar threw the keys for the maid from the terrace, it means the door can be opened from the outside using a duplicate key.

CBI: Our report says no outside person was involved.

Me: But Dr. Rajesh Talwar - the dentist - says he was asleep when it all happened.

CBI: yes, yes he could not hear the victims being attacked because he had his airconditioner on.

Me: What make is Dr. Talwar's AC.? Actually, I like one's that make the loudest noise. It keeps the `static' out just like Bose earphones.

CBI: Its made by some local engineer who has 60 years experience in loud ACs, to cut out all traffic (murder) noise. We have some of them at CBI headquarters also.

Me: Tell me what about the Golf stick? I saw on India TV all anchors and guests all had a golf stick in hand as they explained how to swing for a kill. There was even a private detective who has enough cases where golf sticks have been used to murder.

CBI: Yes, thats in our report that the victims could have been assaulted by the golf stick. The Talwars hid their golf stick from us for one year.

Me: But surely if victims are assaulted by golf sticks surely someone will hear them in the house.

CBI: We are not sleep specialists.

Me: But you have also mentioned in your report that the Talwars tried to fudge the evidence, circumstantial and even post-mortem report, so have you not charged them?

CBI: Again don't ask such questions. The case is closed.

Me: But why did you close it?

CBI: We have closed it in national interest.

Me: National interest in murder? Can't be.

CBI: WE have closed so many cases before so why you worried about this one. Did we ever solve the killing of Lalit Narain Mishra, India's railway minister, killed in broad-daylight on a railway platform in Bihar.

Me: But you made that huge effort to solve the Shilpi Jain-Gautam double murder.

CBI: No, no, we made huge efforts to not to collect Sadhu Yadav's blood sample.

Me: But why you do this?

CBI: Because Soniaji told us that Sadhu Yadav's blood is for the Congress Party only and asked us to fast-track all cases.
The only way to do that is by closing it all.

INDIAVIKALP JOURNALISM OF COURAGE AWARD GOES TO....

2011-01-01T19:12:00.000-08:00

The Indiavikalp Journalism of Courage Award goes to Cyrus Broacha.

Someone Killed Aarushi

2010-12-31T23:09:00.000-08:00

By Manuwant Choudhary

Someone killed Aarushi. This is clear from CBIs closure report...its just that the CBI does not think there is enough evidence to find WHO killed Aarushi.

I must also admit, not just the CBI..our hundreds of journalists sitting in New Delhi do a poor job of investigating this case. Even interviews with Dr. Talwar are shoddy and it doesn't help move the case an inch.

I have not visited the Talwar residence so it is difficult to conjecture about circumstantial evidence but just because a father `looks' innocent we should not give him a clean chit. Nor should we absolve him simply because he is a father. Sympathy should be backed by cold facts.

But nor should we hold him guilty without cold facts. The CBI abandoning the case midway is suspicious.

Let us observe some of the facts or fiction in CBIs closure report as written in the Times of India.

1) The Talwars slept through the crime being committed in their home because they could not hear a thing due to the noise of the AC.

2) Usually Hemraj - the servant opens the door for the maid, this morning Mrs. Nupur Talwar threw the keys from the balcony.

3) There was no forced entry into the home.

4) Nupur Talwar was composed that morning and three minutes later both Nupur and Rajesh Talwar start howling in Aarushi's room `Dekh Hemraj ne kya kar diya.,' in front of the maid.

5) the body of Aarushi was found wrapped in a sheet.

6) The crime scene was cleaned up by the Talwars before the UP police could take charge of the spot.

7) The injuries on the body of Aarushi and the servant Hemraj was by blunt weapon and also a sharp scalpel or khukri on neck but the post mortem report says the death occurred by injuries by the blunt weapon .

8) The blunt weapon could be a golf club.

9) The closure report speaks of an attempt to fix the post-mortem report to ensure that there is no mention of rape. It says that Dr Dinesh Talwar, Rajesh's brother, made Dr Sunil Dohre of the Noida Hospital, who was conducting the autopsy, speak with a person he introduced as Dr T D Dogra, head of the department of forensic medicine at All India Institute of Medical Sciences. The person told Dohre that no mention of rape was needed. CBI, however, found out from Dr Dogra, a renowned authority, that he never spoke with Dohre.

10) A blood sample found on a whisky bottle did not match with that of Aarushi or Hemraj.

Let us take this case one step at a time logically.

1) The door was locked from inside when the murder was committed so it has to be someone within the house or unless the door of the Talwar household can be opened from the outside using a duplicate key. This needs to be seen whether or not the Talwars fasten their door from the inside or just use a lock. No journalist has given a detailed account of the Talwaar's door. This really could be the key to unravelling the mystery.

2) If it was an outside job then it could be done by servants or even criminals. If its an inside job then the suspicion is on the couple (because Hemraj is also killed)

3) While the couple blamed Hemraj, his body was only discovered the next day on their terrace. The UP police did not even search the home properly after the crime.

4) This doctor Dr. Sunil Dohre who conducted the autopsy needs to be probed further because he admits he did not give the rape report because Dr. Talwars brother made him speak to some top doctor (who later denies he spoke to Dr. Dohre). Dr. Dohre should be booked also. Was the UP police also involved in this cover up? Generally autopsies in India are conducted under police monitoring.

5) If Aarushi was killed by a blunt weapon then what was the need for a sharp weapon being used on neck. Was this only an effort to mislead the investigations.

6) the blood on the whiskey bottle is not of Aarushi or Hemraj. Then is it that of the father Dr. Rajesh Talwar? If it is not his then does it belong to the `outsider' who did it. Or is also another attempt by Dr. Talwar to mislead the investigations.

7) Why was the crime scene cleaned up? What do the Talwars have to say on this? I have not heard a word on this from the Talwars.

8) Dr. Rajesh Talwar says the police found nothing in brain mapping and naro-analysis so I am innocent. Such tests help to corroborate. Its not absolute and that is why they are not accepted in courts without other evidence to nail accused.

9) The CBI and the UP police needs to be investigated and individuals held accountable for this mess.

Daughters A `Liability'?

2010-12-30T22:58:00.000-08:00

In India, all women must confront the cultural pressure to bear a son. The consequences of this preference is a disregard for the lives of women and girls. From birth until death they face a constant threat of violence. See the project at http://mediastorm.com/publication/undesired

By Manuwant Choudhary

A judge of India's Supreme Court Gyan Sudha Mishra in her declaration mentioned her daughters marriage as a `liability'...so Indian newspapers screamed `Daughter As Liability.'

A closer look and maybe its hard to accept this fact but in India daughters are looked upon as a liability irrespective of the women's reservations in parliament and irrespective of the fact that India's most powerful politicians are women....and they are without reservations. Sonia Gandhi, Mayawati, Mamata Banerjee, J. Jayalalitha.....Brinda Karat.

India's leader of opposition is also a woman Sushma Swaraj.

India's speaker in Lok Sabha is Meera Kumar.

India's President is Pratibha Patil.

Yet, since 1980 there are some 40 million women missing in India by way of murders, trafficking or just plain ill-treatment.

So Sudha Mishra's admission is just bringing this very hard reality into the public domain.

What really drives this anti-women cultural phenomenon in India..if you understand Indian society you will see the desire to bear sons is because sons mean more dowry..while a daughter means you pay her dowry..so a son is an `asset' while a daughter a `liability'.

So what do governments do..they ban dowry.

Anyone found giving or taking dowry is put behind bars. But it doesn't stop simply because of greed and also because giving gifts is a human need. Its the demand for it thats really the cancer.

In that case the Supreme Court judge also can be charged under the Dowry Act.

I once visited a prison in Bihar and was shocked to find so many women prisoners. Surely, Bihar could not have so many Phoolan Devi's...so I inquired from them as to what brought them here..and their reply was that they were falsely implicated under the Dowry Act.

I saw women had small babies in prison and the state did not provide them with milk or food or even some recreation simply because there was no allocation.

