Terrorism in India

Did some research on the published reports of terrorist attacks on India. Tried to see the trends - if our successive administrations have been able to provide security to the citizenry, perhaps indicated by a fall in incidents and/or fatalities.

The tragic results are as follows -

"Do not stand at my grave and weep"

A poem by Mary Elizabeth Frye:

Do not stand at my grave and weep,
I am not there, I do not sleep.
I am in a thousand winds that blow,
I am the softly falling snow.
I am the gentle showers of rain,
I am the fields of ripening grain.
I am in the morning hush,
I am in the graceful rush
Of beautiful birds in circling flight,
I am the starshine of the night.
I am in the flowers that bloom,
I am in a quiet room.
I am in the birds that sing,
I am in each lovely thing.
Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there. I do not die.

Song - "Genda Phool"

Came across this rocking song from Dilli-6: "Genda phool".
Awesome mix of hip-hop sound to the simple and visual traditional lyrics.

सैयां छेड़ देवे
ननद चुटकी लेवे
ससुराल गेंदा फूल

सास गारी देवे
देवर समझा लेवे
ससुराल गेंदा फूल

छोड़ा बाबुल का अंगना
भावे डेरा पिया का हो

सास गारी देवे
देवर जी समझा लेवे
ससुराल गेंदा फूल

सैयां है व्यापारी
चले है परदेस
सूरतिया निहारूं
जियरा भारी होवे
ससुराल गेंदा फूल

सास गारी देवे
देवर जी समझा लेवे
सैयां छेड़ देवे
ननद चुटकी लेवे
ससुराल गेंदा फूल

छोड़ा बाबुल का अंगना
भावे डेरा पिया का हो

बुशशर्ट पहिने
खायिके बीड़ा पान
पूरे रायपुर से अलग है
सैयां जी की शान
ससुराल गेंदा फूल

सैयां छेड़ देवे
ननद चुटकी लेवे
ससुराल गेंदा फूल

सास गारी देवे
देवर जी समझा लेवे
ससुराल गेंदा फूल

छोड़ा बाबुल का अंगना
भावे डेरा पिया का हो

Civilization

A piece of Wikipedia’s section on Motifs(themes) for Joseph Conrad’s "Heart of Darkness":

"Throughout the novel Conrad dramatizes the tension in Marlow between the restraint of civilization and the savagery of barbarism. The darkness and amorality which Kurtz exemplifies is argued to be the reality of the human condition, upon which illusory moral structures are draped by civilization. Marlow's confrontation with Kurtz presents him with a 'choice of nightmares'—to commit himself to the savagery of the unmasked human condition, as Kurtz exemplifies, or to the lie and veneer of civilized restraint. Though Marlow 'cannot abide a lie' and subsequently cannot perceive civilization as anything but a veneer hiding the savage reality of the human condition, he is also horrified by the darkness of Kurtz he sees in his own heart. After emerging from this experience, his Buddha-like pose aboard the "Nellie" symbolizes a suspension between this choice of nightmares."

Our response to terrorism and our capability as a state:

Our impotent leaders say "Pakistan needs to dismantle its terror infrastructure".

Let me ask why is this so much on our consciousness as a nation-state? As a measure of the foreign policy offensive, its "sounds" good but lets just go ahead with the assumption that Pakistan has gone beyond the point of no return and will remain a terror state. Then what I want to raise is have we answered fundamental questions relevant to the environment within our world, our borders?

Assuming our armed forces and other border vigilance infrastructure (paramilitary forces, customs, coast guard etc) are doing the required job, large scale terror attacks within our cities are not possible without internal support. This support translates into aspects of:
- Logistics
o Arms
o Food and accommodation
o Local intelligence – recce, security layout, area/building layouts, information on peak hours etc
- Finances: Money laundering etc
- Indoctrination

Have we put on our requisite efforts as a sovereign state to cut off these supply lines to terrorists?
- Have we targeted sufficiently and successfully elimination of organized crime groups within the country that provide the launch base for the terror attacks?
- Have we focused on removing centers of indoctrination in the form of fanatic groups, dogma-led institutions; focus on spread and unequivocal emphasis of prominence of civil society by the state and the citizenry? The radicalism is spreading increasingly…
- Have we deployed requisite controls on our capitals/financial system to cut off the financing options for the terrorists?
- Have our government departments progressed enough on deploying controls to eliminate forgery other ways of bypassing of state’s eye by the miscreants?

The answer at best is "don’t know". This is because there is no focus internal strengthening. We, like a infant in a diaper, just know how to scream foul play, complain, cry and/or chest thump to be the fourth largest armed forces, largest democracy, oldest civilization etc. We have given up our sovereignty (adult thought and action in continuation of the example) and now just our comfortable (even proud many a times) at the notion of sucking up to the West and beg them to help us and give us attention.

