Benazir Bhutto is assassinated and Al Qaeda, allegedly, has claimed responsibility.
Post 9/11, the world was asked, by George Bush, to take sides - either you were with America or against it. The Pakistan President, General Pervez Musharraf chose to fall in line, when faced with this tricky situation and ever since has claimed he is USA's ally in the "War on Terror". So this meant, he was fighting Osama bin Laden, who was (still probably is) supposedly hiding in the remote Pakistan-Afghanistan border area. This much is common knowledge.
But Benazir's assassination raises some interesting questions.
- Why did Al Qaeda (or other jihadi groups) target Benazir, who was last Prime Minister in 1996 and who was not an ally of the U.S., and not Musharraf, who should have been an obvious choice for the terrorists? Oh, of course, there have been "attempts" on his life in the last few years, but nothing that seems as well-planned and determined as those on Benazir's. Which is highly suspicious.
- The USA has been providing huge financial aid to Pakistan post 9/11. Is part of this money being diverted back to jihadi groups, by Musharraf and the ISI? Is this Musharraf's insurance policy against Al Qaeda and other jihadi groups? Which means the man could be playing a double game with the USA and the terrorist groups thereby ensuring that both need him at the helm of affairs.
- Most chillingly, is the George Bush government aware of all this goings-on and still chooses to look the other way? After all, wars make so much sense to the American arms companies, (and indeed, to the American economy) particularly to the stakeholders of the companies, many of whom are part of the George Bush government.
If the American government played a role in getting Benazir back to Pakistan and in Musharraf announcing elections, why did they wait so long and not do this a few years ago? From an American perspective, a friendly dictator in power in a third-world country is sometimes more convenient than a potentially-troublesome, democratically-elected head of state. Is easier to push through dirty business deals, which many American arms/oil companies are past-masters at.
In any case, looks like Pervez Musharraf has played his last card in this very dangerous game to ensure he survives. Nawaz Sharif has been sidelined by the courts, Benazir has been killed. Who else is there, but him that would be acceptable to all, may be his line of thinking. Guess time will tell who is going be in control of this troubled nation, which terrifyingly, is a nuclear state.
The neighbourhood just got more dangerous.
Happy New Year!
Friday, December 28, 2007
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Mylapore!
Earlier this year I visited Mylapore, an area that predates the city of Madras itself. Of course, I keep driving past the area every few days, but it's not the same as taking time off to explore this wonderful part of the city by foot. Matter of fact, shockingly, I had never done it before! :-(
Here are some pictures that I took.
View of the temple.
I decided to walk from the temple, right up to the Santhome Cathedral via the Chitrakulam area and Kutchery Road.This was a quaint old house on Kutchery Road surrounded by modern apartments and shops. I had driven on this road several times, but never noticed it. Amazing how much you get to see when you walk!!
Another really old building with an interesting architecture I had not noticed earlier... about 150-200 metres before the Santhome Cathedral traffic junction. Did not see a board, but painted on the archway is, presumably, the year of its construction - 1635!! A close-to-four-hundred year old building, and not too many people know about it!
The Santhome Cathedral, looks really nice with its fresh coat of paint and all.
The tomb of St. Thomas, who it is believed, is interred here. The place went through a major renovation a year or two ago. The approach is now from the basement of a building behind the Cathedral, so casual visitors interested in history can visit the tomb without disturbing regular churchgoers.
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Disaster-in-the-making?
The Tata's one-lakh car project, which has promptly triggered off a mad rush amongst competitors to manufacture really cheap automobiles, is in my opinion, going to have disastrous consequences.
In an attempt to improve my feeble understanding of economics, and the way markets work the world over, I am currently reading an interesting book called The Undercover Economist, written by Tim Harford. In this book, apart from offering other fascinating insights, the author talks about how automobile owners (and of course, the automobile industry) impact the lives of people in general in a way that few other players in the global market do. Buying a car has a far greater, negative impact on the world, than say, when you buy a washing machine. In the latter transaction, your use of the machine doesn't really affect anyone else's life negatively, but with a car, you become responsible for:
India, with its poor infrastructure, is hardly ready for projects such as the Tata's. I shudder to think of how things will be on Indian roads, if there is no improvement in the public transport system, a few years from now!
Meanwhile, read this article by Thomas Friedman (author of that brilliant book, The World is Flat), on the same subject. As for myself, I think I will buy that bicycle that I have been wanting to for a while AND use it as often as I can!