My story on NDTV compelled the government to provide for children born and living in India's prisons although they had not committed any crime.

I am actually against declarations because they don't mean a thing.

For example Laloo Prasad Yadav would classify his daughters as `assets' because the public love him so much that for his daughters weddings he gets crores of rupees and gifts from the public. And the taxmen accept this view.

Laws cannot stop anything.

Even socialist land ceiling laws do not allow for women to be considered as a unit in the family, so when you have laws that encourage only sons you will get this kind of India - an India of men.

I hate it.

(will Vogue Commission me to do stories on all the beautiful women of the world?)

Let Law Take Its Own Course !

2010-12-30T03:01:00.000-08:00

By Manuwant Choudhary

"Let Law Take Its Own Course," when an Indian politician says this on television know for certain that he does not mean the rapists or dacoits will land up behind bars, what he really means is that our system will move so slowly or not move at all and the result will be a dead end - like whats happened in the Aarushi murder case.

When an Indian politician says "I have full faith in the judiciary", what he really means is that the judicial system has become such that I will be let-off.

Every single case the CBI has been given they have messed up. Maybe Aarushi's case was messed up before the CBI got it but I think there should be an inquiry into the CBI to see what our men really do there.

From Bofors to Jain Hawala to you name it..every single case has resulted in a nought. Not just the Aarushi case, should we just close down the CBI?

I am not sure what consolation people get when they demand a CBI inquiry.

As a journalist my experience is that the CBI angle is just good for a debate, nothing else. From Sheila Kini (Ramesh Kini murder allegedly by Raj Thackeray ) in Maharashtra to the murder of Shilpi Jain in Patna the CBI found nothing (Sadhu Yadav the accused is a Congress member now)

But there is no one to question the CBI - afterall India's Prime Minister controls it.

The only achievement of UPA 1 government was to let-off Quattorochi in the Bofors case.

A few days ago I saw a news report saying `Nitish Kumar deeply mourns the death of Yashodanand Singh'.

You may not know Yashodanand Singh but he was a former Bihar MLC. Originally an RSS man and then BJP but in his last few years he quit the BJP and from what I recollect he was among the few Bihar politicians who opposed the bifurcation of Bihar.

I met him quite accidentally. I found a very small news item on him in a Hindi daily on the 7th page. When I followed the story and met him he showed me the documents of a fertiliser scam running into some 40,000 crores of rupees across India. This scam was discovered by an all-party house committee.

I recall Yashodababu telling me when the house committee went to New Delhi to meet the agriculture minister Nitish Kumar, he refused to see them.

At the time Laloo was in Beur jail in the fodder scam and the RJD government hated the word CBI but when I went with this story to Bihar's agriculture minister he recommended a CBI inquiry to the chief minister and Rabri Devi demanded the CBI inquiry.

A worried Nitish Kumar frantically called up journalists close to him to find out my political leanings.

The fertiliser scam is..let me explain....the state government gives certificates that so many million tonnes of fertiliser has been distributed amongst farmers. Now private companies take this certificate to the union government and claim matching grants. The finding of the committee was that the Bihar government had issued certificates without actually procuring certificates from the District Agriculture Officers. In fact, no fertliser was distributed. Perhaps, the fertiliser never even came to Bihar.

The CBI did take up the case but we do not hear about it.

So when a person like Yashoda Babu passes away `the law has taken its own course'.

I am not an RSS man yet I can say Yashoda Babu worked in the interests of Bihar when all our politicians followed the mob.

In fact, as a journalist although I do have my own prejudices and leanings I always believe one should listen to what people have to say.

Like Yashoda Babu I have had sources who were Maoist sympathisers yet they gave me one of the best stories I have done..how tribals homes were destroyed by wild elephants because of reducing forest cover and hunger...the elephants came and destroyed tribal homes for grains.

I interviewed a tribal family in Dumka for NDTV, they were scared and literally living on a tree...the wife had just given birth on the tree.

And when the tribals demanded help and protested by blocking a road, the government arrested them and said they were all Maosists.

Take the claims of Nitish susashan (good governance), a local TV channel has come up with kidnapping statistics. It shows during the Rabri Devi government there were around 10,000 kidnapping cases in five years between 2000-2005, while under Nitish Kumar the kidnapping cases were 12,500 between 2005 and 2010.

A BJP minister on the program explained the law and order situation was much better now..its just that the police now register more cases.

Who Killed Nepal's Royal Family?

2010-12-28T22:56:00.000-08:00

By Manuwant Choudhary

Nine years after Nepal's royal massacre its still not clear who killed the royal family and everytime a new book arrives on the subject there are new aspects to the story not known before.

At the time of the massacre the story was that crown prince Dipendra killed his entire family because his mother was opposed to his desire to marry Devyani Rani.

Now the Times of India reports a new book "Maile dekheko darbar" (The Palace As I Saw IT) written by a former palace military secretary General Bibek Shah, says it was Dipendra who pulled the trigger on that fateful night but that he could have been incited by foriegn powers.

By foreign powers he means India.

The General writes that King Birendra was in talks with a German arms manufacturer Heckler and Koch to procure their G36 assault rifles and India was opposed to such a move because India wanted Nepal to buy theiir inferior INSAS rifles. King Birendra also wanted to set up an arms unit to assemble the German-make weapon and compete in South Asia.

Off and on - Paras, son of former King Gyanendra, who is also a suspect in the royal massacre and most Nepalese don't like him, has said Dipendra had a dispute with his father and there were `cuts' involved as different arms manufacturers compete for the deal.

Gen Bibek Shah also says that India trained Nepal's military at Chakrauta in Uttaranchal and they also trained the Maoists at Chakrauta.

So was India playing a `double game'?

He claims he was removed by King Gyanendra when he came to know of this fact.

The TOI report doesn't talk about Devyani Rana at all.

A tragic love story, nine years later, does not figure in discourse over the Royal massacre.

Most Nepalese do not believe that Dipendra killed his own parents.

In July 2008 a palace soldier Lal Bahadur Lamteri said that he saw Paras arrive at the palace with a man (wearing a Dipendra mask) and its the masked man who killed the entire royal family before shooting Dipendra (who was in his private quarters in a drunken state). According to Lamteri Dipendra had six bullet wounds in his back and one on head but the doctor who treated Dipendra in the above documentary says Dipendra had only one bullet wound in his head which meant suicice or homicide.

There is no unanimity or certainty on who pulled the trigger. Does one believe the General or does one accept the soldier's eyewitness account?

But as facts tumble out and as Paras yet again opens fire at Tiger Tops nearly hitting Sujata Koirala's son-in-law...its clear that there was a lot at stake in Nepal and all stake-holders tried their best to make the most of it - including India.

But the royalty is history yet Nepal doesn't yet have a proper government or even a constitution.

Its people continue to suffer.

The mystery only deepens.

Nothing on WikiLeaks, yet.

Rajdroh (Sedition)

2010-12-26T22:16:00.000-08:00

By Manuwant Choudhary

A sessions judge in India's Chhattisgarh pronounced his judgement in the trial of Dr. Binayak Sen, a paedriatician and national vice-president of the People's Union of Civil Liberties, "You get a Life-term in prison under section 124 A"

Dr. Binayak Sen, the accused asked, "What is Section 124 A?"

The judge replied, "Rajdroh".

Rajdroh means sedition.

I am not a Maoist. Nor am I a Maoist sympathiser yet I feel the sentence is out of proportion to the crime that Dr. Binayak committed `allegedly', he is said to have carried a letter from a Maoist leader and handed it over to another Maoist sympathiser a businessman in Kolkata.

The Indian press do not yet talk about the contents of the letter or how and why it amounts to sedition.

It is true that the Maoists are in armed rebellion against the Indian state.

It is also true that thousands of policemen have been killed over the years by the Maoists.

It is also true that hundreds of Maoists have been killed or arrested in counter operations.

Yet, its still not clear or conclusive that Dr. Binayak Sen is rightly charged with sedition for being merely a `courier'.

