Saturday, May 17, 2008
Legalisation of Prostitution-My viewpoint
If u look around and read or see the repeated headlines of "sex racket " busted or "bar girls caught" and footages of girls hiding their faces in their dupattas at police station flash across your tv screens...You might have a sense of deja vu. This scene is played over day in and day out with alarming regularity. One thing that actually hits me is how come the customers of these girls are never caught? Yes there might be a display of few "taporis" as customers but all of us kno its a face wash. We cringe in our "middle class" homes about loss of moral standards and how the country is going to dogs in this issue...! We are all right..in a way it is but I differ from the point of perspective.
How do we stop this hapenning day in day out..how do we stop Prostitution?More important should we legalise Prostitution!!
To look at answers we should answer a few basic questions:
1. What constitutes prostitution?
2. What drives the demand and supply chain?
3. What is the moral aspect of this and why does this come into view?
4. What is the social impact of this trade and why is it harmfull?
5. What can be done to curb this so called "menace"?
1. What constitutes Prostitution?
Regarded as the world's oldest trade Prostitutions means trading of sexual favours for financial or other gains. We take it as involving both men women and children. However there are few kinks in this argument. Does a wife who slleps with her husband everyday in trade of love and affection and yes financial security constitute a prostitute? Does a girl having sex with a boy on a campus in return for companionship constitute a prostitute?Does an employee who returns sexual favors to his/her boss constitute one? As we see there is no definite answer. Ethically and financially most actvities rather sexual activities would constitute "prostitution" ...! Hence I don not see the logical argument of singling out a brothel or a street hooker only as prostitution. We all sell our talents , power, Position and emotions to some degree ..do we constitute the Prostitution business?
2. What drives the demand and supply chain?
Why and what drives a man/women to approach a "sex worker". I see it differently for men and women. Men primarily would approach sex as a tension reliever. The more the work/personal pressure the more is the need to relax and wat better way than sex. It is also biologically proven that the high level of testesterone that drives a man in his achievements also is in a way responsible for the high sex drive . And men suffer from the "rooster syndrome " where the novelty of sex is enhanced by sex with different partners. There is nothing right or wrong ethically in this. Its a biological phenomenon which has been given a total ethical angle by society. Thus one finds the prevalance of sex more in a high tension city like a metro where the work prseeures are immensely high and anonymity is reassured. If this need of sex is not met by commercial sex workers the man either resorts to violent outbursts or "grabs" at any available "meat".
Women approach the need more subtely. Its more of a question of companionship and great sex which is lacking in their present relationships thatdrives them
3. What is the moral aspect of this and why does this come into view?
Sex and morality has been linked from time immemorial , because I think, sex is one of those things which makes one forget the logic of normal Living. Physiologically its nothing more than a pleasure inducing activity , howver like all pleasure seeking activities its selfish. It is an anathema to collective co-operation. Its a competative activity (in a way to get the best and sexiest mate..its another thing that a sexiness to an animal might mean longer cannines or furriest tails). While religion is a conservative activity which promotes collective thinking however mundane that may be. Thus at very core sex and religion are fundamentally at loggerheads. No wonder religion opposes the public availability of sex. For religion , prostitution is akin to selling drugs on the streets...and even more poisonous. Apart from the so called power games there is nothing factually or logically "immoral" about prostitution.
4. What is the social impact of this trade and why is it harmfull?
The social impact of Prostitution is less harmfull than the social impact of selling cigarettes. Thats because its a harmless service which if regulated and run properly will never be physiologically harmfull, unlike cigarettes. Secondly for men sex is a universal need. If they wont get it on the shelf they will forcefully get it. What a rich man can get for big money, a poor guy gets by raping. So in a way avalaibility of sex will cater to men/women seeking sex ..in a hygenic and legal way. Secondly the revenues that are to be earned from this trade is awesome. There are reports of a parallel "brothel" economy worth billions..Just imagine if that economy can be integrated with the mainstream. Plus the additional benefit of having a regulated trade whose strings are in the hands of law will lead to a drop in exploitation of women and children and also lead to a drop in AIDS cases. Further it has been shown that where there are legal ways of having pleasure the pleasure industry has seen a drop in crime rates.
5. What can be done to curb this so called "menace"?
The Social menace of prostitution is as bad or as good as the social menaces we tolerate ..smoking, drinking , discotheques, marriage and religion.....!! We tolerate them because we cant get around them. So we try out and legalise them to give it a structure and pattern. I suggest we do the same for prostitution and forgo our victorian concepts of MORALITY..!!!
Friday, May 16, 2008
Times to believe
There are times you just want to believe ...
Believe that this is the truth, this is the reality for there cannot be anything other than that.
Some times the belief is that which sustains your sanity
.. the belief itself may be insane.
Sometimes a lot of things die when the belief dies.
Sometimes a lot of things become alive when the belief dies.
The death of the belief , the most painful part of life.
Call it trust, call it faith ...
When it dies it kills a lot...
The reality is a painfull world we avoid..
In the hope that our belief will cushion us..
When that dies what else is left...
The deadness of life..
Mundanely flowing thru the meanders of time..
and the deathly spell of still water..
Rotting dying and existing ..
Where once existed the spring of belief..
The death of belief ...
The most painfull of all ..!!!
Believe that this is the truth, this is the reality for there cannot be anything other than that.
Some times the belief is that which sustains your sanity
.. the belief itself may be insane.
Sometimes a lot of things die when the belief dies.
