Now that war facts  are out in international public domain, US is no more in a position to pamper their beloved ally – pakistan, esp Mr Obama  will have to answer  White house as why should they feed (money/arms) Pakistan. Though authorities from US government are already at Damage Control with absolute dismissal of the Wikileaks stating that , it does not depict the  ground reality, and those may be the facts but now that loong past. Pathetic Damage control.

Now the leak has weakened the public and Congressional support, which Mr Obama was counting on, especially before he could donate more war torn Pakistan this year end. The open bashing  of US government actions on the current going war will evidently affect the US relations with Pakistan. So long had only the sane Indian Government endless campaigned against ISI link with Taliban. Even as long ago in times of  A B Vajapyee, he warned the world that roots of terrorism lie in Pakistan not in Iraq. But Saddam obsessed Bush paid war visit to Iraq while problem lay elsewhere. Even now they keep tackling the branches of terrorism tree, but the roots (ISI)  are still at large.

Even the White  House can now no more hide  that they had no  knowledge of ISI -Taliban Links, as these documents  point,  rather shout out loud about the links and how the money given pakistan is channled to Taliban for war against USA.  For long had India provided the facts which were effortlessly ignored by the US administration, but now these files from the rat holes of US Military can no more be ignored.

For  all those senates who until now had hunches, of just  had strongly feared of Taliban- ISI links, these Wikileaks are like nukes in their  hands against Obama  run government.  I am not sure  as how the authenticity of these documents will be established but yet the paint the Double dealing nature of Pakistan . The revelations bring out the horrifying  accounts of  Lt. Gen. Hamid Gul of Pakistan, who ran the ISI from 1987 to 1989. General Gul kept working with those forces, which eventually formed the Taliban.  Representatives of the ISI have worked with the Taliban to organize networks of militants to fight American soldiers in Afghanistan and hatch plots to assassinate Afghan leaders.

The more one digs more filth is exhumed.  The ‘Wikileak Gate’  will surely pound the white house for least some time now, but also i hope that USA atlast now opens its eyes and settle out things straight away  with Pakistan. The first step in this is  acknowledgment to the fact the Pakistan is fanatically India obsessed, and unless it steers itself away , it is useless ally to US  for Afghan war. Pakistan has to be forced to  end those Taliban  along with the bad guys from ISI.  Incase these  basics are left ignored  we shall see no end to ISI powered Taliban.

So far the frustration with the  US government is visible indicating their acceptance to these documents as facts, but hope that the frustration does not change to sickening and lame condemnation like ISI stating that these reports as “part of the malicious campaign to malign the spy organization” . Utterly disgusting  ISI response, but cant expect more.

If one looks backs at time over fifty years the cinema has whole has flourished multi-fold. But in the intervening decades Marathi language films suffered as the Hindi film industry of Bollywood went from strength to strength on Marathi turf. But I guess real trigger for the impetus for the Marathi industry was Shwass. Shwass marked a new beginning for Marathi language cinema. What a little I have been following there have been more than 10 quality movies that have been released so far. Some completed in International festivals, a few got private viewing in our own New Jersey (I call extended Pune and Viele Parle, Matunga of India) and many did good business at home. It is a remarkable comeback for an industry which has had to live in the shadow of Bollywood.

The film I personally was enticed by was Harishandrachi Factory, this movie fumed in Oscars in 2010 as India’s official entry. (Though did not get through the Oscars  it did a very serious impact on world cinema). Based on the life of Dadasaheb Phalke, which made India’s first silent move, Raja Harischchandra, the film received critical acclaim as well as a wide audience. One of the several reasons for the success of Marathi cinema is the young brigade of young directors, as they are willing to try new things and sending these to International festivals, there by creating the buzz these need in the absence of a big marketing machine.

Vihir participating in Berlin, Vallu, Gaabhricha Paus recently won at a French Festival. Also several Marathi films off late have been submitted to Rotterdam film festival. A strong growth in the Marathi film industry and overall Marathi entertainment industry has been the Marathi entertainment channels. This is my point of view; Have helped the ailing Marathi film industry.