There are bigger Maoist leaders who deserve trial under Section 124A.

But why is the Indian state after Dr. Binayak Sen, I wonder.

I have never met him and for all I care he may have been sympathetic to the Maoists.

Even Nehru was a stalinist.

The origins of India's Maoists is from Naxalbari...a sleepy town in West Bengal...and in the sixties and seventies..many were under the spell of socialism and equality and they wore torn jeans and sang Beatles numbers and became Naxalites over coffee and cigarettes.

It was fashionable to be so in Bengal.

Their aim was to forcibly capture the land of the farmers and redistribute.

Many died.

Yet, Mrs. Indira Gandhi was a Naxal sympathiser. The Congress Party has always been a leftist party since independence. That is the reason why they brought in land-ceiling laws, cooperatives and such collectivist ideas.

In that sense the Congress leaders should also be charged with `Rajdroh'.

I really don't like the Maoists.

Yet, at different times the role of Maoists have also changed.

The real issue here is Freedom and Right to Private Property.

Naxals were against private property and attacked farmers.

The Indian State is also against private property and believe in acquiring property and handing it over to Big industry.

The Maoists oppose this not because they believe in private property but because they hate Big industry more and also because the land which is being taken away usually belong to the poorest of the poor.

So the Maoists are today actually for private property.

Singur, Nandigram....they have supported pitched battles on the side of the farmers against the Indian state.

Should all Indian farmers also be charged with Rajdroh simply because they fight to defend their land from a greedy Stalinist State?

As for Binayak Sen its like swatting a fly with a sledgehammer.

Spine Secrets !

2010-12-25T23:43:00.000-08:00

By Manuwant Choudhary

I found this amazing Spine Table Lamp at the desk of my friend who is a Congress politician. Lets call him Mr. P. and he tells me this really helps him cure his spinal disorders.

Manuwant (M): Where the hell did you get this from?

P: You know I have this spinal problem so my doctor recommended I keep this always on my table.

M: But how can a table lamp cure your spinal problem. Does it have those infra-red lights that cures pains or what?

P: I don't mean that.

M: Then what? Does your spine have a gap or something. You're not feudal. Only feudals suffer from that problem because they have to protect their land.

P: No, no, mine is more serious. Let me explain.

M: I can't believe it.

P: You see I don't have a pain but my spine is not flexible enough.

M: But why do you need it to be flexible. At this age you're not aiming to be a gymnast!

P: Im just aiming to be a politician. See this lamp. (bending the lamps spine )...this lamp can become like Sitaram Kesri whevever he feels like. He can lie flat-out on the ground and procastinate before the HIGH Command.

M: You mean like Sitaram Kesri did to Narasimha Rao.

P: Yes, yes,

M: But can he be Narasimha Rao as well.

P: Yes, he can...he can bow before kesriji.

M: But why you telling me this.

P: You know my problem is I can't bow like them.

M: So whats the trouble?

P: You saw those Congressmen from Bihar outside Soniaji's residence who shouted slogans against corruption in ticket distribution (Rs.60 lakh for an MLA ticket)..they all suffer from the same ailment and the Congress has thrown them out from the party. I am also scared.

M: But you did not shout slogans.

P: You know just as every Indian political parties has a lawyer , they also have a spine specialist. I went to see ours. He got an X-Ray done and made a chart out of it on his laptop (just as astrologers do on Indian TV) and told me I must be careful.

M: You mean every Congress politcian goes through a spine test.

P: Yes, you are right.

M: You mean to say even respectable Digvijay Singhji has been through this test as well.

P: Yes, yes, if he had not gone through it how would he have been attacking the Hindutva for Karkare's misery before he was killed.

M: But that even Rahulji told to the Americans that Hindutva is a greater threat than Islamic fundamentalist. You don't read WikiLeaks?

P: Digvijay Singhji leaked it before WikiLeaks.

M: But how does that help?

P: It shows his loyalty to the Nehru-Gandhi family. He took all the blame for what was rightfully Rahuls'...

M: But why would he do that. He was all over the papers.

P: He wanted to blunt the oppositions attacks - he acted like wave-breakers you see on Marine Drive.

M: I don't follow.

P: Digvijay Singhji's spine has been trained to help Rahulji become India's Prime Minister one day.

M: Okay, okay, but tell me why do politicians doze-off at public functions and can be seen snoozing on national TV. Its okay to sleep in parliament but definitely not on Nehru's birth anniversary function in Allahabad. Digvijay Singhji also slept...all the panelists slept and even the audience was sleeping.

P: Its a side-effect of spinal medication. But you see how he awoke just when someone mentioned Soniaji's name.

M: Even trouble-shooter Pranab Da slept when the Russian President was here. And what about the BJP politicians.

P: They too have the same probllem. Arjun Munda sleeps all the time. But BJP spines are treated to bow before their leaders as well as before Ram.

M: You mean all of you attend Baba Ramdev's yoga lessons. I know Baba Ramdev is the most flexible person. See how he moves his stomach

P: Thats only filled with air. No, no, no..if we attend Baba Ram Dev's lessons then we would suffer more because he speaks against corruption. Our party prefers Santa Claus Kalmadi...see how he guffaws even when the CBI enters his home.

M; ya saw that. what did he tell the CBI?

P: He told them that he was only playing Santa Claus when he distributed the crores in the COngresswealth Games.

M: Just one more question...tell me what kind of spine is needed for the top job.

P: You mean Prime Minister.

M; Yes.

P: He must be spineless.

3 Pakistani Onions in Hindustan!

2010-12-23T21:34:00.000-08:00

By Manuwant Choudhary

Onion Sharief: Aaah it was my dream to enter India through the Wagah border..did you see how angry those Indian soldiers were at letting us in..I don't know how they raise their legs higher than their heads.

Onion Bhutto: they seemed angrier at us than at kasab! I can't imagine what would happen to us if we fell under their boots?

Onion Parvez: actually it feels better being an onion than having to fight the Taliban.

Onion Bhutto: But why did you chose to become an onion?

Onion Parvez: I wanted to travel around India...the Indian government denied me a visa.

Onion Bhutto: But you've already seen the Taj Mahal..there is nothing else to see in India.

Onion Parvez: Last time I made that blunder by talking to that Prannoy Roy fellow...I had to walk so fast around the Taj Mahal that I did not really savour it fully. I want to sit there on a moon-lit night.

Onion Sharief: Cummon, common..i thought we were all hear to solve our core issue - Kashmir.

Onion Parvez: The K word don't even talk about it. We have enough people in Pakistan who want to be killed in Kashmir, why waste our life.

Onion Bhutto: Then what its better to die in Kashmir than in Gujarat. That Narendra Modi how he kills and gets away with it..even Supreme Court Special Investigation Team gives him a clean chit.

Onion Parvez: I know. In Gujarat even in a Muslim restaurant if you order Murgh do payaza..the waiter will bring you two onions but no chicken. All restaurants are vegetarian.

Onion Sharief: I know its better to be a chicken in Gujarat than being an onion.

Onion Bhutto: I wonder why they opened the Wagah Gates for us.

Onion Sharief: silly, silly you don't know if they did not open the Wagah gates, India's government would fall.

Onion Bhutto: If I only knew the power of the Wagah Gate, I'd not open it.

Onion Parvez: Too late, now. Its not about the gate you fools. I always felt you were both unfit to rule Pakistan. India allowed us onions to enter only because Indian onions became Rs.80 per kilo!

Onion Bhutto: So what?

Onion Parvez: In India every politician has an onion God. Those is power pray that onion prices do not rise, those out of power pray that onions become expensive.

Onion Bhutto: But why are Indian onions so expensive?

Onion Sharief: Didn't you see the BJP leaders wearing onions around their necks. They don't even know onions are to be eaten not worn around like a `maala'. Obviously, prices will go up if people buy onions for making garlands.

