Apple may have packed their bags and left. Some other companies may have realized that the relative cost-benefits of outsourcing to India may not be as great as originally thought.
Bad times for Bharatvarsh?
Not really.
Because Al Qaeda, the world’s one-stop terror shop, has arrived in India.
Al Qaeda is no stranger to our country. However, in the past, it operated in India through local franchisees like Lashkar-e-Toiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed while itself pulling strings from Terrorist Park —an ultra-modern business incubation facility maintained by ISI and President General P (Prick) Musharaff in the land of Pakistan.
However with recent events making the company bullish about its future in India, Al Qaeda has decided to cut out the middleman and jump right in. Relying on its universal brand-name recognition, this league of distinguished gentlemen hope to carve out a large share of the terror, decapitation and dismemberment market.
In a press release, company officials today announced the setting up of its corporate office in Kashmir –thus adding to its enviable presence in the world. For now, they will be setting up their terror-manufacturing units based on turn-key technical know-how supplied by the Pakistanis and the Chinese in Kashmir only—but they have plans of expanding to other cities soon.
In order to meet its staffing needs, Al Qaeda has engaged in a strategic partnership with the HR powerhouse, SIMI (Students Islamic Movement of India also known as Simple Indians Misunderstood Internationally) who have been contracted with the task of supplying a steady stream of ‘field associates’ each with a minimum qualification of B.J. (Bachelor of Jihad).
Many resumes from Bangladesh have also been received by the Al Qaeda staff.
Readers may recall that SIMI was in the news recently, when the Samajwadi Party, a political party consisting of the greatest Indian patriots ever born and some exalted individuals like Salman Khursheed, cast doubts on the B.J. degree by asserting that “SIMI is not a terrorist organization”—-a statement that was greeted with shock and laughter by the SIMI administration.
In response, SIMI has sent an emailed lawyer’s letter to the Samajwadi Party and reasserted their credentials in Mumbai.. laying to rest any doubts about their commitment to quality terrorism.
Besides initiating a promotional campaign that promises to hit Indian centers of population with a bang, Al Qaeda has reputedly roped in celebrity Miraz Khaled Nor, (the Osama Bin Laden lookalike who campaigned for both Laloo and his opponent Paswan during the Bihari election) for their ad blitz which has as its theme the Eric Clapton-inspired song: “Would you feel the same if there were no virgins in heaven?”
As cries of “Mubarakan mubarakan” echo from Bangladesh to Pakistan at this development, it will be interesting to see how Al Qaeda’s arrival impacts the situation in India.
Yeh raha Aaj Tak. Intezar kijiye kal tak.
The Greatbong Blog & Podcast 
The scariest part is that it appears terrorism in India has suddenly had a shot of adrenalin. Wonder if the present government will be able to find time from dirty votebank politics and deal with it
Great!!!
Finally Al Qaeda has arrived in India physically.
So far they had been carrying out their (sorry for the typo….spelling corrected) operations by outsourcing jobs to lesser known local vendors like Lashkar-E-Toiba and Jaish-E-Mohammed.
As a matter of fact they were one of the very first organizations to have outsourced some of their work to Indians.
Now they have decided to take charge on their own.
What remains to be seen is how the physical presence of Al Qaeda is going to affect India and Indians.
After one IT (Information Technology) boom it’s going to be another IT (Indian Terrorism) boom for sure.
Let’s keep our fingers crossed to see how and from where they start off.
Many of us can very appropriately conclude that our days are numbered unless of course, the embryo of Al Qaeda India is destroyed before the birth.
only u could decode SIMI and the P in Musharaff’s name.
The embryo of Al Qaeda India cant be destroyed, because its no longer in its nascent stage. The whole organization (and all other subsidiaries of AQ Inc) needs to be uprooted-we really have no other option….
And GB, did you forget to mention that Honbl Mr.Mulayam Singh Yadav, has promised SIMI with a 5000 acre SEZ?? And also airport modernization and of course ‘first class’ train compartment revamp projects….not surprisingly, SIMI in return is going to recruit 10,000 more BJs in the coming years, for their massive expansion projects…
An AQI spokesperson, in condition of anonymity is reported to have said that by this year end they’ll surely open another franchise in Kolkata, possibly in Rajarhat…the gala opening of which is scheduled during Durga Puja, preferably on the auspicious day of Ashtami…
I am more appalled at leaders like Mulayam and Khurshid. Even after these blasts, these leaders continue to behave as if SIMI is innocent just because UP goes to polls. Bloody eunuchs. In fact, my apologies to the eunuchs for insulting them.
With ref to your B. J. (Bachelor of Jehad)-
If we were in Pakistan our options in education would be:-
1. IIT – Islamic Institute of Terrorism
2. JEE – Jehadic Entrance Exam
3. IIM – Institute of Infiltration Management
4. CAT – Career in Al-Queda & Taliban
5. IAS – Iraq After Saddam
6. M Tech – Masters in Terror Technology
7. GATE – General Apptitude in Terror & Extremism
Want to add more acronyms to this list?
‘P’ for Paki itself is a much more appropriate, politically correct and effective way of addressing Mushi in an abusive way than ‘P’ for P*ick.
Paki‘s, along with Al Qaeda are giving all Muslims worldwide a bad name.
It’s high time we forget history, keep aside ego and join Mr Bush despite all his idiosyncrasies in dealing with terrorism in real hard ways.
But I really doubt if it’s going to take shape in reality as the Indian Government by nature and by tradition is more concerned about the ‘huge’ vote-bank belonging to ‘minorities’ than the rise in terrorism in the country.
Looking at the Reservation issue and the Terrorism issue one can’t really be labeled ‘wrong’ if one feels it’s the ‘minorities’ who constitute most of our population in different forms.
A Amitabha:
IAS – Islamic Al-Qaeda Services (mainly killing and bombing)
IEEE – Institution of Excellence in Exclusive Exremism
@ Amitabha:
IAS – Islamic Al-Qaeda Services (mainly killing and bombing)
IEEE – Institution of Excellence in Exclusive Exremism
dear GB,
VERY RELEIVED. YOUR BACK TO WHAT YOU ARE GOOD AT. WRITTING SATIRICAL POSTS, WITHOUT DISTORTING THE ISSUE.
AND THE BEST THING IS I HAVE STILL NOT BEEN ABLE TO DIAGONISE YOUR IDEOLOGICAL TILT.
YOURFAN writes:
@GB:I have seen SIMI official (forgot his designation) in TV vehemently denying any link to the bomb blast in Mumbai. His logic (besides uttering several times that we had no role to play) was that our own community people also travel by the train in large number. Yes sure, as if they are not familiar with the term ‘collateral damage’ used by the terrorists. I think that is precisely the reason they targeted the first class compartment so that the impact on their community will be far less.