I decade back I still remember a release of Marathi film was seen a something as big surprise. Though I feel there was no dearth of talent in Marathi actors, there was a promotional link missing. I guess in 1999-2000 television revolution helped to develop the audience and mature them and create a unique taste of Marathi cinema. Now days the Marathi channels are flooding, the young crowd are willing to enter the Marathi, as it calls for decent source of income. The Marathi cinema off late has been getting great story line coupled with mesmerizing and fantastic music compositions, the recent example is Natarang, the music has been all time hit not only in Maharashtra but in many more Indian states. With these there are big names who want to produce Marathi movies. Big production houses such as UTV, Reliance promoted Adlabs want invest money in Marathi film industry. For even better days for Marathi industry, there has to be more money investors and better promotional activity. The crowd is there, it needs to churned up. Better advertising and marketing policies not only would definitely change the days of Marathi cinema but would blossom and help to leave its fragrance to numerous audiences over the years to come.

On the day itself, everything was running according to the plan, including the placement of security forces and support staff. The proceeding was not extravagant as that was seen three years back in Essen where 1.6 million people turned up. The actual event of parading up to the concert’s place was omitted and there was no dancing around live music playing trucks on the menu. But surprisingly, the place where the main event was going to be held had only a single entrance and a single exit. Adding to the woos were the fact that the venue was a desecrated rail-way station and the entrance was small, dark tunnel!

Whilst the music started to play loud and crowd started to gather, the police was too busy enforcing discipline by lobbying people into a single line, which might have triggered panicky situation. The tunnel-effect was perhaps scaring the crowd even more than the police as they frantically started to look for more avenues. In the whole rush, 20 of them dropped off never to be lifted up again, and some 350 were maimed. In the post-mortem of the event so far, alcohol, drugs and adrenaline are excluded what perhaps must be accounted for in studying the psychology behind the stampede.

Firstly, in the whole scenario, Duisburg municipal corporation had underestimated the total turn-up to 300,000~700,000 going by the place chosen for the main event.  Secondly, it had stopped all the trains approaching and leaving Duisburg, because of over capacity and they stuck to that even after the tragey hit. As a result, many of the visitors who were informed about the stampede were left stranded on the station, roads, and anywhere they found place. Had there been a good estimate of visitors and proper channeling of them through multiple gates, the tragedy could have been avoided. And even after the mishap, had the trains started shuttling, much of inconvenience to panic-stucks could have been saved.

Then again it was unfortunate accident and I must admit that the technical assistance provided by the organizers and city municipal corporation was outstandingly swift. For emergency, 15 helicopters were deployed and more than 1000 ambulances were bustling on the streets. Immediate tents were raised to provide first-aid to injured ones and oxygen masks were also supplied. To avoid a major stampede at the venue itself, the music was allowed to run without interruption, so those unaware about incidence remain unaware.  Being a resident of Duisburg, my sympathies to affected, it was definitely one of my terrible evenings in the city.

Ingredients:
1 middle size bowl finely chopped coriander
1 and half bowl gram flour (Besan peeth)
2 big glasses buttermilk
4 chillies finely chopped
Ginger garlic paste one table spoon
One finely chopped onion
One fourth bowl cooking oil
Mustard seeds and cumin 1 tbsp
Turmeric powder as one fourth tablespoon
Salt for taste

Procedure:
Mix the buttermilk, coriander and gram flour. Add turmeric powder and salt to the batter.
Heat oil in the pan for one minute. Add mustard seeds and cumin. Add garlic and ginger paste. Add onion and fry till slightly brown. After two minutes add the batter and stir for two minutes. Cover the pan with lid and allow it the pithale to cook for 5 to 7 minutes.  Garnish it a  dash of coriander leaves. Serve  with jowar/bajra  bhakri or simple chappati. For the ones away from home rice too tastes good with this dish.

(Note: Fenugreek (methi leaves) can also be used instead of coriander.)