Onion Parvez: Don't blame the opposition. Even India's Prime Minister is to blame. See how many dinners he's given these past two months. First Obama, then Sarkozy, then the German Chancellor and then the Russians. And at dinner all the dishes had onions in them..onion soup, onion curry, onion rice, even onion pudding.

Onion Bhutto: But why so many oinion dishes?

Onion Parvez: To show the west that India is a super power.

Onion Sharief: (Looking out through a crack in the truck) Aaah the mustard fields remind me of my own Punjab. But I much prefer our decorated Pakistani trucks than the Tata trucks.

Onion Parvez: There I agree.

Onion Bhutto: I still have doubts as to why India's socialist leaders who believe in protecting small businesses and farmers would allow onions to come in.

Onion Parvez: Actually, I know two Indian politicians who like Pakistani onions. Advaniji and Jaswantji. Advaniji likes us because he was after all born in Pakistan. But Jaswantji likes only Pakistani onions who have a very British accent.

Onion Bhutto: But why would the Indian government want their people to eat more onions. Surely, you won't die if you don't eat onions.

Onion Sharief: I read somewhere that onions are an aphrodisiac....eating more onions means more passion and more sex. India wants to become a 2 billion population by 2018.

Onion Bhutto: But I always thought the BJP was a Hindu party and Hindus don't eat onions.

Onion Parvez: Wrong. Hindu Gods don't eat onions.

Onion Sharief: I think that Baba Ramdev is making something out of oinion juice..thats why he is able to spend 24 hours on TV in amazing postures and speak out against corruption as well.

Onion Bhutto: My nuclear scientist tells me India has a Plan B to meet its energy needs. Onion juice can be fermented and made into methane and it can produce electricity.

Onion Sharief: You know, i feel sad about one thing. I don't care why India has imported us but I do care why Pakistan has thrown us out.

Onion Parvez; Thats because we smell and we can make India cry.

Imagine Live - John Lennon - 72

2010-12-23T05:18:00.000-08:00

Remembering Dorothy

2010-12-20T21:03:00.000-08:00

By Manuwant Choudhary

I know most will say Dorothy Who? But this post is dedicated to a special person whom I knew very briefly and most of us hostelites knew as Sean Plant's cousin. Dorothy passed away a few days ago.

My aquaintance with Dorothy happened because one day I found a deodrant on my hostel table with a nice label on it..`This is for Manu' From Dorothy.

Dorothy Who?

I was then reminded of her as being Sean Plant's cousin who lives somewhere in England. And in those days before economic liberalisation if anyone got you a deo from abroad or Nepal it meant the world.

Dorothy had got a Deo for all of Sean's friends (we were many btw)

I thanked her.

She used to make annual visits to India and we would hear about her from Anurag Sharma. He would say,"You Know what Dorothy does all day at Churchgate station?"

I asked, what..."She stands and gives Rs.100 to every street child."

Dorothy was to us hostelites a mobile ATM!

Anurag ofcourse was desperate. He dreamt of how many cigarettes he could buy with Dorothy's hundred rupees.

We hostelites from elite St. Xavier's College - Bombay - were beggars and now most have made it in their lives - actors, oil sheikhs, corporate lobbyists you name it...- Anurag and myself I think still won't mind Dorothy's Rs.100!

I think I was only a cub reporter when my freind Rajesh had a dream - a dream to visit England - but his father had no such dream. So his freinds chipped in and somehow he could manage an airline ticket (cheapest fares).

At Heathrow airport Rajesh was struck by the size of the airport and all the glitz around him but then he saw a white man cleaning the floors. He told me, "I just stood and watched the angrez for 20 minutes."

As he stepped out onto the streets he found another saheb playing the guitar, the guitar case lay open on the floor and Rajesh soon realised he was actually what we in India call a beggar. So Rajesh took out his wallet and put in a few pounds into the case.

What Rajesh was not prepared for was that there was no Dorothy to receive him.

Instead he received an envelope with a message ....here is my car keys..the car no. is XXXX ...its at the Heathrow parking lot....now take a left and a right and left and a right....again till you reach the motorway and then you drive straight to Darlington.

Rajesh drove around in circles and only God knows how and when he reached Darlington.

Dorothy was his hostess and her journalist husband Paul.

Rajesh spent the next few weeks travelling around the United Kingdom. At Cardiff he entered a bed and breakfast place and asked how much. The Lady said 25 pounds. Rajesh taking out 10 pounds, "But this is all I have."

The lady let him stay for ten pounds, breakfast included.

Rajesh actually did not want to leave the UK so he missed his flight and at Heathrow airport he did not have a single penny.

He called up Dorothy and she took a train from Darlington, gave Rajesh some SOS money, and found a place for him to spend the next few days till the UK government deported him. :)

I was thankful because otheriwse Bihar would not have even a single factory.

I do not know what but when I was studying in the UK I made that train journey to Durham to meet Dorothy. She was doing some research at Durham University.

At Durham train station I took a taxi to the University. As we drove past the amazing town...the taxi driver suddenly pulled out his visiting card and said, "Sir, will you have dinner at my home tonight?"

I asked him, "But why me?"

He replied, "I am a Pakistani and I can see you are from India and it will be my pleasure to invite you for dinner. I hate our two countries making nuclear bombs."

Ofcourse, I could not make it for dinner because I had to return but I still have his card.

Dorothy was happy to see me. Grey hairs and a brown coat if I recall and we went down to a pub for a large lunch.

I think we debated for two hours over lunch and Dorothy said she will never give up her Indian passport even if she has to pay visa fees every time she visits Paris or Europe.

Dorothy suffered a heart stroke and passed away at Auroville (Tamil Nadu) - the ashram built by Mother - a French lady disciple of the great Indian seer revolutionary - Sri Aurobindo.

Aurobindo believed one day India and Pakistan will unite.

Looking back its because of Dorothy I met this Pakistani taxi driver who like Aurobindo also believed in unity and in the greatness of this ancient land.

So this post I dedicate to Dorothy and to all those who help complete strangers and don't care too much about money.

Biggest Leak: In Coversation with Julian Assange & Osama Bin Laden

2010-12-04T21:13:00.000-08:00

By Manwant Choudhary

UNDISCLOSED CAVE IN SWEDEN:

knock knock knock knock...

Julian Assange: Who is there?

Stranger: Its me Osama?

Julian: Who Obama..you mean you come with interpol to arrest me?

Stranger: Just open the cave door..its me Osama Bin Laden!

Julian: Ah, its you only..I am not scared of you..come in come in.

Osama: Glad to meet you.

Julian: How come? You've come all the way from your cave in Pakistan just to see me. You've taken such a great risk. President Obama wants you dead.

Osama: Actually I have not taken such a huge risk. I don't live in Pakistan or Afghanistan. I live very much in Sweden...my cave is just next door.

Julian: So what brings you here?

Osama: Actually I am jealous. You know I put in such a huge effort to dash all those planes into the World Trade Centre to become the worlds most wanted man and now you replace me with just a few `leaks'. I really want to understand your trade secret.

Julian: You mean you want me to leak it.

Osama: Yes, yes...

Julian: I only leak things on the WikiLeaks..not in some cave like this...

Osama: I've been trying to get across on WikiLeaks but the site is blocked...like a caves rock door.

Julain: By whom?

Osama: Amazon.

Julian: Really, I did not know.

Osama: Actually, the one thing I love about America is their freedom of speech.

Julian: Me 2.

Osama: You can burn an American flag and they won't send you to jail.

Julian: Thats why I left Australia to settle in the Unites States of America.

Osama: But now you have become the worlds most wanted man..

Julian: Yes, but I don't know why?

Osama: I saw that retired General ..whats his name..the guy who sided with Bush...yes. yes..General Musharraf..he was on TV and he said that even if Osama is killed..Al Qaeda will flourish. I think thats why now the western powers don't want to kill me anymore. They wasted all those bombs in Afghanistan.

Julian: Ok Osama, don't waste my time..I only talk to those who leak. Do you leak?

Osama: yes i do...didn't you see all those unedited videos of me. yes but I leak only on Al Jazeera TV.

