No Heroes (4) - Fahmida Riaz recites `Tum To Hum Jaise Nikle'

No Heroes (3) - Buddha & Beef...

By Manuwant Choudhary

Prince Siddharth left his kingdom in Nepal to become a bhikhsu (monk) and went out in search of truth.

For years he wandered in the forests.

It is only after long hours of isolation and deep meditation that he learned about the truths.

But he still had no followers...

It was only after sometime a few learnt of his special powers that he got five disciples.

Now the rule for a monk is that he must go to the first house with his begging bowl and eat the food only once in a day.

So one day when the Buddha went to seek alms...he knocked on a door...an old lady emerged and put something in his bowl.

To the horror of Buddha's disciples...they saw the food in the bowl -  beef.

But what shocked them even more is when they see Buddha eat the beef.

They were fully convinced that the Buddha was a fake messiah...how could he eat beef when he himself preached non-violence.

The disciples were angry and they left the Buddha.

It is only when the Buddha's powers spread far and wide that the disciples returned but still not convinced.

So they asked the Buddha why he had eaten beef that day.

The Buddha replied,

"I ate beef because I could see that it was the only food the poor lady had in her house and instead of eating herself she offered me that food..what could be more loving and kind...in fact my refusal to eat beef that day would be violence...."

No Heroes (2) - Politics In The Cow Belt !

By Manuwant Choudhary

This election security in Patna is beefed-up.

And there he is...India's No.2  Amit Shah clambering up the staircase of 4 star Maurya Hotel.

In the BJP Shah is a big man...even literally.

And after BJP MP R.K. Singh's allegations that tickets are being sold, I wonder what was in the suitcases.

But then I also wondered how months ago Laloo predicted on television what the BJP plans to do in Bihar...spread rumours about pork and beef....only to benefit in elections.

Perhaps they could not do it in Bihar so now they have done it in UP...killing a man on rumours that he ate beef.

But I am more interested in what Amit Shah eats.

And Narendra Modi.

Besides, is killing a man a vegetarian thing to do?

Narendra Modi says only he can develop Bihar.

So I was curious what his vision is for the state.

Will he implement his Gujarat model on Bihar?

But that he has already done for India and Bihar is a part of India, I think.

So I actually  read the BJP's 10 point program for Bihar.

And No.1 on the list was to set up a cow breeding centre in Bihar.

Is that a vision for Bihar in the 21st C?

Is Bihar going to be happy with just cows and cow dung and selling their milk cheap to government owned companies?

You can't get rich with cows unless you are Laloo Yadav.

And why Laloo is ahead even here...he told the Income Tax dept. in the disproportionate assets case how he got two cows in his dowry and they became 300 !

So I met the Maurya chef to find out Amit Shah's diet.

Me: Aah now I know why Shah stays at Maurya its because of you..

Chef: No, no, not because of me..all top shots..even Modi they stay here...but I cant tell you what they eat.

Me: Do they eat hot jalebis..dipping in sugar syrup! Ah gimme some pls..

Chef: No, no it is against our company policy to tell you what VVIPs eat?

Me: I can understand the security and all that but surely a Rossogolla is a Rossogolla not a bomb!

Chef:  I am not telling you...not even what Shatrughan Sinha eats.

Me: Ya I was coming to that...Shatru definitely eats something the BJP wallahs don't eat...he gets away with criticising the Leader....

Chef: Shatruji is our permanent guest.

Me: But I thought he has a home in Patna...

Chef: Our food is better than home food....so he stays here..

Me: Exactly, do you cook everything in ghee?

Chef: I can't tell you even that...

Me: Do you use multinational ghee or Ramdev babe ghee?

Chef: You want even ghee to be banned, like Maggi?

Me:  Katju is come out on his diet..."I Eat Beef", surely you can tell me what Shah eats.

Chef: No, never. You guys in the media will say we cook in Dalda?

Me: No, no, Dalda was banned a long ago when they found out it had cow fat in it?
But tell me about Modi-Shah...diet...they look so good together on the posters...white beard & black beard...

Chef: Their beard has got nothing with what they eat.

Me: I want to know what they eat is because they talk so much.

Chef: Ok, I will give you a hint like Amitabh Bachan...What is the opposite of Khokhla (Empty)...

Me: Aah...yes..yes...(thinking hard) Is it Dhokla ?

LETS BAN DHOKLA

No Heroes In Indian Politics (1)

By Manuwant Choudhary

Just like the film `Hero' where all are villains, so it is with Indian politics.

I watched the film `Hero' and soon realised that it really had no heroes.

Promoted under the Salman Khan banner...the film is a birthday gift to Sooraj Pancholi, yes the same person who was Jiah Khan's boyfreind at the time she died mysteriously.

Bollywood has like one real murder mystery every ten years but nobody really solves it..life and the parties just go on...

