Dedications

Anna Hazare has decided to go forward with his fast on 16th Aug 2011, crusading his campaign and movement against corruption and implementation of the ‘Lok Pal’ bill. Majority of Indians (including me) love someone doing the dirty work and we will wait and watch. If Anna Hazare succeeds in his movement which is remote, many will facilitate Anna, and it will be soon forgotten. If it does not, which is highly possible, and there is police atrocities, media will benefit either ways with its breaking news and raking in the moolah with ad revenues.

If corruption needs to be reduced, as it can never be eradicated, then we need to think on our education system. The system is designed to build achievers and success, and not character. Even achievement and success is encouraged to be got by any means, even foul. There are no moral values in the education system. Instead rules are dictated that students should stand and sing the national anthem, viewers going for a movie should stand sing the national anthem before the movies begins. No one is educated to stand for the country.

Surprised to see NRI’s (Not Really Indians) showing solidarity with Anna Hazare by congregating outside the UN Headquarters in New York. How many of these allegedly patriotic Indians will fly down and support Anna Hazare in his movement? Thousands of Indian Diaspora will congregate for the ‘Pravas Bharati Divas’ meetings in India, wish even a handful of them could come and fast with Anna Hazare. Not a single one will be there, as there are no cocktails served at the end of it.

The Indian Diaspora are the same who would be referring to India as a ‘shit hole’, and complain how bad India is, and how its infrastructure sucks. Well now there is someone who is fighting to building it, why not come down and invest with your courage and love for the Mother Land, instead visit only to see how investments could be made to multiply fortunes.

Anna wants a place to stage his fast, but the governing party will use the police institution and avoid giving permission, or will dictate that his fast should be only for three days. Surprisingly lands are encroached by slums and there is place for that. Buildings like Adarsh are constructed illegally and there is place for that. There is place for corrupt leaders statues or Samadhi to be erected, but no place for a person to exercise his fundamental right to protest.

Suddenly Anna Hazare’s records are checked to see if any fault could be leveraged to show his intentions as doubtful. When Baba Ramdeo went on a fast, his assets and source of his million dollar empire are probed. Was this all sudden revelation when they decided to go on a fast? How come no politician’s assets and wealth have been probed? How come they all become rich after coming to power?
It’s time we stir our consciousness, which is numb or dead to the India outside us. It’s time we fast forwarded our thoughts and ideas, as else it would be too late and many Anna Hazare’s may come and just die of a fast. Why not support someone desiring a fast success of the nation, or we prefer a slow death with corruption? The choice is ours.

Very soon the Nursery Rhyme London Bridge, would be sung as ‘London Bridge is burning down’. A colonial power intoxicated by its past of ruling the world, looting wealth from its colonies, to the extent even the Royalty’s crown has the Kohinoor diamond robbed from India; is today burning.

A power that colonized most of the world and boasted that the sun never sets on the British Empire, does not even have decent sunshine. A nation that was driven out from many countries after more than hundred years of evil ruling is today facing its own homes and businesses burnt, looted and the occupants driven out. A power that ensured nations stayed in disharmony after they left, with their divide and rule policy, is today divided by Immigrants who are larger than the ethnic population of UK.

A nation that prided itself with the title of ‘Great Britain’, has now realized how small and vulnerable they are. A nation known as United Kingdom, is crying for unity. Has a monarchy which is tainted with infidelity, a past where the kids used to revel in pubs and create a ruckus, gets one wondering is this Royalty and class? A Royalty like Lady Diana pregnant with an Arab’s child and gets murdered for that, and covered up as an accident because of paparazzi. A democracy challenged regularly, by religious fanaticism, and immigrant ideology.

They prided their colonial ability, today they are colonized by Immigrants, many of them from the countries they once occupied. Their businesses are getting colonized by countries like India which has taken over their national pride of business houses like Jaguar and Land Rover. An Indian Immigrant holds the title of being the richest in UK. Their government now has Immigrants in it, and won’t be too long in the future where a person of Immigrant descant will be ruling the country. Even their language is today better spoken by Indians.

The same goes with the United States of America, which would soon have to rename itself as the ‘Devastated States of America’. A nation whose economy that was fuelled by greed, production of weapons and selling it to countries that were war torn, and financial institutions that lacked ethics. A country that cannot be trusted for its policies and intentions. Engaged with Iraq during its war with Iran and then turn against Iran. Engaged with Al-Qaeda during its war with Russia and then turn against them as they refused to be dictated by US. Arm Pakistan to the teeth and keep the region always in a state of war, and then cuts of aid to Pakistan as it today it is a threat to US by it offering safe heavens to terrorists. On their currency bill it states in God we trust, but the problem is even God cannot trust them.

Today the United States ratings are downgraded by an Institution that is based out of there. The decision to downgrade was an unprecedented move taken under the leadership of Deven Sharma an Indian Immigrant. The downgrading confirms US has no Standard and is going to be poor, and the rating Institution coincidentally is Standard and Poor’s. The fact that US was weeks away from pulling the plug on payments that they are obliged too, shows how poor they are. This included salaries to government employees and even soldiers fighting wars in countries they never wanted to be in the first place.

With these super powers tumbling down, there would be small hiccups, maybe a recession, but it’s not going to be end of the world. It just could be a new beginning of new world powers like Brazil, India, China, etc. This could be a good lesson for the future world powers, to have more human values and genuine trust and faith in God when they will be prosperous, as what goes round, comes around.

…..and thou shall have no other Gods before me. Always thought that this was the first commandment of the ten, and just realized that it is also the commandment of the Bishop of Mumbai.