Julian: But why?

Osama: I felt the Arabs world must unite to take on the infidels. But how wrong I was. Even I am shocked that Arab countries hate Iran more than they hate America. And after your leaks the Afghans and Pakistanis have become like `Buddies'.

Julian: yes, yes..but i love America and Americans love me....its only their President who hates me.

Osama: But why?

Julian: Obama says I have endangered American lives. Bush and Obama are responsible for more Americans being killed than all other American Presidents.

Osama: Actually, you are right. I haven't hurt a fly!

Julian: And see they have forgotten about you and they calling me a terrorist.

Osama: Who is this? (pointing to me)

Julian: Ahh he's Manuwant Choudhary..my journalist freind from India. He is here because only he knows how to write articles. WikiLeaks reporters only know how to scan and photocopy documents and paste them on the internet.

Osama: I want to ask him something?

Me: Yes, please do.

Osama: My suicide bomber was on that Bandra-Worli Sea-link on the day President Obama was to visit Bombay. Why did he fail in his mission?

Me: Actually, he was caught on CCTV and although the police could not find out who he was, Nandan Nilekani found his number! You know now everyone of Indian 1.1 billion people have a number. For the Prime Minister Prime Minister the number is fixed 420.

Osama: Can you tell me how dangerous this Nilekani is?

Me: He is very dangerous. You can find his name on WikiLeaks also....after India he plans to give a number to all Pakistanis and all Afghans. So the world will know which number was responsible for which terror act. You see had we not been given numbers the French President Nikolas Sarkozy would have never said India's 1.1 billion people deserve to be permanently represented at the United Nations Security Council.

Osama: No, no, no...these french they only know how to uncover the burqa..they are supplying nuclear material to India and then they gang up against Iran. Actually, I support Julian because he believes in Leak. Like the Chinese leaked the nuclear secrets to Pakistan and Pakistan leaked it to Iran..and Iran leaked it to North Korea....and soon the entire world will have nuclear bombs...I am a socialist. Actually, Carla Bruni should have been President of the Congress Party. I want to ask Julian how and where he got this idea about leaks?

Julian: There is this palace in London that has a painting on its ceiling and when you look up you can see a naked child..look closer and you see the child is urinating...a guide will tell you to follow the urine and as your face criscrosses the entire ceiling you see the urine fall in a man's mouth! It was Eureka? I love politicians who leak. Do you have an Indian politician hwo does not leak?

Me: We had a Prime Minister called Morarji Desai..he leaked but he drank his own leak..and the Gorkha's from Darjeeling hated him because he said Never to Gorkhaland...

Julian; I love India. My own Australian Prime Minister has betrayed me....will India give me asylum?

Me: I might think they would...just as they did to the Dalai Lama..India is a free country..even our people love to leak...they leak all over the public walls..they don't care whose photograph they're leaking on - politicians and gods - treat them all the same.

Julian: I may be arrested any moment.

Osama: Actually even I want to be arrested. These caves are getting too cold..Its snowing...I want to live at Guantanamo Bay...aah the sun and sand...

Julian: But the Americans don't want to arrest you.

Obama: But why are they arresting you?

Julian: because they don't know the difference between a leak and sex. I only had consensual sex with two girls and now the interpol is after me...

NIIRA RADIA-MANUWANT CHOUDHARY TAPE 1 PART 1 (TRANSCRIPT)

2010-12-03T21:15:00.000-08:00

By Manuwant Choudhary

Trrring....trring....trriiingggg......

Manuwant Choudhary: Hello...

NIIRA RADIA: HELLO, MANUWANT, this is NIIRA here...

MC: Niira Who? You mean the only one...

NR: yes, yes you got that right...

MC: But why have you called me?

NR: Because you are a journalist....

MC: Former journalist. And I was never as BIG as the 30 journalists whom know you. Besides, I am a poor farmer now.

NR: You mean poor like Deve Gowda.

MC: No, no, even poorer than Deve Gowda. I have not been India's Prime Minister. Nor do I have the time to sleep.

NR: Where are you right now?

MC: I am in Bihar driving across the Ganga - the bridge has jaws like a Ganga crocodile - they say its sinking because Indira Gandhi inaugurated it even before it was complete.

NR: Ahh, you should just buy your airplane.

MC: I am not Ratan Tata....and why even Ratan Tata flies to London in a commercial plane.

NR: OK, OK helicopter at least.

MC: I am not a politician. I know in Bihar every politician campaigns in a helicopter but all I have is an old ambassador - 40 years old - even the vehcile papers are weathered...

NR: I know ambassador means power. All our politicians prefer ambassadors. Only the Prime Minister has been forced to take the BMW but he hates the BMW.

MC: Tell me NIIRA how can I help you?

NR: I just called because I think you should become a politician.

MC: Me, politician...no...no...I have no such wish...

NR: Like Nitishji.....Vikaste Purush.

MC: No, no. I have no such aim...I don't want anyone's fingers being chopped off.

NR: What do you mean?

MC: Aah, you don't know...there is a person in Bihar's Jehanabad... Anilji... who chops up his finger everytime Nitishji becomes chief minister. Already two fingers are gone.

NR: Really???

MC: Yes, yes, and he promised on TV that he would chop his entire arm if Nitish becomes Prime Minister.

NR: Amazing guy?

MC: And he says this is the least he can do for his Nitishji.....compared to the suicides by YSR followers in Andhra after YSR died in a chopper crash.

NR: I have full faith in India's growth story.

MC: Your mean blind faith.

NR: I have two eyes.

MC: But NIIRA your are so powerful can't you help this guy with two less fingers.

NR: If he wants he can drive my new jaguar.

MC: Really, but I don't know if he knows how to drive a car. I hear he is a rickshawpuller.

NR: He can learn. We all learn. MY PR company had no clients and look now all 90 TATA companies are under my belt. Besides, I believe in `inclusive' growth. Besides, all drivers are Biharis.

MC: Niira, but why do you want me to become a politician. You already know Nanduji so well so im sure you dont need anyone else from Bihar.

NR: My portfolio is grown too large. I can't handle it all by myself and you know these retired bureaucrats in flashy red scarves..they spend more time on getting their pronunciations sound like Jaswant Singh..they are too slow. Ratan Tata and Mukeshji trust me because I `Get Things Done'.

MC: Get what done.

NR: Like the Tata's helped the division of Bihar yet they did not get the renewal for the lease of Jamshedpur...I got it done within a day!!!

MC: I know, I know....but I still think I wont be of any help to you? I don't know Ghulam Nabi Azad even...never worked in Delhi you see...Now I grow (baingan) brinjals and sell them for Re.1 a kilo. Its only people like you who say food prices have gone up.

NR: Ok, ok..I'll buy all your brinjals but can you do this for me...

MC: I know you want me to get in trouble with Income Tax..I know they are listening to us now...but I am a poor farmer completely exempt from taxes. And since the IT is listening I can say they are the most corrupt department.

NR: I dont mean that...lets work together on this...

MC: On what?

NR: On this..on everything..Ok what do you want me to do.

MC: You know liberals cannot even contest elections in India.

NR: So what just say you are a socialist and we all get filthy rich together. I want you to attend a black tie dinner in Bombay. I have a nice black dress ready.

MC: I only attend black tie dinners thrown by relatives of Mahatma Gandhi! Plus, I dont want to be rich.

NR: Ok so tell me what I can do for you?

MC: I just want the Dalai Lama be able to return home.

NR: You mean to Tibet.

MC: Ya, ya.

NR: I have some Chinese clients but I'm not sure how I can `Get Things Done' in China..esp Tibet.

MC: I am actually still not sure why you have called me.

NR Actually I want to leverage this telecom spectrum issue.

MC: But how? I am not Veer Sanghvi and I don't own TV and Radio or newspapers. I don't even have my own column.

NR: I Know, I know...you are more powerful...I know you are a blogger. I don't want to bribe you since you are an honest person but we can give you all the advertisements you want.