Does anybody remember Divya Bharti?

Of course, the Sheena Bora murder case has overtaken Bollywood but then we do live in the age of television.

Coming back to Hero the film is about how a `Goonda's' son falls in love with a police inspector's daughter....but soon you realise that even the police are just the same `Goons in uniform'.

I waited and waited for Salman but after three hours with the titles rolling there he was singing `Ki Main Hoon Tera Hero".



No, no, definitely not.

Not even him.

In Salman's next  movie he will make even Indrani Mukherjea look like a Saint wronged....

I thought Bollywood is so much like our politics.

Look at whats happening in Bihar.

The mahagatbandhan is actually just a gatbandhan now...Mulayam has walked out..the Communists are on their own...

Nitish is alone on the posters.

Laloo says he just wants his sons to win.

And Laloo's Jungle Raj is better than the BJP Mangal Raj.

12 crore rupees have already been caught in Bihar.....

And Ram Vilas Paswan...it is his son Chirag....but a report today showed his village has no electricity even today...`Chiarg Tale Andhera'....

Its your caste versus mine or your religion against mine.

And the only alternative is one Pappu Yadav !

Father Van - A Rector To Remember

By Manuwant Choudhary

If I were the Dalai Lama I would try and find out where Father Van is reborn and who....

But the way he loved India and Darjeeling I am sure he must be a toddler Shrestha or a Pradhan in the cradle of the Kunchenjunga.

Father Gerard Van Wallegham was the last foreign missionary and he passed away recently at the age of 88 in his room at St Joseph's College, Darjeeling.

He was only 24 when he came to India as a Jesuit priest and stayed all his life.

And all his life he tried to get an Indian citizenship and the story is that  it was always rejected.

Even Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi tried to get him a citizenship only to be told that the same man some Mr. Chatterjee has rejected it.

I wonder when hundreds of our Indians become Canadian citizens..even when they are not so great..why the Indian government denied Fr. Van a citizenship.

I also wonder why Fr. Van is the last foreign missionary in the hills of Darjeeling?

Born to Belgian parents at Winnipeg, after graduating from St. Paul's, Winnipeg he decided to join the Jesuits.

I am immensely blessed to have been his student and also to have met him a few years ago at our 25 year Reunion.

Even at 85 he would walk from school to Chowrasta.

Memories of Fr. Van take me far back to my own childhood and the first day my parents put me into boarding.

At the age of 7 one does not even know what is a boarding school?

First I was quite happy with all the new school uniforms and the goodies being bought for me...but then
when that final moment for goodbyes came all hell broke loose.

Mr. Venkat was our Prefect and I recall giving him a nice kick and running away from the study hall...telling my parents that I did not want to be an engineer or doctor...I would be happy looking after the cows !

Mr. Venkat remembered my kick all along.

Then a younger tall foreign missionary simply lifted me up in the air and brought me to the Rectors office.

Fr. Van, the Rector, spoke in English...and he must have spent an hour trying to quieten me..but when everything failed...he just slapped me.....my cries stopped and I slept away in his office.  He carried me himself to the school dormitory and put me to bed.

I could hear him talking to the sisters to give me some soup when I am awake.

Of course, Fr. Van could not remember all the details when we last met...memory was failing him.

Also he had worse students to handle than me....like in a documentary on St. Joseph's he talks about how King Gyanendra of Nepal who was a tough one to handle. Said Fr. Van, "When I tried to control him he said he will call his troops !"

My own father was very fond of Fr. Van and when we were home Fr. Van would often come up in our dinner conversations....

Once my father went to drop me to school and it was a rainy Monday morning with the school assembly being held in the corridors.

Fr. Van was standing on the wooden stool and suddenly my name was called out.

I had never got a prize till then...and my father was all smiles that his son had finally won a prize.

Later he asked me what this was about..I explained that it was a Rs.100 fine for coming late to school !

St. Joseph's did give me a prize on the last day of school...something I value more than all the prizes out there in the world.

Sujay Ghosh's Thriller `Ahalya'

Ben Carson For President !

By Manuwant Choudhary

When US President Obama visited India in November 2010 HBO telecast a film on Ben Carson and I wrote here on my blog that the Ben Carson story is better than the Obama story.

http://indiavikalp.blogspot.in/2010/11/gifted-hands-ben-carson-story.html

In a way I wished he was America's President and not Obama.

So now when I see Carson running for President I do feel America is blessed.

I have never been to the United States of America nor have I a desire.

Yet, American democracy is important to the world.

Obama said "Yes You Can" and he won.

Back in India Modi copied "Yes You Can" and he too won using similar propoganda material.

And I am not sure if they have both improved their countries.

So Carson seems genuine and honest and he knows how the brains work, even that of politicians (if they have one that is)

Hear him out right till the end at this introductory video and if the American voters are enlightened they would vote Carson.