Congrats Priyadarshni Matoo, it is your day

Monday, October 30, 2006 congrats priyadarshni matoo,it s your day! 10 yrs after she was murdered ...justice has brought her alive...death sentence for the guilty has restored faith of all indians in our judicial system its celebration time!!! its a victory over injustice,muscle and money power.its victory for all those who stood by her... Santosh Singh 's well deserved punishment is probably the most awaited one. the matoo family will now finally sleep a peacefull night .yeah , the burden of a significant vaccum in their lives will never b filled up ,but the dissatisfaction of not gaining justice for their daughter will not remain. how can we forget to acknowledge the significant contribution made by the media in bringing everyone together to fight for a cause.gone are the days when people would just b royal audience,and the person seeking justice would die frustrated.But, thats not the case now,everyone is concerned about what s going on and are ready to support and actively participate in it.thanx to the media in creating awareness among people. today , is the day to b remembered ,for it is this very day ,when those deep buried hopes and confidence of millions of people have risen to see the 'radiance of justice ' 6:56:13 PM Posted By rasshi mathewss Comments (3) News Comments Shersingh Monday, October 30, 2006 7:28:55 PM Justice has been served. But it is not an event that calls for celebrations. It will not bring her back, nor lessen the pain of her family. Her death was a tragedy, and now, another tragedy will be visited upon the family of Santosh Singh. He may deserve it, but now another family will also have to suffer. The sins of the father are truly visited upon the son. Before you start dancing and distributing sweets, it would be better if you paused for reflection. Rasshi Monday, October 30, 2006 7:56:41 PM To Shersinghlife belongs to those who can let others live. Santosh Singh did not think and 'pause for reflection'when he raped her and then bet her up brutally before killing her.today's verdict,surely , calls forcelebrations!!! not bcoz Santosh is going to b hanged but becoz our cry for justice has been finally heard...i hope and pray similar verdicts r delivered in the cases of katara and jessica lall too... K.Venugopal Tuesday, October 31, 2006 9:08:05 AM Anyone who causes intentional death of others should be hanged.