Sometimes a lot of things become alive when the belief dies.
The death of the belief , the most painful part of life.
Call it trust, call it faith ...
When it dies it kills a lot...
The reality is a painfull world we avoid..
In the hope that our belief will cushion us..
When that dies what else is left...
The deadness of life..
Mundanely flowing thru the meanders of time..
and the deathly spell of still water..
Rotting dying and existing ..
Where once existed the spring of belief..
The death of belief ...
The most painfull of all ..!!!
Saturday, May 3, 2008
The Holy Cow
Once upon a time there was a small village in one of the godforsaken corners of the country ..Poor and dilapidated. There were no rains ..no crops and the neighboring villages had often looted this village thrice (lets name the village ..mm..Indunagar) ...
They all sat down and thought over it and finally the Panch decided that it was only because that they did not have enough cows that they are facing all these problems.
So they formed a board of villagers held a selection interview for the best cows around the village. Now they promised that whichever cow is selected will have the honour of village on his shoulders. (errr..her shoulders). She would be crwoned with the best thorns and paraded with the best bells. She will get the right of the way in the village streets and not only that she will get her own platoon of cows to command .
This was a lucrative offer for all cows in the vicinity of the village . All the cows who were struggling with their masters , or were too young and full of josh. All left their jobs and jumped into the selection board.
After days of tough tests the board selected the best cow and her platoon of cows . They named the best cow "holy cow" and awarded her with all they had promised.
For first few weeks the "holy Cow" was the talk and the awe of the village. Everytime the neighbours tried anything funny the "holy cow " would be there with her platoon. Soon her fear and awe spread around the villages and no one dared touch Indupur.
Thus "holy cow " had actually nothing to do rather than train her commandoes. Seeing this the buffaloes of the village got jealous. More so when they had to toil every day at the field and also give milk ..without so much as being given half the glory of the holy cow.
So they approached the Sarpanch and logically told him that the need for the "holy Cow" was over. The present Sarpanch was son of the previous one and had been born in a secure and prosperous village unlike his father..! And the buffaloes logic was unbeatable.
While all this was goin on "Holy Cow" came to kno of all this scheeming. However so drunk it was with her glory that she laughed at the antics of the buffaloes.
She was confidant that no one could touch her..after all she was a "holy Cow". Her commandoes prodded her , the goats tried to make her see some reason....But everytime she would wave them off by shaking her golden bell.
Gradually ..the sarpanch started withdrawing her privilages ....First it was the right to choiciest grass, then it was her right of the way, then her commandoes were insulted ...
With all this happening , the "Holy Cow" refused to look . Everytime she would relax with her grass and a bottle of mineral water and shake her golden bell and say.."I am a holy Cow"!!
All this time the buffaloes were united and were meaner than before..
One day as the Holy Cow was elaborating her exploits of fightin the enemy in her times..the news came came that the "Holy Cow" has been ordered by the Village Work Commission that it had to give Milk like ordinary Cows to survive.
Hearing this she fell off her hay chair and reality struck her..but it was too late.
Soon she and all her Comando Cows were herded into stables and milked for all they were worth.To rub insult into injury the supervisors were the buffaloes. But now it was too late..
The villagers milked the "holy Cow" for all she was worth till she became frail and weak like the rest of the cows ...Her commamdoes also lost all their training and got involved into petty tactics...
One fine spring morning the neighbors attacked the village. The sarpanch did what was told to him by his father.He called on the Holy Cow. But now that the daily milking was on the Holy Cow had lost weight and strength.
Still the Holy Cow mustered her courage got her group united and went to face the arme at the gates of the village..
History tells us that the village was looted thoroughly this time by her neighbours houses burnt and people killed ..History also tells us that till the final wee hours of that eventfull morning ..an old shriveled Cow and her band of rag tag cows held the enemy at the gates till their last drop of blood...!!
They all sat down and thought over it and finally the Panch decided that it was only because that they did not have enough cows that they are facing all these problems.
So they formed a board of villagers held a selection interview for the best cows around the village. Now they promised that whichever cow is selected will have the honour of village on his shoulders. (errr..her shoulders). She would be crwoned with the best thorns and paraded with the best bells. She will get the right of the way in the village streets and not only that she will get her own platoon of cows to command .
This was a lucrative offer for all cows in the vicinity of the village . All the cows who were struggling with their masters , or were too young and full of josh. All left their jobs and jumped into the selection board.
After days of tough tests the board selected the best cow and her platoon of cows . They named the best cow "holy cow" and awarded her with all they had promised.
For first few weeks the "holy Cow" was the talk and the awe of the village. Everytime the neighbours tried anything funny the "holy cow " would be there with her platoon. Soon her fear and awe spread around the villages and no one dared touch Indupur.
Thus "holy cow " had actually nothing to do rather than train her commandoes. Seeing this the buffaloes of the village got jealous. More so when they had to toil every day at the field and also give milk ..without so much as being given half the glory of the holy cow.
So they approached the Sarpanch and logically told him that the need for the "holy Cow" was over. The present Sarpanch was son of the previous one and had been born in a secure and prosperous village unlike his father..! And the buffaloes logic was unbeatable.
While all this was goin on "Holy Cow" came to kno of all this scheeming. However so drunk it was with her glory that she laughed at the antics of the buffaloes.
She was confidant that no one could touch her..after all she was a "holy Cow". Her commandoes prodded her , the goats tried to make her see some reason....But everytime she would wave them off by shaking her golden bell.
