Malicious Rants

Fading ink of fountain pens

noreply@blogger.com (PPH) — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 18:31:00 +0000

Have fountains pens become a thing of the past?

I have always loved the idea of staining my fingers with ink leaking from a fountain pen. Also, I have liked the smell of ink. Ever since I moved to Delhi, I didn't have a fountain pen. Today, I went to Ber Sarai market with the intent of buying myself an inexpensive fountain pen along with a bottle of green ink, the only colour that I used during my entire college days. For those who aren't aware, Ber Sarai is a small market opposite old Jawaharlal Nehru University campus, famous for its book and stationery shops. I don't think it would be an exaggeration if I say that every person preparing for the civils exam in Delhi has visited this place at least once, or at least knows about it.

I went to a stationery shop there and asked for a fountain pen. The shop keeper gave me two options—a China-made fountain pen (Rs35) and another from Link (Rs30), an Indian company.
"Can I get to see something else?"

"The other one is slightly expensive, Rs80."

A Camlin fountain pen with a good nib but very poorly designed metal cap that looked horrible.

So I zeroed in on the Chinese ink pen.

"I need green ink as well."

"Sorry, we don't have it."

"In that case, the pen would just be useless."

"It's just a couple of ink bottles that we sell in a year. It's not viable to stock them any more."

"Yes," I acquiesced. "Not many people use fountain pens now."

In another shop, I asked for green ink.

"Ya, we have Chelpark."

"Get the Chelpark bottle from there," the shopkeeper ordered his help.

A bottle of Chelpark Emerald Green ink was sitting on the counter. (The image of the Chelpark bottle that I bought today is on the top.) The package hadn't changed. It was the same as my last bottle that I had bought in the beginning of 2000s. I am not sure what year, may be 2003. I took the package in my hand and inspected it.

"What's the packaging date?" I thought. I could see "5/99" stamped on the box. This bottle had been there in the shop for quite some time. Thankfully, these ink don't expire.

"I need a fountain pen as well."

They showed me a poor quality China-made pen. And then an Indian brand made for kids. It was thick and had silly cartoon characters printed on it. It reminded me of my first fountain pen. I remember that pen very vividly. A light grey plastic body with navy blue print of Tom and Jerry standing together with their backs supporting each other. I even remember how sad I was to lose it when a friend of mine, whom I had reluctantly lent the pen for the day, said he had lost it. Both of us had looked for it all over the school, tracing his day's journey in the campus.

"Do you have something else?"

"No, that's all we have got."

"Okay, I will take the ink. How much?"

The shopkeeper looked for price on the box and said, "Rs13." I had seen the price printed on the box while inspecting—Rs12.95.

With the bottle of green Chelpark ink in my hand, I had the joy of triumph overwhelming my heart. Green fountain pen ink, let alone Chelpark Emerald Green, had become somewhat rare even during my college days. I had to look for it at select stationery shops that were know for their large stocks.

I still needed a pen. During my school days, I used to have inexpensive Camlin fountain pens. Without any hope of finding some inexpensive, yet good pen, I bought the Chinese fountain pen from the first shop.

"You got the ink."

"Yes, packed in 1999."

"Ten years," the middle-aged shopkeeper had a smile on his face. He must have been transported into the old days when everyone in the classroom had a fountain pen in their pocket.

PS: I Googled for Chelpark Ink and stumbled upon The Fountain Pen Network's website. One of the Indian members of the website has reviewed the Chelpark fountain pens that he found in Malappuram, Kerala. The post has been written in Januray, 2009. Fountain pens have really become endangered.

The carton of the Chelpark ink asks the user to break the bottle after the ink is over. Reason, to avoid counterfeits. Very destructive way of stopping spurious goods.

Why is it taxing

noreply@blogger.com (PPH) — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 20:27:00 +0000

Lots of Indians would be happy with the 2010 Budget (key features of India's budget 2010) that was presented by finance minister Pranab Mukherjee before the Lok Sabha—the new income tax rates will reduce tax burden of lots of people, me included. But I can't drink and rejoice in the reduced tax burden—not because booze has become expensive from now on.

Like many of you, if left to me, I wouldn't pay any taxes. Not because I am too greedy to give some of my earnings for the country and my folks. At subconscious level, I want to live in a society where everyone's requirements are fulfilled and each person has a dignified life. But let's face it—we live in country with stark disparities. There can be a rich person drinking expensive Scotish wine and romancing the moonlit winter night with its stars, oblivious of a poor migrant labourer in the same city, trying to fall asleep on the pavement of the same lane, with a poor quality blanket between him and the chilly winter night. It's the same country, same city and the same night, but, for one, it's a romance and, for the other, it's an ordeal.