Resistance against persecution of Bengali refugees in India

Monday, October 30, 2006 Resistance Agnaist Persecution of Bengali Refugees in India Resistance against persecution of Bengali Refugees in IndiaPalash Biswas(contact: c/o Mrs Arati Roy, gosto Kanan, Sodepur, Kolata-700110, India.Phone-033-2565-9551-R)They are partition victims and were welcome by the nation in the greatest population transfer in the history.The partition of the Indian subcontinent in 1947 was followed by the forced uprooting of an estimated 18 million people. The minority communities in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) who were uprooted and forced to seek shelter in the Indian province of West Bengal.Jawahar Lal Nehru and his government failed to stop the carnage of minorities accross the border. Hence, the East Bengal partition victims, stripped of citizenship, human and civil rights, dislodged from history and geography and deprived of motherlanguage and employment have to pay the price after almost sixty years of Indian Independence. They are being persecuted in every part of India just because they speak in Bengali and ninty percent of them are dalits. Speaking in Bengali has become the only criteria to identify Bangladeshi nationals outside Bengal. Because the partition victim Bengalies, even settled in foties and fifties belong to underclasses, they are unable to protect themselves agnaist atrocities including deprtation drive.Hopefully, resistance agnaist persecution of East Bengal refugees is getting momentum. In Uttaranchal and Orrissa, the local people, political parties and media stand united with the refugees. Uttaranchal refugees have launched nonstop mass movement since they were denied Indian citizenship in 2003 by then Bjp government. The chief minister of Uttaranchal Narayan Dutta Tiwari raised the issue thrice in the parliament. In Orrissa, a farther step ahead the agitation is led by the Utkal Bangiay Surakshya Samiti. Left MPs belonging to cpim and forward block visited refugee areas in Uttaranchal and Orrissa. Left front chairman in West Bengal, comrade Biman Bose visted village to village in Uttaranchal. Basudev Acharya, cpim MP has visited Kendarapara on last 10 th October where 1575 Bengali refugees have been served quit India notice. They could not be deported because the people of Orrissa, political parties and media support them. But the notice is still live. Orrissa government of Bjp Bjd combine has alredy managed 21 Bengali refugees settled in Navrangpur. Kendra Para was targeted as second attempt which failed. In retaliation , the Orrissa government stopped no less than two hundred refugee children to sit in high school examination. Birth certificats are being denied to newborn babies. BPL card, ration Card, PAN, etc have been stalled. Names of refugees in the voters` list have been deleted enmasse.Mulnivasi Bamcef is leading the movement to save the dalit refugees in Maharashtra, where 250 Bengali refugees have been arrested and released after paying ten thousandruppees and submitting a personal bond to prove their Indian citizenship with adequate documents within one month in Bhandara district. All Maharashtra DMs have notified the resttled partition victim Bengali refugees to submint documents to prove Indian citizenship within a month. In Kolkata, on Friday, 27th october a seminar was organised by SAHMARMEE and Dalit Samanyaya Samiti to protest the persecution of Bengali Refugees in different parts of India. The seminar was presided over by the ex Vice Chancellor of Kalayani University and now a cpim Loksabha member Dr. Basudev Barman. Sahmarmmee general secretary Dr Nitish Biswas, deputy registrar of Calcutta university introduced the topic and gave garphic details of persecution of Bengali refugees on grounds like citizenship, human rights , civil rights, reservation, employment and mother language.All India forward Block general secretary and rajyasabha member Debbrata Biswas was the main speaker and he gave the graphic details statewise. He Said, outside Bengal the refugees are being persecuted, deported, put behind bars and descriminated just they speak in Bengali. He also presented his experience of visits in refugee colonies in different parts of india. He said , refugees may not survive in Uttaranchal, UP, MP, Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgargh, Assam, Maharashtra, Gujrat, Andhra, Tamilnadu, Rajsthanand elsewhere in these circumstances. He called for a nonstop left movemenyt in parliament and outside parliament to protect the Dalit Bengali refugees.Ex education minister of West Bengal kanti Biswas, acpim MLA and ideologue supported the plea. He further elaboarated the issue.Convenor of All India Refugee Coordination committee, Dr Subodh Biswas came fro Nagpur and reported the situation and updates. JM Bhowmic and Ujjwal Biswas from dacca also particiapted in the seminar. Indian nationalist leadership chose to hold on to this Muslim-majority state to prove that minorities could thrive in a plural, secular polity. But the government of India could not secure the saftey of Hindus and other minorities in erswhile East Pakistan and now in bangladesh either politically ordiplomatically. The situation is that the refugee influx from Bangladesh has never to stop. Any internal turmoil In Bangldesh creates waves of exodus. It is happening once againas the ruling classes fight on streets doggedly to have the riegn of power, the security and safety of minorities are once again at the stake. Government of India may not help it. West Bengal chief minister is concerned and a high alert is declare by Border Security Forces in border areas of West Bengal. Is this a solution?In fact, a delegation of Hindu minorities recently met The Indian High Commissioner in Dacca and demanded that either the two corore Hindus still sustaing themselves in Bangladesh, should be allowed to cross over Indian border and be granted Indian citizenship enmasses - or India should ensure the saftey of life , property and respect for the Hindus there.Population exchangesMassive population exchanges occurred between the two newly-formed nations in the months immediately following Partition. Once the lines were established, about 14.5 million people crossed the borders to what they hoped was the relative safety of religious majority. Based on 1951 Census of displaced persons, 7.226 million Muslims went to Pakistan from India while 7.249 million Hindus and Sikhs moved to India from Pakistan immediately after partition. About 11.2 million or 78% of the population transfer took place in the west, with Punjab accounting for most of it; 5.3 million Muslims moved from India to West Punjab in Pakistan, 3.4 million Hindus and Sikhs moved from Pakistan to East Punjab in India; elsewhere in the west 1.2 million moved in each direction to and from Sind. The initial population transfer on the east involved 3.5 million Hindus moving from East Bengal to India and only 0.7 million Muslims moving the other way. [citation needed] Massive violence and slaughter occurred on both sides of the border as the newly formed governments were completely unequipped to deal with migrations of such staggering magnitude. Estimates of the number of deaths vary from two hundred thousand to a million.[1] [edit] The present-day religious demographics of India proper and former East and West PakistanDespite the huge migrations during and after Partition, secular and federal India is still home to the third largest Muslim population in the world (after Indonesia and Pakistan). The current estimates for India (see Demographics of India) are as shown below. Islamic Pakistan, the former West Pakistan, has a smaller minority population. Its religious distribution is below (see Demographics of Pakistan). As for Bangladesh, the former East Pakistan, the non-Muslim share is somewhat larger (see Demographics of Bangladesh): India (2005 Est. 1,080 million vs. 1951 Census 361 million) 81.69% Hindu (839 million) 12.20% Muslims (135 million) 2.32% Christians (25 million) 1.85% Sikhs (20 million) 1.94% Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and others (21 million) Pakistan (2005 Est. 162 vs. 1951 Census 34 million) 98.0% Muslims (159 million) 1.0% Christians (1.62 million) 1.0% Hindus, Sikhs and others (1.62 million) Bangladesh (2005 Est. 144 vs. 1951 Census 42 million) 86% Muslims (124 million) 13% Hindus (18 million) 1% Christians, Buddhists and Animists (1.44 million) We Indians, perhaps, have forgot the hard facts. Gyanesh Kudaisya in his research article`DIVIDED LANDSCAPES, FRAGMENTED IDENTITIES: EAST BENGAL REFUGEES AND THEIR REHABILITATION IN INDIA, 1947?79 ? considers the responses of Indian federal and provincial governments to the challenge of refugee rehabilitation. A study is made of the Dandakaranya scheme which was undertaken after 1958 to resettle the refugees by colonising forest land: the project was sited in a peninsular region marked by plateaus and hill ranges which the refugees, originally from the riverine and deltaic landscape of Bengal, found hard to accept. Despite substantial official rehabilitation efforts, the refugees demanded to be resettled back in their "natural habitat" of Indian Bengal. However, this was resisted by the state. Notwithstanding this opposition, a large number of East Bengal refugees moved back into regions which formed a part of erstwhile undivided Bengal where, without any government aid and planning, they colonised lands and created their own habitats. Many preferred to become squatters in the slums that sprawled in and around Calcutta. The complex interplay of identity and landscape, of dependence and self-help, that informed the choices which the refugees made in rebuilding their lives is analysed in the paper. This is an abridged version of an essay published in the volume, Partition of Memory, ed., Suvir Kaul, Permanent Black, 2001. Thanks are to the publisher and editor of the volume.Rights or Charity? Relief and Rehabilitation in West BengalIn the half-century since India was partitioned, more than twenty-five million refugees have crossed the frontier between East Pakistan and the state of West Bengal in India. The migration out of East Bengal, and the way the refugees were received by India was very different from West Pakistan. Unlike those from the west, the refugees from the east did not flood into India in one huge wave; they came sometimes in surges but often in trickles over five decades of independence. The elemental violence of partition in the Punjab explains why millions crossed its plains in 1947. By contrast, the, causes of the much larger migration out o East Bengal over a longer time span are more complex That migration was caused by many different factors minorities found their fortunes rapidly declining as avenues of advancement and livelihood were foreclosed; they also experienced social harassment, whether open and fierce or covert and subtle, usually set against a backcloth o communal hostility which, in Hindu perception at least, was sometimes banked but always burning. Another critical factor was the ups and downs in India's relationship with Pakistan which powerfully influenced why and when the refugees fled to West Bengal. Given this context, the strikingly different way in which the Government of India viewed the refugee problem in the east and in the west is not altogether surprising. The crisis in Punjab was seen as a national emergency, to be tackled on a war footing. From the start, government accepted that a transfer of population with Pakistan was inevitable and irreversible. So it readily committed itself to the view that refugees from the west would have to be fully and permanently rehabilitated. It also quickly decided that Muslim evacuee property would be given to the refugees as the cornerstone of its programmes of rehabilitating them. The influx of refugees into Bengal, on the other hand, was seen in a very different light. In Nehru's view, and this was typical of the Congress High Command, conditions in East Bengal did not constitute a grave danger to its Hindu minorities. Delhi regarded their flight as the product of imaginary fears and baseless rumours, rather than the consequence of palpable threats to life, limb and property. Well after it had begun, Nehru continued to believe that the exodus could be halted, even reversed, provided government in Dacca could be persuaded to deploy 'psychological measures' to restore confidence among the Hindu minorities. The Inter-Dominion Agreement of April 1948 was designed, Canute-like, to prevent the tide coming in. In the meantime, government gave relief to refugees from East Bengal as a stop-gap measure since permanent rehabilitation was thought unnecessary; indeed it was to be discouraged. So it set itself against the redistribution of the property of Muslim evacuees from Bengal to incoming Hindu refugees; the policy was to hold it in trust for the Muslims until they too returned home. The official line was grounded in the belief that Bengali refugees crossing the border in either direction could, and indeed should, be persuaded to return home. Even after the number of refugees in Bengal had outstripped those from Punjab, such relief and rehabilitation measures as government put into place still bore the mark of its unwillingness to accept that the problem would not simply go away. This was what led the refugees to demand that government give them what they regarded as their 'rights'. Their movement of protest embroiled refugees and government in a bitter, long-drawn-out battle over what legitimately could be expected from the state. The nub of the matter was quite simple: did the refugees have rights to relief and permanent rehabilitation, and did government have a responsibility to satisfy these rights? In examining what divided the government and the refugees, I wish to assess how far apart the positions of the refugees and the government were and how different the premises on which they were based. In the process I shall try to locate the role that marginal groups, notably the refugees, have played in creating notions of legitimacy and citizenship that came to challenge India's new orthodoxies. The construction of relief as charityCampaigns by refugees against government diktat were a persistent feature of political life in West Bengal well into the nineteen?sixties, but the formative period coincided with the initial wave of migration between 1947 and 1950. The issues began to crystallise after the Government of West Bengal decided td deny relief to 'able-bodied males' and to phase out relief camps. As soon as refugees demanded a say in their rehabilitation, the battle lines were drawn. Stopping free relief to able-bodied males was the first of a series of measures to limit government's liability towards the refugees. The essence of the policy was to whittle down, by one device or another, the numbers eligible for help from the state. By November 1948, as soon as the surge in migration caused largely by events in Hyderabad began to tail off, government was quick to claim that the worst was over; some officials, adding their two-annas' bit, even argued that the lure of handouts was itself attracting migrants. In late 1948, the government began to put a new and harsher policy into place. On 25 November 1948, Cakift announced that only refugees, defined as persons ordinarily resident in East Bengal who entered West Bengal between 1 June 1947 and 25 June 1948, "on account of civil disturbances or fear of such disturbances or the partition of India, would be entitled to relief and rehabilitation. A second order in December 1948 declared that no more refugees would be registered after 15 January 1949, further cutting back the official definition of a "refugee". A month earlier, on 22 November 1948, the Government of West Bengal had decreed that no 'able-bodied male immigrant' capable of earning a living would be given gratuitous relief for himself or his family for more than a week. After that, relief would be conditional only against works. It was all very well for government to offer relief against works, but there weren't any such "works" and government gave no assurance that it would create them. Instead, the official line was that the immigrant "through his own effort" must find suitable work. Male refugees capable of working had somehow instantly and miraculously to find for themselves jobs, sufficiently remunerative to feed, clothe and house themselves and their