(The article  is featured on www.artcilebase.com , authored by Prof N L Shraman)

Breaking my rule of adding just a excerpt here, I today paste the whole article. I hope Prof Shraman being a Guru  wont object to this.

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Hindus attach paramount importance to spiritual gurus. Gurus are often equated with God and always regarded as a link between the individual and the Immortal. Just as the moon shines by reflecting the light of the sun, and glorifies it, all disciples can dazzle like the moon by gaining from their Gurus.
What is Guru Purnima?
The full moon day in the Hindu month of Ashad (July-August) is observed as the auspicious day of Guru Purnima, a day sacred to the memory of the great sage Vyasa. All Hindus are indebted to this ancient saint who edited the four Vedas, wrote the 18 Puranas, the Mahabharata and the Srimad Bhagavata. Vyasa even taught Dattatreya, who is regarded as the Guru of Gurus.
Significance of Guru Purnima
On this day, all spiritual aspirants and devotees worship Vyasa in honor of his divine personage and all disciples perform a ‘puja’ of their respective spiritual preceptor or ‘Gurudevs’.
This day is of deep significance to the farmers, for it heralds the setting in of the much-needed rains, as the advent of cool showers usher in fresh life in the fields. It is a good time to begin your spiritual lessons. Traditionally, spiritual seekers commence to intensify their spiritual ‘sadhana’ from this day.
The period ‘Chaturmas’ (“four months”) begins from this day. In the past, wandering spiritual masters and their disciples used to settle down at a place to study and discourse on the Brahma Sutras composed by Vyasa, and engage themselves in Vedantic discussions.
The Role of the Guru
Swami Sivananda asks: “Do you realize now the sacred significance and the supreme importance of the Guru’s role in the evolution of man? It was not without reason that the India of the past carefully tended and kept alive the lamp of Guru-Tattva. It is therefore not without reason that India, year after year, age after age, commemorates anew this ancient concept of the Guru, adores it and pays homage to it again and again, and thereby re-affirms its belief and allegiance to it. For, the true Indian knows that the Guru is the only guarantee for the individual to transcend the bondage of sorrow and death, and experience the Consciousness of the Reality
At the Sivananda Ashram, Rishikesh, the Guru Purnima is celebrated every year on a grand scale.
1. All aspirants awake at Brahmamuhurta, at 4 o’clock. They meditate on the Guru and chant his prayers.
2. Later in the day, the sacred worship of the Guru’s Feet is performed. Of this worship it is said in the Guru Gita:

ध्याना  मुलं  गुरोर  मूर्तिः
पूजा  मुलं  गुरोर  पदम
मंत्र  मुलं  गुरोर  वाक्यं
मोक्ष  मुलं  गुरोर  कृपा

“The Guru’s form should be meditated upon; the feet of the Guru should be worshipped; his words are to be treated as a sacred Mantra; his Grace ensures final liberation”.
3. Sadhus and Sannyasins are then worshipped and fed at noon.
4. There is continuous Satsang during which discourses are held on the glory of devotion to the Guru in particular, and on spiritual topics in general.
5. Deserving aspirants are initiated into the Holy Order of Sannyas, as this is a highly auspicious occasion.
6. Devout disciples fast and spend the whole day in prayer. They also take fresh resolves for spiritual progress.
The Guru’s Advice
Swami Sivananda recommends: “Wake up at Brahmamuhurta (at 4 a.m.) on this most holy day. Meditate on the lotus feet of your Guru. Mentally pray to him for his Grace, through which alone you can attain Self-realisation. Do vigorous Japa and meditate in the early morning hours.
“After bath, worship the lotus feet of your Guru, or his image or picture with flowers, fruits, incense and camphor. Fast or take only milk and fruits the whole day.
In the afternoon, sit with other devotees of your Guru and discuss with them the glories and teachings of your Guru.
“Alternatively, you may observe the vow of silence and study the books or writings of your Guru, or mentally reflect upon his teachings. Take fresh resolves on this holy day, to tread the spiritual path in accordance with the precepts of your Guru.
“At night, assemble again with other devotees, and sing the Names of the Lord and the glories of your Guru. The best form of worship of the Guru is to follow his teachings, to shine as the very embodiment of his teachings, and to propagate his glory and his message.”