"If I am really bothered about the huge rich-poor divide, why am I not willing to paying taxes?"

Can you say guarantee that the tax money that I worked hard for (and kissed rowdy bosses' asses) will be used for ensuring better education, healthcare, drinking water and roads in the villages from where the migrant labourer has come? Even former ministers (even of the ruling party) say that the delivery mechanism and the bureaucratic system of the country is rotten. It's still the same as former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi had pointed out—out of every Re1, 85 paise gets lost (pilfered) in the transmission channel by the time it reaches the destination at the grass-roots level. Why does the government expect me to pay taxes if they can't ensure that my hard earned money is spent responsibly?

I don't want some unworthy person to make a fortune from my hard earned money that I paid in tax. Unfortunately, there is a whole army of such people who live off taxpayers' money, the money that was taken with a tacit promise of being used for the development of the country and fellow countrymen.

The government urgently needs someone to teach them how to make the best use of available resources for the country and its people. I think the government can learn it from any good homemaker who has mastered the art of meeting the basic requirements of her family while keeping her family finances on track. She can teach the government how to prioritize your expenses for optimum growth even on limited resources.

As far as taxes are concerned, the government needs to promise us that the tax money will not be floundered. The common man who is forced to pay taxes (as he can't hide his salary) should have the faith and satisfaction that his money will not be stashed in closets of some politicial broker or contractor, but be spent on education, healtcare and other basic requirements of his fellow countrymen. It's a herculean task for the government to ensure 100% efficiency and transparency in utilizing the money handed over to it by taxpayers.

Once people know that the money isn't being swindled and that it's being used to provide quality education to children, proper healthcare to the poor and is used for leading the country toward a better future, a large number of them would be more than willing to pay their taxes. I don't think they would go through the pain of collecting (sometimes even forging) receipts for reducing their tax liability. Sadly, as of now, I have to pay the taxes without any guarantee that it will be put to proper use and won't be squandered.

2 Idiots

noreply@blogger.com (PPH) — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 08:28:00 +0000

What's the new mantra of 2010? All is well. I don't know how to write it the way Aamir Khan says it in the film 3 Idiots: "Aal iz wail", maybe.

I just read Amit Varma's post saying that though he enjoyed the film, its story sucks. Yup, for most of the Bollywood movies, you need to tell your brain "Sleep Well" during the three hours of the movie. If you don't, you keep wondering what's happening.

The movie is an overall entertainer, but then there is this sloppy ending. Friends beating up a long lost friend, huh. Couldn't they think something more interesting? But this isn't the only reason why I think 3 Idiots is just a mediocre movie. One of the basic premise of the story isn't convincing enough.

At least two of the three idiots in the movie 3 Idiots were idiots, literally. Or, maybe, the movie was set in a period when information technology wasn't as ubiquitous as it's today. Actually, this isn't the case. In the very beginning of the film, its loser character Chatur from Uganda uses a smart phone for speaking Hindi. So they were in the age of Google. And they were desperately looking for their close friend. Did they try to use the Internet--Facebook, Orkut, LinkedIn? Google, I guess?

They might have not found any result for Ranchhoddas Chanchad. Yeah, it's a strange name, quite vulnerable to distortions. Google might not have had any records. But Google knows almost every single person on earth who is in news, through websites and online versions of newspapers. And the two idiots found Ranchhoddas to be a rich businessman, who builds highways. So he wins lots of government contracts that newspapers would have reported, at least the business dailies.

Let's not think about it any more. It's Bollywood dude.

Let there be joy

noreply@blogger.com (PPH) — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 06:05:00 +0000

As I write this, I am thankful to my parents that they never pressured me with their expectations. Not that they didn't want me to excel in my life and have a good career—they wanted me to be a doctor. They were supportive, and never rebuked me for not qualifying in the several competitive exams that I took in my short attempt to get into a medical college--and I failed in all of them during the two years. But they had faith in me; they thought I had enough brains to make a decent career in other possible areas, if not medicine.

Why am I telling this to you? Right now, I can see a news report in The Times of India about a 17-year-old class XII girl ending her life by hanging herself to the ceiling fan in her home. The girl had been allegedly rebuked by her teacher for poor grades.