Gradually ..the sarpanch started withdrawing her privilages ....First it was the right to choiciest grass, then it was her right of the way, then her commandoes were insulted ...
With all this happening , the "Holy Cow" refused to look . Everytime she would relax with her grass and a bottle of mineral water and shake her golden bell and say.."I am a holy Cow"!!
All this time the buffaloes were united and were meaner than before..
One day as the Holy Cow was elaborating her exploits of fightin the enemy in her times..the news came came that the "Holy Cow" has been ordered by the Village Work Commission that it had to give Milk like ordinary Cows to survive.
Hearing this she fell off her hay chair and reality struck her..but it was too late.
Soon she and all her Comando Cows were herded into stables and milked for all they were worth.To rub insult into injury the supervisors were the buffaloes. But now it was too late..
The villagers milked the "holy Cow" for all she was worth till she became frail and weak like the rest of the cows ...Her commamdoes also lost all their training and got involved into petty tactics...
One fine spring morning the neighbors attacked the village. The sarpanch did what was told to him by his father.He called on the Holy Cow. But now that the daily milking was on the Holy Cow had lost weight and strength.
Still the Holy Cow mustered her courage got her group united and went to face the arme at the gates of the village..
History tells us that the village was looted thoroughly this time by her neighbours houses burnt and people killed ..History also tells us that till the final wee hours of that eventfull morning ..an old shriveled Cow and her band of rag tag cows held the enemy at the gates till their last drop of blood...!!
Monday, March 10, 2008
Just thinkin..
What do u do when some one u trust with ur life(not necessarily ur gf or wife) ..does a volte face and turns out to be the exact opposite of the person u thought u had been seeing..?
I feel initially there is this total denial..denial of reality of circumstances and situations. Suddenly u feel like thinking that thsi is not the real world ,maybe i will wake up in sumtime and this all will go away.
When u feel that this concept doesnt work.ur self denial turns to greif at the loss. A grief that some how and somewhere u have been responsible for the loss. U have made the bad thing happen. You have made this guy turn away. It is a phase that consists of self blaming. Your confidence takes a nosedive ..and god forbid if u have no close friends..u can be suicidal. Its this phase that one finds described in arts and music as the painful loss. The second phase can last as long as u want it to last. The best and worst part about it is the fact that if u want badly ..u can pull out.
The third phase is more of a reconciliation phase where u drag the truth to the surgery table and dissect it impartially. Look at the diseased parts, see where things are rotten and where things are ok. Once u do this u are well on ur path to growing up. Doing this makes u realise that if u are hurt by this happening ...probably u are not responsible. And suddenly the world seems a much clearer place. Things start falling into perspective and u conclude that watever has happened has happened for good..
The forth and the most lasting phase is that of a constant simmering anger of being taken for a ride.This anger lasts ...! If u can forgive that guy/gal...buddy then u are in for a similar shock
I feel initially there is this total denial..denial of reality of circumstances and situations. Suddenly u feel like thinking that thsi is not the real world ,maybe i will wake up in sumtime and this all will go away.
When u feel that this concept doesnt work.ur self denial turns to greif at the loss. A grief that some how and somewhere u have been responsible for the loss. U have made the bad thing happen. You have made this guy turn away. It is a phase that consists of self blaming. Your confidence takes a nosedive ..and god forbid if u have no close friends..u can be suicidal. Its this phase that one finds described in arts and music as the painful loss. The second phase can last as long as u want it to last. The best and worst part about it is the fact that if u want badly ..u can pull out.
The third phase is more of a reconciliation phase where u drag the truth to the surgery table and dissect it impartially. Look at the diseased parts, see where things are rotten and where things are ok. Once u do this u are well on ur path to growing up. Doing this makes u realise that if u are hurt by this happening ...probably u are not responsible. And suddenly the world seems a much clearer place. Things start falling into perspective and u conclude that watever has happened has happened for good..
The forth and the most lasting phase is that of a constant simmering anger of being taken for a ride.This anger lasts ...! If u can forgive that guy/gal...buddy then u are in for a similar shock
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Happy women's day...oops ..international women's day
Women ....!! I guess nothing occupies a man's mind more than that subject. If he says otherwise ..either he is lying or he is gay. And the best part is that as many men are there on earth as many opinions float around on trying to decipher women. It must be very flattering for women to be called an "enigma wrapped in mystery" but i am sure most women are too intelligent to believe this crap.
But there lies the irony of the situation. Women as a race are intelligent..too intelligent infact to realize that there is a point of singularity for every form of intelligence. This is the point where intelligence breaks down and absurdity starts. Women ride over this point as a minor bump not realizing that the breakdown has already started.
You see them "correcting" everything, bargaining for a better deal ...in shops and also in relationships, dressing up , dressing down...they are a busy lot. And yet if u ask them honestly ..most of them are in a constant flux. Even if are not goin to admit it..they are far from satisfied. If asked they will "reason" that they are "perfectionists"...
The sheer absurdity of the statement becomes apparent when u realize that being a perfectionist is not a choice they make ..its a choice they cant avoid. Just like if a worker ant tells u that he works because he enjoys working..as if.
The second most striking thing about women is that they are forever in "competetion"..with whom? ..thats immaterial. The world, the boys, the boyfriend, the husband..the maid , the mom..everyone is a potential competitor. And its a game of one upmanship that never ends....!! For a race which is a self confessed pacifist ..the war is always on..to prove a point.
