A very Happy and a prosperous new year to all the Indians who wear the Tiranga on their heart and soul.
Vande Mataram.
Congratulations to team India
So finally India has become the number one test team in the world. On a personal level, I consider this newly acquired rank of our Cricket team to be a symbol of the growth & development of Bharat. A Bharat that is thousands of miles away from the hustle and bustle of the urban India. A Bharat which resides in the heart of every poor Indian. A Bharat which fights for its existence on a daily basis. A Bharat which wakes up every morning with the tension of managing its meal for the day. And a Bharat which continues to smile amidst all its adversities.
There was a time when the dominance of Mumbai on Indian cricket was so heavy that people would often jokingly say - 'it is easier to find a place in the Indian Cricket team than the Mumbai Ranji team'. There was also a time when Cricket in India, was a privilege of the selected few. It was a game meant only for the Maharajas, the Nawabs and those who belonged to the most affluent families of the country. Needless to say those were also the days, when India used to loose most of its matches.
The emergence of icons like Gavaskar, Kapil and Sachin made cricket a way of life in India. Roads would get deserted every time Gavaskar would be on the batting crease. Success in a competition would not delight us as much as the famous picture of Kapil Dev holding the World cup would. And failure in an examination would not hurt us as much as the sight of Sachin Tendulkar walking towards the pavilion would.
The individual brilliance of these greats inspired the likes of Sehwag, Dhoni, Harbhajan & Zaheer to defy all the odds and become the nucleus of the Indian Cricket team. Today the elusive Indian dressing room is full of players from small towns & humble backgrounds. The likes of Irfan/Yusuf pathan, Ravindra Jadeja, Praveen kumar, Suresh Raina, R P Singh, Munaf Patel etc continue to impress with their performance every now and then.
Never before was the Indian Cricket team so diversified in terms of Geographic location & economic background of its players. Perhaps that explains our transformation from a minnow to one of the best Cricket playing nations of the world. However, we have not yet tapped our complete potential. I am waiting for the day when we have players from areas like North East, Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh etc donning the Indian uniform. Perhaps that would be the pinnacle of the Indian Cricket.
There was a time when the dominance of Mumbai on Indian cricket was so heavy that people would often jokingly say - 'it is easier to find a place in the Indian Cricket team than the Mumbai Ranji team'. There was also a time when Cricket in India, was a privilege of the selected few. It was a game meant only for the Maharajas, the Nawabs and those who belonged to the most affluent families of the country. Needless to say those were also the days, when India used to loose most of its matches.
The emergence of icons like Gavaskar, Kapil and Sachin made cricket a way of life in India. Roads would get deserted every time Gavaskar would be on the batting crease. Success in a competition would not delight us as much as the famous picture of Kapil Dev holding the World cup would. And failure in an examination would not hurt us as much as the sight of Sachin Tendulkar walking towards the pavilion would.
The individual brilliance of these greats inspired the likes of Sehwag, Dhoni, Harbhajan & Zaheer to defy all the odds and become the nucleus of the Indian Cricket team. Today the elusive Indian dressing room is full of players from small towns & humble backgrounds. The likes of Irfan/Yusuf pathan, Ravindra Jadeja, Praveen kumar, Suresh Raina, R P Singh, Munaf Patel etc continue to impress with their performance every now and then.
Never before was the Indian Cricket team so diversified in terms of Geographic location & economic background of its players. Perhaps that explains our transformation from a minnow to one of the best Cricket playing nations of the world. However, we have not yet tapped our complete potential. I am waiting for the day when we have players from areas like North East, Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh etc donning the Indian uniform. Perhaps that would be the pinnacle of the Indian Cricket.
India's soft power
A brilliant speech by Shashi Tharoor. Couldn't resist the temptation of sharing it with everyone :
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tv/Shashi-Tharoor-on-India-s-soft-power/videoshow_ted/5284245.cms
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tv/Shashi-Tharoor-on-India-s-soft-power/videoshow_ted/5284245.cms
To all the fanatic Muslims and Hindus
No matter which continent you are in, no matter which language you speak, no matter what food you eat and no matter what dress you put on, there are chances that you may be the next target of the ruthless Muslim terrorists who don't think twice before killing innocent men, women and children.
These enemies of humanity have taken millions of innocent lives in India, USA, UK, Russia, Israel, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines & many more countries of the world.
No person in his right frame of mind will ever support their barbaric acts, but unfortunately these terrorists have a huge pool of sympathisers in the Muslim world. When ever the world criticises or condemns their heinous acts, their supporters waste no time in playing the 'victims' tune. They justify the mindless killings at the hands of these lunatics by using a lame excuse that the Muslims are simply retaliating against their suppression & oppression by the non Muslims ! However the truth is far from it. Lets have a look at this :-
(1). With an exception of Turkey & few more countries, almost all the Muslim dominated countries in this world are Islamic in nature, which means in these countries no non Muslim can ever become a president or a prime minister. Whereas in most of the Non Muslim countries even a Muslim can become the head of the state.