A few days ago, an 11-year-old girl hanged herself by her dupatta in Mumbai. The girl, a class VI student who had participated in a few dance TV shows, had been stopped from dancing and asked to concentrate on studies—read marks and grades. The girl's neighbours said the girl was very keen to continue her dance and participate in dance shows.

Why's it important to excel in studies? Why do they have to score "good" marks? I think people need to change their yardstick for measuring success. There's more to life than just marksheets. I have bumped into quite a few students who have scored 90s in thier exams and have little knowledge. This excessive obsession with marks in also the reason that we have very few good players in our country. A budding sportsperson are stifled while still young. "Padhoge, likoge to banoge nawab; keloge, kudoge to banoge khara." (If you study and toil, you will be a king; if you play and merry, you will ruin.)

The pressure is not only for scoring "better" marks and grades, it's more for beating others behind. Parents care less that the child scored more marks than last exams and more about his rank in the class slipping to the second position. It has only been enforced by the testing methods used by premier professional institutions for judging the talent of their prospective students. I am amazed by the number of students who score way above 90s in their exams and yet wish that they had scored some more. Why is 90s so less that some students in Delhi are forced to commit suicide every year during admission season? It's a big relief that someone in a remote village can still revel in the fact that she scored 70%.

Yeah, nobody remembers the person who just missed the chance to be on the top, but after a decade, who remembers you score? What did Mahatma Gandhi score in his board exams, or Barack Obama for that matter?

We need to understand that success is intangible. It doesn't come bundled with 90%-plus marks. It doesn't come with money either. It come from within, only when you feel the joy while doing something as perfectly as you can. That's why you can have a proud, successful person in a remote tribal village. It's not limited to boundaries of metros. Success is also not any way linked to being the No.1. A person on the top can be successful, but not always.

Can we educate our younger generations just enough to empower them to make their own choices wisely? Can we refrain from forcing our own ways on the young minds? Just teach them the rules of the game and let them play. Set the young souls free to wander and choose their own paths to tread. Don't stop them if they wander away from well trodden paths and try to make their own. Let there be more joy and success.

How to emerge victorious in Nursery admission race

noreply@blogger.com (PPH) — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 22:05:00 +0000

This year's great battle for admission to Nursery class has begun in the Indian capital. Chauffeurs have stood in queues hours before the application form sale started. They were there for their masters, waiting along with less opulent parents. Both uber rich and less rich want to secure the future of their kids. It's very critical for the child's future that he/she gets accepted in some renowned school's Nursery class. And, yeah, it's important for parent's status. Parents are anxiously waiting for the final run. But only a handful will make it to the top. The rest will have to face disappointment.

Wish children were born with all knowledge pre-installed in their brains so that there was no need for getting them admitted in Nursery class. Sadly, that's not the case right now.

Here are a few tips for those young people who intend to get married and raise kids (or just raise kids). It's far easier and cheaper to get into the elite IITs or IIMs than getting into the Nursery class of the elite schools of New Delhi. Even if the child gets admission in these elite schools, it's not going to be easy to stay in the race with children of top executives of multinationals and politicians. To save yourself from disappointment and secure your kid's future, you need to begin preparing as early as possible.

Academic excellence counts
If possible, begin preparing while in school. Don't waste your time with friends, sitting in fastfood joints.Try to score maximum marks and go for higher studies. Be careful in choosing your dates. Make sure that he/she also scores high marks and is pursuing or willing to pursue higher studies, preferably abroad.
Money (loads of it) matters
Make sure that you get a highly paying job. For this, you may have to complete management studies from any of the elite institutions and join some multinational firm. Make sure that you don't end up with just an engineering degree. Even if you have studied at an IIT, do join an IIM for a management degree. If you think that an IIT degree would be enough for paying for your child's Nursery fees, think again.
Save money for admission fees
Education is very expensive. Even if you decide to go for a just-above-average schools, you will be asked to pay nothing less than Rs50,000 as admission fee. Thereafter, you will have to pay a few thousand bucks as monthly tuition fee.
If you are ambitious enough to dream of educating your kid in one of the elite schools, please be ready with a few lakhs (some of it in cash) of rupees. Monthly expense on tuition fee, bus fee, sports fee, computer fee, library fee, development fee, etc., should be expected to be around Rs10,000, maybe more.
Buy child education plans right now
It doesn't matter when you plan to get married and have kids. Start investing right now so that you have adequate money when the child is born. Invest in some good child future plans as soon as you get your first job.
Account for inflation
Last but not the least, take inflation into account while planning your investment for child's Nursery admission. The cost of educating your child is going to rise faster than food prices. Save as much as possible.