I said this in my comment in the ‘Man Has Created Death’ post and I will say it again. We all will have to be lucky everyday just to be alive and the terrorists will have to be lucky just once. That is the most bloodcurdling thought.
Taking Ms. Saha’s comment seriously and being sure that our defence minister, being a bong, would be regular – though silent – visitor of this blog, here are a few “dare you” suggestions:
1) Cut off Indian kashmir from Indian mainland. Don’t consider all the bull about innocent civilians etc. Innocent civilians would suffer if one of them receive/make phone calls after/before terrorist attacks. Only have the army standing guard to stop infiltration, and stopping people from across border sending food-stuff and “other” supporting material (as far as you can ie)
2) Ask RAW to strike across border, each time “they” strike inside border. The strikes should be around double the numbers here like 7 blasts to 14 blasts – you got the drift.
Sir, you don’t have a vote bank as it is. As they say around here “Nange khuda se nahi darte”. To your Super PM, remind her the accolades her mom-in-law/idol got for the bangaldesh war.
Sick of saluting mumbai spirit.
1Indian
Haha. This takes serious talent to write on a subject like this without losing your cool.
Also, working with the industry, Pakistan (for the sake of a “freedom struggle”) is helping float some finishing schools (completely paid for, of course), they guarantee placements in most of the multi-nationals like Al-quaeda and lucrative overseas postings!!!
I don’t know what to say — LOL or cry out loud.. it’s funny, but scary !!
I live in mumbai and on the day of blast i saw amazing cooperation within people and i really felt “wow”. The next day when some mumbaikars went for work (and not great many as the media reports have potrayed), one could only sense the tension telling from their faces. Then I thought “How long will people chant “Spirit of Mumbai”.The reality is that they will have to earn for their family. Because that is the most important thing that Mumbai offers. (apart from very good general behavior, of course)
This spirit-wirit of Mumbai is all creation of incompetent Administrators, Media and Politicians. The more they talk of it, the more administrators and Poltu-kakas(politicians) become lax. Everytime an incident happens, these scums chant “The spirit of Mumbai” It is probably the time the junta of Mumbai gets somewhat more violent so that the “Spirit” of Mumbai haunt the jokers for some time.
GB… First of all, congrats on the excellent write up.
But did you notice the hate that such posts seem to gather?
One important thing that we need to remember is that such a huge terrorist attack would have never been possible without local support.
If the locals are ready to kill their own countrymen, then I believe it is time for some serious introspection. The main objective should be that foreign elements receive no support whatsoever from Indians… I believe that the government should be working towards this.
Don’t think of me to be a pacifist… I would probably qualify as a right winger when it comes to foreign policy, but this incident is as much an internal issue as it is an external terrorist attack.
Before other readers start throwing hate filled comments back at me, let me make it clear that I am a Hindu.
http://www.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=71039
Mumbai Police sources said that the use of commonly used explosive material like dynamite or ammonium nitrate in the present serial bomb blasts not only dilutes the theory of involvement of bigger terrorist groups like the LeT but also gives credence to the possible involvement of lesser sophisticated local groups.
Disappointed, are we? (-:
@ scipio ….be reasonable man…..would this attack be possible without pakistani “freedom fighters?”….if you expect all Indians to be perfect citizens….WILL NOT HAPPEN…u r not being realistic about it..this is not about religon..chota rajan is a hindu isn’t he….he is the same scum…..agreed the internal shit has to be cleaned too….but it will be a lot easier if there is no garbage outside the house!!!
7/11 terror in Mumbai has taken 200 lives and injured more than 700 people. But the Mumbaikars and their children(may be, not many) went back to their offices, schools and colleges, the next day. There are debates whether returning to normalcy is really normal and whether people should stop their work for some days and protest against terrorist acts.
Stopping work and hence, damaging the economy will only help the ‘terrorists’ in achieving one of their goals. I will not say that the Mumbaikars are numb or nonchalant; they are brave in defying the terrorist acts.
Should we also have a debate on saluting the Mumbaikars (I will not use ‘the spirit of Mumbai’ as the phrase has become a cliché and is hated by many people, now)? Are we so sick and tired of the international games of terrorism that we forget one simple fact? The fact that living in Mumbai, under continual threats of bomb-blasts, requires lots of courage? Are we so angry and depressed that we do not recognise the brave common man of Mumbai and we can not stop telling others, ‘Look, he had to go to his workplace on Wednesday, anyway’?
Please think.
Let’s not forget the fact that Americans wailed after 9/11 but did not stop working. The Americans wailed because they had thought themselves to be protected by oceans and so, invincible. The Londers wept after 7/7 but did not stop working. India has been bleeding for more than 50 years (more if you consider the communal riots before Independence of India). When India had been bleeding itself in Nagaland, Mizoram, Assam and Tripura (Manipur has not cooled down and there is transitory lull in other States of North-Eastern India) few people noticed because the drama of terrorism had been unfolding itself in North-Eastern theature. Punjab bled but the bleeding has stopped. The scar remains. Kashmir is bleeding but not the way Prez Mush wants, always. So, it’s natural for the Jehadis to shift the theature elsewhere and to the commercial capital of India to get propaganda, hope ‘retaliation’ and get more publicity to their perceived cause and then recruit Jehadis from amongst the affected people if retaliation takes place.
Let’s also not forget the fact that this is a war, a proxy war added with verbal acrobatics (in fact, Psy operations) from Prez Mush from time to time. Please have no doubt about the proxy war. And we have political rulers who think that ‘reservation’ and ‘divestment’ are the most important issues in India because they have already solved problems like proxy war, inflation, unemplyment and so on and so forth.
I will end up with a quote from Moustache (character in ‘Irma la Douce’, the movie).
“…shows you the kind of world we live in. Love is illegal – but not hate. That you can do anywhere, anytime, to anybody. But if you want a little warmth, a little tenderness, a shoulder to cry on, a smile to cuddle up with, you have to hide in dark corners, like a criminalâ€.
Please think again.
I and the public know.
What all schoolchildren learn.
Those to whom evil is done.
Do evil in return.
-W.H. Auden, poet (1907-1973)
Simple!! But some people never get it.
http://countercurrents.org/ind-beg140706.htm
a bleeding heart liberal take ….
oh! we are to blame for the suffering of the terrorists!!