Our forefathers dream of self-reliance could not even be realized on the material front let alone in terms of the national mind-set, in terms of this society being capable of shaping and realizing its own destiny as a nation state.
Our legislature is united in its impotency and irrelevance as is evidenced by multiple failures to respond emphatically during Kargil attacks, Dec 13 Parliament attack, Mumbai 2006 train blasts and Mumbai 2008 gunfire attacks; by the impunity with which known enemies of the state have been leading their lives like Dawood Ibrahim, Masood Azhar, Memon Brothers to name a few

Are we capable of leading ourselves as a society at all? Do we deserve the independence our forefathers gave their life for?

"So far so good"

An American cowboy joke:

"They see a man falling down from a building. He reaches the 10th floor. You know what they say?

What?

"Well, so far so good."

Useful American military acronyms

SNAFU - Situation Normal: All Fucked Up
Rough meaning: "things are in a mess — as usual"

DILLIGAFF - Do I Look Like I Give A Flying Fuck?

FISHDO - Fuck It, Shit Happens, Drive On

FOAD - Fuck Off And Die
FODA - Fuck Off and Die Asshole

FUBB - Fucked Up Beyond Belief (a worst-case scenario)
FUBAR - Fucked Up Beyond All Recognition

SFUS - Standard Fucked Up Situation

SWAG - Scientific Wild-Ass Guess. A close approximation

Global warming: Our bit

This link was sent to me by a friend. Seems useful. Although it was written with an American perspective (what else is new!!), items relevant to people from other environments can be picked up as well and applied.

http://globalwarming-facts.info/50-tips.html

When does the line become clearer?

Two rival forces for the product - restore, give more and improve Vs keep it away from client

The restore force could be supported and thats the desire

But the client's stated word is - "dont want" and "no value"

Looks like the point of no return has been crossed by the client to switch

Conclusion - The product failed

Western influences

A word in hindi corresponding to "boredom" does not come easy to my mind!!

Is it then that our society did not express, hence experience "boredom". Is "Boredom" a western construct??

India

Was responding to a friend's mail while discussing as to what has happened to the Idea of India. My verbose thoughts:

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Choice - cant have things imposed on people in reaction. E.g. what we could perhaps do is ask our administration as to whats their view on "language" now, now that technology makes a lot of things possible e.g. multi-lingual software.

I value our diversity a lot, at least in my head (hopefully i will be able to assimilate it more as i keep going). We have been able to nurture and grow over aeons by absorbing all things that come to us. We are again faced with the same challenge - western society's influence.

But this age is different -
1. 300+ years of suppression where the focus was to "impose" a new lifestyle on the subcontinent's natives (either deliberate or collateral)
2. Mass media pervasiveness and massive bombardment - Homo Sapiens is a vulenrable animal. It is prone to self doubt and seeks approval. When a "being" is exposed to a single sentence for days and days over years, that "being" starts believing so.

So the western societies create labels and cram them up the media pipes and bombard us with those - "third world", "poor", "bad living conditions", "dirty", "uncouth"...BULLSHIT!!

Explain to me the high amounts of crime stats in the western mouthpieces!!

For long, the western idea of efficiency, of order, of precision has been mouthed out loud. I agree we have garbage lying around in our cities and lot of people cant afford to own a two wheeler. But thats not all that describes a society. We are helpful, tolerant, childish, innocent, religious, historical, festive, traditional, heirarchical, hero-worshipping... long list.

So what?? We are so much more than a 40%-of-their-population-earns-less-than-a-dollar society.

Whats with the selective judgement!!

So let me cut it short

I would want the element of choice to remain while we start looking back inwards for seeking value [and we have a huge screen to look at :)], and try to make sense of what road have we travelled on for so long, what all dotted the landscape, how we affected the landscape and how in turn we got affected by it.

Find those key events, people, beliefs that make us and ADD to them, not just worship them.

Our responsibility is to ADD, contribute our bit back

A saying:

Most people would rather be certain they're miserable than risk being happy.
- Robert Anthony

The songs:

Mozart - Pachelbel: Cannon in D Major
Chal Chalein...
Amethystium

Song - "She's always a woman to me"

Very cool lyrics!!