My kid's future is ruined, don't let it happen to your child. Take my word, and start early. I had no one to advice me. Though I am not getting married any soon, I know my kid (if there will be any) won't get admission in any of the elite schools. Neither I am highly educated nor I get paid huge amount. And I have realised the importance of saving a bit too late.

I can just cry foul. Despite the fact that the Indian law permits only not-for-profit organizations to set up and manage educations institutes and schools in the country, the fees don't confirm to the "not-for-profit" approach. What if the law allows commercialization of education as demanded by various groups and individuals? You better prepare yourself for this as well. All the best.

Kim Kardashian being promiscuous with salad

noreply@blogger.com (PPH) — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 18:46:00 +0000

Carl's Jr
If someone says you are a vegetable or a chicken, it's not necessarily a bad thing—surely not if you end up in Carl's Jr salad that's sensuously devoured by Kim Kardashian.

In her latest raunchy video, Kim isn't with some guy but with salad. Her video ad for Carl's Jr salad is the latest sensation in food porn. (Watch Kim's photos from the ad on Carl's Jr Facebook page.)

Dressed in silk, her date with salad in her bed and also in her bath tub seems to have been great fun—for both Kim and the salad. Of course, Kim's sultry voice is one of the main attractions apart from her sexy body.

Companies seem to have understood the people's liking for sex that's more subtle—as in the case of various soft porn ads such as one with a Hollywood actress for a perfume and food porn such as the one for a burger with Padma Lakshmi.

It's safe sex that gets lots of attention for brand—like this article. Everyone loves good sex!

Why emissions must rise

noreply@blogger.com (PPH) — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 09:48:00 +0000

According to a news report, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change chief Rajendra K. Pachauri, told reporters in New Delhi that global carbon emissions must peak by 2015, failing which the cost of cutting them may increase.

Why does it sound to me like a undertaker saying, "More people must die or my earnings will dwindle."

Be an angel

noreply@blogger.com (PPH) — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 18:59:00 +0000

I can't stop thanking animal welfare organization Peta for their new ad featuring Joanna Krupa. Did you ask who she is? That's why I keep saying everyone should regularly buy a copy of Playboy each month. Joanna is there on the cover of the latest December issue.

Joanna, as almost always happens with Peta ads, has shed her clothes to appear as an angel. Who else wants to be an angel? If you want an autobiographed copy of the ads or watch an interview of Joanna, visit this page on Peta website.

Image courtesy: Peta

Ganga: the purifier

noreply@blogger.com (PPH) — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 05:58:00 +0000

Rivers have always been important for human beings, with the most important civilizations starting and flourishing on the banks of rivers. It's importance in the Indian civilization is very clear by the fact that the Hindus have worshipped the rivers. The mighty Ganga has been the most revered and worshipped river which has been supporting life in a large part of the country. It is still part of daily lives of millions who take a dip in the river as a daily routine. But the river's cleansing power has limited to spiritual feeling, I guess, as the Indians have been unconcerned about the filth that the Ganga is forced to carry. I won't be surprised if, in future, some kid, while crossing a bridge on the Ganga, mistakes it for a huge sewer, like the Yamuna in Delhi.

Varanasi: Life on the Ganga

noreply@blogger.com (PPH) — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 13:48:00 +0000

Life's great and tension-free for this boy on the bank of the Ganges in Varanasi, till...

Asstounding Reebok

noreply@blogger.com (PPH) — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 06:30:00 +0000

If you want to be sexier, you need to pay attention to this hoarding above a Reebok store in South Ex, New Delhi. What it claims?

Simply wearing the shoe will get your butt toned. Take our 30-day challenge!

I know there is some connection between stilettos and sex appeal—high heels empower women by thrusting their breasts at the world (or something related to fertility of women), the protagonist transgender had said in the movie Kinky Boots.

Butt a shoe for sexier and firmer ass? Maybe Reebok will soon launch a shoe for fuller chests, firmer thighs, etc. Just wait.

Free lunches end recession

noreply@blogger.com (PPH) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 19:22:00 +0000

The world is out of recession. I am not saying this because any economist told me this. I don't trust them. Economist were the ones who led the world into a huge debt trap that turned lives upside down.