I was asked by a colleague (and this is real) yesterday, that:
Whether I think if India is being attacked this frequently, and Al Qaeda is attacking India this frequently because “American” jobs have moved to India?. I had no words for him 😦
So, now that explains why Al Qaeda has outsourced to India 🙂 – I heard they are opening a back office operations and a call center to provide 24/7 help to their brethern in USA. Now, terrorists in USA have 24/7 Live support at their hands – and it comes from India! Ye!
PS: I am being sarcastic, and dont intend to offend BPO or anything.
I am surprised that our multi-media singh has not made any comments… maybe he is planning a economic package and tax breaks for them mayhaps?
Suyog
@Gourav – I totally agree with you Gourav… I reiterate my comments. I am a right winger when foreign policy, I agree that stern action needs to be taken against Paki/Bangladeshis if they are involved in this shit.Just take a look at Israel, they are frying the Lebanese with bombs coz two… yes TWO of their soldiers have been kidnapped. Compared to that where the hell is the Indian Govt.’s resolve
But some/many Muslims are disgruntled (there may be many reasons for this) and these are the ones that are aiding the terrorists. The only point I am trying to put across is that this is as much a serious issue as the Pak/any other country hand in these blasts. I believe that we should work in making sure that there is no internal strife…
Finally I also have to state that Muslims have to accept the fact that no religion is perfect. This includes every religion in the world. I as a Hindu see this fact. Hope for the same response from Muslims too.
SIMI jokes to lighten up:
* are they called SIMIans ?
* Whats SIMIlar to LeT, JeM and other 3 letter acronymous organizations which hate people generally ?
* SIMIle – as in nutty like simians
Seriously, is there anything called the Al Qaida or is it a bunch of (dangerous, crazed) loonies claiming to be a ‘moral’ compass to assorted crazed loonies all over the world – a little like the pole star, which provides some direction, and is known to be around all the time, but you still need competent crew to navigate (especially thru the Amazon in daylight)
Methinks its an attention grabber – the Al’s are everywhere and nowehere all the time. Truly, its the homegrown variety of loonies, marxists, ranvir and other senas et al we have to tackle through assorted means to establish the fact that there is a constitution, and its to be followed. Bushlike wildfires all over the globe will not cut it – no one’s really solved anything like we’ve solved Punjab for good, so the lessons are all around us, really.
It is easy for Israel to take a hardline stance against someone, because in their case, the enemy is on the outside. How do you cope with the enemy within ? And it is not possible to evolve a simple strategy to do that, since it is just a few rotten apples who are giving the entire Muslim community a whole load of bad PR.
As the Indian govt, what do you do ? Look at all Muslims with suspicion ? You then risk antagonizing and further alienating the ones who are India sympathisers, and you end up making it easier for SIMI/ISI/ to recruit for their cause.
IMO, India is doomed to be a mediocre nation; We make small strides but are quickly pulled back to our knees by these internal divisive forces. Depressing, but too real…
Arjun Singh has announced 7.11% reservation for graduates with Bachelor of Jehad degree 😉
@Scipio on Local Support and on Israel:- Do you really think what Israel is doing is right ? Trust me you wouldn’t want India to end up Israel way. Honestly, Which is safer Israel or India ?
This whole terrorism thing is mostly due to our politics than because of anything else. Politicians created a mess in Punjab in the 70s-80s, now they are creating a mess in all over the country.
@Sanjay – I am not talking about whether what Israel is doing is right or wrong. As in any conflict there are two sides of the coin to look into. The fact that I am trying to point to is that Israel has the resolve to take firm steps in response to terrorism. This is something that the Indian polity lacks.
@Mohanvee –
“How do you cope with the enemy within?”
This is the question that I have tried to put forth. I don’t have an answer for this but we must make sure that no further enemies are created within the country.
IMO, India is doomed to be a mediocre nation
Indeed we are… if everyone starts thinking like you.
As usual, only you could have pulled this Satire. Great work, enjoyed everybit.
I should also mention, articles of this quality was long overdue from you. Not that I want to belittle, your other articles. But I enjoy the satires you write.
Keep writing.
Hi GreatBong,
I think I first came to your site via a link from Rashmi Bansal’s blog.
I have been visiting your site all these days and never left a comment. How impolite of me:(! I really admire your talent, especially your sense of humour. I laughed out loud reading your posts on Bollywood personalities and Mithun.
Your serious ones like those on reservation and the Andaman prisons left a mark, too.
However, this one takes the cake. The way you decoded SIMI is an example of awesome original thinking. And to put such a serious issue in a funny tone without demeaning its worth or the victims of these attacks, takes a lot of brains.
Looking forward to more posts.
Cheers!
@Debolin and @amitabha,
Terrific full forms for these acronyms! My, my..even the Americans with all their articles on these subjects would be hard-pressed to find something similar:).
Let’s not forget that Israel is only picking fights with countries that it knows CAN NOT respond. An all-out Israel-Lebanon war would decimate Lebanon, but there’d be minimal damage to Israel. There’s a much larger risk in attacking terrorist cells in Pakistan (compared to Palestine and Lebanon). Resolve is a lot easier to turn into action when there’s little or no risk of hurting yourself.
@mohanvee: About the mediocre nation comment, its self-deprecating white-man worshippers like you who present India in a negative light.
everyday, should i be grateful that no one has pointed their wand at my family and said ‘Avada Kedavra’?
i wonder if voldemort will die in book seven ’cause the voldemorts in our world seem to spring up like the mythological raktabeej.
I wonder what our dear friend Ms Arundhati Roy and her cronies have to say about this. Hmm.
Oops that was me.
Did you guys check out the Have Your Say section in BBC ? Lots and lots of commentators (many are actually British non-muslims) have commented that somehow India’s “atrocities” in Kashmir are responsible for this and hinted that somehow we deserved it. Disgusting really.
Hi Greatbong,
The satire was great. Keep the barbs coming.
I am a person born and brought up in Mumbai. I have been here all my life. I have always been produ to be a Mumbaikar/Bombayite. But today, I will hang my head in shame. The shame lies in the way we reacted. Mumbai is a cosmopolitian city. We have so many disparate groups who dont care what happens to anyone else. Unelss it is something that affects me at the deepest personal level, i wont react. Everyone is abusing the city, using the pesudonym “Spirit of Mumbai”. I cannot believe that we are calling it such. how many times do we have to hear that the wheels of the economy cannot be derailed? Are we here only to be abused like this and have the money taken out to be pumped somewhere else?
I am too tired of the politicians, of the IB, police , of the pesudo secular people trying to potray that we are all united. I am though most tired of being cynical about everything. We have to create aspersions on everything. If the police says that we have got clues, we end up saying that they are bringing in some puppets to save their asses. Aren’t the police too people of this country? have they not taken up the task of trying to maintain law and order? And yes they are human too. and they too fail. But can we for one moment try to not think irrationaly and not create aspersions. Let them do the work. Lets be vigilant, but not capricious. We have politicians like Mulayam Singh yadav who actually stopped short of caling SIMI innocent babies. Why do we not have a real backlash against them. you know why?