To whom..doesnt matter. Just "prove a point"
But there lies the irony of the situation. Women as a race are intelligent..too intelligent infact to realize that there is a point of singularity for every form of intelligence. This is the point where intelligence breaks down and absurdity starts. Women ride over this point as a minor bump not realizing that the breakdown has already started.
You see them "correcting" everything, bargaining for a better deal ...in shops and also in relationships, dressing up , dressing down...they are a busy lot. And yet if u ask them honestly ..most of them are in a constant flux. Even if are not goin to admit it..they are far from satisfied. If asked they will "reason" that they are "perfectionists"...
The sheer absurdity of the statement becomes apparent when u realize that being a perfectionist is not a choice they make ..its a choice they cant avoid. Just like if a worker ant tells u that he works because he enjoys working..as if.
The second most striking thing about women is that they are forever in "competetion"..with whom? ..thats immaterial. The world, the boys, the boyfriend, the husband..the maid , the mom..everyone is a potential competitor. And its a game of one upmanship that never ends....!! For a race which is a self confessed pacifist ..the war is always on..to prove a point.
To whom..doesnt matter. Just "prove a point"
Monday, March 3, 2008
WHY DO WE NEED FORCES SPENDING THE TAX PAYERS MONEY??
Most of us tend to look upon Defence sector as a huge monolithic war mongering machine with pompous generals and their toy guns. In fact Gandhiji was totally against the maintainence of a regular Defence Force in free India. Too many free thinking individuals have decried themselves hoarse about a Defnence Force that generates no income and is a strain on National Resources. Infact , the reason why an Army(for that matter NAvy and Airforce) exists in absence of War is a mystery to most of us. These guys just keep on training , getting subsidies , canteen , cheap alcohol ..cmon what do they do to deserve all this while their tax paying brethren toil away at making India an Asian tiger..!! Why should the common man even pay for mantaining a Defence Force ..let alone increase their expenditure in Budget?
The logic of having a Defence Expenditure can be summarised in three lines
(a) Sovreignity of a country is the hallmark of Political , Economic and Social freedom. Sovreignity like all precious natural resource needs protection from external and internal attacks. Without this axiom of freedom we might as well go back to the Dominion Status pre 1947. As far as the reason to weather we want to be free ..that is a philosophical debate we will not get into presently.
(b) Its not easy to convince a man to walk to his own death for protection of any higher ideal.
(c) Most of the times a guard is posted at a building not so much as to catch a thief as to deter a theif from entering in the first place.
Based on these three reasons a superior fighting force is mantained even in absence of war. But the mantainance of such a force level requires two prime expenditures on which there can be no compromise. One is that of Equipment and the other , more importantly , Morale. The spending bandwidth taken into the current budget is somewhere between 2-5% on Defence. Compared to 5-7% that the US spends and 7-10% of our freindly neighbourhood pakistan.
To see why this is woefully short of the requirements of all forces we must realise how wars are fought in todays world. In every war theatre of the world there are a few common points which have emerged :-
1. War is fast turning into a highly evolved technical game where the deciding factors are not personal valour and bravado but the material might backing the forces. Gone are the days where personal valour could alone save the day. The game is decided not by hand to hand combat but by satellite imagery and laser guided smart bombs. We cant dismiss them as weapons only America Fights with. These are technologies that are available off the self in international market. And for all those who might believe that they are not immediate threats..one must remember that the war against Russians was not won so much by personal valour of the Mujahedeens as musch for the Stinger Anti Chopper missiles available to Afganistan. Most of which are right now being traded at the frontier town of Jalalabad. Does our Army has such a scenario in mind? Unfortunately it does not. Because its high strung by budgetary cuts where its difficult even to import Howitzer Rounds. The army is still woefully short of basic items like snowmobiles, Rocket Launchers, Night Vision Equipments, Ground Radars..all of which cannot be built up in a day. When faced with even a rag tag army with a fracion of this technical prowess..our braves will die a valliant but futile death.
2. Shorter turn around times for repairs and refuelling has been a key factor in a sustained campaign. With aging MIGs and their fake Polish spares ..Our pilots ,considered one of the best in the world, die by dozens. Even after 50 years of WW-2 when mid air refuelling was invented, we still are gropin in air for a commensurate capability. Our tanks are 1972 Vintage , Spruced up with cosmetic changes to resemble 1992 models. Its a sad state of affairs because Armed Tank regiments are the key to the firepower of the army. Even the famed BOFORS are too few in number compared to big bro China. Mantainance and upkeep of critical War Equipmet have been on decline because of consistent Budget Cuts. Our Ships have progressively been losing their firepower with aging spares and defects . Defects that require longterm planning to mitigate .
3. A concentrated and well cordinated survillance and tracking facility is a must for any country to win a stragtegic victory . And while China is busy secretly putting its mechanism into gears...we simply do not have the funds to put an infrastructure into place. Such an archietecture is not built in a day and requires a steady funding to build and mantain. We have yet to progut outress from the present to future.
Apart from these very well documented facts , we have been very slow to realise one factor that makes a soldier. Morale.
The earnings and living conditions of Our jawans and sailors cannot even be envisaged by the common man on street. With raising living standards and stagnating pay and perks..the morale of our men in uniform is seeing a gradual decrease. This year thers is a shortage of 560 officers in 1100 strong academy.Of course we can still fill up our posts by lowering selection criteria,but taking a less motivated man to fight for the country is actually not a very practical option. The only thing that can compensate for the hardships that is faced is through monetary perks. A man will fight and die only if he is assured that after him his family will not suffer. A killed millitant in Kashmir gets 1 crore from pakistan as death compensation. ..A jawan gets 2,500. How long will the country expect such men to die so cheaply.