In an attempt to improve my feeble understanding of economics, and the way markets work the world over, I am currently reading an interesting book called The Undercover Economist, written by Tim Harford. In this book, apart from offering other fascinating insights, the author talks about how automobile owners (and of course, the automobile industry) impact the lives of people in general in a way that few other players in the global market do. Buying a car has a far greater, negative impact on the world, than say, when you buy a washing machine. In the latter transaction, your use of the machine doesn't really affect anyone else's life negatively, but with a car, you become responsible for:
- causing pollution leading to health hazards which in turn lead to fatalities,
- creating traffic congestion leading to stress to all including those who do not own automobiles,
- making the world unsafe for pedestrians, especially the elderly and children etc.,
India, with its poor infrastructure, is hardly ready for projects such as the Tata's. I shudder to think of how things will be on Indian roads, if there is no improvement in the public transport system, a few years from now!
Meanwhile, read this article by Thomas Friedman (author of that brilliant book, The World is Flat), on the same subject. As for myself, I think I will buy that bicycle that I have been wanting to for a while AND use it as often as I can!
Sunday, November 25, 2007
The Indian Communist's ideology
I am intrigued by the events of Nandigram and the sudden violence that has rocked Kolkata due to the Taslima Nasreen controversy. The Communists ruling W.Bengal, it appears, are facing their biggest test yet in the last 30 years. Would be interesting to see how they handle it, although recent events seem to suggest they are losing it. And quite badly at that.
Let's see...the Communists world over pride themselves to be anti-capitalists, atheists and therefore, secular. This would automatically suggest that they would come down hard on fundamentalist groups. But they way the ruling party in W.Bengal has buckled under pressure to a little-known right-wing group suggests otherwise.
In India, the Communists follow a unique ideology. For example:
Let's see...the Communists world over pride themselves to be anti-capitalists, atheists and therefore, secular. This would automatically suggest that they would come down hard on fundamentalist groups. But they way the ruling party in W.Bengal has buckled under pressure to a little-known right-wing group suggests otherwise.
In India, the Communists follow a unique ideology. For example:
- They will be anti-American and oppose the central government's proposed nuclear deal with the USA, despite being a part of the government, but will send their representative to the "evil nation" to woo investors.
- In India, they will consistently attack large corporations, thereby keeping their vote bank intact, but will invite the very same organisations to set up shop in W.Bengal.
- They, along with sympathisers, will organise protest marches and dharnas against curtailing of religious freedom in Gujarat when right-wing goons rough up an artist for "hurting" religious sentiments. But will be conspicuously silent when Taslima Nasreen gets roughed up in Hyderabad by goons belonging to another religious outfit rough up and threaten to "behead" her if she comes to the city again.
- They will protest about the treatment of minorities in different parts of the country. But turn a blind eye when China, the world's largest communist country, tramples upon the rights of minority Tibetans and their aspirations for autonomy.
Friday, November 16, 2007
Thugs in uniform
I read this news item in today's Deccan Chronicle where a city-based agent was threatened first, and then beaten up by goons sent by the company selling bottled-water. The crime? The man reported the company to the concerned authorities for not adhering to the required quality standards.
The newspaper reports that the company also owns a textile showroom in T.Nagar. Ahem, that clue is a certain give away and am sure, people Chennai citizens have heard how this showroom has routinely been in the news for roughing up customers, employees and others.
The victim's wife and daughter tried registering a complaint with the local police station, but predictably they were not entertained and were asked to settle the matter "amicably".
This reminds me of something I witnessed several months ago. My friend had recently moved into a new office space in T.Nagar...they had seen an ad in the newspaper for the office space. After a few days a couple of men, presumably brokers, came to the office and demanded that they be paid a "finders-fee" for the house. It so happened, these men had shown my friend's assistant an office space a few weeks earlier in a different locality and that was the only interaction this organisation had had with these guys. But they now wanted to be paid for a deal they had nothing to do with!
It was obvious that they were politically connected and they repeatedly visited the office demanding money. One day, when I was visiting my friend, a cop came over and claimed that these men had "registered a complaint" that they were not paid for their services. Again, very quickly it was obvious that the cop was there just to intimidate my friend and his colleagues into coughing up the money.