MC: But I don't take advertisements on my blog! Not even by Google. See.

Barkha Dutt's `Self' Defence on NDTV

2010-12-03T08:54:00.000-08:00

www.outlookindia.com | Niira, Of Two Eyes

2010-12-01T20:02:00.000-08:00

www.outlookindia.com | Niira, Of Two Eyes

www.outlookindia.com | Past Isn’t Perfect. But.

2010-12-01T19:59:00.000-08:00

www.outlookindia.com | Past Isn’t Perfect. But.

Karan Thapar Discusses The Nira Radia-Barkha Dutt Tapes

2010-12-01T07:41:00.000-08:00

Ratan Tata and Nira Radia Conversation - 2G Spectrum - Part 2 of 2

2010-11-30T06:16:00.000-08:00

Ratan Tata has gone to the Supreme Court saying his conversations with Nira Radia are `private'....I'd leave to to the listeners to judge whether this conversation is private.

barkha dutt Nira Radia tape Part 1

2010-11-30T05:22:00.000-08:00

Subramanian Swamy's Dinner At The Prime Minister's House!

2010-11-30T03:53:00.000-08:00

By Manuwant Choudhary

India's Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh plans a special dinner and so tells his wife ...."Jeee Gursharan....dinner pe bulana hai jee mehmanon ko....zara theek se khaana banana....(I am calling some guests for dinner please put in your best effort).

Wife: "I have always put in my best. I am not like you. You have already forgotten the dinner I hosted for Obamaji. Obamaji sent me a post card from the White House complimenting me!"

Prime Minister: "I don't mean that. This dinner is going to be different. Its tougher than inviting Obamaji."

Wife: Okay you can tell me whom you want to invite?

PM: Subramanian Swamy!

Wife: Ohhh him!!!!! Not him???? Isn't he the man who wrote a letter to you eleven months ago and because you did not reply he has dragged you to the Supreme Court....its like inviting trouble for dinner.

PM: Oh no, you don't understand. Have you ever heard of dinner diplomacy?

Wife: No, not him. If there is no salt in the dal this Swamy fellow will drag us to the United Nations.

PM: I want to invite him so that he can eat your delicious food and stop writing letters.

Wife: I really don't understand why this man still writes letters. Nobody writes letters anymore. You should tell the Supreme Court you did not receive an email from this Swamy fellow and I know you personally reply to all your emails.

PM: Yes thats true I reply to more letters than all the chief ministers and bureaucrats have ever written across India.

Wife: Always say Nehruji wrote more letters than anyone else..don't brag... Soniaji may hear it and you may lose your job.

PM: Ok so how do we invite Subramanian Swamy?

Wife: I know this PR woman..whats her name..we can ask her to organise...

PM: Who?

Wife : Nira Radia.

PM: Ohh no...she is the cause of all the problem. You cant ask her...the CBI and Income Tax Department are tapping her phones and soon you will hear your voice all over the world. Don't you watch TV?

Wife: I watch NDTV. There is nothing on it.

PM: Aah thats because they are in trouble because of Nira Radia as well. If Ratan Tata had a news channel it would be as silent as NDTV. Actually, I prefer silent TV. Like the old hindi films before everything became Talkies!

Wife: Now don't get nostalgic. Okay we will find a way but do you think this Subramanian Swamy will come at your invitation.

PM: Oh yes, he will...he will do anything to be in the Prime Minister's House. Didn't you see the confidence with which he told the world that he is not just anyone..he is Subramanian Swamy....the Prime Minister knows him for decades.

Wife: But who is this man? He is not even a Member of Parliament.

PM: He is a President of a political party. Janata Party.

Wife: What errr??? Nobody wins from that party.

PM: Oh darling. Didn't you see Swamy's power on ZEE TV Subramanian Swamy Unplugged.. He said see who has won in Bihar...all are Janata...they all left me but they still win.

Wife: Yes, i hear the Congress lost is deposits in almost all seats in Bihar despite Rahulji and Sadhu Yadav.

PM: Now you are distracting me. Focus on the dinner.

Wife: But is Subramanian Swamy a real saint like Sri Sri Ravishankar or Baba Ram Dev?

PM: No, no ..no...he is no saint..just Swamy in name.
But he is more dangerous than all of Hindutva put together.

Wife: How you know?

PM: I know. You forget his tea party. Single-handedly he organised a tea party for Jayalalitha and Soniaji...and the 13 month Vajpayee's BJP government came down like a pack of cards.

Wife: But isn't he the one who brought down Jayalalitha also..so how is she a freind of Swamy now.

PM: Thats politics. But Swamy's politics no one understands. He says he does not bow before enemies or freinds. He is Jayalalitha's friend but has not dropped a single corruption charge against her.

Wife: I am sure he is a blackmailer.

PM: I thought he was one but who has the guts to tell him. On ZEE TV he menacingly said no Congresswalla has ever called him a blackmailer. If anyone does then I will go after him he said.

Wife: But thats blackmail.

PM: No that Swamy fellow went on to say that he cannot be a blackmailer because wo har cheeze ka khulaasa kar deta hai...he exposes it all.

Wife: Is he like Laloo? Uneducated fool???

PM No, no even Laloo stays away from him. He is Harvard educated and still visits Harvard.

Wife: OK, ok...who should we invite..perhaps the top journalists like Barkha Dutt, Rajdeep Sardesai....and get our shifty Kamal Nutt to decide which journalist is on our side.

PM No,, no...you dont follow..this Swamy is very clever like Chanakya....if we call him for dinner then it must be just dinner no talk.

Wife: Ok I know this chinese ambassador...who speaks only Chinese ..so Swamy will get good company.

PM: Im glad you are not in my cabinet. You dont even know that this Subramanian Swamy knows Chinese as well !

Wife: What about entertainment?

PM: Ahh we'll play that song...My Name is Sheila..Im soooo sexy..katrina number.

Wife: But our chief minister may get offended again. See how New Zealand had to apologise.

PM: Think about it..

Wife: Okay one last thing if this fellow comes what gift should we give him. I think we should present him a German Shephard dog.

PM: Yah I know he likes dogs. But not pedigree. A stray Indian dog is what he will definitely like - one that bites.

Elections Make An Ass Out of You!

2010-11-17T06:02:00.000-08:00

By Manuwant Choudhary

The newly launched Telegraph in Bihar has a banner all over Patna `Elections - Triumph of Truth'....but at one crossroad I met these two asses standing right under the banner so I thought how right - `Elections Make An Ass Out Of You!

The past few days I have been busy with two maternal uncles...one passed away and the other survived.

So we decided to take him home although he wanted to take the next flight to Bombay.

Even he knows that Patna is hell.

And right he was as his ambulance reached his home we found the water pipe had burst and his bylane had become a gutter.

Soon water entered his home.

Two labourers dug the road. I asked them how deep is the water pipeline and they replied 6 feet under. At their speed they would take 7 days. And the water supply pumped water every five hours.

So I asked the contractor if there was a drainage system where the pipeline water could be drained out so that the water doesn't enter the homes of people. And he replied, "Sir, what you have just said is an idea that belongs to the United Kingdom or to the United States of Amrika. In India we have no such system. The pipeline is 50 years old and the pump is new so pipe-bursts are common. Sirr...iss bikaas ke daaur mein bhee yeh jo aap kah rahe hain wo nahin hua..sirrf surfacing hua hai."

(Sir, what you have just said did not happen in the last few years of development also...only roads were surfaced and resurfaced during this period.

I tried meeting the municipal commissioner Manish Kumar (IAS) but he had no time since he was in a meeting.

I called a deputy mayor (who has many criminal cases against him) but even he refused to pick up his phone.

So this morning when I got a call again that more water had entered the home I called up the press and I asked my relatives to call a judge at the Patna High Court.

As photographers, reporters and judges began making the calls..even on a day of Bakrid...pumps were brought in and the water pumped out.

My bhabhi has invited me to her home for dinner - mutton chops!!