(2). No Muslim in an Islamic country can get converted to Hinduism,Christianity or any other religion. If a Muslim ever does that then the court orders him to be killed. But there is no such rule in non Islamic nations. A Christian in America or a Hindu in India would not be punished even if he gets converted to Islam.
(3). No non Muslim can enter the holy city of Mecca & Medina. But do we ever have a rule which bars the Muslims from entering the holy cities of other religions such as Jerusalam, Amritsar, Ayodhya etc ?
(4). In Islamic countries, even the non Muslims have to abide by the Sharia laws, which means no non Muslim in such countries can worship his god in public, eat food during the month of Ramzan, drink alcohol etc. But there is no such rule in non Muslim countries which prohibit the Muslims from worshipping their Allah in public.
(5). Both the Gujrat riots and the demolition of Babri Masjid are unfortunate incidents. But then hundreds of Hindu temples have been destroyed in Kashmir and Lakhs of Kashmiri Pandits have been killed and displaced at Kashmir. So isn't that a suppression of Hindus? Should the Hindus also pick up arms against the Muslims?
In the light of above mentioned facts, I guess it's high time that the Extremist Muslims peep in their own collar instead of pointing fingers at others.
Are the Muslims being discriminated in India?
(8). The candidature of APJ Abdul Kalam (a Muslim) was supported by parties like BJP and Shiv Sena. Infact after the completion of his first term, it was only Shiv Sena which was willing to support him for the second term too.
(9). There is not a single non Muslim who does not respect patriots like Abdul Hamid and Ashfaqullah Khan. This clearly suggests that if a Muslim is patriotic then a non Muslim would have no problems in respecting him.
For all the hard line fanatic Hindus
If you believe that Islam is a religion of terror and Muslims are the members of a satanic cult. Then it's time for you guys to peep in your collar too. Let me show you some issues with Hinduism:-
(1). Not long ago we used to have an inhuman system called 'Sati' in which the women used to be burnt alive along with the dead body of their husbands. Isn't this barbaric ? And don't be under any mistake, this system was not eliminated because of the initiatives of general Hindus. Raja Ram Mohan Roy faced stiff resistance from his own family members when he spoke against this inhuman system. Had the British not made it illegal, this system would still have been prevalent.
(2). We used to practise another inhuman system called 'untouchability'. According to this system a person from low caste could not walk on the same path which was used by some one from the high caste, could not bath in the same river, could not use the same well and so on. And incase he failed to do so, then he could even be killed ! Mind you, this system is still prevalent in some parts of India.
(3). Another inhuman practise in Hinduism is 'Honour killling'.
Request to all
Let us all work together for one nation named India. Jai Hind.
These enemies of humanity have taken millions of innocent lives in India, USA, UK, Russia, Israel, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines & many more countries of the world.
No person in his right frame of mind will ever support their barbaric acts, but unfortunately these terrorists have a huge pool of sympathisers in the Muslim world. When ever the world criticises or condemns their heinous acts, their supporters waste no time in playing the 'victims' tune. They justify the mindless killings at the hands of these lunatics by using a lame excuse that the Muslims are simply retaliating against their suppression & oppression by the non Muslims ! However the truth is far from it. Lets have a look at this :-
(1). With an exception of Turkey & few more countries, almost all the Muslim dominated countries in this world are Islamic in nature, which means in these countries no non Muslim can ever become a president or a prime minister. Whereas in most of the Non Muslim countries even a Muslim can become the head of the state.
(2). No Muslim in an Islamic country can get converted to Hinduism,Christianity or any other religion. If a Muslim ever does that then the court orders him to be killed. But there is no such rule in non Islamic nations. A Christian in America or a Hindu in India would not be punished even if he gets converted to Islam.
(3). No non Muslim can enter the holy city of Mecca & Medina. But do we ever have a rule which bars the Muslims from entering the holy cities of other religions such as Jerusalam, Amritsar, Ayodhya etc ?
(4). In Islamic countries, even the non Muslims have to abide by the Sharia laws, which means no non Muslim in such countries can worship his god in public, eat food during the month of Ramzan, drink alcohol etc. But there is no such rule in non Muslim countries which prohibit the Muslims from worshipping their Allah in public.
(5). Both the Gujrat riots and the demolition of Babri Masjid are unfortunate incidents. But then hundreds of Hindu temples have been destroyed in Kashmir and Lakhs of Kashmiri Pandits have been killed and displaced at Kashmir. So isn't that a suppression of Hindus? Should the Hindus also pick up arms against the Muslims?
In the light of above mentioned facts, I guess it's high time that the Extremist Muslims peep in their own collar instead of pointing fingers at others.
Are the Muslims being discriminated in India?
Many extremist Muslims try to influence the liberals by creating an environment of paranoia amongst them. The extremists leave no stone unturned to make the liberals believe that they are being discriminated in India. However lets have a look at the reality:-
(1). In India, Muslims have been given the status of 'Minority' which entitles them to many grants and subsidies by the government. And all these grants come at the cost of the 'Majority'.