So what's the source of my information? Journalists, or more specifically news reporters. OK, some of you may question the authority of journalists in making such decisive statements on the economies of the country and the world. How do they know it?

Reporters know it because they were the ones whose lives were drastically affected by the recession. A sudden decline in the job market and a few firings in so-called organizational restructuring were due to the impact of the recession. But these two were not the most important impacts of the downturn; they did hurt journalists but only a few of them. The most severe impact of the recession was on the free gifts and lunches that reporters were offered in lieu of covering some event or company news.
Before the recession hit the world, reporters were liberally offered high tea, lunches and dinner (of course, along with copious amount of liquor). Gifts such as leather bags and nice pen sets were given so often that they were no longer included in freebies; they had become part of necessary etiquette. Some deep-pocketed companies would offer expensive gifts such as electronic appliances, cellphones and laptops. Offers for foreign tours (or junkets, as they are called in industry parlance) came too often that media houses sometimes failed to find someone who could use them as free holiday package. Companies often forgot to collect back laptops and other gadgets sent for review to media houses and their reporters. Life was good.

And then came the recession monster. Companies became conscious of their expenditures. When they started exploring options for reducing costs, the poor reporters were the ones who had to make do with limited freebies. First, gift packets started shrinking along with the menu for lunches. After some time, reporters had to starve because there were no free lunches during coverages. The designer gift boxes containing watches had become a thing of past that reporters fondly remembered as "those good ol days". This was the peak of recession.

Now the reporters are breathing a sigh of relief as recession has finally tapered off. Free lunches are again in vogue. Gift boxes are regaining their old dimensions and companies are no longer stingy on venue for press conferences. Five-star luxury is back for reporters. Though it will take some more time for the after-effect of recession to vanish, the worst is over. The world is no longer gripped in recession and life is returning to normalcy for reporters. That's why they can say—the recession is over, finally.

Sexy girl & Shaadi.com

noreply@blogger.com (PPH) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 19:16:00 +0000

How is a matrimonial site trying to increase traffic and users? It is using an ad on Facebook that promises you sexy girls. Not really. Yes, screensavers of sexy girls.

I wasn't expecting to land up on Shaadi.com's registration page when I was trying to figure out the destination of the ad on Facebook—"Get Sexy Screensavers Free"?

Here is the link of that ad: Get Sexy Screensaver Free. Give it a try.

Though it's pure cheating (how disappointed I was), but the trick certainly manages to get attention from the target audience. Of course, many of those interested in sexy girls in screensavers would also be interested in some real sexy girl.

Are you beautiful enough?

noreply@blogger.com (PPH) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 19:28:00 +0000

Bizarre or ingenious or both?

A dating site exclusively for beautiful people has denied membership to 1.8 million "ugly" people since it went live globally on 26 October.

Though anyone can apply for entry into BeautifulPeople.com, only those are admitted who manage to secure enough votes from existing members of the opposite sex. So if they aren't impressed by your looks—bam, door's shut.

According to a Telegraph report, the website was founded in 2002 in Denmark.

Sweden, Brazil and Norway are proving to be the most beautiful countries overall, with applicants from Germany and the UK among the least successful.

In a press release, the website promises a lot of benefits , including:

Glamorous parties
Approaches by film and TV firms
Potential contracts from top modelling agencies

The website live in India as well. Maybe you would like to try your luck.

Loos character

noreply@blogger.com (PPH) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:52:00 +0000

According to a PTI report, a leading international non-government organization has said that New Delhi needs to improve the condition of its public toilets.

World Toilet Organisation chief Jack Sim was quoted as saying:

Toilet is a very sensitive issue. People undervalue the power of toilet. Cleaner toilet gives the right impression to a tourist about the city he visits. So, the toilets should be neat and germ-free.

If we go by Sim's words, I don't think we can make any good impression. Why? Visit the loos at the capital's Inter State Bus Terminal (ISBT). Despite charges of Rs2 and Rs5 (you guess which one is for what), you get filthy, unclean toilets where you wont want to stand for even a few seconds. I would rather prefer to relieve myself in front of a swearing "Don't Piss" graffiti.

Ajab Raj ki Terror Politics

noreply@blogger.com (PPH) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 21:04:00 +0000

India witnessed a bizarre example of how the country's career politicians take forward their politics and ideology (if they have any, very unlikely to be for the common good of the country and its people).

