When I read about the Bhubaneshwar- Delhi Rajdhani blockade by Maoists recently I found the whole thing to be quite sinister. It did not make any sense. I mean they stopped the train for over five hours, threatened passengers and drivers and then just let them go in the end, for nothing? What was going on? Some newspapers say that they wanted to demonstrate what they can do but I don’t believe it because we already know what they are capable of. It was much later that things started becoming clearer. And it does all add up and it makes perfect sense, for Maoists.

Posted on October 31st, 2009 under India calling. Tags: BJP, blockade, Congress, Mamata, maoists, PCPA, rajdhani, train. Comments: 3

Manish is now in a hurry. He picks up his cup of tea and today’s newspaper and heads for the loo. That’s his favorite place for reading the news. I guess we all find our little corners where we can get our moments of peace. Talking about peace in the loo, Aleena keeps banging on his door from time to time to ensure he’s there. So much for peace!!

Posted on October 30th, 2009 under AUTHOR'S DIARY, Feelings. Tags: breakfast, coffee, newspaper, Office, peace, Randy Orton, time, WWF. Comments: 1

There are three issues which we need to understand as far as spectrum allocation deals are concerned. First is that the country did suffer a huge loss in excess of Rs 60,000 crores in the deals with various companies, a fact which the govt has sadly not even admitted so far. Secondly, someone has to be held responsible for this loss. Thirdly, is there a political angle to this scam? Quite likely there is.

Posted on October 29th, 2009 under India calling. Tags: CBI, Congress, deal, ideology, Raja, spectrum, telecom, Unitech. Comments: 6

While Aleena’s milk is warming and the tea is brewing I manage a few stretches in the kitchen to ready myself for the demanding day that lies ahead of me. I take Aleena’s milk and whisper in Manish’s ear to go out silently to the kitchen and have his tea. He sneaks out trying not to make noise but generally fails as his dragging of slippers is enough to wake up Aleena.

Posted on October 29th, 2009 under AUTHOR'S DIARY. Tags: breakfast, bus, milk, morning, Office, school, sleep, tea, uniform. Comments: 1

Over the period of last few decades while Naxalism was gaining ground the authorities did not appreciate the kind of challenge this would come to pose. Even the successive central govts while being duly concerned with Kashmir ignored the situation in these areas. During this time not only did Maoists manage to gain ground they also graduated from being an ideology driven groups to someone akin to terrorists. It is only because violence in Kashmir has abated to a very large extent that atrocities of Maoists are now coming into focus.

Posted on October 27th, 2009 under Best Articles, India calling. Tags: belief, challenge, democracy, development, ideology, Maoist, poor. Comments: 10

Well! Well! Well!!! After all the talk of BREAKING INDIA INTO PIECES, hundreds of border ‘transgressions’, consternation on Dalai Lama’s visit to Arunachal Pradesh, separate visas to Kashmiris and a host of other provocations, Wen Jiabao now says that they want to have good relations with India. He said this when he met Manmohan Singh in Thailand on the sidelines of ASEAN summit. Damn good. Just what the doctor ordered. But why does my heart tell me not to believe him? Possibly my heart has gone crazy. After all it’s the premier of a sovereign nation saying so. Hey, wait a minute. Didn’t Hu Jintao (their President) say something similar in June when he met Manmohan Singh in Russia? And most of the provocations which I mentioned have taken place after that? Well, my heart is damn right. We cannot believe Wen Jiabao, Hu Jintao, Mao Mao, Lao Lao or even Ming Ping Chin for that matter.

Posted on October 25th, 2009 under India calling. Tags: ASEAN, balance, China, military, navy, pirates, somalia, trade, war. Comments: 4

My in laws who stay in Gurgaon say that Congress did nothing for them. The roads and power situation is so bad that it is impossible for people to live decently in the city because of which I really think ten times before I decide to go visit my in laws. Not surprisingly the sitting MLA from Congress Dharambir Guaba lost in this election. Incidentally, he lives just a stone’s throw away from our house. While we have seen his house develop from a decrepit

Posted on October 24th, 2009 under India calling. Tags: caste, destination, development, elections, Gurgaon, Haryana, Jat, vote. Comments: None

BANG BANG BANG BANG!!!!!!!! It was 7 AM Thursday, 22nd October. Election results. Where was the remote? Where did I leave it last night? Holy shit! Aleena was sleeping on the remote. And the damn thing was wet. Aleena had done susu over it. Goddamnit!!!! Can’t help it. I wiped it clean and switched on the TV. Dish TV welcomes you!! Bullshit, get lost. Where was Times Now? There it was.

Posted on October 23rd, 2009 under India calling. Tags: elections, Marastra, MNS, NDTV, Raj, results, Thakeray, Times Now. Comments: 6

At some point or the other each one of us must have asked these questions to oneself: Is my religion the correct one to follow? Why are there so many religions in this world with each one ’seemingly’ out to destroy the others? Which one of these is the best? Why was I born in the religion that I was? If indeed there is one God then why are there so many different faiths which give vastly different interpretations to the truths of life? Why did God let this happen, if there is indeed a God?

Posted on October 21st, 2009 under Best Articles, Feelings, India calling, Track the world. Tags: Ayodhya, belief, faith, God, Him, obama, Pope, religion. Comments: 5