Just as an Army(Navy or AirForce) is not built in a day, it will not collapse in a day. It will take years of ignorance and Financial Apathy to break it down. There will be honest and patriotic men who will still fight even if u deny them pay...But human nature wins above all of us. Such men will dwindle and fall ..gradually. With outdated equipments it will become suicidal to send men to fight...till ultimately some one will refuse to pick up a dagger and fight when he sees the enemy with a SubMachine gun standing on the other side of the fence.
The damage and slow neglect of the Forces is already in motion. A concerted effort at further budgetary cuts will undermine it to the point of no return. We may not see it happening but our neighbours are not so forgiving.
We paid the price for unpreparedness in 1965 when China took significant portions of Himachal Pradesh from India. The total apathy of Political bosses had reduced the army to a condition where jawans died on border because there was no bullet available .While Indians still used the rack and lever .303, the chinese were firing from automatic Heavy machine guns. Since we had not invested in any longterm plans there was no highgrade aluminium to build aeroplane spares. We went from pillar to post asking the world to help us...Alas ..we dont learn.
We won wars with pakistan , despite pakistan deploying Patton Tanks imported from America. That we won is a tale of personal bravery of few immortal men like Major Chandpuri(Border film is based on him) destroyoing a 3000 strong heavy Tank regiment with 120 infantry Soldiers.
We can plan and supplement our forces now ..We still have time.
After all although four major religions sprung from this land ..we can scarcely hope for another miracle to save ourselves from being run over by the Big Brothers. To quote a small village guy who rose up to be the Supreme Commander of our forces, "The world respects only Might"....and investing in it may be a small price to pay to see our children free, After all u will not expect a guard with a lathi to protect a bank. BTW that quote was from Prez Abdul Kalam(yeah he is stil the prez to me)
The logic of having a Defence Expenditure can be summarised in three lines
(a) Sovreignity of a country is the hallmark of Political , Economic and Social freedom. Sovreignity like all precious natural resource needs protection from external and internal attacks. Without this axiom of freedom we might as well go back to the Dominion Status pre 1947. As far as the reason to weather we want to be free ..that is a philosophical debate we will not get into presently.
(b) Its not easy to convince a man to walk to his own death for protection of any higher ideal.
(c) Most of the times a guard is posted at a building not so much as to catch a thief as to deter a theif from entering in the first place.
Based on these three reasons a superior fighting force is mantained even in absence of war. But the mantainance of such a force level requires two prime expenditures on which there can be no compromise. One is that of Equipment and the other , more importantly , Morale. The spending bandwidth taken into the current budget is somewhere between 2-5% on Defence. Compared to 5-7% that the US spends and 7-10% of our freindly neighbourhood pakistan.
To see why this is woefully short of the requirements of all forces we must realise how wars are fought in todays world. In every war theatre of the world there are a few common points which have emerged :-
1. War is fast turning into a highly evolved technical game where the deciding factors are not personal valour and bravado but the material might backing the forces. Gone are the days where personal valour could alone save the day. The game is decided not by hand to hand combat but by satellite imagery and laser guided smart bombs. We cant dismiss them as weapons only America Fights with. These are technologies that are available off the self in international market. And for all those who might believe that they are not immediate threats..one must remember that the war against Russians was not won so much by personal valour of the Mujahedeens as musch for the Stinger Anti Chopper missiles available to Afganistan. Most of which are right now being traded at the frontier town of Jalalabad. Does our Army has such a scenario in mind? Unfortunately it does not. Because its high strung by budgetary cuts where its difficult even to import Howitzer Rounds. The army is still woefully short of basic items like snowmobiles, Rocket Launchers, Night Vision Equipments, Ground Radars..all of which cannot be built up in a day. When faced with even a rag tag army with a fracion of this technical prowess..our braves will die a valliant but futile death.
2. Shorter turn around times for repairs and refuelling has been a key factor in a sustained campaign. With aging MIGs and their fake Polish spares ..Our pilots ,considered one of the best in the world, die by dozens. Even after 50 years of WW-2 when mid air refuelling was invented, we still are gropin in air for a commensurate capability. Our tanks are 1972 Vintage , Spruced up with cosmetic changes to resemble 1992 models. Its a sad state of affairs because Armed Tank regiments are the key to the firepower of the army. Even the famed BOFORS are too few in number compared to big bro China. Mantainance and upkeep of critical War Equipmet have been on decline because of consistent Budget Cuts. Our Ships have progressively been losing their firepower with aging spares and defects . Defects that require longterm planning to mitigate .
3. A concentrated and well cordinated survillance and tracking facility is a must for any country to win a stragtegic victory . And while China is busy secretly putting its mechanism into gears...we simply do not have the funds to put an infrastructure into place. Such an archietecture is not built in a day and requires a steady funding to build and mantain. We have yet to progut outress from the present to future.
Apart from these very well documented facts , we have been very slow to realise one factor that makes a soldier. Morale.