When I casually told the cop that he should check with the landlord if he had engaged the services of these men, he started getting a little more aggressive. He then said, if the money was not paid, there could be "problems". When I asked him politely, what "problems" he anticipated and from whom, he stood up abruptly and after muttering something about me being stubborn, he left.
Unfortunately, the episode did not end there. I later heard that my friend, tired of being intimidated in this fashion, went straight to the local police station and tried registering a complaint. And surprise, surprise, guess what they were told?? Well, simply to pay up, of course, and forget the matter!!
When policemen do this instead of upholding the law, one can't help thinking that many of them are just thugs in uniform. I am sure there are honest policemen out there, but they seem to be increasingly in the minority! Of course, this is not surprising in state where the police are nothing but pawns in the hands of the ruling party...much more than most other states in this country.
The newspaper reports that the company also owns a textile showroom in T.Nagar. Ahem, that clue is a certain give away and am sure, people Chennai citizens have heard how this showroom has routinely been in the news for roughing up customers, employees and others.
The victim's wife and daughter tried registering a complaint with the local police station, but predictably they were not entertained and were asked to settle the matter "amicably".
This reminds me of something I witnessed several months ago. My friend had recently moved into a new office space in T.Nagar...they had seen an ad in the newspaper for the office space. After a few days a couple of men, presumably brokers, came to the office and demanded that they be paid a "finders-fee" for the house. It so happened, these men had shown my friend's assistant an office space a few weeks earlier in a different locality and that was the only interaction this organisation had had with these guys. But they now wanted to be paid for a deal they had nothing to do with!
It was obvious that they were politically connected and they repeatedly visited the office demanding money. One day, when I was visiting my friend, a cop came over and claimed that these men had "registered a complaint" that they were not paid for their services. Again, very quickly it was obvious that the cop was there just to intimidate my friend and his colleagues into coughing up the money.
When I casually told the cop that he should check with the landlord if he had engaged the services of these men, he started getting a little more aggressive. He then said, if the money was not paid, there could be "problems". When I asked him politely, what "problems" he anticipated and from whom, he stood up abruptly and after muttering something about me being stubborn, he left.
Unfortunately, the episode did not end there. I later heard that my friend, tired of being intimidated in this fashion, went straight to the local police station and tried registering a complaint. And surprise, surprise, guess what they were told?? Well, simply to pay up, of course, and forget the matter!!
When policemen do this instead of upholding the law, one can't help thinking that many of them are just thugs in uniform. I am sure there are honest policemen out there, but they seem to be increasingly in the minority! Of course, this is not surprising in state where the police are nothing but pawns in the hands of the ruling party...much more than most other states in this country.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Making of a Criminal
This happened some 15 or so years ago. My neighbours had a watchman, presumably one of those young men from a village who came to the city in search of a better life. Like millions of other nameless men in this vast country. In fact, I didn't even know his name or get to know him during his brief tenure. The man had his meagre possessions in the garage and this is where he practically lived.
The man who owned the house had rented it out to a senior executive of a software firm and his family of wife and a small child. They were from N.India and didn't speak Tamil. The watchman, appointed by the landlord, knew no other language than Tamil.
There was an arrangement where the landlord's supervisor collected the rent and the watchman's salary from the tenant and in turn paid the watchman. Only problem was, this was never on time. The watchman was a taciturn fellow. He hardly spoke to too many people. But when he did speak to a few, he was heard complaining about the work timings and work conditions, and specifically about the delay in getting his wages which was paid as late as middle of the month or even later. One guesses that he came from a decent, although, poor family and I remember him to be quite a dignified man, quite unlike the kinds you see in the cities. He was unused to borrowing money and being a proud chap, went hungry, I was told, quite often, living practically on tea and biscuits while he waited for the supervisor to pay him. Which was, like I mentioned earlier, pretty erratic. (A lot of this information I got to know much later.)
One morning, I woke up to find some commotion in the neighbour's house. I knew they were away on a brief holiday and was surprised to find cops outside the house. There had apparently been a break-in and the watchman was missing. So were some jewels, cash and other valuables. The police took the fingerprints, registered the case and started the investigation.
Meanwhile, out of the blue, a couple of days later, the watchman returned! The police were summoned and he was questioned. The watchman said some men came in an autorickshaw late in the night of the robbery, threatened him at knife-point and robbed the house. He said, they then made him accompany them to the outskirts of the city and boarded a train and dropped him off several kilometres from the city. Since he didn't have any money he basically walked/hitchhiked his way back and hence the delay of 2 days!
