Of Human Bondage

No one felt this simple truth in his guts than I. These learnings are seared into my existence. No one values money than I do. No one hates poverty than me. I don't want to be rich. But money gives me dignity. Dignity is more precious than life.

I knew days when half a loaf of dry bread was luxury. Having two meals a day was security. Today I can afford cheese from Belgium, bread from France. I can afford to dine at the Sangri La daily. Do I want them? Hell, no. I enjoy my dal and vat better than any food in the world. But I CAN. That matters.

My Friends

I am not an agreeable person. People cannot tolerate me for more than ten minutes. Women run from me as if I were a ghost. Men leave me after a few interactions.

That’s why I have no friends. Diya and Ranjita are left only because they don’t want to desert a lonely person. But they feel better when I am away. Probably that’s why we have so few family photos.

It was not always like this. I started my life with a huge reservoir of goodwill and many friends. I had friends at home, at school, at work.

But slowly, with my obnoxious behaviour, I started drawing that pool of goodwill, and when the tipping point came, friends started leaving me one after the other. It began with Kingshuk in 2008. One day, he just walked away and never spoke to me again. Then left Paromita, Kumar, Amitabha (CMC), my Jadavpur friends… In twenty years, the process was complete, and I was left with no friends.

Diya sometimes asks, “Dad, why don’t you mix up with people and make new friends?” I don’t have the heart to tell her, “ Beta, people hate me. I cannot make new friends.”

At work, everybody hates me. So whenever I leave a company, people are so relieved. No one has ever asked me back again.

I did not care. I thought that I had my computer, which is enough. But now even computers are getting smart. So when I ask Amazon Alexa in the morning, “Alexa, set an alarm for five minutes.” Comes the grumpy answer, “I set an alarm at 8:43 AM”. But when Ranjita asks the same Alexa (Ranjita has a sweet voice), “Alexa, please set an alarm in five minutes.” Comes the cheery answer in a pleasant tone, “Good morning, Ranjita. I set an alarm at 8:43 AM!”

This is frightening. Even computers are leaving me.

But I still have my books. They are always there at the head of my bed. I can pick up any one of them anytime. They will never mind 🙂

Teri Mitti...

In the last few years, every 15th August at 8 AM, I wake up to this song playing loudly from a mic in our apartment building. Our society people find this song patriotic 😂

I have not seen the movie. But I read that this is based on the Battle of Saragarhi. That makes it the most inappropriate song to play on Independence Day!

The Imperial, colonial British Raj sent a mercenary army of Sikh soldiers to occupy independent, sovereign Afghanistan. Naturally, the fiercely independent-minded Afgan people butchered them. And rightly so.

Why is this event patriotic for India? It is patriotic for the Afghans.

And this song, “Teri Mitti…” It's not your mitti, Ishar. Neither is it British mitti. It is AFGAN mitti. You are a paid mercenary.

If you cared for your “Teri Mitti”, you should have stopped serving the British and shot that General Dyer in the head. Thank you so much.

India is a funny place, with a funny sense of history, particularly now, in this topsy-turvy new Hindutva India.

Eat healthy, eat fresh

Eat healthy, eat fresh.

Never shy away from buying fruits and vegetables. It's not an expense; it's the best investment you can make.

Keep them displayed prominently on the dining or centre table so you are constantly reminded to eat them.

Store away junk food in the farthest corner out of reach.

Pahalgam Terror Attack

Modi’s response to the Pahalgam terror attack.

• Demolished the houses of the families of the terror suspect - A good start, albeit it probably violates a recent Supreme Court order.
• The Indus water sharing treaty was suspended —nice try. However, it has no impact on the ground. The water flows to Pakistan as usual.
• The Wagah border was closed - The border is a showpiece anyway. I guess people will miss the fun parade.
• Diplomats were sent back – good one. They needed a vacation anyway.
• Visitors from Pakistan were sent back – Major inconvenience for those people. It doesn’t do much for Pakistan.
• Warplanes are flying and warships are cruising in the Arabian Sea – Other than burning a lot of precious fuel I am not sure what exactly do they achieve.

I agree with Modi. Indian response to the brutal terror attack is beyond our imagination. No one imagined such a muted response from supposedly a tough PM. Even Deve Gowda would have done more.
I am against any military response to Pakistan. It achieves nothing. It helps the Pakistani Government to solidify their power.
What was needed was to investigate the intelligence failure. How four terrorists armed to the teeth avoided all check posts. Was there inside involvement? Why was no army presence in such a popular and vulnerable tourist spot? What is being done to capture those terrorists?
The most important part was accountability. Why no response from the home minister? Why didn’t he resign?
But if you ask these questions, you will be termed anti-national by the Bhakts. They would rather die than question their beloved Modi.
Good for them. I decided never to visit Kashmir. I will not visit there until it becomes normal, which is never.
The plight of the Godi media amuses me. They have precious little to show to defend their puppet master. But they have to keep up the #IndiaWantsRevenge hashtag. Tough job. But then they get paid handsomwly for their chamchagiri.