(2). We don't ban the paintings of M F Hussain. But we ban the book 'Satanic verses' written by Sulman Rushdie.
(3). There is no common civil code. Muslims are allowed to follow the Sharia.
(4). Massive subsidies worth hundreds of crores are given to the Hajj pilgrims.
(5). A politician like Karunanidhi can proclaim Lord Ram to be a fictitious character. But no politician can ever claim that Prophet Mohammad was not a prophet but just a normal man.
(6). There are special reservations in jobs for the Muslims in many Indian states like Tamilnadu, Kerela, Andhra etc. Needless to say, every reserved seat means a less seat for the candidates from other religions.
(7). We have Muslims in almost all the walks of life. The richest Muslim business man of the world (Azim Premji) is an Indian. We have had Muslim presidents and vice presidents. Bollywood is ruled by the Khans.
(1). In India, Muslims have been given the status of 'Minority' which entitles them to many grants and subsidies by the government. And all these grants come at the cost of the 'Majority'.
(2). We don't ban the paintings of M F Hussain. But we ban the book 'Satanic verses' written by Sulman Rushdie.
(3). There is no common civil code. Muslims are allowed to follow the Sharia.
(4). Massive subsidies worth hundreds of crores are given to the Hajj pilgrims.
(5). A politician like Karunanidhi can proclaim Lord Ram to be a fictitious character. But no politician can ever claim that Prophet Mohammad was not a prophet but just a normal man.
(6). There are special reservations in jobs for the Muslims in many Indian states like Tamilnadu, Kerela, Andhra etc. Needless to say, every reserved seat means a less seat for the candidates from other religions.
(7). We have Muslims in almost all the walks of life. The richest Muslim business man of the world (Azim Premji) is an Indian. We have had Muslim presidents and vice presidents. Bollywood is ruled by the Khans.
(8). The candidature of APJ Abdul Kalam (a Muslim) was supported by parties like BJP and Shiv Sena. Infact after the completion of his first term, it was only Shiv Sena which was willing to support him for the second term too.
(9). There is not a single non Muslim who does not respect patriots like Abdul Hamid and Ashfaqullah Khan. This clearly suggests that if a Muslim is patriotic then a non Muslim would have no problems in respecting him.
For all the hard line fanatic Hindus
If you believe that Islam is a religion of terror and Muslims are the members of a satanic cult. Then it's time for you guys to peep in your collar too. Let me show you some issues with Hinduism:-
(1). Not long ago we used to have an inhuman system called 'Sati' in which the women used to be burnt alive along with the dead body of their husbands. Isn't this barbaric ? And don't be under any mistake, this system was not eliminated because of the initiatives of general Hindus. Raja Ram Mohan Roy faced stiff resistance from his own family members when he spoke against this inhuman system. Had the British not made it illegal, this system would still have been prevalent.
(2). We used to practise another inhuman system called 'untouchability'. According to this system a person from low caste could not walk on the same path which was used by some one from the high caste, could not bath in the same river, could not use the same well and so on. And incase he failed to do so, then he could even be killed ! Mind you, this system is still prevalent in some parts of India.
(3). Another inhuman practise in Hinduism is 'Honour killling'.
Request to all
Having read many scriptures of Hindusim like Bhagwad Gita, Ramayan, Mahabharata etc I can say it with authority that none of the above mentioned practises are even remotely connected to Hinduism. But just because some mistaken souls used to practise them religiously, it would not be appropriate to assume that Hinduism teaches its followers to follow such barbaric practise. Similarly just because Many Muslims are terrorists, it is not right to assume that Islam teaches terrorism. We must always remember that there are three types of Muslims:
(1)Moderates (2) Uncertains & (3). Extremists
Repeated terror attacks have left many of us very angry. Under the surge of emotions we have started developing a feeling of hatred against all the Muslims. However such a feeling towards all the Muslims is highly unjustifiable. We must not forget that there are many moderate and uncertain Muslims. The moderates love the country as much as a patriotic Hindu does. Therefore it would be highly improper to vilify them for no fault of their's. Moreover such feeling of hatred towards the Muslims could be used as a tool by the Extremist Muslims to convert the moderates & the uncertains into extremists. And all these can have a catastrophic impact on our beloved nation.
The need of the hour is to get rid of our stereo types and pre conceived notions against the Muslims and treat every Muslim on his individual merit or demerit.
Repeated terror attacks have left many of us very angry. Under the surge of emotions we have started developing a feeling of hatred against all the Muslims. However such a feeling towards all the Muslims is highly unjustifiable. We must not forget that there are many moderate and uncertain Muslims. The moderates love the country as much as a patriotic Hindu does. Therefore it would be highly improper to vilify them for no fault of their's. Moreover such feeling of hatred towards the Muslims could be used as a tool by the Extremist Muslims to convert the moderates & the uncertains into extremists. And all these can have a catastrophic impact on our beloved nation.
The need of the hour is to get rid of our stereo types and pre conceived notions against the Muslims and treat every Muslim on his individual merit or demerit.
Let us all work together for one nation named India. Jai Hind.
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