Who’s A Guru?
All About the Hindu Spiritual Teacher
“Guru is Shiva sans his three eyes,
Vishnu sans his four arms
Brahma sans his four heads.
He is parama Shiva himself in human form”
~ Brahmanda Puran
Guru is the God, say the scriptures. Indeed, the ‘guru’ in Vedic tradition is looked upon as one no less than a God. ‘Guru’ is a honorific designation of a preceptor as defined and explained variously in the scriptures and ancient literary works including epics. The English word ‘guru’ has its
etymological origin in the Sanskrit term. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Current English defines it as “Hindu spiritual teacher or head of religious sect; influential teacher; revered mentor”.
More Real Than Gods
Aren’t gurus more real than the gods? Basically the guru is a spiritual teacher leading the disciple on the path of “god-realization”. In essence, the guru is considered a respected person with saintly qualities who enlightens the mind of his disciple, an educator from whom one receives the initiatory mantra, and one who instructs in rituals and religious ceremonies. The Vishnu Smriti and Manu Smriti regards the Acharya (teacher), along with the mother and the father as the most venerable gurus of an individual. According to Deval Smriti there can be eleven kinds of gurus and according to Nama Chintamani ten. According to his functions he is categorized as rishi, acharyam, upadhya, kulapati or mantravetta.
The Guru’s Role
The Upanishads have profoundly underlined the role of the guru. Mundak Upanishad says to realize the supreme godhead holding samidha grass in his hands one should surrender himself before the guru who knows the secrets of Vedas. Kathopanishad too speaks of the guru as the preceptor who alone can guide the disciple on the spiritual path. Over time the guru’s syllabus gradually enlarged incorporating more secular and temporal subjects related to human endeavor and intellect. Apart from usual spiritual works his sphere of instruction now included subjects like Dhanurvidya (archery), Arthashastra (economics) and even Natyashastra (dramatics) and Kamashastra (sexology). Such was the ingenuity of the all pervading intellect of the ancient Acharyas that they perpetuated even shastra like thievery. Shudraka’s celebrated play Mricchakatikam tells the story of Acharya Kanakashakti who formulated the Chaurya Shastra, or the science of thievery, which was further developed by the gurus like Brahmanyadeva, Devavrata and Bhaskarnandin.
From Hermitages to Universities
Gradually the institution of Gurukula or in-forest-hermitage, where disciples learnt at the feet of guru for long years was evolved. The great urban universities at Takshashila, Vikramashila and Nalanda essentially evolved from these tiny gurukulas tucked away in deep woods. If we have to believe the records of Chinese travellers who visited Nalanda at that time, there were more than 1,500 teachers teaching various subjects to more than 10,000 students and monks.
Legends of Gurus & Desciples
There were gurus as well as disciples of different hues to whom references were made in scriptures and literary works. The most popular legend is that of the amazing young tribal boy Ekalavya on being rejected by the ace trainer Dronacharya, raised his statue and with great dedication practised the art of archery and left behind Arjuna, the master archer, who actually learnt the art under the living guru. And the heartless guru asked for his thumb as gurudakshina or fees, and made him inferior before his royal disciple. In the Chandogya Upanishad, we meet an aspiring disciple Satyakama, who refuses to tell lies about his caste in order to get an admission in the gurukula of Acharya Haridrumat Gautam. And in the Mahabharata we come across Karna who did not bat an eyelid while telling Parashurama that he belonged to the Bhrigu Brahmin caste just to obtain the Brahmastra, the supreme weapon.
Lasting Contribution
From generation to generation the institution of the guru has evolved various basic tenets of Indian culture and transmitted spiritual and fundamental knowledge. Gurus formed the axis of ancient educational system and ancient society, and enriched various fields of learning and culture by their creative thinking. Herein lies the lasting significance of gurus and their contribution to the upliftment of mankind.