The average Indian policeman, protected by the weak human rights laws that prevail in this country, of course has a way of treating people from the poorer sections of the society. They didn't believe his story and got a confession out of him after, I am sure, beating him black and blue. I heard that the fingerprints in the scene of the crime matched with his. Don't know about the jewels, cash etc., but I think they managed to get some back. Sure enough, they threw him jail and that was practically, it. No news about him thereafter and everyone involved in the incident went back to leading their normal lives.
But the irony is this. The chap was not a criminal to start with. He had no prior criminal record and was just a decent, but impoverished man, chasing a dream and a job who came to live in the city. He certainly did not take up a job as watchman so he could rob houses where he worked! As is evident, he did not have it in him to pull off a slick heist, and predictably enough he panicked after the enormity of his act dawned on him and returned hoping he could spin a fantastic yarn and get away with it. Of course, now he had a criminal record and whether he liked it or not, the society would treat him as such however hard he tried to, to use an old phrase, turn into a new leaf!
Driven by hunger and injustice thousands of people commit crimes in the heat of the moment, that they normally regret later. This man was one of them. Whose fault is it that he became a criminal?
The man who owned the house had rented it out to a senior executive of a software firm and his family of wife and a small child. They were from N.India and didn't speak Tamil. The watchman, appointed by the landlord, knew no other language than Tamil.
There was an arrangement where the landlord's supervisor collected the rent and the watchman's salary from the tenant and in turn paid the watchman. Only problem was, this was never on time. The watchman was a taciturn fellow. He hardly spoke to too many people. But when he did speak to a few, he was heard complaining about the work timings and work conditions, and specifically about the delay in getting his wages which was paid as late as middle of the month or even later. One guesses that he came from a decent, although, poor family and I remember him to be quite a dignified man, quite unlike the kinds you see in the cities. He was unused to borrowing money and being a proud chap, went hungry, I was told, quite often, living practically on tea and biscuits while he waited for the supervisor to pay him. Which was, like I mentioned earlier, pretty erratic. (A lot of this information I got to know much later.)
One morning, I woke up to find some commotion in the neighbour's house. I knew they were away on a brief holiday and was surprised to find cops outside the house. There had apparently been a break-in and the watchman was missing. So were some jewels, cash and other valuables. The police took the fingerprints, registered the case and started the investigation.
Meanwhile, out of the blue, a couple of days later, the watchman returned! The police were summoned and he was questioned. The watchman said some men came in an autorickshaw late in the night of the robbery, threatened him at knife-point and robbed the house. He said, they then made him accompany them to the outskirts of the city and boarded a train and dropped him off several kilometres from the city. Since he didn't have any money he basically walked/hitchhiked his way back and hence the delay of 2 days!
The average Indian policeman, protected by the weak human rights laws that prevail in this country, of course has a way of treating people from the poorer sections of the society. They didn't believe his story and got a confession out of him after, I am sure, beating him black and blue. I heard that the fingerprints in the scene of the crime matched with his. Don't know about the jewels, cash etc., but I think they managed to get some back. Sure enough, they threw him jail and that was practically, it. No news about him thereafter and everyone involved in the incident went back to leading their normal lives.
But the irony is this. The chap was not a criminal to start with. He had no prior criminal record and was just a decent, but impoverished man, chasing a dream and a job who came to live in the city. He certainly did not take up a job as watchman so he could rob houses where he worked! As is evident, he did not have it in him to pull off a slick heist, and predictably enough he panicked after the enormity of his act dawned on him and returned hoping he could spin a fantastic yarn and get away with it. Of course, now he had a criminal record and whether he liked it or not, the society would treat him as such however hard he tried to, to use an old phrase, turn into a new leaf!
Driven by hunger and injustice thousands of people commit crimes in the heat of the moment, that they normally regret later. This man was one of them. Whose fault is it that he became a criminal?
Saturday, November 3, 2007
Dr. Abdul Kalam
Read this brilliant blog by Rajdeep Sardesai (written a few weeks ago) on why Dr. Abdul Kalam is going to be a tough act to follow!
In my opinion, if there is one reason why people should vote out this bunch of unprincipled charlatans that is ruling this country, then it should be for denying this man a much-deserved second term of Presidency.
In my opinion, if there is one reason why people should vote out this bunch of unprincipled charlatans that is ruling this country, then it should be for denying this man a much-deserved second term of Presidency.
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