Because he has in his control something known as the Muslim votebank. You know why? Because Muslims as a whole vote for one particular party, one man.
If you want to actually have that kind ofpower, think. With 20 % population, they are able to leverage 50% of the power. We with 80 % of the population can leverage only 50%. it is because we do not vote for a party. We do not vote against a party. we just vote like headless chickens. Why not the next time when you vote, vote for a party or just plain vote against a party. You are a citizen of the country. YOu do not like some one. vote against them. YOU like someone vote for him/her. you find both of them evil, guess what choose the lesser evil. But go out and vote. We deserve the government we get, becuase we as a peole have failed the country individually and collectively. Leverage every bit of the power you have. Guess what we wont have anythign stopping us. Think clearly. Think well , and go out and vote. Be it your local ward, your municpal corporation, your panchayat, your state, your country. IT counts.
We cannot wish them away. We have to drive them away.As it is said, God helps those who help themselves.
I also need an answer from some sane person.
If terrorists do not have a religion, why is it that even if 5% of the muslims are bad, 100% of the terrorists are muslims? and 100% of the populace, irrespective of religion get affected. You know it should be.
The terrorised have no religion. They are from all religions.
I am not overtly suspicious of Muslims. But dont kid anyone for God sakes. What you see there is the truth.
I am sorry for all the sermonising on your commentspace, but what i have seen and observed is something i wanted to say. I would like to thank you for letting me express them here, if you apporve the comment.
God bless all of us. Let him give us all the strength and direction.
@Daaku: Well the infiltration of terrorist elements from Nepal and Bangladesh has been going on for some time now…this was inevitable.
@deBOLiN: Technically not outsourcing. LET operated in India and created mayhem in India. LET was a franchisee. It would be outsourcing if AQ used SIMI people to fight in Afghanistan(on-site) or used SIMI people to send threat calls to their enemies in Iraq.
@Varsha: 🙂
@Arnab: Now I really do feel schizo. Mr. Yadav is a very dangerous man and even more so the men in his party who have made UP the playground of SIMI activists.
@Dhananjay: True. Especially galling is Salman Khurshed who happens to be a member of the Congress party: the same ruling party that is putting the blame on SIMI.
What’s great fun is the UP government denying the presence of SIMI in UP a DAY after the DGP said that raids were conducted in SIMI hideouts.(http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1748686.cms)
@Amitabha and deBOLiN: The jargon of the next generation—the ones that will be left alive that is.
@divi: That’s good ! Seriously though, I try not to have any prejudices and biases—however even the most off-center guy thinks that about himself/herself.
@Yourfan: SIMI official? If he says he is so, he should be behind bars as its a banned organization. As to why they targeted the first class compartments…that indeed is a thought I did not have.
@1Indian: Pranab Mukherjee veeeseeting thees blogg ?
@Rahul Razdan: I have lost my cool for a long time now with respect to these SIMI/LET/HUJI for some time now.
@Gourav: Yes and these “terrorist” schools impart practical training unlike the bookish stuff our institutes push on us. Only thing is that I hope that their alumni conduct their reunions in graves.
@Sach1tb: Scary indeed.
@Sandeepan: True. Its our papi pet that make us go to work the next day…not that we want to send a message to the terrorists.
@Scipio: The way this looks—it is an inside job. SP politicians who are providing political cover are all Indians. Only the training and the money comes from Pakistan but the talent is local—the same model used for Mumbai blasts, 93. The bombs are also local-made which reduces the chance of Pakistan getting egg on its face like the time unused RDX crates for the 93 bomb blasts were found to have originated from Pakistan.
@hopeless!: Sir, the use of low-tech explosives does not rule out the involvement of SIMI (ref my last comment reply). Don’t be elated so soon….or needlessly.
@Amitabha: Pakistan has realized that the theatre cannot be just Kashmir. It has to be “anywhere’ in India—-the message is “Nowhere are you safe”. Not in Mumbai. Not in Delhi. Not in Varanasi. And not on the campus of IISc.
@An Ideal Boy: So has evil been done to SIMI?—I must confess I didnt quite get the context here.
@Anonymous Coward: Oh let’s not even bother with them…
@Suyog: All out customer representatives are currently busy beheading other customers.
@Sameer: Al Qaida is a symbol. Opening a AQ branch is just a means to get attention from the Middle East for Kashmir. The fact is that the real Islamic world—the Middle East could not care less for Kashmir and India—all they want is the obliteration of Israel. By opening a AQ branch, these people are trying to bring Kashmir into the world-wide jihad movement…..
@Mohanvee: Mediocre nation? I think not. Not too many countries would react with the maturity and tolerance that India has with respect to what happened in Mumbai.
@Sandesh: Damn.
@dOne: Thanks
@Lotus Eyes: Under happier circumstances I hope.
@psamtani: True. Israel can flex its muscle because it knows how weak their opposition is. India just cannot put the army into Pakistan without being big time burned.
@Swati: Raktabeej…very apt.
@TracerBullet: Ms. Roy? The lady that justifies murders by Naxals. That lady? We all know what she has to say.
@Dipesh: The same thing that the Paki ambassador said. There is world-wide support for Islamic fundamentalism from many non-Muslims and this is because these terrorists have managed to spin themselves as the oppressed ones.
@Kannan: It indeed is a paradox of democracy that the majority is always the least represented because our minds never allow us to think like a “majority”. We always try to align ourselves into “minority” groups—religion, caste, language…..and align our interests along those lines.
@Psamtani: Even thought not relevant to this post and since we are already talking about Israel, I would add this. Israel also takes on neighbours or regional enemies who are bigger and/or equally stronger. Many might not recall Israel’s daring raid on Iraq’s nuclear plant in the 80’s destroying it completely. Iraq was a then a strong country under Saddam. And no way can we compare 80’s Iraq with today’s Lebanon.
Also I don’t have to remind anyone of Entebbe incident and our own IC-814 incident. Entebbe was under Idi-Amin-Dada – president for life and was hostile to Israel. So was Afghanistan. Ok leave Afghanistan, IC 814 was in a Indian airport for some hours before flying to UAE…
I think political will is lacking among our leaders. Even though I don’t like Indira Gandhi for her policies, I always admired her courage. Sadly noone in Congress has that legacy!!