She can kill with a smile, she can wound with her eyes.
And she can ruin your faith with her casual lies.
And she only reveals what she wants you to see.
She hides like a child, but she's always a woman to me.
She can lead you to love, she can take you or leave you.
She can ask for the truth but she'll never believe.
And she'll take what you'll give her as long as it's free.
Yeah, she steals like a thief, but she's always a woman to me.
Oooh, she takes care of herself.
She can wait if she wants, she's ahead of her time.
Oooooh, and she never gives out, and she never gives in,
she just changes her mind.
And she'll promise you more than the Garden of Eden.
And she'll carelesly cut you and laugh while you're bleeding.
But she'll bring out the best and the worst you can be.
Blame it all on yourself, cause she's always a woman to me.
Hmmmmmm Mmmmmm Hmmmmm Mmmmmm
Oooh, she takes care of herself.
She can wait if she wants, she's ahead of her time.
Oooooh, and she never gives out, and she never gives in,
she just changes her mind.
She is frequently kind and she's suddenly cruel.
But she can do as she pleases, she's nobody's fool.
And she can't be convicted, she's earned her degree.
And the most she will do is throw shadows at you,
but she's always a woman to me.
Hmmmmmm Mmmmmm Hmmmmm Mmmmmm

Job test

Came across this -

Go over this list. Check the statements that are true. If you check almost all of them, you are doing pretty well. The ones you left unchecked show where you could use some improvement. If you left several of them unchecked, you are in the wrong career;

- You feel like a duck in a pond. Your work is a natural expression of your talents and personality
- Your job fits you so well that, often work is play.
- You are proud of what you do and enjoy telling other people about it.
- You are highly respected at work because you are so good at what you do.
- You do not have to pretend to be someone else at work.
- Your own best and most natural forms of creative expression are what you are paid to do.
- The environment you work in brings out your best efforts.
- You enthusiastically look forward to going to work most of the time.
- Your job rewards your most important values and allows you to fulfill your goals in terms of personal growth, achievement, income, stability, etc.
- The result of your efforts makes a contribution that personally matters to you.
- You don't spend your days working for something that you don't really care about.
- Your job directly fulfills your work-related goals. It does not create barriers to realizing your other goals.
- You like the people you work with.
- You are on a winning team that is having a great time getting the job done.
- A day on the job leaves you feeling energized, not burned out

100%

Wise people, unwise people, old people, yound people, all of them have said this but its practice has been so rare in this world and my world -

"Whatever one does, it should 100%!"

Sage A adds:
1. If one can't give 100%, one needs to bear the cost no matter what.

Some quotes

Some quotes by "wise" people

By Ralph Waldo Emerson:
- When a man is pushed, tormented, defeated, he has a chance to learn something
- What you are comes to you
- Solitude is impractical and yet society is fatal
- Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail

By Elbert Hubbard:
- If men could only know each other, they would neither idolize nor hate

Powerful song

Did I disappoint you or let you down?
Should I be feeling guilty or let the judges frown?
'Cause I saw the end before we'd begun,
Yes I saw you were blinded and I knew I had won.
So I took what's mine by eternal right.
Took your soul out into the night.
It may be over but it won't stop there,
I am here for you if you'd only care.
You touched my heart you touched my soul.
You changed my life and all my goals.
And love is blind and that I knew when,
My heart was blinded by you.
I've kissed your lips and held your hand.
Shared your dreams and shared your bed.
I know you well, I know your smell.
I've been addicted to you.

[x2]
Goodbye my lover.
Goodbye my friend.
You have been the one.
You have been the one for me.

I am a dreamer and when i wake,
You can't break my spirit - it's my dreams you take.
And as you move on, remember me,
Remember us and all we used to be
I've seen you cry, I've seen you smile.
I've watched you sleeping for a while.
I'd be the father of your child.
I'd spend a lifetime with you.
I know your fears and you know mine.
We've had our doubts but now we're fine,
And I love you, I swear that's true.
I cannot live without you.

[x2]
Goodbye my lover.
Goodbye my friend.
You have been the one.
You have been the one for me.

And I still hold your hand in mine.
In mine when I'm asleep.
And I will bare my soul in time,
When I'm kneeling at your feet.
Goodbye my lover.
Goodbye my friend.
You have been the one.
You have been the one for me.

I'm so hollow, baby, I'm so hollow.
I'm so, I'm so, I'm so hollow.
I'm so hollow, baby, I'm so hollow.
I'm so, I'm so, I'm so hollow.

God's hand!!

God works in mysterious ways, they say.

I say (S)He screws humans (prudes, f-off!!) in mysterious ways. I am stuck in this country now where liquor is banned.

Did you get that - NO ALCOHOL i.e. no whiskey, no beer...

FOR A MONTH!!

AAAAARRRGGH!!!

Later update:
Not a month but two months!! Double AAAAARRRGGH!!!