The earnings and living conditions of Our jawans and sailors cannot even be envisaged by the common man on street. With raising living standards and stagnating pay and perks..the morale of our men in uniform is seeing a gradual decrease. This year thers is a shortage of 560 officers in 1100 strong academy.Of course we can still fill up our posts by lowering selection criteria,but taking a less motivated man to fight for the country is actually not a very practical option. The only thing that can compensate for the hardships that is faced is through monetary perks. A man will fight and die only if he is assured that after him his family will not suffer. A killed millitant in Kashmir gets 1 crore from pakistan as death compensation. ..A jawan gets 2,500. How long will the country expect such men to die so cheaply.
Just as an Army(Navy or AirForce) is not built in a day, it will not collapse in a day. It will take years of ignorance and Financial Apathy to break it down. There will be honest and patriotic men who will still fight even if u deny them pay...But human nature wins above all of us. Such men will dwindle and fall ..gradually. With outdated equipments it will become suicidal to send men to fight...till ultimately some one will refuse to pick up a dagger and fight when he sees the enemy with a SubMachine gun standing on the other side of the fence.
The damage and slow neglect of the Forces is already in motion. A concerted effort at further budgetary cuts will undermine it to the point of no return. We may not see it happening but our neighbours are not so forgiving.
We paid the price for unpreparedness in 1965 when China took significant portions of Himachal Pradesh from India. The total apathy of Political bosses had reduced the army to a condition where jawans died on border because there was no bullet available .While Indians still used the rack and lever .303, the chinese were firing from automatic Heavy machine guns. Since we had not invested in any longterm plans there was no highgrade aluminium to build aeroplane spares. We went from pillar to post asking the world to help us...Alas ..we dont learn.
We won wars with pakistan , despite pakistan deploying Patton Tanks imported from America. That we won is a tale of personal bravery of few immortal men like Major Chandpuri(Border film is based on him) destroyoing a 3000 strong heavy Tank regiment with 120 infantry Soldiers.
We can plan and supplement our forces now ..We still have time.
After all although four major religions sprung from this land ..we can scarcely hope for another miracle to save ourselves from being run over by the Big Brothers. To quote a small village guy who rose up to be the Supreme Commander of our forces, "The world respects only Might"....and investing in it may be a small price to pay to see our children free, After all u will not expect a guard with a lathi to protect a bank. BTW that quote was from Prez Abdul Kalam(yeah he is stil the prez to me)
Monday, February 25, 2008
The country everyone loves to hate....
When I was in school i used to be really really impressed by the US. First man on moon, weapons, fighters ..wow. This country was just amazing. The kind of confidence Americans exuded on the world stage was sumthing that struck an impressionable teenager like me. Millions liking me in India look up to this great country as of the nearest thing to utopia.
It was the great concepts of America..freedom of Individual , Enterprise, Equality, ..and yeah Hollywood and Baywatch ..which made me think i was born in the wrong country. And most of my peers also thought on the same lines ...! It was always me comparing the pot holed roads of my street with the manicured SuperHighways of US,the great universities lawns vis a vis the derelict main building of my college ..etc etc. Everyones living dream was to migrate to US .
Even now one will find a vast majority waiting for the golden ride...
Anyway as I grew up my priorities and my idea of America changed. It had nuthing to do with Economics. It had more to do with being exposed to the truth about this great country. I dont deny that what this country has achieved is stupendous..but I wudnt want India to be America. Not in any way....Not ever. Why?
The main reason is that after visiting and seeing 11 countries in my woefully miserable life ..i have realised that there are much stronger things in India which will take thousand of years for america to develop.
1. The fabric of Liberty that America is based on is actually not liberty ..its scant regard or concern for a fellow being. We in India are too much into each others life...so much so that a country which prioritises individual freedom becomes a messiah in our eyes ..! But if we look closer we will realise .. its not respect for freedsom ..more so its a total lack of concern.
2. We assume that Americans are total Rationalists . They believe in Religion Of Science. Nuthing could be farther than truth. The Victory of George Bush(II) was highly attributed to severe Right Wing Politics(our Viswa Hindu Parisad ,equivalent). When u hear MrBush say "god ordered me to send troops to Iraq" ..u realise that we are better off here. Just Imagine Mr Manmohan Singh sayin" Wahe guru ne bola hai ki Reserve Banks ke rates bada do"...
3. America is a comparatively safer place. Yes there are amazing health care facilities and the police are well paid and trained.But to assume that its a safe place is a fallacy assumed by ppl who have never been there. Try strolling alone for a golgappa or a chat ..after 7 o clock in the evening and for all u kno u might be killed for ur watch or ur sneaker.
4. There is equality for all. Well thats again a myth. Blacks are severely discriminated against and sometimes even basic medical facilities are not made available in name of color of skin.
5. Although most business principles of management and trade have come from America, the ethics behind them are highly questionable. Its a quick quick way without any thought . Ask any management graduate ...and u will realise the hollow foundations on which these business practice stands..
6. The social values and culture of America is non-existant. Ppl are good but in absence of a structure the society cant sustain change or mould itself..
there are many a small points...too numerous to mention here that have undermined my desire to make India , America...!Put in a nutshell I now have the impression of America as a dazzlingly packaged , low standard cake , sold at an exorbitant Price. When I have the option of the healthier version of it made at home (albeit shabbily Packaged) ..I wud go for it.
There are lots we shuld learn from America. But i feel all the knowledge we want is already with us. America can teach us very little. Unless we want to be the most hated country in the world....