But I won't be going...just as I did not go to vote...there is just too much muck in this country.

Respectable Tees Maar Khan's of Indian Politics

2010-11-11T21:49:00.000-08:00

By Manuwant Choudhary

Is there anything as a `respectable' scam? In India there is....the Adarsh Scam!

A multi-storeyed building in South Bombay meant for the dependents of soldiers killed at Kargil were taken over by politicians and their family members and even a former Indian army chief Deepak Kapoor.

Ashok Chavan is out...and Prithiviraj Chavan is in as Chief Minister of Maharashtra. (Mahascamrashtra)

But god knows who will remain in the Congress Party since Sushil Kumar Shinde and Vilasrao Deshmukh all figure in this scam for moving files and benefitting some of their relatives.

The flats were given to the relatives of the politicians at throwaway prices, building and environment norms overlooked.

Its hard to believe that a hyperactive environment minister Jairam Ramesh who can stop a Vedanta in Orrissa had no clue about this major violation in Navy Nagar.

A Right To Information activist says even a relative of the Information Commissioner has got an apartment in the Adarsh Housing Society and hence the Commissioner refused to give any information.

And then there is `Spectrum Raja' who says he will never resign although the charges against him are that the excehquer lost 1 lakh 80,000 crore rupees by way of revenues in the 2 G auction because he sold them at 2001 rates in 2008!

Has Indian democracy become a Con Job and our politicians are just Tees Maar Khan's?

Catch me if you can. catch me if you can???

A Perfect Heart

2010-11-08T23:06:00.000-08:00

By Manuwant Choudhary

Last night at 11 p.m. a perfect heart stopped beating after 90 years.

Dr. Shreenivas - a veteran cardiologist - passed away at a Heart Hospital in Patna after being in a state of coma for the past month.

He was a maternal uncle of mine and an amazing man so I write this tribute to him.

Humble origins and born in a marginal farming family at Garhsisai..he studied medicine at the Darbhanga Medical College and
went to train in Cardiology in Boston (at Massachusetts General Hospital) in the United States in the 1940s in addition to other countries like England.

A brilliant student who did not stop learning even till his end.

On his return he worked in Bihar all his life...being the personal cardiologist to many Governors and chief ministers and even to the late Swatantra Party leader the Raja of Ramgarh Kamakhya Narain Singh.

He had a small clinic where he could be consulted by anyone and usually the poor came to him from all parts of the state.

When he realised that Bihar lacked a proper heart care institute he pleaded with the Bihar chief minister to set up a heart speciality centre in Bihar. He said he did not care what the name of the centre would be..his main aim was that people in Bihar would not need to go to other parts of India for something they could get at a fraction of the price in Bihar itself. This request led to the formation of the Indira Gandhi Institute of Cardiology at the Patna Medical College Hospital.

This was in the heydays of the Congress rule when everything was named after Indira.

But Dr. Shreenivas did not stop at that. When he retired and found that socialism had destroyed the quality of health services offered to people he pleaded with a fellow cardiologist DrA.K. Thakur to start a private Heart Hospital in Bihar.

Dr. Thakur considered Dr. Shreenivas as his Guruji. Every new year he would arrive on the lawns of Dr. Shreenivas's home in Patna only to touch his feet and seek his blessings.

Dr. Thakur's Heart Hospital is a dream come true and thousands of people in Bihar benefit.

An allopath by training...Dr. Shreenivas claimed he was the founder of a new system of medicine - Polypathy.

In an age where loyalty to a particular system of medicine was the norm..Dr. Shreenivas chose to take another path. He said medicine is that which cures. Its not important whether it is allopathy, homoeopathy or even ayurveda. He even recommended all three medicines to his patients.

And he wrote books..hundreds of them...and he was a poet.

People considered him mad...he named his sons after Einstein and after some ancient Vedic scientists....I still can't remember my cousins full names.

He did this in a state where caste and surnames matter most.

But he was different - even funny. In his books out of nowhere he would mention the names of all his family members.

I remember when my father would visit him he always had a new book to present my father and it used to contain our names.

My father was a homeopath after his arthritis was cured - not by training - but he read so many books that he could dispose a hundred patients in one hour. Every morning he would give free medicines to the poor for two hours.

So Dr. Shreenivas was always interested in what my father had to say on homoeopathy. They exchanged notes and books often...

This morning when I went to their home a young lady came out to look after my aunt. My cousins pointed out that she is the same girl who had a speech disability. She could not speak at all.

Memories came flooding back. I recall my father taking out his medicine kit and giving some medicine to the girl. After several months of taking the homoepathy pills she suddenly found her voice.

Miracle.

Dr. Shreenivas was not the routine doctor. I recall how when during the Laloo era in Bihar when the law and order situation reached its nadir..even Dr.A.K. Thakur was attacked and robbed. Dr. Shreenivas sat on a fast unto death till Laloo Yadav himself promised him that the dacoits would be dealth with.

But the Indian government did not give him the national award Padmbhushan. Lesser doctors in Patna get that award every year.

Five years ago Dr. Shreenivas suffered a brain haemorrhage and went into a coma. I recall visiting him them and everyone gave up.

But not him.

He recovered after 6 months in hospital. Doctors observing the monitor said that even in that state his heart was perfect like that of a young man.

He had an unfulfilled mission. He felt he had neglected his home in his village so he wanted to build a temple to his family god.
His son did build the temple and Dr. Shreenivas visited his village to pray.

My father would often regale us with stories and one of them was when on an occasion a panditji from my hometown refused to eat dinner. When asked why he was not eating anything the pandit replied angrily, "How can I eat food when a Muslim is seated next to me?"

When my father looked he found the man sitting next to him was wearing a flowing white beard, dark glasses and a smile to pass him off as a Maulana - Dr. Shreenivas.

Was there a method in his madness?

Even as I write, this Maulana is being cremated on the holy banks of the river Ganga at Benares now.

"India Shies Away From Addressing Major Concerns Like Burma"Barack Obama

2010-11-08T05:07:00.000-08:00

By Manuwant Choudhary

United States President Barack Obama's speech to the Indian parliament and the people of India took a rather sharp turn when he said the United States backs India's desire for a permanent seat at the United Nations Security Council in a new world order but this did not come without responsibilities and leadership.

"India shies away from addressing major concerns like Burma. The sham elections taking place in Burma today are there for the world to see but you say you do not want to interfere in another countries internal affairs. This is not interfering in another countries internal affairs but being true to your own values."

Indiavikalp has in the past years shown the true nature of India's political parties, politicians and governments who have not only kept quiet on Burma but have even helped the military junta by way of trade and aid.

Senior ministers visit Burma often and never say a word against the generals or even demand the release of Aung San Suu Kyi.

Forget patriotism, is India morally ready to lead the world or will it be as bankrupt as the other powers who have a permanent seat at the UN Security Council?

And yes, President Obama spoke eloquently about India being the worlds largest democracy.

But he is not aware that India is a democracy where liberals are by law not allowed to form a political party.

Sonia Gandhi wore a new gold earring for Obama and even Dr. Manmohan Singh took out his newest blue turban but India is no more a land of values..just opportunism like the rest of em.

A woman Aung Saan Suu Kyi is still imprisoned in Burma while we become a Superpower.

A Silent Superpower!

Gifted Hands The Ben Carson Story

2010-11-08T00:39:00.000-08:00

By Manuwant Choudhary

Is it just plain coincidence that while US President Barack Obama spends his hectic hours in New Delhi HBO telecast a great film `Gifted Hands The Ben Carson Story'? I watched Carson till the end.

I can say its better..much better ...than the Obama story.

Based on the real life of neurosurgeon Benjamin Carson at Johns Hopkins the film is inspirational on several counts.

So later i checked the wikipedia for some background and here it is:

Benjamin Carson was born in Detroit, Michigan. His mother, Sonya, had dropped out of school in the third grade and married at the age of 13. Carson's father abandoned the family after Sonya discovered he had another wife and kids, leaving his mother to fend for he and his brother. However, his mother insisted that he and his brother (who is now an engineer) read at least two books a week then proceed to write reports on these books for her. This early education and encouragement shaped Carson's future.