In a widely reported incident, Maharashtra Navanirman Sena (MNS) members slapped and assaulted a Samajwadi Party (SP) member for defying their leader Raj Thackeray's diktat on taking oath only in Marathi. The SP member had dared to take oath in Hindi—the national language of India. The incident wasn't an outcome of any heated altercation. Raj Thackeray had already warned the MLAs of consequences before hand.

This kind of terror politics is not new to the MNS leader. He has inherited this political hooliganism from his uncle Bal Thackeray. When Raj Thackeray separated from the Shiv Sena to found the MNS, he started a campaign against non-Marathis in Maharashtra to gain ground. MNS activists went on a rampage, damaging properties and hurting a lot of people whose only crime was that they were in that part of the country where regionalism and hooliganism is integral part of politics.

Recently, Bollywood film maker Karan Johar had to apologise to MNC chief for using Bombay instead of Mumbai in some dialogues in the film Wake Up Sid. MNS activists has disrupted screening of the film in some parts of Maharashtra.

Such is the terror of these political parties that the police finds itself in a fix when they have to arrest the leader for violating the country's law. Last year, when the MNS leader was arrested for the party's movement of assaulting North Indian students, the local people were gripped by fear of a rampage by the party's activists.

Parties such as the MNS and the Shiv Sena gain strength from the agendas focused on immediate appeasement of the locals. They promote regionalism, create riot-like situations, issue diktats for common men (as well as MLAs) and resort to violence without provocation. All that they need is some political advantage, beyond that nothing matters. To hell with India and Indians. They want only Marathis in Maharashtra. No Bihari or Uttar Pradesh ke bhaiyyas are allowed to exist in Maharashtra. Bengalis, Malayalis and Gujaratis are not welcome either.

It's really worrisome that the law of the country isn't capable of bringing such politicians to justice. They aren't held culpable for burning buildings and shops, and creating riots that claims a few lives. What difference is there between a revolting terror group that wants some parts of the country to secede from India and a political party that unabashedly promotes regionalism, assaults people from other parts of the country and even attacks elected representatives for taking oath in the national language of the country?

Sherlyn, Whips & Chains

noreply@blogger.com (PPH) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 08:26:00 +0000

Peta India
Does Indian hottie Sherlyn Chopra like to be chained and whipped in her bedroom? At least that's what she is promoting in the latest Peta (People For The Ethical Treatment Of Animals) circus ad.

I support Peta for all the good work they do—providing the world with some relief in form of eye candy ad campaigns and posters.
By the way, when I Googled Peta+Sherlyn Chopra+Poster, I found some more interesting (cheesy) images from the circus ad shoots.

Does Allah want me dead?

noreply@blogger.com (PPH) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:22:00 +0000

I'm going on Jihad (against India) after my exams in December.

That's what a comment to a photograph of two boys held by Indian security men said. The photo had been uploaded on the Facebook page on Jammu & Kashmir (J&K). [A collage of the screenshot of the page can be seen at the bottom of the page.]

Is Jihad some kind of adventure sport? Why is the person saying it so casually as if he is planning to have a can of beer or going for a movie. I sought answer from Google—define:jihad.
Princeton University's WordNet defines Jihad as:

a holy war waged by Muslims against infidels
a holy struggle or striving by a Muslim for a moral or spiritual or political goal

According to Wikipedia, Quran (58:20) says:

Indeed those who are opposing Allah and His Messenger are bound to be humiliated. The Almighty has ordained: "I and My Messengers shall always prevail." Indeed Allah is Mighty and Powerful.

If the word infidel refers to all those who don't believe in Allah and/or profess some other religion, I, along with all non-Muslims, live at the mercy of Muslim mujahideens (plural for mujahid, a jehadi). I just hope they choose non-violent ways for jihad against me.

How could Allah be so mean, if he (why couldn't Allah be a she?) is the Almighty and the creator of the entire universe? I doubt Allah—the creator—would want me dead, even if I don't believe in him nor follow Islam.

If Islam requires Muslims to jihad (and kill) all non-believer infidels, how could it be a religion? By the way, is there any evidence of Allah or his messengers preaching violence against harmless infidels. Or was he quoted out of context, or blatantly misquoted? Was Allah or his messenger referring to some warring barbarics as infidels?

If this preaching requires a violent war, it is totally against the idea of peaceful co-existence that an ideal world should have. Thankfully, there aren't many Ghazis (soldiers of Islam) busy in violent jihad.

Click to see the entire screenshot of the Facebook page.