families, within seven days of crossing the border. Furthermore, government urged refugees go anywhere in West Bengal except Calcutta and its suburbs, where casual employment was most easily to be found. To begin with, government had allowed camp officers discretion to make exceptions in those cases where they felt that free relief (or "doles", as they were called in terminology unattractively reminiscent of the Poor Law) was "essential for preservation of life". Put bluntly, government realised that it would not look good if people starved to death in its camps. Two months later, however, in the wake of refugee hunger strikes against its directives, it hardened its heart. On 15 February 1949 the new national government decreed that "such able bodied immigrants as do not accept offers of employment or rehabilitation facilities without justification should be denied gratuitous relief even if they may be found starving" (Memo No. 800 (14) R.R., Secretary, Relief and Rehabilitation Department, Government of West Bengal, to all District Officers, 15 February 1949; emphasis added). This decision was reiterated towards the end of March 1949. In a directive aimed at "soft" camp superintendents suspected of being susceptible to pressures from refugees, it laid down that free relief must not be given to anyone merely because he was found starving once, the underlying principle being that an able bodied male must earn his own living, and should not be made to feel, under any circumstances, that he can at any time be a charge on the state" (Memo No. 1745 (10) R.R.,/18R-18/49, from the Secretary, Relief and Rehabilitation Department, Government of West Bengal, to all District Officers, dated 29 March 1949). In July 1949, Calcutta announced that all relief camps in West Bengal must be closed down by 31 October 1949, and ordered that rehabilitation of the inmates be completed by that date. From now on it would only rehabilitate those few persons it chose to define as refugees, Refugees should expect no further relief and would be entitled only to whatever crumbs by way of rehabilitation government decided to offer them. This was the first in a series of official announcements by which it was made unequivocally clear that refugees had no choice in the matter. They had to take what was offered or get nothing at all. What government set out to do, at least in the prospectus, was to encourage refugees to be self employed. Categorised by their social background and training, refugees were to be offered soft loans of varying amounts to enable them to buy appropriate equipment, tools or supplies in order to set themselves up as entrepreneurs. Those who felt they had neither the training nor the talent for entrepreneurship but wanted 'proper jobs' instead, those who preferred to stay on in camps or 'deserted' 'rehabilitation colonies' were given no choice. They had to do as they were told or lose all claim to the meagre benefits on offer. These directives give an insight into the government's view of its responsibilities towards the refugees. By attempting repeatedly to restrict the definition of who could claim to be a 'refugee', government showed that it had to accept, however grudgingly, that it could not altogether avoid responsibility for those displaced by partition. The fine platitude, frequently voiced in the documents of the Rehabilitation Department, was that "to succour and rehabilitate the victims of communal passion [was] an obligation the country [was] solemnly pledged to honour". (Quotation from Bhaskar Rao, The Story of Rehabilitation, p. 229) In practice, however, government strove to limit its liability by cutting its definition of the term 'refugee' to the bone. A refugee, Calcutta declared, was a person who had migrated before the end of June 1948 and registered himself as such before January 1949 - a key device by which government sought to achieve this objective to limit its definition of "partition" itself. By its edict, partition was defined as occurrences, which began in June 1947 (or six months earlier in December 1946 if the refugee had happened to live in Noakhali or Tippera) and abruptly came to an end one year later in June 1948. That partition was a process which began in 1947, but whose impact continued to unfold long after June 1948 was obvious to everyone outside the Writers Building. But by adopting these myopic, self-serving definitions, Bengal's new rulers lost the ability to anticipate and effectively react to the ongoing problems caused by partition. Not surprisingly, they were caught off guard by each new crisis. In a similar vein, 'the government strictly defined what could be deemed to be the effects of partition. According to its taxonomy, "civil disturbances" alone -that is communal violence or discrimination against minorities - were accepted as genuine "effects" of partition. Only those who had fled communal violence were regarded as "genuine" victims of partition and therefore as refugees entitled to protection from the Indian state. But economic hardship in East Bengal - wfiere famine stalked the land and where food cost much more than anywhere else in India - was not accepted as a consequence of partition. It may have been obvious to others that partition had directly and disastrously affected the livelihoods of millions of people, Hindus and Muslims, in both Bengals, but migrants tossed across borders by the pitchfork of necessity were not deemed by government to be genuine victims of partition or as "true" refugees. So it followed that they were not in any sense the responsibility of the Indian state. This helps to explain why the Government of India treated the refugees from Punjab, where communal violence came close to being genocide, so differently from the refugees from East Bengal, where the violence was never remotely on this scale. The Prime Minister justified to the Chief Minister of West Bengal the striking difference in expenditure per capita on refugees in the West and East by arguing that while 'there was something elemental' about the situation in West Pakistan, "where practically all Hindus and Sikhs have been driven out", whereas in the East it was more gradual, and many Hindus had been able to remain. (Jawaharlal Nehru to B.C. Roy, 2 December 1949, cited in Saroj Chakrabarti, With Dr. B.C. Roy, p. 143). The official definition of the refugee as victim deserves closer scrutiny, as it provides another key to assess the tenuous morality behind government's attitude. Only bona-fide victims were entitled to relief and rehabilitation. To be eligible for relief, the victims had to register themselves. In December 1948, when government made public its decision to shut down registration offices by 15 January 1949, it justified the edict by arguing that refugees who were "genuinely interested" had been given "ample time" to register (Relief and Rehabilitation Department, Government of West Bengal, Memo, 20 December 1948, in GB IB 1838/48). This introduced a new refinement to the horrors of partition - a "desperation index" in the procedures by which a refugee was prevented from claiming benefits. If a refugee was truly desperate, government argued, he would have found his way to a registration office by mid-January 1949. It he didn't, that was the proof positive that the person claiming refugee status could not have been sufficiently desperate to require relief. In this way, government at a stroke cut down a huge problem to a size it felt it could handle. This had far-reaching implications for the way in which government responded to 'refugee demands once they came to be voiced in an organised way. By definition, victims are not commanders of their own destiny; victims are not agents. Rather they are the "innocent", passive, objects of persecution, casualties of fate. Significantly, the state's favourite euphemism for refugees was "displaced persons", with connotations of innocent victims dislocated by events in whose shaping they had played no part. This helped government to justify treating the refugees from West Pakistan and East Bengal with such an uneven hand. Nehru's point was that the Punjabis had been driven out from their homes. Bengalis, by contrast, by migrating in fits and starts, proved that they had the option of staying or of leaving. According to the official line, a true refugee or victim had no choice and was not a free agent. He could therefore not be expected to exercise volition, or have any choice over how or when he was to leave the country he lived, and where, when and how he sought refuge in the country he now lived in. By defining refugees in this way, government could argue that it helped refugees not because of any obligation but voluntarily, out of the goodness of its heart. In effect, what the refugee received was charity. Since the recipient of charity has no right over how much or what he is given, so too the refugee had no moral right to relief, nor any say over what was doled out to him. This construction of relief and rehabilitation as charity is seen most explicitly when government decided at a stroke to stop "doles" for able-bodied males and to shut down its camps. In its defence, government insisted that doles were simply a form of official charity. If able-bodied men accepted these handouts, this would erode their moral bier and get them accustomed to a culture of dependency. "Living on the permanent charity of doles" would, it was argued, make them "sink into a state of hopeless demoralisation". Camps, likewise, were seen as "symbols of permanent dependence" (The Story of Rehabilitation, p. 160). So while the refugees survived on the barest rations, government was able to represent its relief to the refugees as "charity" (and to congratulate itself for being so charitable), and at the same time reprimand the refugees for daring to expect its charity. This double-edged policy of charity so dominated official thinking that it suggests that it was the very touchstone of rehabilitation policy. In official pronouncements, the notion that charity bred a demoralising "dependence" inconsistent with manly self-respect was seen as an obvious truth, alluding to what was considered as common currency of Indian culture. But was this view of charity the generally accepted one in a social milieu where dana, dakshina and bhjksha had long been vital elements of religious and social life, and where the renouncer who lived on alms was venerated at least as much as the house-holder? It is by no means clear that it was. By all accounts, this view was of recent origin, even in Europe, where "in the old days, -the beggar who knocked at the rich man's door was regarded as a messenger from God, and might even be Christ in disguise". By the late eighteenth century, accepting charity had already begun to attract social odium; a century later, the wheel had come full circle and charity was seen as "injuring" those it was intended to aid. Likewise it was only in industrial Europe that 'dependency' came to denote a stigmatised condition, appropriate only for women, children and the infirm. When England put its New Poor Law onto the statute book in 1834, this attitude informed the amendment which aimed broth to deter the poor from resorting to public assistance and to stigmatise those who did. By the early twentieth century, dependency had come to be taken as a mark of debility of character rather than a function of poverty. So an able-bodied male who came to be dependent was seen as the epitome of the 'undeserving poor', since it was not poverty, but a man's lack of self-respect, that caused his dependence. And because it was only acceptable for women and children to be dependent, an able-bodied dependent man was seen to have the perceived attributes of women and children: weakness, idleness, passivity and irresponsibility. These imported European attitudes towards charity and dependency were deployed with such great effect by India's policy-makers because in their passage to Bengal, they assumed highly charged local inflections and particular resonances of their own. In one of the deeper ironies of Bengal's modern history, this way of thinking happened to fit neatly with a pre-existing tradition among its colonial masters about the flawed character of the Bengali Hindu male. In the nineteenth century, British officials had conventionally regarded physical weakness and lack of vigour, lethargy, effeminacy and an absence of moral backbone as the very essence of the Bengali babu's being. By the mid-twentieth century, the Bengali Hindu male was thus seen by his imperial critic as a deplorable combination of the worst feminine and childish qualities. Writing on rehabilitation by officers in Delhi and Calcutta unconsciously aped the prejudices of their erstwhile masters, thus bringing together two borrowed traditions-one from Europe and the other from colonial India's recent past - to produce a new and potent stereotype of the Bengali refugee. This characterisation was drawn in counter-point an equally hackneyed, but far more flattering, picture of the Punjabi refugee, whose 'toughness ... sturdy sense of self-reliance... [and] pride' never let them 'submit to the indignity of living on doles and charity'. The Punjabi refugee, heir of the material races who were the darlings of the post-Mutiny Raj, was thus held up by independent Indian officialdom as the model of the 'deserving poor'. (The outrageousness of this statement is apparent given that Government allocated many thousand acres of land to the Punjabis, disbursed Rs 11 million among them for the purchase of livestock, and a gave them a further Rs 44 million in grants, loans and advances). The contrast drawn by the officials between the Punjabi and the Bengali refugee could hardly have been sharper. The "character of the refugees themselves" was blamed for the failings of the rehabilitation effort in West Bengal. The official view was that his very disposition rendered the Bengali male refugee prone to fall into a state f dependency and therefore incapable of breaking out of it. Whereas "in the West, the refugee matched government efforts on his behalf with an overwhelming passion to be absorbed into the normal routine of living", in Bengal, "the government had to supply the initiative as well as the motive power. To overcome the apathy, even the sullenness, of the displaced person was itself no small task. It called for patience and tact, endless sympathy joined to occasional firmness..." Here, the thesis brought together two different lines f argument. The first was that their qualities of character included a psychological dependency amongst Bengali ales, which rendered them incapable of making rational decisions for themselves. Because they were dependent, any judgment of their own about themselves and their lives and times had no value: it was as feeble and untrustworthy s the judgment of women and children.The second line of argument, again borrowed from the vocabulary of the Raj, was that the state's relation to this dross of humankind was that of, surrogate patar families or benevolent despot. Because the refugees had placed themselves in its care, government had a duty to decide what was best for them. Government saw itself as standing in for the male breadwinner in relation to these unfortunates and therefore entitled to assert all the moral authority over them that a male breadwinner enjoys over his dependants. Yet the refugees never made an issue of these contradictions. One reason might be that the impact of both constructions on their rights tended to be much the same in practice. If refugees were to be seen as dependent members of the national family, they could claim rights to maintenance only by virtue of their dependent status, and as dependants they were denied any other rights. If they were represented as recipients of voluntary charity, they had no claims whatever over the source of the charity. Indeed the very fact that they took charity showed them, in the official view, to be so 'psychologically dependent' that they were not fit to determine their own destinies. So the net effect of both positions-however mutually inconsistent-on refugees rights, could 10:10:20 PM Posted By palashchandra biswas Comments (2) Society Comments Chandil Monday, October 30, 2006 10:14:50 PM E Bhai, yeh blog hai yah dissertation? K.Venugopal Tuesday, October 31, 2006 9:01:49 AM India has to be declared as homeland of the Hindus, affording automatic citizenship to Hindus from any part of the globe.