@Sandesh – Israel’s enemies are nothing compared to its power and the backing of super daddy of all Big Bad USA. Compared to that I dont even comfortable going on an all out attack on Pakistan with our fully indegniously developed and corrupted Arjun MBT, I dont feel comfortable loading our nuclear weapon on AGNI, I dont feel comfortablw with any of our other Missiles Naag, Akash, Trishul all fancy names and that’s it. I have a feeling that If we are to attack Pakistan today, it will end in stalemate ala Kargil that too after the interference of Big Daddy.
Secondly, let’s not glorify Ms. Gandhi for 1971. She just happened to be at the right position @ right time. Infact it is due to her(and her father’s and her son’s ) mistake that Whole Punjabe burnt for 25 years and now we have this Al-Qaida threat within our country.
@Sanjay. I agree to your points on Indira Gandhi. I said in my previous comment that I never liked her policies. But she had the will to do things which today’s politicians don’t have.
Whatever you said is the debate that is going on in our country right now. How to react to this terror unleashed by Pakistan?
Some Indians like you believe we cannot go into a war with them. Some like me believe that we need limited military response in POK backed with strong diplomatic measures (including using BigDaddy) to prevent escalation.
We have tried for 15 years the option of meaningless rhetoric and motherhood statements like We stand Tall in the face of crisis…No one can shake us or We will uproot terror from the face of earth…blah blah
I feel its time for trying out newer approaches.
Alrite, i read through most of the comments. I found it sad that some commentors had to state their religions so that others could reason with them and not hate them.
Yes we need to think about our foreign policy and shun any country which supports terorrism. And yes we need to clean up within our system. But somewhere and more importantly we need to clean up within ourselves. for years we have been made to fight amongst ourselves on the name of religion, to hold prejudices and form lasting impressions from the little that is evident, to believe we are the best and criticize other communities,religions, faiths and races and to hide under the pseudo shelters provided by weak rituals. and the bitter truth is that all of us have played into the hands of our lesser selves by closing ourselves within the boundaries imposed on our minds. I feel no more for Muslims being killed in some part of the world than for those who died three days ago. For it is the death of a life and trauma of a family. I would never state my faith in a blog comment but i guess this time i will. I’m a muslim and you can “throw hate filled comments at me” if it suits u.
Yes scpio no religion is perfect.. I accept it!!!!
She had the will because there was USSR backing anyone and everyone going against US or Its 3rd world allies. Also I am not against going to war with Pakistan, I just fear that we are not strong enough to beat Pakistan. As much as I would like us to be friends with Pakistan, I have always found all the rhetoric about Bhai bhai as useless.
@Sanjay – My point is about Indira’s Gandhi’s will power and ability to take decisions. USSR’s support for India is very very questionable as we know now since Kremlin archives have been exposed. Soviet Union was not entirely supportive of India at any point as India chose the middle path. Thats a different topic altogether.
I am talking about Mrs Gandhi’s ability to take drastic decisions like imposing Emergency, Operation Bluestar, arresting opposition leaders, nationalizing banks etc. Even though I don’t agree with or support any of the above mentioned actions, she was one person who had the guts to do things. Today’s leaders are mostly spineless.
Now that the hors d’oeuvre is done, we can expect the main course to be served pretty soon. With the presence of celebrity chefs to lend a helping hand, there is bound to be delectable fare served.
It remains to be seen how the dessert(s) will turn out. Thanks to the recipes of extremely capable in-house chefs like Mulayam Singh and Arjun Singh, they might just be the thing the doctor ordered.
On a slightly different note, Fortune magazine may also want to revisit some of its ranking methodologies to reflect the corporate economy of the 21st century being spearheaded by the likes of the Al-Qaeda Corporation.
# Gross Revenue (amount required to rebuild lives / infrastructure destroyed)
# Gross Profit (no. of innocent civilians killed)
# Any else that is gross
# Growth rate (% increase in no. of new cities / civilians targeted)
# Earnings per bomb blast
# Capitalisation on the Terror Index
# Brand Value (no. of newspaper headlines / most wanted lists adorned)
# No. of employees and total bonus paid out (in kind by virgins in heaven)
# Catchiness of company motto (such as Allah-o-Akbar)
@Dipesh: Should we care for them and their foolishness in believing the terrorists. After 7/7, they shud have had some sense drilled in their heads about the reality of the corporate called AlQaeda. There also, it was locals who did the couriering. After this also if they are idiotic enough to believe in the terrorists’ lies then it means that the Americans got competition in terms of dumbness quotient.
dear great bong,
GIVEN THE TRAFFIC ON YOUR BLOG,VISBLE FORM THE LONG LIST OF COMMENTS YOU HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO MAKE THIS PAID BLOG.
Ohh forgot about Ms. Roy. Now where are her bleeding heart comments?? Where are her blazing speeches calling India names. Looking at the dumbness of the West, I would not be surprised if she makes a speech in London saying that it was the Mumbaikars’ fault because we were not polite to the jihadis and the SIMIans. Hell, she has the Readers’ Digest survey as proof!!!
A good post as usual. I would laugh, if reality weren’t so depressing. The fight on terror is supposedly a global war, but in this battle that rages on without any end in sight, we stand alone.
@GB, who said the army has to cross over? All one has to look for is rush hours at some Karachi trains, like our dear friends!
You are a fascist! A hindu fundamentalist son of a….. You! You!
smug :))
Its not about going to war with Pakistan. We have to act fast to destroy their terrorist camps. Intelligence operations are the key. We have to create turmoil in the other side of the border like they are doing here.In a secret way like Pak is doing not like Israel and US.
I am also a peacenik but these incidents make me angry.As I said we have to destroy terrorist infrastructure by clever,secret methods.
Thanks Ankan.
And on second thoughts, Ankan, isn’t it of some importance that after fifty years of the partition you still know that the one who wants to do this to Pak is a hindu?
India can never be an Israel. Temperamentally we are not the same …also when it comes to netional security, the Israelis are one for all and all for one. But India itself has so many bleeding hearts who like to dig their own graves. I have been amazed to read some of the views published in the internet by some Indian bloggers about terrorism. Some seem to be more concerned about the safety of Muslims …and tend to downplay the main act itself- the explosions. Not one except GB has said anything about Simi…but I find that they mention Gujrat and Babri Masjid in every second of their posts. Clearly, this ‘temples may burn but mosques should not be touched ‘ idea fetches them brownie points with the western media , many of whose components think that India has a Hindu fundamentalist regime and that Muslims in India live like Jews in Nazi Germany. How simplistic it is of these motherfuckers then to demand that status quo should be maintained. If things go on like this, then events like these will repeat themselves with monotonous regularity. Also I wanna see those people who in GB’s early posts said stuff like “Terrorists are human too”. Oh yeah …please definitely say that again when your ass is blown off. These are the same people who will jump at your throat if you even mention the word Islamic terrorism. “Not all apples are bad”, they shout . Now I’m just tired of listening to that shit again and again. If I say Islamic Terrorists, I say so because in 99% of cases terrorists turn out to be followers of that faith…its like a female paedophile…by that I just mean that the paedophile is a female…and Im not meaning that all females are paedophiles. But I am just amazed to hear guys squirm and blush and refusing to acknowledge the bleeding obvious.