By the way,those who want to see the original comment that prompted me to write this post, here it goes (sic):

Hey im kashmiri n InshALLAH i will save my kashmiri brothers n sister .... Im going on jihad after my exams in decembar.....hate u indian army....im coming inshALLAH

Feeling (molesting) hot madam

noreply@blogger.com (PPH) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 22:17:00 +0000

In an effort to improve ~~its~~ the city's image for the 2010 Commonwealth Games, the New Delhi government is imparting spoken English and etiquette training to some 8,000 auto-rickshaw drivers. A Hindustan Times report on the initiative had a very intriguing headline: "Feeling hot, madam?"

I wondered what were the chances of someone actually saying this (not due to poor English): "Feeling hot madam."

Knowing how unsafe women feel in the city, it shouldn't be a surprise to me if someone feels (or more appropriately molests) any foreign tourist arriving for the Games.

The naxal fire

noreply@blogger.com (PPH) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 20:29:00 +0000

Dear Naxal comrades,

Why did you take the Rajdhani Expess—along with its hundreds of passengers—hostage and abduct the drivers?

Though I have a very vague understanding of the Naxal ideology, I do understand that its has gained ground because of the continued deprivation of Naxal organizations' cadre and supporters. You want an end to a flawed system that is unjust to a large fraction of people; even I want the society to be equitable towards everyone.

But why take the recourse of violence, cold-blooded murders? If you start executing people (which you often do in kangaroo courts), doesn't that bring you on a par with your enemy. As an uninvolved spectator, I see both you and your oppressor indulging in anti-social activities.

A few days ago, one of your leaders—Kobad Ghandy—was shouting Long Live Bhagat Singh on his way to court in police custody. If you and your leaders are inspired by the revolutionary, why don't you live up to the expectations of Bhagat Singh. He believed that revolution does not necessarily mean blood shed. Revolutions take place only when the common man starts accepting your ideology and change their way of life. Bhagat Singh was fighting the British government that wasn't concerned about their demands, but you are being invited for talks by the Indian government. I think you need to give up violence if you really wish to bring a change in society.

I know it must be all very exciting and self-righteous in raising an armed-revolution and punishing your oppressors, but you will have to give it up. You have been raging a war since long. What has been the result? It only gives you a false sense of importance.

Naxal violence is causing more harm to the common man, the peasant of your areas. Stop making their lives more miserable with your armed revolt. Take the recourse of a non-violent revolution. If you have become addicted to the adrenaline rush of violence, go, kill corrupt people in the legislature (politician), judiciary and administrative.

Spare the common man.

Your well wisher.

Holy shit

noreply@blogger.com (PPH) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 19:05:00 +0000

In an interview with CNBC-TV18 on Monday, India's telecommunications minister A. Raja said the country can expect to see local phone call rates at 10paise per minute and domestic long distance calls at 25 paise a minute. But that's not the best part of the interview. He said:

I don’t want to be a stagnated and stinking pool. If it is a stagnated, stinking pool, no animal or man will come; nobody will throw stone on it.

After this thought-provoking statement, he said:

When you are flowing water, somebody will drink, somebody will use, somebody will use it for other purpose.

What did I think about after reading this sentence? Holy shit. Why would anyone want to be a river? Poor Ganga is enough for ablutions.

Flickr/Wonker

Young sex predators

noreply@blogger.com (PPH) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 08:28:00 +0000

Delhi girls aren't unfamiliar with eve teasing and molestation. They brave it quite often—on buses, in markets and on roads, everywhere. A leering man, a group of boys passing filthy comments as a girl passes, it's all too common. And it becomes worse if the girl is from the north-eastern parts of the country.

According to a Times of India report, a 21-year-old girl from Arunachal Pradesh was allegedly molested inside a government school in New Friends Colony in New Delhi on Thursday. Police complaint didn't bring any relief for the girl.

Speaking to Times City, she said, "I was going to the university on a rickshaw around 3.30 pm when three-four boys started passing lewd comments. One of them even touched me. As soon as I stopped the rickshaw, they ran inside and I followed. Nearly 200 boys surrounded me inside the compound. When I tried pushing them away, those behind me pulled at my skirt. They also touched me and made embarrassing comments. Some of them followed me even as I rushed out and pelted stones at me."

What was the school principal doing? Who knows, but the ToI report surely has two contradicting statements of his.