It was the great concepts of America..freedom of Individual , Enterprise, Equality, ..and yeah Hollywood and Baywatch ..which made me think i was born in the wrong country. And most of my peers also thought on the same lines ...! It was always me comparing the pot holed roads of my street with the manicured SuperHighways of US,the great universities lawns vis a vis the derelict main building of my college ..etc etc. Everyones living dream was to migrate to US .
Even now one will find a vast majority waiting for the golden ride...
Anyway as I grew up my priorities and my idea of America changed. It had nuthing to do with Economics. It had more to do with being exposed to the truth about this great country. I dont deny that what this country has achieved is stupendous..but I wudnt want India to be America. Not in any way....Not ever. Why?
The main reason is that after visiting and seeing 11 countries in my woefully miserable life ..i have realised that there are much stronger things in India which will take thousand of years for america to develop.
1. The fabric of Liberty that America is based on is actually not liberty ..its scant regard or concern for a fellow being. We in India are too much into each others life...so much so that a country which prioritises individual freedom becomes a messiah in our eyes ..! But if we look closer we will realise .. its not respect for freedsom ..more so its a total lack of concern.
2. We assume that Americans are total Rationalists . They believe in Religion Of Science. Nuthing could be farther than truth. The Victory of George Bush(II) was highly attributed to severe Right Wing Politics(our Viswa Hindu Parisad ,equivalent). When u hear MrBush say "god ordered me to send troops to Iraq" ..u realise that we are better off here. Just Imagine Mr Manmohan Singh sayin" Wahe guru ne bola hai ki Reserve Banks ke rates bada do"...
3. America is a comparatively safer place. Yes there are amazing health care facilities and the police are well paid and trained.But to assume that its a safe place is a fallacy assumed by ppl who have never been there. Try strolling alone for a golgappa or a chat ..after 7 o clock in the evening and for all u kno u might be killed for ur watch or ur sneaker.
4. There is equality for all. Well thats again a myth. Blacks are severely discriminated against and sometimes even basic medical facilities are not made available in name of color of skin.
5. Although most business principles of management and trade have come from America, the ethics behind them are highly questionable. Its a quick quick way without any thought . Ask any management graduate ...and u will realise the hollow foundations on which these business practice stands..
6. The social values and culture of America is non-existant. Ppl are good but in absence of a structure the society cant sustain change or mould itself..
there are many a small points...too numerous to mention here that have undermined my desire to make India , America...!Put in a nutshell I now have the impression of America as a dazzlingly packaged , low standard cake , sold at an exorbitant Price. When I have the option of the healthier version of it made at home (albeit shabbily Packaged) ..I wud go for it.
There are lots we shuld learn from America. But i feel all the knowledge we want is already with us. America can teach us very little. Unless we want to be the most hated country in the world....
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Mithya- A Review
I have seen Rajat Kapoor on the NDTV show..Lounge. I was actually surprised to hear that he was a director and that too of "Bheja Fry" ..one of my all time favs.Recently his film "Mithya" was launched and I saw it on my lappie .
I feel that any review of the film ..any film ..shud not mention the storyline. Its irrelevent to the fact wat the movie does to u. Any great movie should be like an eagle flying and soaring in ur conciousness ..and u tryin to hold on to its legs in order to get a glimpse of the higher sky its flying to. Mithya does manage to take off but I found it letting me go at crucial junctures..!
The story is a dark take on "Don"...! Both hero and heroine die at the end. Thats it.
What actually stands out in the film is the desperation of a low time actor brought out by Ranvir. one can see the fleeting shadows of a man clutching at the last straw of hope amidst total rejection. Ther is no glory and joy but the struggle to just live on in hope of some thing bigger while not denying the gutter of the prsesnt is at the same time uplifting and depressing.
The other fact about this particular movie is that it does not shy away from darkness. There is no romanticism in the shadows of this film ..no chiaroscuro effect emerging from the shadows. One can almost smell the rotten fungus in the shadows of this film. And the film uses them to create an effect of a vile and foreboding ..and real. There were a few scenes which i thought would end in a witty dialogs ... but ended in the brains being blown out with an automatic gun.Bravo, Rajat...
Its no doubt a brave film ...But somewhere i found the film faltering in trying to be something its not. There were very few scenes like that but they were there. There is a scene where the relicated Don, "Raje"( Ranvir as the replaced don) plays out the "failed underpaid actor" bit to a builder...or the "to be or not to be.." scene with his wife. Not required. Its like trying to put in a bit of Soda in a glass of wine.
Neha Dhupia, my my that girl can act . No, really..her big butt not withstanding the lady CAN SERIOUSLY ACT...! Ms Neha if u are reading this ..please stop shaking that booty and do some serious films...U dont have a figure to be a bimbette but u are a boon for serious acting.
A very mature and understated performance by her ..Esp when I had seen Rama Rama Kya hai ye drama ...a day before. She compliments and enhances Ranvir in every possible way.
Cant say much abt Naseeruddin Shah, Vinay or Saurabh Shukla..They are excellent as usual.
I wish that "Mithya " having taken me on such an awesome "eagle Ride" had not dropped me at few places..What the hell..even with those drops the View was awesome. Highly recommended for sum intelligent viewing.
"Saas Bahu " and "romentick" ppl pls do the movie a favor ..Stay away!!
I feel that any review of the film ..any film ..shud not mention the storyline. Its irrelevent to the fact wat the movie does to u. Any great movie should be like an eagle flying and soaring in ur conciousness ..and u tryin to hold on to its legs in order to get a glimpse of the higher sky its flying to. Mithya does manage to take off but I found it letting me go at crucial junctures..!