Welcome

Tuesday, October 31, 2006 Welcome Welcome to my blog. This is my first post and my future posts should be precise, on a significant topic and unbiased (to the best of my ability) 3:52:32 AM Posted By Anil Sedha Comments (1) Politics Comments K.Venugopal Tuesday, October 31, 2006 8:55:24 AM Look forward to your blogs.

If I don't fight for myself, how can I fight for my country?

Tuesday, October 31, 2006 If I Dont Fight For Myself How Can I Fight For My Country? Every person is attacked in life at some point of time. In the same way I am attacked just because I exercise my right to write blogs. There is a brigade which cannot tolerate to read or view the other side especially when it becomes the post of the day. As long as their own set is out there it has no problem. If I write serious poetry it has a problem. If I write happy poetry it has a problem. If I write about a Kantabai it has a problem If I write about PSBs it has a problem.Some wellwishers advise me to ignore. But it makes that scum bolder.Who is throwing tantrums whenever my blog appears?IF I DONT FIGHT FOR MYSELF HOW CAN I FIGHT FOR MY COUNTRY?A Vinod Mehta, a Vir Sanghvi or a Barkha Dutt can afford to ignore the hate mail. But a blogger has no such luxury. Bloggers are like foot soldiers. They have to be in the midst of a battlefield. Once a soldier gives up he is finished. 6:07:08 AM Posted By chandra shant Comments (1) Uncategorized Comments K.Venugopal Tuesday, October 31, 2006 8:50:02 AM Go on writing man, if you enjoy it. Criticisms are part of life. Even brickbats are.

True Secularism

Monday, October 30, 2006 TRUE SECULARISM I will tell you what secularism is.Secularism is making minorities feel safe.Giving them an extra yard.Not to push them into a corner.Not cribbing about Haj subsidies.Not making fun of them.Not making them accountable for everything not in their hands.Try to keep your house first in order.You are also a minority once you step out of your country.You admit your own children into Christian run schools.And you burn Stains and gloat over it with not a bit of remorse. 6:41:56 AM Posted By chandra shant Comments (2) Uncategorized Comments jkeshav Monday, October 30, 2006 7:04:44 AM Chandrashant you are right till the last line. I am sure vast majority of the majority community did not gloat over the death of Stains and that there was a lot of remorse which accompanied these horrible deaths. And believe me not many raised their hands in protests when accused were sentenced to death. Correct me if I am wrong.... K.Venugopal Monday, October 30, 2006 9:10:43 AM Secularism is making Indians feel that they are Indians first and last.

Islam = Religion of Peace?

Post a Comment On: Connect the Dots 2006 "Islam = Religion of Peace? Riiiggghhhhtttt..." 1 Comment - Hide Original Post Daniel Pipes has an enlightening article in NY Sun 9/26, also posted on his website, entitled: "Intimidating the West, from Rushdie to Benedict." [NY Sun title: "A Look at Islamic Violence"]In the article, Mr. Pipes chronicles six major events that have occurred since 1989, where the religion of peace™ has been set off by an incident with the west. Clear evidence that United States involvement in Iraq is not the cause of terrorism, but Islam itself is the cause.1989 – Salman Rushdie's novel, The Satanic Verses prompted Ayatollah Khomeini to issue a death edict against him and his publishers, on the grounds that the book "is against Islam, the Prophet, and the Koran." Subsequent rioting led to over 20 deaths, mostly in India.1997 – The U.S. Supreme Court refused to remove a 1930s frieze showing Muhammad as lawgiver that decorates the main court chamber; the Council on American-Islamic Relations made an issue of this, leading to riots and injuries in India.2002 – The American evangelical leader Jerry Falwell calls Muhammad a "terrorist," leading to church burnings and at least 10 deaths in India.2005 – An incorrect story in Newsweek, reporting that American interrogators at Guantánamo Bay, "in an attempt to rattle suspects, flushed a Qur'an down a toilet," is picked up by the famous Pakistani cricketer, Imran Khan, and prompts protests around the Muslim world, leading to at least 15 deaths.February 2006 – The Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten publishes twelve cartoons of Muhammad, spurring a Palestinian Arab imam in Copenhagen, Ahmed Abdel Rahman Abu Laban, to excite Muslim opinion against the Danish government. He succeeds so well, hundreds die, mostly in Nigeria.September 2006 – Pope Benedict XVI quotes a Byzantine emperor's views that what is new in Islam is "evil and inhuman," prompting the firebombing of churches and the murder of several Christians.The very people who need to understand what's going on in islam won't read this article. You should read it in its entirety so you can accurately discuss the issue of "islam good, west bad" with the lefty nutjobs.Religion of peace. Riiggghhhttt. posted by Connect the Dots 2006 at 3:23 AM on Sep 29 2006 Venu said... I agree with you that Islam is dangerous because it propagates that it alone is the true religion. Unfortunately, the Church too propagates that Christianity is the only true religion. I say unfortunate because Christ was truly a man of peace and his Sermon on the Mount is religion at its zenith. Fortunately, Christianity has in the course of its journey put the Church in a corner and Christian societies are secular and democratic. Those like me, who are Hindus, find only one fault now with Christianity - its missionaries who seek to convert. Conversion is pernicious because it seeks to say that other religions are false and it alone is true. Seek not to convert but to celebrate all religions - this is the message I wish to give Christians. I give it because I feel that Christians are almost there as far as freedom of religions is concerned. Islam, I am afraid, has a long way to go. They have got first to have democracy and secularism 11:06 AM, October 29, 2006 Venu, thanks for the comment. One thing you have to understand about most religion is that one who is very zealous about their faith, one who believes it so strongly, they want to share that faith with others. I have to admit I know nothing about Hinduism; I'm busy enough trying to figure out the mysteries of my own faith.In the case of Christianity, and specifically Catholicism, we feel the joy and peace bestowed upon us by Father, Son and Holy Spirit is so special we want to share that with others.I've never really actively tried to convert others to my faith, but I am more than willing to share how I feel it's affected me. Another important issue with religions is their desire to be self-sustaining. That's why islam requires forceful conversion; and why religions like Catholicism are against contraception. And, if there were no missionaries, the Church couldn't reach others whose souls they believe need saving from eternal damnation.I'm so disturbed by islam because of its manifest to spread itself by the sword (or AK-47, or suicide bomber), not peaceful, intellectual conversion. At 8:57 AM, October 30, 2006, Venu said... I cannot but accept all you’ve said because your sincerity is very transparent. In other words, you don’t mean to be threatening with your religion. This is the way it should be. Not surprising. Jesus was (is) a man of peace. But there are folks (in all religions, I must say) who are rather intimidating with their religion. The black sheep, I suppose. Best wishes to you.