All political parties and even Muslims should acknowledge this fact. And the government would be well advised to nip in the bud fledgling terror organizations like SIMI. But how can this be possible with the ideology of the party at the center and mothefuckers like Mulayam and Lalu? The sad thing about all this is that people in cities are no more safe- wheather at schools colleges or public transport. Every moment of life from now on will be as tense as Bruce Lee in that multiple mirrored room in the movie ‘Enter the Dragon’ – you never know which image is the real one. Beware people.
Again I repeat India should not become Israel. The international reaction against India will be bad and that’s something that India can least afford. As I said a proxy war is the key. Not against innocent civilians but against terrorist camps.It should be done in a secret manner.
Well written. It’s not easy to present anguish with a humorous spin.
Neither am I a “subservient, self-deprecating, white-skin worshipper” nor a pessimist/defeatist.
The hard reality is that as a nation, India is so fragmented that it is easy for anybody to divide people into factions and recruit for their causes.
“Unity in Diversity” is not necessarily a great thing I guess… We need all unity and no diversity for some issues. When your neighbor is planning to bomb a train, you should tell on him, even if you are both of the same religion.
But with all sorts of jackasses running the govts and the places of worship and in some cases, beacons of academic excellence attached to places of worship ( which incidentally are above and beyond the law of the land ) , I just do not see how this will happen.
Whatever its motives, this is what an alleged “Communal Party” has been asking for, a uniform civil code. Can someone explain to me why that is not feasible ?
I think in this discussion we should not forget that political parties such as the BJP, Shiv Sena, VHP and their likes are also responsible to some extent for the unleashing of the wrath of these terrorist organizations. Ofcourse the whole bulls**t about ‘Kashmir ki Azadi’ has been around for longer than the growing political clout of the above parties. I feel its key to note that the blasts came just one day after the Shiv Sena lumpens created havoc over the ‘insult’ of the dead Mrs. Bal Thakarey’s statue.
This whole Kashmir issue is also very complicated. In my university where I study, I have to sit through one hour long lectures of pristine hogwash about how ‘Hindus’ i.e. the Congress did unjustice to ‘Muslims’ by keeping Kashmir to itself. Hari Singh’s decision doesnot hold value supposedly because he was a ‘Hindu’ and he couldnot have represented the Muslim majority in Kashmir. Or so the Prof. has been teaching for years. Students are taught that Kashmir should have gone to the ‘Muslims’ (Pakistan). Mind you, this is a prof. of Indian origin now settled in US. Why she teaches this bull is known only to her. And she’s not the only one who does so. Considering that these well-known (that she is) intellectuals are spreading this message to the ‘Gobal Thaneddar’ (read Uncle Sam) on the issue of Kashmir, these attacks get projected as a ‘freedom struggle’ to the common American and the powerful lobbyists in the corridors of the Senate. Thus there is a complete new twist given to the addage ‘one’s country’s freedom fighter is another country’s terrorist’.
I think this is a very disturbing trend I see in South Asian academia in the US. So the way we approach the issue in India becomes nothing but merely a matter of state propaganda we Indians have imgested since 1947.
All this horrifies me to no end. My worry is how long will the Muslim youth in India silently observe and endure being an item of suspect for many of us??
@Anon:
I feel its key to note that the blasts came just one day after the Shiv Sena lumpens created havoc over the ‘insult’ of the dead Mrs. Bal Thakarey’s statue
Yes, of course. A terrorist operation of this scale can so easily be co-ordinated in less than a day.
USA’s South Asian academia’s anti-India rhetoric is half cold war leftover and half perenially anti-USA (hence currently pro-Muslim and anti-India) shrillness. They need to be fought, but in the big scheme of things I doubt how much they matter.
Nothing will change. Nothing. This bloodshed is going on in assam for the last three decades. And nothing has changed. The fault lies in the basic structure of our indian government. Damn it, we dont even know whom we are are electing to be our next prime minister or chief minister for that matter.
We elect some bull shit spewing sycophants and they in turn elect the best sycophant among them. What with the 2/3rd majority rule and 60% of the votes being undecided before polling, we have a sure fire recipe for perenial alliances that ensures maximum benefit to the parties and maximum screwing of the general populace. Can somebody spell ‘common minimum program’ ?
And than we have a screwed up ratio of seats in the parliament, with some states having way more seats than others.
It all goes a long way to make sure, no governement can take a hard stance or do the right thing without their alliance partners threatening them to pull the plug.
The entire process and rules of electing and forming a government has to change for any real effect to happen.
Untill than there are 100 crore living indians to be used as disposable human shields.
Great post GB,
I find it funny no end that media should equate the 1 day shiv sena violence that at most injured a dozen people, with a serial bomb blast that killed 200! There is no doubt whatsoever that what the shiv sena did was totally shameful; But to equate it with j*eha*i terrorism is enormously lame!
Another observation:
99% of “some people” are (supposedly) as peaceful as everybody else..
But if the ruling party takes action against the 1% (terorrists), 80% (this is to say a wide majority) of “some people” vote it out of power in the next election.
@anon: You said: “I think in this discussion we should not forget that political parties such as the BJP, Shiv Sena, VHP and their likes are also responsible to some extent for the unleashing of the wrath of these terrorist organizations. ”
Let us for a moment assume that Shiv Sena, BJP etc etc ….from tomorrow become the biggest caretakers of Muslim interests….to such an extent that it even leaves the Congress red faced. Do you think this act will be reciprocated by hugs and kisses and that it would stop terrorists from ‘unleashing their wrath’?
Now you may argue that it adds fuel to the fire, but my point is that the fire started for a different reason can sustain itself without that kind of fuel. Im not saying that you subscribe to their views, but Ive been appaled at some writers recently about trying to lessen the atrocity of terrorism by drawing instances from history like Ayodhya and Gujrat. Cartain hard mesaures will be needed…but I wonder how they will be implemented in real life when you have people in powerful positions exonerating groups like SIMI. This act should also be an eye opener to the Indian govt that confidence building measures with Pakistan have zero results as far as thwarting terrorism is concerned. There will always be a steady supply of indocrinated bastards who will pick up arms and cause these kind of acts- under the order of the despotic military regime of Pakistan who live only for the purpose of causing harm to India and her citizens. After the act of terror, good people from both sides of the border irrespective of their religion will condemn the act. But …as a Led Zepplin song line goes, “The song remains the same”.