My Father - An Obituary

Born - 1st February 1934
Died - 3rd September 2024

My father was an ordinary man. He lived an extraordinary life. A selfless life of devotion to his family and care for others.

He never craved anything for himself. Never did he spend any money on luxury. He spent his meagre salary mainly on our education and in helping the extended family members. Countless people came to our town for studying, for treatment, for various other works were welcome in our home. So much so that our house used to resemble a guest house. We were happy to have so many friends and family members around. We didn't realise what a huge burden it was on his finances. But I never, ever heard him complain. Poor man he was, but he had a generous heart, bigger than the richest man. Not just that, he even treated them to rare luxuries like going to movies and picnics.

When we were at a lower standard, dad used to spend all his spare time tutoring us, not just our brothers but also our cousin brothers. He had an unwavering devotion to education and a refined taste of culture.

He was a simple man, innocent of the intrigues and treacheries of life. Even his close family members cheated him. But he never held a grudge against anyone.

Everyone loved him because of humility, simplicity and selfless behaviour. Even his daughter-in-laws adored him like their real father and always cared for him. For the last five years, my father was confined to his bed. But because of his popularity, his bed was always surrounded by loved ones, not just family members but also neighbours.

My father was full of life, but he was not afraid to die. When the end finally came, he embraced death and entered into प्रायोपवेशनम्. He refused all treatment. Only when he lost his consciousness could we take him to the hospital. That is one regret I have. Instead of allowing him to die in peace in his home, we dragged him to a far off hospital. All for our foolish sentimentality. Sorry dad. But I am sure he forgave us.

What legacy did he leave us? That of a simple life of moderation, devotion to his family and care for others.

My dad was an ordinary man. But I wish there were many such ordinary men around us. Our world would then be an extraordinary place.

Thank you dad. I will remember you, every day of my life.

This is a link for a few songs my father loved to listen.

Modi Hatao Recipe

Siddaramaiah and D K Shivakumar are running a spirited campaign in Karnataka. Revanth Reddy, Tejashwi Yadav, Akhilesh Yadav are doing a great job in their states.

With their effort, we will beat the Modi menace. Here is how.

State	Seats
South India	130
Maharashtra	25
Bihar	20
UP	20
MP	15
Rajasthan	15
Other States	30
Total	255

Of course we cannot count on Mamata, She is a Modi stooge. Had it not been for Mamata, Nitish and Sharad Power treachery, the vote would have been a foregone conclusion. Modi would have retired in Sabarmati.

But all depends on us. We need to go out and vote. Remember, the opposition candidates need to get 10% more vote than the BJP candidates to account for Amit Shah’s EVMs.

So if you want to kick the Modi-Shah-Ambani-Adani brigade back to Gujarat, please vote.

Nehru

This book is a must read for every Indian. The full book should be made part of the school curriculum.

Not just for its historical significance but for getting a better understanding of India and the world.

The observations in the book are so in depth, the conclusions drawn are so accurate that even after 90 years they shine as diamonds.

This man alone understood India and we are so fortunate that he was gracious enough to write down his understanding in a book that is such delight to read. Through his work we can get a glimpse of India and the world.

He loved his country so much that every sentence of this book oozes out his empathy for his country men and his hatred for tyranny in equal measures.

I have never seen a politician so honest, straight like an arrow.

These days I enjoy reading classic fictions more than dry history. But this book is a delightful exception. I have about 100 pages left and I am almost sad that it will be over soon.

But that does not mean that I will start Discovery of India immediately 😀 I don't love India so much, not yet.

Next book - Three Musketeers, swashbuckling gallants and beautiful dames 😀

A Diabolical Conspiracy

The strong man Modi is scared of Arvind Kejriwal. So he made a plan to take him out of the campaign trail. Just after the election dates are announced, Kejriwal is arrested in a three year old corruption case. The ED seems to be the most active department in Modi’s government.

The timing tells it all. He had to be arrested just one month before the election so that there is no chance of getting a bail and it is guaranteed that he will be out of the AAP campaign.

Now I am not discussing the merits and demerits of the case. Every party needs to fight election and hence needs money. So AAP may as well have collected illegal money and Kejri may as well have taken a cut. I am discussing Modi’s actions, not Kejriwal’s. I do not like Kejriwal at all.