The story is a dark take on "Don"...! Both hero and heroine die at the end. Thats it.
What actually stands out in the film is the desperation of a low time actor brought out by Ranvir. one can see the fleeting shadows of a man clutching at the last straw of hope amidst total rejection. Ther is no glory and joy but the struggle to just live on in hope of some thing bigger while not denying the gutter of the prsesnt is at the same time uplifting and depressing.
The other fact about this particular movie is that it does not shy away from darkness. There is no romanticism in the shadows of this film ..no chiaroscuro effect emerging from the shadows. One can almost smell the rotten fungus in the shadows of this film. And the film uses them to create an effect of a vile and foreboding ..and real. There were a few scenes which i thought would end in a witty dialogs ... but ended in the brains being blown out with an automatic gun.Bravo, Rajat...
Its no doubt a brave film ...But somewhere i found the film faltering in trying to be something its not. There were very few scenes like that but they were there. There is a scene where the relicated Don, "Raje"( Ranvir as the replaced don) plays out the "failed underpaid actor" bit to a builder...or the "to be or not to be.." scene with his wife. Not required. Its like trying to put in a bit of Soda in a glass of wine.
Neha Dhupia, my my that girl can act . No, really..her big butt not withstanding the lady CAN SERIOUSLY ACT...! Ms Neha if u are reading this ..please stop shaking that booty and do some serious films...U dont have a figure to be a bimbette but u are a boon for serious acting.
A very mature and understated performance by her ..Esp when I had seen Rama Rama Kya hai ye drama ...a day before. She compliments and enhances Ranvir in every possible way.
Cant say much abt Naseeruddin Shah, Vinay or Saurabh Shukla..They are excellent as usual.
I wish that "Mithya " having taken me on such an awesome "eagle Ride" had not dropped me at few places..What the hell..even with those drops the View was awesome. Highly recommended for sum intelligent viewing.
"Saas Bahu " and "romentick" ppl pls do the movie a favor ..Stay away!!
Saturday, February 23, 2008
"Its just a remote"
I guess i can be teased a bit abt being a mama's boy(not exactly but never mind)...when i write this but if u think i care a damn abt that think again.
When ur mom comes to stay with u one thing u can count on is that ..u may be 40 but u will get shouted on for not getting up early morning or being too much on computer..as if the time between ur school and IIT never happened. Time is relative ..especially for a mom. Anyway that being the case ..
Few days ago my mom lost the TV remote. Not exactly lost ..but i suspect she dropped it in the dustbin by mistake and the garbage bag obviously got thrown out. The remote is pretty expensive and its definitely a thing that cant be done without..! But wat i was surprised is that my mom was genuinely sorry to the point of being apologetic about it. She was like really really sad that she put me in such a financial crunch....! She wud clean the house thoroughly every day for four consecutive days .. thorough means rite from the kitchen shelves to the bedroom corners...to find the remote. ..and at the end of the day when i wud come back she wud say that till now she did not find the remote.I cud see that remorse on her face writ large..
Its just a shitty remote . Things get lost ..not an issue. I was just thinking of a time when i was arnd 6 and i broke my dad's AM transistor(i was always destined to be an engineer). I was shit scared . I ran to my mom and told her
"maa..i broke the radio" ...
"Wat radio?"...
"u kno the black one ..the one dad hears the news on?"
"i was opening the screws ..it dropped from my hands and broke..i dont think it can be repaired"
I remember this incident because i was genuinely scared ..i had tears swellin up in my eyes...and to tell u the truth i was truly repentent..i shudnt have touched it.
My mom hugged me then and said with a smile..
" arrey ..nuthin has happened ..its just a radio..atleast u did not break naa..ha ha "
I think today i think will say the same thing to maa..
"its just a remote maa...atleast u did not get lost ..he he "
When ur mom comes to stay with u one thing u can count on is that ..u may be 40 but u will get shouted on for not getting up early morning or being too much on computer..as if the time between ur school and IIT never happened. Time is relative ..especially for a mom. Anyway that being the case ..
Few days ago my mom lost the TV remote. Not exactly lost ..but i suspect she dropped it in the dustbin by mistake and the garbage bag obviously got thrown out. The remote is pretty expensive and its definitely a thing that cant be done without..! But wat i was surprised is that my mom was genuinely sorry to the point of being apologetic about it. She was like really really sad that she put me in such a financial crunch....! She wud clean the house thoroughly every day for four consecutive days .. thorough means rite from the kitchen shelves to the bedroom corners...to find the remote. ..and at the end of the day when i wud come back she wud say that till now she did not find the remote.I cud see that remorse on her face writ large..
Its just a shitty remote . Things get lost ..not an issue. I was just thinking of a time when i was arnd 6 and i broke my dad's AM transistor(i was always destined to be an engineer). I was shit scared . I ran to my mom and told her
"maa..i broke the radio" ...
"Wat radio?"...
"u kno the black one ..the one dad hears the news on?"
"i was opening the screws ..it dropped from my hands and broke..i dont think it can be repaired"
I remember this incident because i was genuinely scared ..i had tears swellin up in my eyes...and to tell u the truth i was truly repentent..i shudnt have touched it.
My mom hugged me then and said with a smile..
" arrey ..nuthin has happened ..its just a radio..atleast u did not break naa..ha ha "
I think today i think will say the same thing to maa..
"its just a remote maa...atleast u did not get lost ..he he "
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