The second part of your comment was disturbing indeed. While I agree with Dipanjan that it wont have much effect on the current state of affairs, I find it disturbing because if most US unis have teachers like this, then this twisted view will get seeped down to the American student body, a few of whom may go on to become policy makers, diplomats and senators later on.
gb – great blog. rather a amusing way to look at a chilling topic.
a general comment on some of the comments to your post: i thought i’d put my two bits in, because the tenor seems to be that most armchair hotheads in india seem to have.
the reason that the war on terror will not be won is because there is no solution – once the strategy of engaging the nation state with clandestine war has been understood, there can be stopping it. if you remain liberal and understanding, you will remain a soft target. if you become a hardliner, match force with force, dead terrorists will become martyrs and inspire the next generation of terrorrists.
israel, for all its hardline stance, has not been able to prevent the formation of palestine. attacks and killings will only harden Palestine against them.
the might of the soviet union couldn’t prevent a debacle in afghanistan, or in chechenya, for that matter.
and the sole superpower is making a royal mess in the same way, maybe worse, having opened up more fronts.
its easy for you and me to advocate a hard stance on terror – the government should bring in laws like POTA, or fight terror like in punjab. its easy, when we are comfortably sitting in our room in front of the computer. not so when the police has picked up your brother on a faint suspicion late at night, and you know deep down that he will never return (Ask any civilian who lived in punjab at the time of KPS gill, or those who survived the naxal era).
india has often been hotblooded enough to want to fight a war, or at least blow up the terrorist camps in pakistan, but the army has clearly warned that the battle would not be won if we invade a nuclear enabled pakistan.
my feeling is that once humanity achieves a critical density, wars and terrorism are nature’s way to cut it down to proper limits. sort of bio-feedback. nothing you can do about it, except to try and make is as painless as possible for the survivors, like trying to build a decent society, that believes in justice and due process of law. even for terrorists.
Dipanjan and Yourfan:
You are right that an attack on such a scale would have needed days of preparation, but the timing should not be mistaken. I do feel that the current state of viciousness is also being perpetuated by the Sangh parivar and the rest. In a state like today’s India, communal disharmony is the last thing we need. One needs to read the reports on how Muslims as a community are being targeted every time there is a terror attack in India to understand how intolerant our society is gradually becoming. Ofcourse being secular doesnot mean that these attacks will stop. But the point is that why are our own youth joining organizations such as SIMI (this accepting for argument sake that it is all in all a terrorist organization)? Money maybe/is a part of the reason, but I also think that there is something deeper than that, what I would call an ideological affinity towards an anti-India stand. And it is here that I think there is a chance of a marginalized Muslim youth joining these organizations. And such a malicious outlook of suspicion towards Muslims is being perpetuated by the Parivar. To deny this is to ignore the obvious. And I do agree that there is no point in bringing back a self defeating argument of ‘they’ did this to ‘us’, so desecrate ‘their’ mosques. In today’s India which has so much potential, we can hardly afford to slow down the pace of our economic growth due to a civil war or communal riot. This is pure and simple economics.
Regarding the second point of my previous comment, I think (assuming, and I may be wrong here, you are both either engineers/software professionals, working in the US) the realm of your social interaction is such where such discussions are perhaps not carried out with your American colleagues. You need to just talk to one of these scholars to know what kind of an image they have portrayed of India in general and Hindus in particular on the issue of communal interactions. Its also easy to say that they don’t matter in the big picture. But the prof I had in mind is an advisor to the US Senate on Islamic affairs in South Asia so her baised views have the scope to hit the nail right on the head. Also, the students (both grad and undergrads) are also voters, they write in newspaper columns, have their own blogs, write scholarly papers and many will reproduce her ideas and in turn influence public opinions. To ignore this all together is undesirable, in my view. You got to sit in these classes to realize and see what goes on. In general, I feel that in most US universities, the South Asia faculty in general is spreading the opinion that the retaining of Kashmir after Independence was unjustified to Muslims and its the Indian state which has encroached upon what rightfully belongs to Pakistan. Check out Ayesha Jalal’s “The Sole Spokesman” (on Jinnah) and you’ll find it features in atleast one course on South Asia in 8/10 US universities today.
i wish a kashmiri would comment on this issue here.
i wish an indian muslim would write in here.
there is a neo-malthusean sayon. is there a collective lemming like behaviour that prompts us to self destruct in case of overcrowding?
psychologists, please write in.
@Anon:
I disagree that Muslims as a community have been targeted after every terror attack. Overall Indian tolerance and resilience, in the face of terrorism and vested interests, have been remarkable. I am not sure at all our society is gradually becoming more intolerant. Even if there is growing anger and intolerance, it is because of our government and media’s apathy to loss of Indian lives. How do the efforts to soften the impact of terrorism by rationalizing it help there?
Regarding the second point, first please let’s not get into assumptions about what I (we) do and my (our) daily interactions.
My point, which I admit I did not expand, is US foreign policy is primarily determined by a balance of corporate – which includes the military complex – interest and electoral calculations. The role of ideology has always been small and post cold-war, it is diminishing even more.
Whatever the future senators and congress representatives are learning in their South Asian History 101 courses in Ivy league universities and liberal arts colleges will be forgotten once they grow up and sit with the board of directors of Fortune 500 companies and hedge fund managers who are also managing their personal portfolios; and their constituent is less worried about Hari Singh’s authority than lost call center jobs and prices at Wal-Mart.
Winning the academic battle of gaining mindshare is not totally useless, but integrating and embedding Indian economy with the global(US) economy is far more important.
Hi Arnab (and all regular visitors here),
In my opinion, the Muslims need to “re-identify” their religion. I might sound very awkward, but please read ahead.
When I see any muslim gentle man, one of the first things that strike my mind is ..”is he a moderate muslim or a radical one”. If find him radical (perpetually dressed in kurta, bearded, burkha, etc), I think twice before opening up in front of him. And also I really feel pity for the moderate ones (like few of my friends), who just decide to keep their mouth shut whenever topics like these surface. I am sure, that they feel that they are being looked down upon for something they do not have any control over – just thrusted over them owing to the religion they follow.