Sants will go marching

Sants will go to every district to garner support for Ram Temple 10/28/2006 8:38:02 AM VHP-New Delhi New Delhi, 28 October : The highest body of Ram Temple agitation Ram Mandir Nirman Uchhadhikar Samiti has planned out a comprehensive programme to reach out to every district headquarters of India to give the momentum to ongoing Ram temple movement. President of the highest decision making body of Ram temple movement His Holiness Jagadguru Shankaracharya Swami Vasudevanand Saraswati announced here today that samiti will organise Hindu conferences and public meetings in all district headquarters of India between 1 to 6 December to mobilise Hindus and strengthening their resolve for construction of Ram temple as well. Swamiji said every district headquarters would organise these public meetings with help of Hindu orgnisations and like-minded organisations to secure more and more participation of Hindu community. Reiterating the resolve of sants to built Ram temple in Ayodhya he elaborated the comprehensive programme and declared that in every public meetings people will be asked to accept four resolutions which the highest decision making body of Ram temple movement passed unanimously in its last convention on 15 September 2006 in New Delhi comprising 1-Ram temple will be built at the same place where today Ramlala is situated 2-No mosque will be allowed within cultural boundary of Ayodhya 3- No mosque will be allowed in the name of invader Baber. 4- Ram temple will be built with same stones of Ramjanmabhoomi Nyas which are stored after furnishing. They are the stones for which devotees of three lakh villages donated 1.25 rupee each in 1989-90. Sankaracharya also declared that signature campaign would also be launched among saints of every district, village and province to adopt the same Re: Saints will go to every district to garner support for Ram Temple K. Venugopal 10/28/2006 11:25:10 AM Please avoid using the word 'saint' when we actually mean 'sant'. The former is of Christian connotation while the later is a word etched in Hinduism.

We don't see things as they are, we seem them as we are.

"We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are." This must be one of the greatest sayings of all time. A religion, an entire philosophy, a way of living - why what is there that cannot be built on this pithy little saying? Congrats for quoating it. Who is Anais Nin?