School principal Javed Qamar said, "It's unfortunate. We had heard about a woman being eve-teased outside the school. I had even sent three teachers out to see what had happened but they could not find anyone. We will help the girl and the police to identify the offenders, and if found guilty, their names will be struck off from the rolls. But a lot of times, ex-students too come to the school in uniform." (Really! They like their uniforms so much?) The school has a security guard but he had gone to switch off the water pump at the time of the incident, he added.

In fact, Qamar claims that he came to know about the incident only around 5 pm on Friday when a group of Jamia students came to his office along with policemen. (So what did he send the three teachers for?)

Are these boys preparing for the 2010 Commonwealth Games? For them sexual harassment (har-ass-ment) seems to have different meaning altogether.

In India, schoolboys are one of the most prolific eve teasers as they step into adolescence and try to define sex and sexuality. It's more vulgar in boys from families in lower economic brackets, those who attend government schools due to lack of option.

Why is it so? Maybe due to the inability of the Indian society to accept sexuality as an integral part. Though we are opening up, still there are large tracts of society where sex and sexuality is not part of a respectable conversation. We want our children to depend on friends, TV, Internet to learn about sex and let them discover their sexuality through indecent and anti-social behaviour of eve teasing and molestation. Why not impart them correct knowledge though quality books and counselling? Why not teach them about sex in school rather then letting them eve tease girls?

Roses are blue

noreply@blogger.com (PPH) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 20:06:00 +0000

Flickr/Fayemozingo

Blue Roses
Roses red and roses white
Plucked I for my love's delight.
She would none of all my posies -
Bade me gather her blue roses.

Half the world I wandered through,
Seeking where such flowers grew;
Half the world unto my quest
Answered me with laugh and jest.

Home I came at winter tide,
But my silly love had died,
Seeking with her latest breath
Roses from the arms of Death.

It may be beyond the grave
She shall find what she would have.
Mine was but an idle quest -
Roses white and red are best.
~Rudyard Kipling

Unlike Kipling, you can now buy blue roses for your love, though at a price that's 10-20 times that of normal red roses.

According to a BBC report, genetically-modified blue roses will soon be available in Japan's flower shops.

Modern Indian dynasties

noreply@blogger.com (PPH) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 19:52:00 +0000

OK. A Hollywood film portraying the clandestine romance of India's first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, and last viceroy Lord Mountbatten's wife Edwina has been shelved citing budget issues.

The Indian government had asked the film makers to remove scenes showing or hinting at physical intimacy between the two lovers if they wanted to shoot the film in India.

While reading an article on Times, I happened to see this:

Nehru was prime minister from 1947 to 1964 and the dynasty he founded still dominates Indian politics.

The mention of dynasty has forced me to think if we any better than what the country was during the era of kingdoms. We read in history books that the rulers founded various dynasties: Slave dynasty, Lodhi dynasty, Gupta dynasty, etc.

What dynasties do we have today: Gandhi-Nehru dynasty, Scindia dynasty, Pawar dynasty, Thakre dynasty, Karunanidhi dynasty, etc. Only consolation is that these dynasties are "vetted" by the common man. Else, they behave more or less like kings. No one can defy them, or else their sena will attack you and your establishment, killing people and ransacking shops. They cannot be arrested as their supporters will not allow the police to reach their leader.

Also, we have business dynasties whose ego-clashes become a threat to the country's economy. The apex court has to attend to their cat fights on a priority basis.

What dynasty do you intend to establish?

Footwear missile

noreply@blogger.com (PPH) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 18:57:00 +0000

Union minister P Chidambaram is not only trying to tackle the issue of Naxalism in his unique way, he seems to be taking necessary precautions to avoid another serious threat as well--shoes hurled by journalists.

According to a PTI report (published in Deccan Chronicle) on Tuesday, a deputy superintendent of police (DSP) asked newsmen covering Chidambaram’s function in Virudhunagar, Tamil Nadu, to remove their footwear before entering the media enclosure near the dais. Earlier, they had been seated in back rows.hurling

However, just before they (journalists) moved closer to the dais, DSP Sahul Hameed asked them to consider the area as a place of worship and remove their footwear before entering it.

Of course, Chidambaram and his security personnel have every reason to be cautious of looming threats after he managed a narrow escape from the shoe thrown at him by a Sikh journalist, Jarnail Singh, in April this year. He needs to be even more careful as people may be inspired by writings of the Iraqi journalist who had been jailed for hurling a shoe at then US president George Bush.