But I think Modi miscalculated this one. Kejri in jail is a better campaign prospect for AAP and the opposition than Kejri on a podium.

Even after subverting all the institutions, after using all the government machineries to cripple the opposition, after spending thousands of crores of public money on self-promotion, after completely eliminating the free press, he is petrified to face the public wrath.

For him only Modi matters, country, party, society can go to hell.

Do you want this insecure, self-centred, vengeful, mean person to be your next PM?

Please think and vote.

Pisir Chora

ঠিক দুপ্পুর বেলা
পিসিকে দিল কে ঠেলা
পিসি উল্টে পড়ে
কপাল গেল চড়ে
সামনে আসছে ভোট
পিসির কপালে চোট
পিসির কত না রঙ্গ
দেখবে এ পোড়া বঙ্গ
ক্ষমা দাও পিসি এবার
শাস্তি দিয়েছো দেদার
বঙ্গে এবার ধন্দ
পিসির দোকান বন্ধ

Bangalore Development

Bangalore Development

2004-14	2014-24
Bangalore Aiport Terminal 1 - 4 years	Bangalore Aiport Terminal 2 - 12 years
Bangalore Metro Purple Line - 4 years	Bangalore Metro Purple Line Extension - 11 years
Nice Road	Bangalore Mysore Highway
Bangalore Metro Green Line	Empty Promise
Aiport Expressway	Corruption
Electronic City Elevated Expressway	Contractor Extortion
Tumkur Elevated Expressway	Sell Electoral Bonds
Old Madras Road	Topple Elected Government
Signal Free Outer Ring Road	Hijab Controversy

Some Notes:

1. Most of 2014-24 Bangalore had triple engine sarkar, albeit illegitimate.
2. Bangalore Aiport Terminal 2 - Most work including land acquisition were already done by 2008.
3. Bangalore Metro Purple Line Extension - Most work including land acquisition were already done by 20011.
4. Bangalore Mysore Highway - Nicely Done.

Five Years in Tejas

Five years passed in a flash. Did I enjoy those five years? Mostly yes, except for the fucking pandemic.
This is the first time I learned how to work from remote. I still struggle to manage team from remote. But I have no choice.
Job was fun. Great people, no politics. Only engineering.
We did some solid work. For us, for Tejas for the country.
Pay was decent.
The best part is, for the first time, I loved my team members. That’s because I have become very old. But still it feels good.
Overall it was a good decision to join Tejas.
Let me hope that the future is also good 🙂

Your Decision

Think and vote.

Glorious 75 years

Our self-proclaimed uneducated Prime Minister (He uses this title as a badge of honour when it suits him. But arrests others who call him uneducated) keeps reminding us how India has suffered due to the slave mentality of our leaders in the last 75 years. He primarily attacks Nehru and his family and Congress and its associates in general. I guess he accuses them of not being Hindu fascists and not standing up to the Muslims, Pakistan and our erstwhile colonial rulers.
Nehru and the Congress under his leadership have indeed rejected Hindu fascism and they did want to maintain a good relationship with the British. But let us analyse this claim that they did not stand up against Islamic aggression from Pakistan or discrimination by our colonial rulers.

• First, Congress took on the mightiest empire in human history single-handedly with no arms and no violence. Nobody supported them, not the Muslim league, not the Communists, and for sure not the RSS. The only thing they had on their side was their sense of justice and their courage of conviction. They suffered enormously but never gave up. Nehru spent 14 years in British jail. All the Sanghis put together did not spend 14 days in jail. Finally, they not only kicked the British out of India but decolonised half the world.
• Then Nehru whipped the Indian kings to join the Indian Union. To the hell with their treaties and promises by the British. The kings bowed in front of Nehru and were forced to join India against their wishes.
• Then he gave an ultimatum to the Portuguese. “Get the fuck out of India or else…” Now the Portuguese were a part of NATO. So they thought no one would dare to touch us. And they were right, in the history of NATO, no country dared to attack a NATO country due to the Article 5 guarantee. Not even the Chinese dared to take back Macao or Hong Kong by force. Only Nehru did. When the fucking Portuguese did not listen to him, he attacked them, killed 3000 of them and kicked them out of India. No fucking body lifted one finger against India. Not only that but just after that, when Nehru asked for help from Kennedy during the China war, he bent over backwards to help India. Such was Nehru’s charisma. India was a very poor country back then, with no lucrative defence deals to offer, and no market for Tesla.
• In 1971 when Pakistan was carrying out the genocide in Bangladesh, with active help from America and England, Indira ordered them to stop. Nixon warned Indira that if India intervened to stop the genocide America and China would attack India. Then he sent a carrier group to the Bay of Bengal to carry out his threat. Indira was completely isolated. Countries like Jordan, and Turkey were sending planes and tanks to Pakistan. Indira told Nixoin to go fuck himself, cut Pakistan in half and gave birth to Bangladesh. Imagine ChaWalla doing this! He would have made 1,000,000 of his statues and installed them in every square.
• India withstood western pressure and refused to sign NPT because it was discriminatory. 1974, Indira again gave the middle finger to the West and blasted an atomic bomb on their face.
• In 1984 Rajiv sent armies to the highest mountain in the world and kicked the Pakis out of Siachen.