From Hindu Brahmin to Islam

Saturday, October 28, 2006 FROM HINDU BRAHMIN TO ISLAM My Jourey To Islam Those whom Allah (in His Plan) willeth to guide He openeth their breast to Islam; those whom He willeth to leave straying He maketh their breast close and constricted as if they had to climb up to the skies: thus doth Allah (heap) the penalty on those who refuse to believe. {Surah: Al An’am(07); Ayah #125} Allah’s grace that I'm blessed with deen of Allah, I’m Mohammed Umar Rao from India, I embraced Islam 6 years back at the age of 18. I wanted to share my story with you all perhaps this would make a difference for non Muslims to really think over to know what is the truth .I shared my story with 2 brothers, Alhamdulillah, they were convinced that my decision and choice is best, they started reading Qur’an and also embraced it few days back. My Background:I come from a middle class orthodox Brahmin family; my parents worked in private firms (Mother: Teacher, Father: Textile Engineer). My religious education was at my maternal uncle’s place, that's how I became orthodox and my whole family education was always against Muslims, which was nailed in me deeply. I was associated with RSS for few years; I always hated Muslims to the extent that in all public functions I wanted to give high volume for music sound boxes to ensure that the Adhaan should not be heard at all. I used to go round the town visiting all temples to complete my worship everyday. I was liked, appreciated in family for being orthodox and encouraged to do more. My Meeting with Islam:In the summer, my mother asked me to work for a Muslim business firm, which I disagreed, because from childhood I always hated Muslims. My mother stopped forcing me on this; I worked few summers with a non-Muslim so I was able to satisfy my parents. Later, I quit that part time job because I did not like the job and started concentrating more on studies aiming for a better job. Meantime, my mother, sisters worked 2 months in part time for this Muslim brother. They were highly impressed with him. I always hated this person because I did not like the fact that my people were praising a Muslim whom I always hated. I was pushed and insulted for not being useful to the family, so I started working for the same Muslim brother though I hated him before going. After getting in his shop I started hating more because the non Muslim employees of that shop embraced Islam, I took this challenge to teach him a lesson claiming my religion is true and from there, I started doing comparative study with whatever common sense which Allah had blessed me then. By now, in the verge to know more about Islam, I started reading English translation of the Holy Qur’an (By: Abdullah Yousuf Ali). This changed my entire student life; I was stuck with fear, doubts, I realized the fact that whatever I’m doing is wrong, my religion is all about imaginations/myths and false stories. I had many questions, doubts like where am I heading to, what should I do? What is my duty? Why has the message of truth not reached all of us? Many questions came to my mind and my entire student life went in this hunt of truth. I started questioning my parents, people around that who has seen God almighty to paint / make images of God, all answered me that none has seen God which is so true as it is mentioned in many places in The Qur’an. Finally, some mythological stories broke my faith down. The stories of Ganesha, Chamundeswari, Ram, Sita etc did not make sense to me. I could no longer imagine them as gods. When I questioned my parents that Vedas are against Idol Worship and why do we still practice it, my mother scolded me saying we are supposed to do it as our forefathers did it, the next day I read a verse in the Qur’an, Al Baqarah (Chapter 2) which reads “If truth has come to you, Will you still follow footsteps of fools who went before?” and “We will not ask you about what they did, nor ask them about what you do , every soul has will get it has earned”. When I read this I was shocked to see something which I just questioned my mother last night. This ayah (verse) hit me right deep inside. I slowly stopped worshipping idols, and stopped doing Pooja (Editor’s note: A Hindu ritual for prayer), since shirk (Polytheism) is the only sin which will never be forgiven. I started practicing the teachings of Islam in secret in the beginning. There were few quotes from chapter Al Baqarah (Chapter 2) in which Allah says " There are few, who accept Islam wherever it profits them and not whole heartedly, these are hypocrites", Also chapter Al Maidah (Chapter 3) "I perfected your religion this day, I choose Islam for you, no other religion will be accepted by your Lord, Know that Allah is All wise”. I realized that for all the questions that I have in my mind, the answers are present in the Qur’an. By grace of Allah, I started conveying message of Allah at my home with little knowledge I had, I wanted to complete my B.E meantime, conveying the truth would make it easy in the long run for me and my family, but after my final year of diploma I was pushed to wall, then the time came where I had no choice but to quit my family, my sister also embraced Islam and she joined me. We had to live out of our house for more than a year without a job, regular source of income. Alhamdulillah, Allah made our ways easy to be firm on truth. As Allah says in the Qur’an "If they say we believe, don't you think they will be tested?" Over a period, Alhamdulillah, Allah opened doors of opportunities for us, I had quit my previous job as I was unable to perform my five times prayer, All the opportunities that came my way were from the mechanical industry which demanded that I work in shift and compromise my prayer. After quitting that job / mechanical profession for 1+ year, I did not get any job where I can perform 5 times prayer, Grace of Allah, I started working as faculty for 2000 rupees for a year and now I'm blessed with a better Job. By the Grace of Allah, Almighty Allah has chosen us, there's nothing more required. Muhammed Umar Rao 3:47:11 PM Posted By Mohammed Irshad Hussain Comments (9) Society Comments chittaranjan Saturday, October 28, 2006 4:30:12 PM What is it you want to say? What has brahmanism got to do with what u r saying? You mean to meant that some xtra spl because you were once brahmin? Nonsense.I am Hindu and Brahmin and strong supporter of RSS, but i never got the feelings of hate towards muslims like u had initially. U have some problems. Sorry kid. sud Saturday, October 28, 2006 4:31:20 PM My friend it is u r choice . The same way you did analysis on islam u did not do on Hinduism and vedas . Probably u could have got answers to many of u r questions . Pls understand that all religions r one and same . But we Hindus r more tolerant , educated .The surroundings in muslims r not good they love to kill . When u r Roman u do as they do . I have respect to ISlam but i never want to follow it .May lord Krishna bless u and u r sister . Irshad4u Saturday, October 28, 2006 4:57:47 PM Follow ture Just don't do what You r fore fathers are doing for name sake You may have heard the story of the woman who routinely cut the ends off each roast before placing it in a pan. One day her husband asked why she did so, and she responded that she didn't really know, it was something her mother had always done. The husband then asked the mother-in-law why she always cut the ends off a roast prior to placing it in the pan and she answered it was something she'd always watched her own mother do. Finally, the husband confronted the grandmother-in-law and again asked the purpose in cutting the ends off the roast. "Oh, that," replied the elderly woman. "My roast pan was small. I always had to cut the ends off to make it fit."Many of us routinely do things a certain way because we've always done it that way or we were taught to do something in a certain way and never considered change. We might be better served, however, if moment by moment we routinely questioned our actions, implementing improvements as necessary and continually forcing ourselves to think "outside the box" of how it has always been done. Sometimes we just need to remind ourselves that life doesn't come in a box.And it doesn't need to be lived that way either. Bhagwad Geeta 7:20 The most popular amongst all the Hindu scriptures is the Bhagwad Geeta. Bhagwad Geeta mentions in Chapter 7, Verse 20, “Those whose intelligence has been stolen by material desires worship demigods” that is “Those who are materialistic, they worship demigods” i.e. besides the true God. lalluu Saturday, October 28, 2006 5:31:46 PM You converted at the tender age of 18, and before that you were a serious cadre of RSS for a few years. You must be a prodigy! vijay Saturday, October 28, 2006 5:32:13 PM Hi Md. Umar Rao, what is the point you are trying to make thru this blog? To me, it seems a story of "Bagal me Chhora, gao bhar dhindora. Like Sud mentioned, if you had looked at the Vedas or Geeta (if you had one at your former Brahminical place), you would have found the same things mentioned.No religion is different from any other in content. Try to understand this fact. Wish you a happier life anyway... INDIAN Saturday, October 28, 2006 5:52:30 PM MOHAMMED IRSHAD HUSSEIN IS MENTALLY RETARTED MAN. PEOPLES LIKE IRSHAD IS CANCER FOR THE SOCIETY. PLEASE NOTE "ULLU KO RAAT ME DHIKAI NAHE DETA USME SURAJ KA KYA DOSH HAI?" be_patriotic Saturday, October 28, 2006 6:01:08 PM What crap is this?What is the author trying to convey?You are misguided and you are not taught about the basics of Hinduism. You are one of many who mug up in the last minute and vomit in the exams. You do not understand fundamentals.I know you are dishonest. you had never been a hindu. By writing such blogs and wasting others time, you have disobeyed your religion and holy kuran.May allah bless you!FYI, I am a hindu and have always respected by muslim brothers and sisters. Do you? opinionblogs Saturday, October 28, 2006 6:33:05 PM If you are happy with Islam, be.But friend, your logic is just not right. You dont seem to me well versed with the principles of either religion. To make a wise decision you need to be sure of the spiritual aspects.And who are you to degrade hinduism? We can have a useless debate here, islam versus hinduism. The debate has existed for cenuries. But that isnt the point. Dont degrade any religion. We hindus are anyway better off without prodigals like you. K.Venugopal Saturday, October 28, 2006 9:11:41 PM Dear Muhammed Umar Rao (or should I be addressing this to Mohammed Irshad Hussain?), Anyway, here goes my question. Allah said: "I perfected your religion this day, I choose Islam for you, no other religion will be accepted by your Lord, Know that Allah is All wise”. Is Allah addressing the reader of the Quran, mankind at large or just Mohammad? Is Allah himself claiming that he is All wise or is it Mohammad praising his God? I feel Krishna is wiser than Allah. Krishna said there are many paths to Him. Allah chooses the path - does not give man the freedom to choose his path. Rao, re-convert to Hinduism! K.Venugopal Saturday, October 28, 2006 9:20:05 PM When Allah says, "I perfected your religion this day", does it mean that Allah did an imperfect job before? This can't be, how can God make mistakes? Such quotations from the Quran are illogical. Islam is on a weak wicket. K. Venugopal Saturday, October 28, 2006 9:23:39 PM "Those whom Allah (in His Plan) willeth to guide He openeth their breast to Islam; those whom He willeth to leave straying He maketh their breast close and constricted as if they had to climb up to the skies: thus doth Allah (heap) the penalty on those who refuse to believe."How can Allah show partiality? Quran appears to have caricatured Allah! K.Venugopal Saturday, October 28, 2006 9:32:32 PM Rao was an easy prey. He got swayed at an impressionable age. In Kerala there is a writer of national renowned - Kamala Suraiya. She converted to Islam in rather advanced years. Reports now suggest she is lamenting her decision. Which reminds me of the Bangladeshi author of Lajja. She is not very proud of Islam, is she? I say, let there be true secularism and democracy in Muslim societies. They would turn Hindu faster then you might anticipate. This is why Muslim society keeps its members in religious isolation and none of the over 50 Muslim countries are secular or democratic.

Stoneager

Friday, October 27, 2006 Stonager I feel very frustrated and distraught, like many others belonging to the stone age, about the state of the polity and the levels to which society is descending in all aspects of life. Very few respect law, very few are uncorruptible, very few have respect for other persons. Distressing ! Come all ye stone agers--let us do something. To start with, each of us will resolve to respect law even if it is inconvenient or expensive or risky. Let us start with small things--obey traffic rules, give no bribe whatever the provocation, say a kind word to the vendor or the shop employee. And so build on. 4:21:27 PM Posted By Dorai swamy Comments (1) Musings Comments K. Venugopal Friday, October 27, 2006 11:33:10 PM That's the spirit. Instead of cursing the darkness, let us each light a lamp. Count me as a member of your tribe!

Intro

Friday, October 27, 2006 intro Hello everyone.I m new to write a blog and have joined to discuss about politics,society,education,... Any discussions on 'creamy layer'? 5:15:12 PM Posted By soumya nath Comments (2) Society Comments ramhyd Friday, October 27, 2006 5:37:57 PM Today's newspapers carry a news item that Supreme Court have said that theirs will be the final word on fundamental rights. They have also laid down the standards for testing the validity of the Constitution-amending powers of the Parliament. If sense and decorum prevails, this should be accepted by the politicians and they should stop populism and votebank politics. Otherwise, India will be doomed, not only for the immediate future but also for generations! K.Venugopal Friday, October 27, 2006 11:27:41 PM In principle I feel that the Parliament, as the representative forum for all Indians, should have the last say on anything. Alas, our politicians are not all men of integrity. But then we get the leaders we deserve. Therefore we, the people of India, should discipline ourselves to be worthy of the great nation that India is. Easier said than done but we have no choice. We have to discipline ourselves, whatever it takes.