The basic problem lies in the fact that we lack open minded clergies in India for Islam. Someone, who would not think that “Islam is in danger” and advocate “Jihad”. Someone, who can talk at length about the goodness of Islam, and can present it as it is existing in India – without putting the Afgan and Palestine muslims in the same bucket. The Indian muslim community is one of the most prosperous comminities in the world, and they should learn to identify themselves like that.
I am sure, that once they identify themselves like that – they can openly distinguish between a jihadi type the moderate types. And if this comminity feeling is strong enough, they only can raise their voice and outcast the anti-socials as anti-islamists. From the history, we know that peaceful coexistance of religions occured twice in India, during the reign of Ashok and Akbar – because both of them were liberal and re-defined conflicting religions (Akbar mainly).
I really want to see the Imam of Jama-Masjid come to National television, and address about the Bombay Blasts to the Muslims of India (not the entire world).
“I am not sure at all our society is gradually becoming more intolerant. ”
Dipanjan, aapke muh mein ghee shakkar (as they say) if only this was true. In my heart of hearts thats what I would love to believe in, but trust me thats not a fact sadly in India today. This whole usage of terms like “moderate”/”progressive” Muslim itself is pitched against an ‘Othering’ as it were of a retrograde religion of bigots.
“Winning the academic battle of gaining mindshare is not totally useless, but integrating and embedding Indian economy with the global(US) economy is far more important.”
Its not a question of one over the other. Both are equally important.
“Whatever the future senators and congress representatives are learning in their South Asian History 101 courses in Ivy league universities and liberal arts colleges will be forgotten once they grow up and sit with the board of directors of Fortune 500 companies…”
I think this again is a limited scope of outlook. There is a bigger world which has its own ways of making an impact and which *doesnot* comprise of the Fortune 500 clique. It does make a difference if we want global support from the biggies which–whether we like it or not–determine international decisions. If the general outlook is that India is the enchroacher, then we cannot hope to get international support in our fight against terrorism. So when Manmohan Singh does to the G8 and speaks on terrorism, it is taken as good as Musharraf’s rhetoric on Kashmir.
BTW, I was not talking of mere S.Asia 101s, these are hardcore Grad school seminar classes. People who sit around that table next to me are all future South Asian specialists, many of who will have key roles to play in influencing both common and state persepctives on the sub-continent. There is a world beyond the white collared job circuit.
@Dipanjan, Yourfan, and Anonymous:
Why does this have to be an either/or scenario? Why can’t both hindu fundamentalism and muslim extremism be the reason for terrorism, the former for branding Muslims as terrorists and breaking mosques, and the latter for wanting to unite the world under the Muslim ummah and killing kafirs? Neither side can be absolved of culpability, I feel
@Arnab:
Let me tell you of something that happened to us (colleagues and me) at AbuDhabi on a business trip that proved to us that religious leaders in the Muslims actually DO incite common people.
We got into a cab, that was driven by (maybe) a Pakistani. He was listening to something (sounded like Azaan) on his tape before we got in. As soon we got in, he switched tapes to an urdu one so that we (obvious) Indians and out of country people could understand. It seemed a deliberate move on his behalf because the tape was that of some cleric who was asking all to follow the path of jehad and Allah. As we sat there disbelievingly, stunned, the guy on the tape went on to describe in gruesome detail what would happen to those who did not follow the holy path, in “jehannum”. Their flesh would be steamed as “in a pressure cooker” and they would be forced to “eat the pus from their suppurating sores” etc.
Now the fun part. He then switched to the followers, saying that those who followed the holy path would get, hilariously, “ek ticket mein bahattar mazey” and that there would be 72 “hoors” waiting for them in “Jannat” willing to do their every bidding!
I remember thinking –
A) This 72 virgins thingie was actually true! Not an invention by the Americans for propaganda!
B) Wow, no sex on Earth – sex being dirty and disgusting, and unholy, and a western concept – but if you followed the path of jehad, you are rewarded with sex in heaven!
We did not say a word during the ride, knowing that any adverse reaction was liable to get us arrested for blasphemy. At the end of the ride the cab driver took our money with a knowing smirk and drove off, his mission to befuddle us complete!
‘I and the people’ are those who have been wronged.
Not SIMI.
Amit, people like you need to get their perspective right. Not everyone who wears a beard or Burqa is a radical muslim.
A true was story is never moral. It does not instruct nor suggests models of proper human behaviour, nor restrain men from doing these things men have always done. If at the end of a war story you feel that a small bit of rectitude has been salvaged from the larger waste then you have been made victim of a very old and terrible lie.
To reduce some tension, look who is coming to bollywood –
http://in.rediff.com/movies/2006/jul/17mimoh.htm
Its Mimoh, mithun da’s own! 😀
@Mental Baba: Very funda-mental.
@Divi: Paid site? No mam. I believe in the Desibaba philosophy.
@Sandipan: You are alone in any battle. Lets not expect other countries to stand by our side.
@1indian: Mm..
@yourfan2: Point accepted at this tendency of certain bloggers to drag their “liberal” angle into this…their burning indignation at other events contrasts sharply to their ambivalent apologism in these cases.
@Bindu: Thank you
@Bored: True. We do not value our own lives.
@Vinay: I also found statements of the form:” islamic fundamentalist violence is usually accompanied by a backlash” as something not supported by raw facts—I am referring to the “usually” part.
@Sayon: Hmm.
@Swati: Me too…there was one who did…I wonder where he is now.
@Amit: Open-minded clergy is a contradiction in terms. Muslims have been historically marginalized and when the Muslims try to find an answer for this the maulvis say the Hindus did this to you.
@Shan: Amazing anecdote !
@Pushan: Hmm.
@Ashish: Yes I know…let his movie come out before I start my worship.
@Shan: Fascinating story, thanks for sharing. Of course it does not have to be either/or – terrorism and violence of all sorts must be despised equally. My comments were triggered by anon’s framing of the bomb blasts as a reaction to Shiv Sena’s lumpen acts and his assertion that
Muslim community has recently been targeted after every terror attack. I disagree.
@Anon: There is a world beyond the white collared job circuit
I have been inside too many US universities to deny the existence of that world. The doubt is about the impact of academics and their ideology on people and policy, particularly when they are pitted against corporate interest and electoral calculation.
When I read the history of 1946 riots in Calcutta and Noakhali, 1947 riots in Punjab, accounts of what happened in East Pakistan in early 70s and then compare it with what has been going on in India in the last couple of decades despite extreme internal and external provocations from both sides, I see no reason to be as pessimistic as you seem to be.
http://mrzine.monthlyreview.org/rao170706.html
Take a look at the link above. All we need is some more people like this and we can carve up the country into smaller pieces to be controller by China, Bangladesh and Paksitan.
fo033.txt;2;5