What is the track record of the Sanghis? They collaborated with the British and betrayed the freedom fighters. Never sacrificed anything for the country. Never went to jail, not one of them died for the country. They took over a country that was rebuilt and made prosperous by so many years of hard work with pure lies and propaganda. And now they are only attacking the Congress. Even now, they do not dare to stand up to Pakistan or the West. They only take on the Congress. Because they know that Congress will not hurt them.
If they were such nationalists, why didn’t they assassinate Jinnah, or Mountbatten in 1946? If they are so Hindu lovers, why didn’t they protect the Hindus during partition or during the Bangladesh war?
Have they ever done anything good for India? I can't recall any.

Ramayana

I went on a trip to England and Doha last week. I visited many museums, libraries and churches. I saw more beautiful books in the last week than I hope to see in a lifetime. From Guttenberg's Bible to Flemish masters to original Shakespeare to Leonardo's manuscripts.

But the best one I saw on the last day of my trip. It is a richly illuminated Farsi translation of the Ramayana. Look at all the details in the picture. On the top right panel, you can see through the arch a horseman with his dog riding up the road. Parrots on the roof of the building. In the second panel, you can see a perfume stand and pan holder. The richly decorated mosaic, and colourful garments. The monk with the beads has central Asian features. The princes all look like Mughal princes.
Where did I see this manuscript? In the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, an unlikely place to find a Ramayana.

This lavishly illustrated manuscript of the Ramayana was commissioned by the Mughal queen Hamida Banu Begum (1527-1604 CE), wife of the second Mughal emperor, Humayun. Hamida Banu, and later Mughal queens and princes were great patrons of art, literature and architecture. Notables are Nur Jahan, Jahanara, Mumtaj Mahal. Many were also accomplished poets and fashion designers. Some of them took active participation in court politics, hunting and even wars.

We celebrate the life of Madame de Pompadour, and rightly so, for her patronage of art and literature, particularly for her help with the publication of the first-ever Encyclopedia. But we do not remember Hamida Banu. We Indians have a general amnesia for our history. In a way it is good. We tend to forget the past and focus on the future.

Hamida Banu was 16 years old when Humayun first saw her and fell in love. He wanted to marry her even though she was a Shia Muslim. But she flatly refused saying that she did not want to marry someone whom she had to salute every time she saw him. She wants to marry a commoner whose hand she can hold. Humayun immediately decreed a Farman that henceforth Hamida need not salute the emperor. These were not normal things in those days of strict obedience to the Emperor. Hamida also wanted to have a big dowry, because her father was not wealthy. Humayun at that time had lost his kingdom and was on the run. He did not have any money to furnish the dowry. The king of Multan loaned Humayun one lakh rupee to raise an army and recover his kingdom. Humayun used the money as Hamida’s dowry and married her. On the night of his marriage, Humayun, who was also an accomplished poet, wanted to read his new poem to his bride. He asked Hamida to listen to the reciting. Hamid said she was tired. She turned to the other side and slept. Poor Humayun read the poem to his sleeping wife. When he was done reading, Hamida turned back and told Humayun “You are a weak king but a strong poet.”

Humayun eventually recovered his kingdom. Till the end, he was devoted to Hamida. Their son Akbar became one of the greatest emperors of Hindustan, uniting the country and ushering in an era of unprecedented prosperity. When Humayun died, grief-stricken Hamida commissioned a magnificent tomb for her beloved husband. Do visit Humayun’s tomb in Delhi if you get a chance.

Oppression is my enemy

I have this book for some time. When I turn these pages, my eyes fill with tears, thinking about the suffering of a helpless nation under the most brutal oppressor.

These days, after seeing the absolute brutality of the Netanyahu government against the helpless Palestinians, I once had an impulse to burn this book and post the video on the Internet. Then good senses prevailed. I realized that I am not against Israel.

I AM AGAINST OPPRESSION.