Please please see this video

Friday, October 27, 2006 please ... please ... see this video dear brothers i would strongly stronlgy urge all of you to view this video it is about the wonderful work done by the sangh. i promise there is not a single soul that will not be moved after viewing this video. i hope a paradigm shift will take place http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1013666219441914390 6:34:00 PM Posted By jumbo jumbo Comments (2) Musings Comments smartdust2003 Friday, October 27, 2006 7:35:06 PM it is very nice K.Venugopal Friday, October 27, 2006 11:01:35 PM The documentary is a tour de force. The organization Dr. Hedgewar founded continues to be a vibrant one. What is impressive is the dedicated cadres it has to run these projects and its organizational excellence to ensure that these projects are exemplary ones under all standards of measure. The RSS is indeed the heart of India.

Bangladeshi in Gurgaon

Monday, October 23, 2006 Bangladeshi in Gurgaon During last several years, Gurgaon has seen unprecented rise of illegal Bangaldeshi aliens,most of them are involved in menial jobs, domestic helps, drivers cleaners rickshaw pullers ,security guards and construction workers. Gurgaon is the most popular destination for IT and ITes in India, in addition , lot of other national and multi national companies are setting up their bases , Gaurgaon is also becoming automobile hub of India. As such Gurgaon is a very sensitive location , presence of such a large number of Bangaldeshis pose a great security threat to the nation. This should also be seen in the light of the fact that Pakistani intelligence agency ISI is now operating from Bangaldesh , Indian security agecies should be more careful about the presence of such large number Bangaldeshis in Gurgaon . These Bangaldeshis may be very poor , but it is possible that ISI in the grab of such illegal aliens , can send some of their operatives for terrorist activities. 5:12:46 PM Posted By Manish Chowdhary Comments (1) Politics Comments K.Venugopal Tuesday, October 24, 2006 10:38:45 PM There must be a major drive to deport illegal immigrants. The Marxist government in Bengal has made the border porous.

My destiny: Can somebody give input?

Monday, October 23, 2006 My destiny :Can somebody give Input ?? Hi Friends .I am Biswas Bhargavan From Bangalore Today I am In this blog For the first time and the last time .I need to share my unique experience with you all .I have a friend Named SS Sadanand .We are very usual friends like any body else and still we are friends for the past five to six years.There was one problem with Sadanand was even he was very well paid even better than me He never had money with him But he had money for a essential needs but no savings as such .He went to Onsite And he earned a quite good amount of money .As soon as he came back one of his close friends came and took a loan of 2 lakh from him Then he got married .All his savings again went off .And the worst point is the guys who took loan from him would go into a miserable state after and was unable to pay him back .Being in this state once I decided to meet an Vedic astrologer with him .I myself was in not as bad as financially as him still I had lost money is shares and many other business ventures but I have some certain capital as my saving as we all have .So on a Thursday we went to met an astrologer.After seeing his Kundali /Jataka He analyzed for 5/10 min and told that My friend Sadanand was debited to Lord Kubera .I didn’t understand and again asked what exactly we was trying to say .Then he told that this was a rare case Mr Sadanand is debited to Kubera in this reincarnation So money wont stay with him all would eventually go to lord Kubera So that is why he would always be bankrupt but will definitely have enough money for all his immediate need .So what was way out for this I asked .He suggested to offer Prayers to Lord Kubera so that he may forgive your debt .He was some what convinced and we went back .After three days one Idea Hit me .I went to his house causally one day and while coming back I went to his bed room and kept a 500Rs note beneath his book went out ,He didn’t know that .Then he asked me “other day did you loose any money in my house” I told “NO ” Then he told I found in some money on my table The I told it may be yours only ! Days passed by …and after one week Some thing amazing happened Share value touched ten thousand mark and within small span it touched 12 thousand mark I had huge profit in share market .My hotel business which was dull from couple of years saw a sudden rise in customers I renovated it And it was in full fledge .But still I didn’t actually know how all the good fortunes came together .Then suddenly I realized my trick paid off I was helping Mr. Sadanand to recover the Kuber’s debt I didn’t tell him. It was diffucilt for me to every time give him money So I took him to An ICICI bank in Bangalore and opened an account for him in his name .He is still wondering why did I do that ?? Now it was easy For me I directly deposited money in his account Monthly I deposit 100 Rs to his account through net itself .It really worked for me .Even I suggested this to my uncle who had a jewelry /Finance shop in my native .But he was not at all convinced by what I was telling, Then I told him just put 100 Rs and you may get luck .Reluctantly he did that he did that .Now he deposits money before me itself .He is really very happy with his business .He just want to meet Sadanand once now .I know most of you may definitely not agree with me in this Hi Fi age of internet/Blue-chip But really worked for me and uncle .I just need to know if any body have come across such things or heard of it .Or it is a mere coincidence .I don’t know.If you want to try it out you mail me biswas_bhargavan@redifmail.com . 11:40:05 AM Posted By Biswas Bhargavan Comments (14) Society Comments Rajesh Raguveer Monday, October 23, 2006 11:55:57 AM Hi ..Good story May be it may be true Can you Put the account details in this blog it slef So that I can try it out ashwinrj Monday, October 23, 2006 12:34:36 PM Dont Frauds like you have no other places other than blogs to perpetrate your lies. Salle Bluffmaster dekh ke inspire ho gaye kya ? Dr Manath Monday, October 23, 2006 12:55:43 PM May it is fraud or may be true.But storry narration is good.Good luck to you Roshappy Monday, October 23, 2006 1:05:51 PM Hi Biswas ..I trust you .Dont know I always believe all stuff like this aftabon Tuesday, October 24, 2006 12:12:38 AM May be its true but its ridicuolous to find you POST OF THE DAY!!Soemthing is wrong with NDTV BLOGS Raja Tuesday, October 24, 2006 2:04:34 AM Ek aur lawda ka baal fraud!! Tony2 Tuesday, October 24, 2006 2:12:23 AM Best input for you is a cocckk up your arse... Ravi Tuesday, October 24, 2006 7:24:51 AM Whats wrong with you man. U seem u got couple of screws lost. Why u waste everyones precious time. Please do not spoil these blogs for stupid issues like this. Please write useful blogs not trash like this u pot head. muyal Tuesday, October 24, 2006 9:22:41 AM There is nothing vedic about the shares or stock market.Joint Stock Company and the stock exchange manipulations are inventions of a recent generation, manipulated by a closed circle of businessmen until the IT revolutionized the same.This guy is trying to pull a fast one taking advantage of the faith of public in Vedic scriptures. sachin sharma Tuesday, October 24, 2006 10:58:23 AM hey who is making these things blogs of the day....NDTV check this out man.... sachin sharma Tuesday, October 24, 2006 11:06:27 AM hey who is making these things blogs of the day....NDTV check this out man.... Deep Tuesday, October 24, 2006 9:18:10 PM how can anyone trust a story like this ?..........NDTV should not allow this kind of blogs as post of the day atleast counterpoint Tuesday, October 24, 2006 9:40:26 PM To,Whoever is selecting the blog of the day,You need a doctor.I can't believe this is the post of the day. I thought the NDTV site would be a practical, sensible platform to post blogs. I now think who ever is selecting the blog of the day has gone completely nuts!! It's time to start posting blogs elsewhere. K.Venugopal Tuesday, October 24, 2006 10:01:25 PM What this Biswas Bhargavan is saying is, "Put Rs.100 every month into my account and Lord Kubera will help you." It certainly will help Biswas Bhargavan, if no one else.