Mumbai - a graveyard

I have become a zombie traveler. It takes me ~1.5hours one way p2p between office and home so that's 3 hours a day. During these 3 hours my productivity is zero in all aspects. Instead negative energy surges…

Mumbai labels

Different kind of people and phenomenon easily seen around, mostly in local trains
(Courtesy The Wandering Sage)

"Spotitis" – an inflammation at the “rear spot” that triggers that relentless and single-view pursuit of “that spot is my spot” behavior

"Veerus"– hanging with both hands spread apart on train hand-holds waiting for their Basanti while consuming max space and spreading their aroma for all to inhale

"Tarzans" – Close brothers of “Veeru” but they just hold single hand-hold with both hands and keep rocking on it. Pot-bellied people are the est here as they do a real good belly dance involuntarily

“Coolie” – they would rather carry their luggage on them on the upper body consuming more space than holding it around the legs where there is more space

More added later:

Sept 12, 2007
"Guards" or "Sewer blockage" - These souls descended upon earth with the sole purpose of guarding (or blocking) the entry to the local train coach from any mortal who dares to attempt the same. They would also make sure that they do a proper job of blocking as much possible of the air that could flow inside the suffocating coach. The mortal who tries that has to come up with all the innovative ideas to be successful in this attempt in vanity in addition to the usual discarding of any etiquette.

Carryover:

The eternal urge:
To have just one person, that one true person...

Wisdom:
"A man is born alone and dies alone; he should then be capable enough to live alone as well."
- Sage A

Memories are the only bequest a man taketh and leaveth, after a lifetime
- Wandering Sage

Thought is a bird of space which in the cage of words might unfold its wings but cannot fly
- Khalil Gibrahan

A quote in the movie "The Motorcycle Diaries":

"What do we leave behind when we cross each frontier? Each moment seems split in two; melancholy for what was left behind and the excitement of entering a new land."

Splendid...

Ashes and Snow:
Got to see the most amazing visual imagery ever. An exhibition "Ashes and Snow" by Gregory Colbert in NYC.

Plain mesmerizing, hypnotizing...

A Poem "If" by Rudyard Kipling:

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you
But make allowance for their doubting too,
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream--and not make dreams your master,
If you can think--and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings--nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much,
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And--which is more--you'll be a Man, my son!

The key:
All that is needed is Love

Lyrics in a song:
I wanted you to know, I love the way you laugh
I want to hold you high, and steal your pain away
I keep your photograph, and I know it serves me well
I want to hold you high, and steal your pain.

'Coz I'm broken, when I'm lonesome
And I don't feel right when you're gone away.

You gotta win, you don't feel me anymore.

The worst is over now, and we can breathe again
I wanna hold you high, and steal my pain away
There is so much left to learn, and no one left to fight
I wanna hold you high, and steal your pain.

'Coz Im broken, when I'm open
And I feel like that I'm strong enough
'Coz I'm broken, when I'm lonesome
And I don't feel right when you're gone away.

'Coz I'm broken, when I'm open
And I don't feel like that I'm strong enough
'Coz I'm broken, when I'm lonesome
And I don't feel right when you're gone away.

'Coz I'm broken, when I'm lonesome
And I don't feel right when you're gone away.
'Coz I'm broken, when I'm lonesome
And I don't feel right when you're gone.

You gotta win, you don't feel me anymore.

Lyrics in another song:

I'm sorry that I hurt you
It's something I must live with everyday
And all the pain I put you through
I wish that I could take it all away
And be the one who catches all your tears
Thats why i need you to hear

Some sayings:
"To stay wild is a battle in this insipid world".

"Stay raw, stay alive, let not the matrix of the mundane weave the web over your eyes; for we have just one life."

"Go with the flow"

Came across a quotation:
"Fear is the foundation of most governments." by John Adams.

In today's context it just seems so uncannily true.

The organization of "government'" created by the human civilization -
This is the entity who's creation is said to have resulted in such a massive growth in the human society as has been witnessed during the past 200 years. Will it be the cause of our downfall too?

The last few lines of "A river runs through it" by Norman Maclean:

Indirectly though Paul was always present in my father's thoughts. I remember the last sermon I heard him give not long before his own death. "Each one of us here today will, at one time in our lives look upon a loved one who is in need and ask the same question - "we are willing to help, lord but what, if anything,is needed?" It is true we can seldom help those closest to us. Either we don't know what part of ourselves to give or, more often than not, the part we have to give is not wanted. And so it is those we live with and should know, who elude us but we can still love them. We can love completely without complete understanding. Now nearly all those I loved and did not understand in my youth are dead even Jessie but I still reach out to them. Of course, now I'm too old to be much of a fisherman and now I usually fish the big waters alone although some friends think I shouldn't. But when I am alone in the half-light of the canyon all existence seems to fade to a being with my soul and memories and the sounds of the big black foot river and a four-count rhythm and the hope that a fish will rise. Eventually, all things merge into one and a river runs through it. The river was cut by the world's great flood and runs over rocks from the basement of time. On some of the rocks are timeless raindrops. Under the rocks are the words and some of the words are theirs. I am haunted by waters.

The NATO phonetic alphabet:
Alpha Bravo Charlie Delta Echo Foxtrot Golf Hotel India Juliet Kilo Lima Mike November Oscar Papa Quebec Romeo Sierra Tango Uniform Victor Whiskey Xray Yankee Zulu