In September 1987 Carson performed at DSA a procedure to separate a pair of seven-month-old German conjoined twins, who were joined at the head. Carson was the lead surgeon on the team which performed the complex procedure. - - In 1997 Carson and his team went to South Africa to separate Joseph and Luka Banda, infant boys from Zambia. Both boys survived, and neither one suffered severe brain damage. The Bandas were the first set of twins joined at the tops of their heads to be successfully surgically separated. The operation lasted 28 hours, from 10:15 to 4:46)

In 2003, Carson was a member of the surgical team that worked to separate conjoined adult siblings Ladan and Laleh Bijani. Neither survived the surgery. When asked why he had performed such a risky surgery, Carson stated that they conveyed to him they would rather die than stay conjoined.

Dr. Carson also pioneered the hemispherectomy (the surgical removal of the affected half of the brain) in cases of Rasmussen's encephalitis or syndrome in children.

In 2008 he won the Presidential medal for Freedom.

Carson is not a symbol of social justice. He embodies everything of what a human mind can achieve and what it still has to discover.

A part in the film where Carson loses his twin sons is most compelling he says "I could do nothing."

Later he cries "Oh Lord help me please."

Gayane Chichakyan - Russia's New Face

2010-10-28T23:24:00.000-07:00

By Manuwant Choudhary

The girl in the photo isn't my new girlfriend, she is Gayane Chichakyan - Russia's new face.

Forget Putin and the Russian politicians if you want to understand the changes in Russia and how it views the world you have to watch RT or Russia Today.

Gayane is a reporter with RT based in Moscow and she represents a new Russia - young, glamorous and sensitive.

RT in its slick presentation is a challenge to BBC and CNN...many of their reporters are US educated and their interviews out of Washington are indepth and reflect `the other side' something western media dont want the world to know about.

The Ayalona Show is a huge success, although Ayalona has a socialist slant its well presented with an intelligent humour.

The RT website is also viewer friendly with a live feed. Where else can u get a story on how America's FBI manufactures terrorists, or how Singapore's land mass has grown by 20 pre cent in 50 years by sandfilling, or how spam has been reduced by 50 billion spams after the arrest of a single spammer!

CNN has also become a spam...with Sarah Snider insisting India's growth rate is amazing at 9 per cent....like Viagra!

And with the BBC budget being cut wonder whats going to happen to news.

Forget Indian journalism, we are just crude immitations of the western media.

Do we make people think?

George Watts is RTs interpretor and translator - a Canadian - he lives in Moscow for many years. Once when he drove around Moscow many years ago a policeman stopped his car and asked him where he was from. When he replied he was from Canada the policeman questioned "What a Canadian spy?"

George replied yes he was a spy.

The policeman waived a hand "Go away, go away."

George says he is still trying to figure out why the cop let him go!

Ofcourse, RT does have old Soviet hands whose On Air Talent is only to ridicule America but its fun to watch.

Coming back to Gayane Chichakyan...she says her life as a reporter has been a rollercoster ride..seeing places she would never see..meeting people she would otherwise never meet...comparing reporters to doctors who generally get called in when something terrible happens. But she adds, "We also get called when something good happens."

The Crocodile & The Dragon!

2010-10-26T20:11:00.000-07:00

By Manuwant Choudhary

The Bhutanese king Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck's visit to Ranthambore isn't news...whats making news on Indian television is that soon after the monarch emerges from his helicopter in his traditional Kho at the Shergarh helipad at Sawaimadhopur...an Indian ghariyaal (crocodile) slips under the monarch's helicopter and it took the security personnel some shooing away to get the crocodile back into the nearby pond.

Just wonder why the crocodile chose to take shelter under the helicopter?

Indian reporters were worried as to what would happen if the King stepped onto the crocodile.

I had no such worry since I know he is a brave young monarch from the land of the Dragon!

Yet, I would be worried if the young monarch came in close proximity with our Indian politicians. Thankfully, all our Rahuls are busing campaigning in Bihar.

Yet, this got me thinking whether our Indian crocodile a distant cousin of the Dragon?

Did the crocodile want to enter the Kings helicopter and fly to Bhutan?

Or was it just trying to get some idea about Bhutan's Gross National Happiness.

Indian reporters who generally shout and scream at every little episode have no clue.

No Barkha Dutt around for this story.

My guess is simple the crocodile wanted some of the royal cuisine of red rice, red chilli and red meat..kept in the helicopter.

Any guesses?

Electing Scums Is Too Expensive!

2010-10-24T23:42:00.000-07:00

By Manuwant Choudhary

I am not one of them who celebrate the largeness of Indian democracy I'd vote for quality anyday but it is shocking enough to see so many scums get elected in our democracy that we overlook the monetary costs involved in the exercise.

For the past two weeks all economic activity has come to a halt in Bihar - the reason being the government seizes any transport vehicle that ply on our roads. Vehicles are seized even when not needed.

I am not getting into the costs involved in the shutdown of a state for the sake of elections and the human costs involved.

Just take the basic costs involved in the actual conduct of the polls and you will see that this democracy is too expensive and just as our Netas neglected roads and bridges in the country they have in their 60 years not been able to come up with fresh ideas on how to vote with the minimum costs.

At a single booth there is one polling officer who is paid Rs.2500, plus three polling agents each of whom get Rs.1500. This totals to Rs.7,000/- If you include the costs of policemen then you could add another 23000 rupees per booth. So roughly Rs.30,000 per booth is a conservative estimate. If there are more than a 1000 voters in a booth then the number of officers increase.

With 200 booths in every assembly constituency this cost goes upto 6000000/- rupees.

Each political party is required to have a polling representative at every booth. If they are paid as low as Rs.3000 then each party spends Rs.600000 for 200 booths per constituency. If there are ten parties they together spend 6000000/- rupees in each constituency.

So, the government and the political parties spend 1,20,00,000 in each constituency.

Bihar has 243 assembly constituencies so this figure goes up to 2916000000/- rupees.

Thats the simple arithmetic just for polling day.

This does not include the cost of vehicles and the fuel they burn, the cost of Observers (who spend more than they observe), the 13 helicopters of the political leaders parked in the Patna hangar, the cost of campaigning for a month by political parties, the bribes paid to officials and the police and the agents and the voters.

And to top it all the Indian government offers a food subsidy of 80,000 crore rupees to woo Bihar voters.

The Election Commission sits in New Delhi but does not say this violates the Code of Conduct. Couldn't the announcements wait till Bihar elections were over?

For the Congress they had to offer cheap food if they are to beat Nitish Kumar's free bicycles !

All news channels have announced their exit polls despite the Code of Conduct.

So who is the Code of Conduct really for? One voter called me up the other day and said, "The only people who lose due to the Code of Conduct are the poor rikshaw-wallahs and the thelawallahs and the bannerwallahs....just the poor who suffer because of the control on campiagning.

The money which would go to the poorest in past elections has simply stopped going to them and then Rahul Gandhi flies in by a chopper and says Bihar's poor remain poor.

The one's who make money are helicopter owners, the political touts, the government officials, the paramilitary (who should be in Kashmir not Bihar), the police, the District Magistrate.

And the candidates are simply scums.

Like one independent candidate campaign on a rikshaw said, "Are jo chatai par nahin bol sakta, jo chauki par khara hokar nahin bol sakta woh assembly mein kya bolega...issliye aap mombattee chaap par vote den."

(If they cannot speak on a straw mat, and they cannot speak from a cot..then how can you expect them to speak in the assembly...Vote for the Candle!"

In this age of innvovations and technology I wonder why our software engineers only cater for solutions to US corporates. Or why a Nandan Nilekani is wasting India's precious resources for a Unique Number.

Our scientists only want to become rocket scientists so they can occupy the big bhawan of Kalam...they have no solutions for our democracy or the right to recall.