Iraq: Real Interesting Facts

Tuesday, October 24, 2006 Iraq : Real Intresting Facts Read all of this one, it is interesting!! Read down to the very bottom highlighted in green, you don't want to miss this! VERY INTERESTING- 1. The Garden of Eden was in Iraq. 2. Mesopotamia, which is now Iraq, was the cradle of civilization! 3. Noah built the ark in Iraq. 4. The Tower of Babel was in Iraq 5. Abraham was from Ur, which is in Southern Iraq! 6. Isaac's wife Rebekah is from Nahor, which is in Iraq! 7. Jacob me t Rachel in Iraq. 8. Jonah preached in Nineveh - which is in Iraq. 9. Assyria, which is in Iraq, conquered the ten tribes of Israel. 10. Amos cried out in Iraq! 11.Babylon, which is in Iraq, destroyed Jerusalem. 12. Daniel was in the lion's den in Iraq! 13. The three Hebrew children were in the fire in Iraq (Jesus had been in Iraq also as the fourth person in the Fiery furnace!) 14. Belshazzar, the King of Babylon saw the "writing on the wall" in Iraq. 15. Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, carried the Jews captive into Iraq. 16. Ezekiel preached in Iraq. 17. The wise men were from Iraq. 18. Peter preached in Iraq. 19. The "Empire of Man" described in Revelation is called Babylon, which was a city in Iraq! And you have probably seen this one. Israel is the nation most often mentioned in the Bible. But do you know which nation is second? It is Iraq! However, that is not the name that is used in the Bible The names used in the Bible are Babylon, Land of Shinar, and Mesopotamia . The word Mesopotamia means between the two rivers, more exactly between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. The name Iraq, means country with deep roots. Indeed Iraq is a country with deep roots and is a very significant country in the Bible. No other nation, except Israel, has more history and prophecy associated it than Iraq. And also, This is something to think about! Since America is typically represented by an eagle. Saddam should have read up on his Muslim passages... The following verse is from the Koran, (the Islamic Bible) Koran (9:11 ) - For it is written that a son of Arabia would awaken a fearsome Eagle. The wrath of the Eagle would be felt throughout the lands of Allah and lo, while some of the people trembled in despair still more rejoiced; for the wrath of the Eagle cleansed the lands of Allah; and there was peace.. (Note the Verse Number.. hmmmmmm..!!!!) 10:02:11 AM Posted By Joseph Meagher Comments (3) Musings Comments raj1057 Tuesday, October 24, 2006 10:53:44 AM Nice one Joseph. Veerryyy Interesting. Joseph Tuesday, October 24, 2006 12:11:53 PM Thanks.. I really found it wierd myself.. but it True.. and one can't deny the facts.. K.Venugopal Tuesday, October 24, 2006 9:29:16 PM Dear Joseph, In these days of the internet, anything can be checked and verified within minutes. In appears that the 9:11 Quran quotation of yours is not correct. The correct quotation reads as under:"But (even so), if they repent, establish regular prayers, and practise regular charity, they are your brethren in Faith: (thus) do We explain the Signs in detail, for those who understand."That the whole of Chapter 9 including verse 11 is a treatise against the "pagans" is another matter. Muslims might like to link it with a treaty Mohammad had with the Jews and the breaking of the treaty etc. and say it was a local matter. But when the chapter makes Allah say, “Whenever there cometh down a Sura, they look at each other, (saying), "Doth anyone see you?" Then they turn aside: Allah hath turned their hearts (from the light); for they are a people that understand not”, I wonder why on earth should God turn anyone’s heart from light? Instead of religion being an exposition of truth (not merely truth as in facts, but truth as in sensitivity, culture, light etc.), the Quran seems to have made God a force like the “force of the Eagle” in the hoax quote.

Eid - a big confusion every year

Tuesday, October 24, 2006 Eid -- a big confusion every year On Eid , I have come to Office and looking foolish for none is around and my colleauges are making call on my mobile every minute to confirm whether it's " declared " holiday or not ? Those who went outstation don't understand that incoming calls outside Delhi are not free and my post-paid Hutch Bill is increasing ! Plus I am unhappy for having paid to bus fare and now going back . What can I do ? Can I share agony with you thru Office pc ? To start with , like every year , 2006 also had big confusion on Eid. Calendars & holiday list declared it for 25 th Oct so Govt employees left for their home etc on Diwali on 20th evening with RETURN-reservation , BHAI-DOOJ , other journey plans for 25th instant. Those who were in Delhi / NCR etc applied for RH ( restricted holiday ) for 24th for Bhai-dooj. But about 11 am in morning y'day on 24th , all offices were abuzz that Eid may be proponed . So everybody was making calls / enquiries on Mobile etc. Everyone glued to TV at 7pm & relieved to know that there is no change in date of 25th . But morning paper came and declared for 24th . By this time some had already left for office like me . Worst is position of Banks / office sunder negotiable act as nobody directs them ! In Delhi offices are closed but Haryana Govt is yet to decide for 24th !! So it's big confusion around. More hilarious is position of couples --one working in Delhi and another in NCR . And most confusing is the position if spouse is to visit sister on bhai-dooj ----so holiday depends on so many factors , namely , if sister / brother in law is in i) Govt or semi-Govt or office under Negotiable act ii) Delhi or Haryana That is , so many permutations , combinations !!!! But how non office-goers (likes of Shahi Imam ) can understand all this ? For them it 's time to get publicity & have FRONT page headline :-- " Shahi Imam has declared ........" So for just fun , this dram is being done. If lunar eclipse can be declared 10 years in advance , cannot EId be decided at least 1 week in advance ? Can't help of advanced scientific / astronomy instruments be taken ? Who is responsible for all this wastage of office hours particularly Banks as public does not know whether they are open or not ? Would somebody reduce this confusion for 2007 onward ?????????? 10:57:33 AM Posted By t reddy Comments (1) Musings Comments K.Venugopal Tuesday, October 24, 2006 8:17:07 PM Dear Reddy, It is Islamic tradition that a local Mullah, or his appointee, ventures into the sea or wherever to catch a glimpse of the moon. If he doesn't, then it is one extra day fasting. Since the Muslims have it all worked out vis-à-vis the geographical jurisdiction of the Mullah and the sighting or non-sighting effect, why should anyone else have a problem? You are reducing a quaint tradition (I see much poetry around the sighting or non-sighting of the moon) to mere conveniences of a holiday. Moreover, having a fixed holiday, like Christmas on December 25th, has its charms, but a holiday about which no one will have a clue till the last moment is also romantic. Com’on Mr. Reddy, see things philosophically.

Mama Test - Baba Test

Tuesday, October 24, 2006 MamaTest- Baba Test Following tests are prescribed to see whether your actions are morally correct or not in Shiv Khera's book ( Book is really very good): Mama Test: See whether mother would like your action, if yes, you are correct/ action is correct Baba Test: See if thing is done by your children whether u would like or not. But where values of whole society are changing , I doubt the accuracy of these tests. 11:26:53 AM Posted By Om Prakash Comments (1) Lifestyle Comments K.Venugopal Tuesday, October 24, 2006 7:57:08 PM Morality is universal, whether Mama likes it or not. Either an action is moral or immoral. There is no such thing as different people different morals.

Tamil Film Heroes

Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Tamil Film Heros
If you are a Tamilian and have been watching movies in the last 10 years or so, it would have disgusted you to find that unlike in the past, anyone and everyone has started acting as heros in films. It appears that to be a film hero, like to be a politician, there are no qualifications or eligbility criteria.
On the basis of my own yardsticks such as ability to differentiate between characters portrayed in different films, ability to characterise the roles, ability to show emotions and feelings associated with the character, proper dialogue delivery, decency of expressions etc., I feel that there are only very few actors who can be considered fit to act as heros in Tamil movies presently. They are: (1) Vikram (2) Madhavan (3) Arjun
On the other hand, there are many, who must be discouraged from acting as heros in films. I don't want to take names for the sake of not hurting them but I can give a clue - most of these are sons of film personalities! These fellows are churning out unbearable junk repeatedly and I sincerely sympathise the film going public in Tamilnadu.
5:08:19 PM
Posted By Hai Ram Comments (2) Entertainment
Comments
raj1057 Tuesday, October 24, 2006 5:36:36 PM
Hai ram, I agree with you in one sense. But i dont think it is any different in other indian movies as well, and not just restricted to tamil movies. Can you tell me one actor who is a hero because of his acting talents. Just fair skin and good looks does not make a good hero, if that is what you want a hero to be.

K.Venugopal Tuesday, October 24, 2006 7:08:27 PM

Let anyone produce films, have anyone to direct them and make anyone their heroes and heroines. The power is with the movie-goers to choose their favourites. After all it is quite a market-place situation, is it not?