Every year a ritual of ‘First Holy Communion’ in Bombay is held around the Christmas Season. It is a ritual which is once in a life time where a child is graduated in the teachings of the Catholic faith, and is amongst the other sacraments a person receives in their life time as a Catholic. Somehow religious rituals are more a formality and the fervor of religious values as in all religious faiths is fading. Parents prepare for the occasion of ‘First Holy Communion’ with great enthusiasm and the occasion being around the Christmas Season there is a lot festivity around it.

Children start preparing for the ‘First Holy Communion’ around the beginning of the year, where they are inducted into additional religion classes. Had the announcement of the change of date of the ‘First Holy Communion’ told in the beginning, parents would be prepared for the same. Suddenly a meeting is called of all parents of children receiving ‘First Holy Communion’, and without taking their consent or opinion it is dictated that the date of the ‘First Holy Communion’ is shifted to February.

The resentment amongst parents in one Parish was obvious, and Catholics being the ‘see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil’ of society just quietly lump anything that is dished out to them. One brave parent stood up and asked the logic of having the ‘First Holy Communion’ in February which was near the period of lent, where Christians observe a period of abstinence commemorating the death of Jesus on Good Friday. Wouldn’t it have been nice to have the occasion near the Christmas Season, the reply was simple that it is orders from the Bishop. The parent who was courageous to speak thought he would get support of other parents who too were not happy with the date change, but as mentioned, being Catholics, everyone was silent as no one wants to mess with the Church. Another reason given was the children should have a minimum of one year of religious studies before receiving ‘First Holy Communion’. Why did His Excellency not think of this in the beginning, and did he only realize later, that Jesus needs one year to be pushed into the minds of children?

To make it worse like in many Churches we have ‘some of the’ elderly, or housewives who nothing constructive to do, who come and volunteer in the Church. (I repeat and reiterate some; as many do very noble and genuine voluntary and spiritual work). In the process of volunteering they acquire a ‘self styled ordained’ feeling that they are the priestly class. So in this meeting of parents one of the ‘self styled ordained dictator’ starts complaining how children stop attending religion class after the ‘First Holy Communion’, and only crowd back in their teenage years to receive another sacrament called ‘Confirmation’. Obviously if you are going to make religious studies ‘Talabanised’ kids won’t be interested. Then the diktat of the ‘First Holy Communion’ dresses for the girls should not be sleeveless, should not be short, and to emphasize the rule is the fear driven that if the dress code is not maintained the kid will not be allowed to receive ‘First Holy Communion’. Why not just make it a ‘Burkha’ or a ‘Habit’ like the nuns? Even the ‘Habit’ of the nuns has grown shorter over the decades, from the long dresses that used to cover their ankles, to now above it.

My request to His Excellency is can you not see the scandals happening in the Diocese of Bombay with land scams in parishes, extortion of money as donation for admission to schools, etc. Dictating religious values is only deteriorating the beliefs of the community further. Catholic institutions globally are going through a challenging period with sex abuse and other atrocities done by priests. If priests cannot get spiritual virtues into their lives after years of theological studies, how are you trying it to push religion into kids in a year through a bunch of priests, some of them who put us to sleep with their sermons, or some idiotic laity who feel your word is the word of God?

Running religion classes like ‘madrasas’ will only ensure kids go through their ‘First Holy Communion’ as their last.

The fall of Hosni Mubarak and other leaders in the Middle East region falling is nothing short of a ‘Humpty Dumpty’ domino effect. Just that these countries without the so called clichéd ‘democracy’ were able to fight corruption what India is battling after the colonial power ousted from the country.

India’s enemy is now within and if not ousted from power, Indians will continue to remain powerless and enslaved with poor infrastructure, law and order, autocratic administration from utilities, to licenses and even survival due to the apathetic health facilities. Like these countries in the Middle East, India too is a rich country. The fact if we can donate USD 2 billion to fund bail outs in Europe, fund Afghanistan, fund Bangladesh and even Pakistan during its flood calamity, confirms we are not only rich but stupid. How can we fund other countries when our country is in a mess? Couldn’t these amounts be used to cool of inflation or provide better infrastructure? Even a country like South Africa today boasts of a bullet train, when we are still in the bullock cart era in some parts of the country.

We still keep talking to Pakistan and they keep infiltrating terrorists into our country. Right on our borders they have training camps for terrorists. Shelter criminals from our country in theirs and we just keep talking. Recent visit of Pakistan Foreign Secretary Hina Rabbani Khar, was mostly covered for her beauty and style statement. If that was the purpose we could have sent Rakhi Sawant to meet her than waste time of our Ministers, who could have used their time more constructively in scheming scams. None of them are working in the interest of the country besides their own.

It is proven that private enterprise is what is taking our country forward. Even though it is thwarted with red tape, these enterprises have shown the grit and courage to forge ahead. Some of them embroiled in controversies, but many of them have proven we can make it. Some of these entrepreneurs are contributing back to society by building educational institutions or improving rural lives and we also have people like Mukesh Ambani who pride to build the world’s costliest home (read house) where a family of six have hundreds of employees to serve them. It can never be a home where brothers are vying for each other’s downfall.

Why can’t the government do what these enterprises could? We pride to be the world’s biggest democracy and it is a failure. At the same time the Middle East is toppling its evil ruling regimes to get democracy. What an irony? We claim to have the highest literacy rates, the world’s largest no. of CEO’s driving Multinational Corporations, and yet no one to drive the country. How long are we going to chase individual pursuits over national interest?

We have rotten eggs at the helm of power in India and we all know it, but what are we doing? The world is ensuring these humpty dumptys are thrown down. The choices are ours, are we going to topple these rotten eggs, or are we going to stay in this rotten state?

If we don’t act now, our Humpty Dumptys will continue sitting on the wall, these Humpty Dumptys will never fall. All the kings’ horses and all the kings’ men will ensure that Humpty Dumptys stay on the wall.