• I am against the Nazis when they oppressed the Jews.
• I am against the British when they oppressed us, Indians.
• I am against Americans when they oppressed the Vietnamese.
• I am against the white South Africans when they oppressed the Black Africans.
• I am against Pakistani Muslims when they oppress their Hindu minority.
• I am against the Bramhins when they oppress the Dalits.
• I am against Israel when they oppress the Palestinians.

I know that the Government of Israel does not worry at the moment because the big brother America has their back.

But all oppressors think that way, and eventually, all crumble.

Israel’s war in Palestine

Israel says its objective is to finish Hamas. But even if that is possible, it will not end the conflict. Hamas has been here only for the last 18 years. The conflict is 75 years old. Israel killed 27 Palestinians in the West Bank last month. There is no Hamas there.

The only way to achieve peace is to stop the genocide, start a time-bound peace talk and implement a two-state solution in 2023.

But that will never happen. Because this war is not about conflict and peace. This is about land and oil. Israel wants to occupy the whole of Palestine. Most prominent Israeli politicians publicly hold this opinion that the entire land from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea is Israel's God-given land and belongs to the Jews only. What they do not specify is what to do with the Palestinians, whether to exterminate or expel them. I guess it would be an 80-20 solution. They will kill 20% the rest 80% will flee. After that, they may also occupy some neighbouring lands like parts of Egypt and Syria and create an extended Jewish homeland. This is exactly the same vision that Hitler had to create a Lebensraum for the German Volk in Eastern Europe.

And they can do this because America also wants the same. America wants an aggressive, disproportionately powerful Israel to dominate the Middle East. So no Arab nation dares to challenge American interests in the Middle East. This guarantees a smooth supply of oil to America and its Western allies.

Sorry Palestine. No one is coming to rescue your children. Most of them are going to die.

Please read this.

Israel is a Colony

Imagine an alien lands at Raffa in Gaza this morning. What will he see? He will see an enormous army, equipped with the latest weapons, guns, tanks, planes, warships have blockaded a tiny strip of land about 35X10 km, densely populated by poor, deprived people with no army of their own, no food, no shelter. They are constantly being bombarded from the sky and from sea and land, their houses, schools, hospitals are being targeted indiscriminately, people are dying like flies, elderly people, women and children. And the whole world is cheering the powerful army to go ahead and finish the people of that land.
By reading this much everybody will start screaming, “No, no it didn’t start there. Hamas attacked Israel. They brutally killed innocent civilians, women and children, even babies. Israel has right to self-defence.”
But then why should the clock start on last Saturday? Two weeks before that Israel killed 11 Palestinians. Is it not true that the whole thing started because Israel imposed themselves on someone else’s land?
If collective punishment of 2.3 million people is allowed in the name of self-defence, if indiscriminate bombing of civilians, women and children is allowed because they were attacked first, then sure there will be some justification for what the Nazis did to others.
Believe me, this will not end here. Obviously, people of Israel do not want peace. They want more land. Every month Israel takes away thousands of acres of land from Palestine and builds new settlements. If I take a million dollar an acre, that’s like stealing a billion dollar from Palestine every month.
That’s what they are after, this loot of land. That’s why they keep electing leaders like Ariel Sharon and Benjamin Netanyahu. But then at least spare us the outrage. You WILL get bitten once in a while.

Get ready for the next attack, people of Israel.

India Vs Bharat

Lalu is a chor. He has many problems. But one thing you have to give him. He never, ever, not even once wavered in his one point agenda of fighting the fucking dangabaj BJP. With his uncanny political insight, he understood what threat BJP poses to the very foundation of this country. At least I missed it and now regretting it.
Political parties come and go. They are good or bad. Honest or corrupt. But no other party posed such a threat to the very foundation of our nation, of this six thousand year civilization.
This is why I am willing to look away from all of Lalu’s problems and willing to support him in his fight to save the soul of this land.
Calling this land Bharat does not make you a patriot. Understanding what Bharat stands for does. For that you need study, travel, listen to people, most of all love them. BJP only loves their narrow misconceived idea of India, which runs contrary to what this land and its people taught the world.

Tamas

I am trying to learn Hindi script. This would be a good start on the partition remembrance day.
When this came on TV, we did not have a TV set. I saw only bits and pieces of this series, which is good. Now I can read the book from scratch.
We should all read books like Tamas and Train to Pakistan. Not because our current leaders want to incite hatred against Muslims but because we should remember what a terrible price we have paid to have a country.
Pakistan is a fucked up country precisely because it was based on a religion. It is doomed to fail. We do not want to emulate Pakistan or its failures by making our country based on religion. We want to be a beacon of hope to the post-colonial world.