The link to original article can be found HERE

DB- Deutsche Bahn seems to drowning into problems ranging from cultural to technical ones. The good part is since the FIFA World Cup 2006 we  hear  announcements in English  (Sank yoo for traveling wis Deutsche Bahn ) as we approach the International cities like Frankfurt,  Munich oder Stuttgart.  Though the Germans a really  making efforts to speak English they seem to loose their technical sheen.

The county which boasts it Mechanical  adroitness is facing challenges with it owned DB. Well not only is the  German sense of punctuality gone for toss, but more fearful is the technical errs.   So far my experience  is considered I have have seen the delays in ICE nothing  but just increasing with each passing year.   Now thats  with their timing but more concern to the Image of DB is the technical ‘Failure’

The trains seem to run with faulty axles leading to snail fast ICE.  Not just a single ICE but the whole fleet runs with faulty axles, a ‘deep German’ research showed that  the material used was wrong ( China made kya?). Added to this  fast increasing slow movers  the air  conditioning  is too failing.  Perhaps the Germans need to learn that Europe is not more cooler, it is soon catching up with global warming. With temperatures reaching 40° c outside making the temperature touch 50°C in well packed  ICE almost  killing the passengers. Recently at the Hannover  Central Station 8 pallets of water for 400 passengers.    In May 2009  a S-Bahn derailed which lead to  through  Federal study of the trains which  made the authorities see that there was  potential failure of the braking systems in the trains.

Well all this causes is delays , commuter frustration and helpless  authorities hunting  some to blame for.  Along with public ire DB faces financial problems too. In 2009 IPO was announced but  pulled by due to finanze Krisse.

With Euro already struggling to get back on feet, the rise of German Economy  since past few  ups the hopes of  Europe. Germany is amazingly fighting on all fronts , pumping money into  Europe,  struggling its own divided  society, reinventing methods  for society  unification. The whole Europe looks to Germany as  their Vaterland too, but it too needs to caress for its wounds too. It too has its own need which sooner of later it will  have to be addressed.

The Deutsche Bahn  is just first crack  in this ship (hope doesn’t turn to be Titanic), with Germans  demurring their punctual image, hope they take this cue in time and access the minor issues in sooner.

PS:  Sank yoo for reading

Ingredients :

750 gm of Mutton, thoroughly washed and cut into small pieces
4 medium sized onions, finely chopped
2 large sized tomatoes, finely chopped
1 cup of grated coconut
5 cloves of garlic
1 inch piece of ginger
1 tsp of turmeric powder
10 red chilies
10-12 peppercorns
10-12 cloves
2 tsp of poppy seeds
2 tsp of coriander seeds
1 1/2 tsp of aniseeds
1 cup of chopped coriander leaves
1 cup of mustard oil
Salt to taste

Procedure :

Grind together the ginger and the garlic to fine  paste. Add this to the mutton pieces along with a tablespoon of salt and a teaspoon of turmeric powder and combine all ingredients together. Set to marinate for about 20 min. Mount a deep-bottomed frying pan on medium heat with 5 tbsp of oil. When the oil is hot add the peppercorn, coriander seeds, cloves, aniseeds, poppy seeds and the red chilies to the oil. When the sputtering ends add in the chopped onions and mix together.

Fry till the onions become golden brown in color.  Add the chopped tomatoes, grated coconut and fry well till they become brown in color. Remove from the heat and let cool. Using blender grind this to smooth paste . Now heat the remaining oil in the same frying pan on medium heat. Add the mutton pieces to the heated oil . When the mutton is well browned, add the ground spices and salt to taste.

After a minute add 3 cups of water to the meat and cook for about 25-30 minutes. Keep the pan covered while cooking. When the mutton is thoroughly done remove from heat. Pour into a serving bowl and garnish with the chopped coriander leaves. Serve hot with Chappatis / Bhakri (I miss it most ).  Also serve a bowl of raita with this if you like.

[To reduce the cooking time you may pre-cook the mutton in pressure cooker.]

PS : Finally India Currency gets the long awaited Symbol. Let the Rupees fly