Free Talk

Barkha Dutt was not a role model for me, but of course Vir Sanghvi has been since his Sunday/Blitz days. I had chanced to express my comments about their articles (Blitz, Sunday, Hindustan Times, NDTV etc) earlier. I always respect the journalists in a democracy, because they are the real people who can stand with the common people when all the other institutions pathetically cave in. Corruption is sky-rocketing in India. Every citizen is well aware of it. In a recently published book review (The God Market…), writer Meera Nanda unravels how religions are exploited by the so called Gurus and Swamis for the corruption in the Corporate. Even the spirituality has become an indispensable stuff of lucrative businesses in India, what else can be spared from corruption? Where does a common man then depend on? A common man can afford to buy a news paper or flick the remote control of an electronic media to get the truth. In that context, an iota of lopsided or biased views from the dedicated journalists cannot be tolerated by a common man.

Reply to J. Gopikrishnan

Press is one of the great pillars in democracy. Gopikrishnan has proved that. Let all patriots serve like this even if the looters usurp power. We should not be pessimistic that the government will save the culprits at last. What we want to do is that: fight against the corrupt Netas and Babus. Patriotism is not a delicious stuff sold through the fast food outlets. What Gopi has done is called true patriotism. Of late I was very much disappointed by our press because some parts of which were tainted by the paid news syndrome. Our press is still vibrant. That is what Gopi's efforts echo worldwide. The so called stalwarts of media are still in the second phase of Kumbhkarna- sleeping for six months. It is at least a jolt to wake them up.

No Smoking Please

Smoking kills more people than what road accidents do. In addition, the smokers are the root cause of giving their family members some kind of smoking related diseases. It has been observed that as soon as some people finish their meals, they will rush to have a puff, as if they were so impatient during the meal time. Also, I have noticed a particular thing in some of the healthcare seminars: speakers more often emphasize about what we want to eat and what we have to avoid or minimize. Do not eat meat, do not eat butter avoid oily food etc. but not a single word for stressing how injurious the smoking is. A person who is having a mixed diet in limited proportion can well maintain his health if he has no smoking habit. Also, ads for cigarettes should be banned. Simply printing statutory warning in small letters on the cigarette pack does not make any sense. Whatever economic losses occurred for eradicating this habit is not at all a loss but the reasonable domestic expenses to carve out healthy citizens. So, any laws, suggestions or initiatives which are instrumental in curbing smoking are welcome. Yoga and breathing exercises will also help one come out of this habit. But he/she must follow it sincerely. Any argument that a smoker cannot give up this habit is superficial. Determination to stop it is very important

Free Talk

Here I blame the system, whether it is religious or social, for everything. A jobless man has 20 children from many wives. He made his wives machines of producing children. Shame on the system first! Again the children’s other sister has same fate in different method. He is not only unemployed but a drunkard also. How he gets money to drink? His wife was compelled to pay him. She also did not allow the children to register a case against him. All to protect the pati parameshwar or polygamy syndromes. People are allowed to misuse many verses in the name of religions. If we don’t look at crux of the issue, we don’t reach proper solution.



Look at the orphanage where the children were supposed to be rehabilitated. The management of the orphanage may get sufficient donations. Even then they serve a single meal a day for the poor children. Sheer exploitation is visible.



The rich brother-in-law is a victim of avarice. At least he could have arranged a better orphanage where the children could survive. Relation has no value when it is listed in the share markets. Ultimately, the sufferers are always hapless and helpless.

To Nandisengupta

My opinion is that: Anyone can post any articles with analytical depth. No subject is spared under the Sun. However, religious matter is always vulnerable. It will slip into a communal strife, if it is not handled with equanimity. We are not in the same environment as we were in the earlier days. I remember my teachers always invoked our sense of humour by mocking some mythological characters as part of their teaching skills. It gave some innocent relaxations while we were getting bored with the continuous study materials. To be perfectly frank, they were Hindu teachers and most of the characters they linked were from Hindu mythology.



Although I have nothing to do with any religions, I respect all religions only for the sake of harmony in the world. And I sternly reject all types of religious fanaticism and superstitions for the sake of my liberal mind. Such nutrition is, I think, essential for liberal society which carves out broad minded people. Our world should not get into the tentacles of fundamentalism. I can caricature some characters in Indian mythology to a great extent, but I am not able to do with other religious characters. So I always leave the unwanted arguments in the religious subjects. We can do so many other things if we utilize the word COMPROMISE in the real sense. We need civilized nations in the world.



Our technology is so advanced that even the Sun God does not know when our missiles reach his proximity (take it as good sense of humour). But the saus-bahu syndrome and the dowry system have no solutions yet. How can we claim that we are in the booming when such incidents make blot on our conscience? I expect from you, Nandita, a powerful blog in this regard. This is a cancer in our society. Sita is a great symbol of Indian woman. Sita even faced an ordeal with fire. How many sisters live with such fires, and how many sisters go up in flames every now and then?

Veto Power

If the world leaders sincerely put their efforts to remove the veto power, that will be a great achievement in the world of democracy. If this one problem, problem? Yes it is a problem, is solved, some of the long standing issues will automatically come to an end. More often the United Nations gives the impression that it is a mere publishing house under the ownership of the United States, which keeps on issuing new editions of resolution. Veto power is, in my view, a mockery to democratic credentials we preach every now and then. The veto power actually violates article 1 to 30 of the UN. I had once requested Mr. Tharoor when he was the candidate for the post of UNGS to clarify whether he could justify to his duty as long as the big 5 wield the veto power. We have to live in the real world was his reply. Same question I had put up with some of my friends who post comments along with me on the Washington post, New York Times, BBC, ABC, the Independent, the Guardian etc. Many were, all of them from the US and the UK, opposed to the undemocratic system of the veto power. I think it is a subject that should come in the focus of world arena.

Free Talk

To inject the illiterate minds with prejudices is the main feature of terrorism. But the life blood of terrorism has always been money. With money, terrorism can hire anyone as its CEO. As long as poverty and avarice are in the world, money plays a key role. So the subject of terrorism should not get any lame excuses under the pretext of poverty. This is not the universal problem of the rich and the poor.

To lure them with mod cons and better life is another one. To fetch them with 72 Houris in the Heaven is believed to be one more. If some modern messengers of God are bestowed on illiterate minds, it is the result. It was reported that Ajmal was given lavish treats soon after his return to home after completion of training to kill Indians. It was a shining proof a tribe still living in the medieval age with blood thirst of innocent and defenseless people. This is sheer exploitation. And the remote controllers get the life blood – MONEY – from the vested interest for that.

The world lacks principled politics. Power mongers design some monsters at times and pass on to the vested interests. The other so-called decent democracies will keep a criminal silence or render indirect support or show their weaknesses or servitude towards it. Such monsters will later grow up and will eat peace of mind from one side to other. The peace favourite common people from all countries well understand this.

Most of the leaders in Pakistan have always been nurturing a hate India policy to stay in power since partition. That is why Pak government cannot allocate much time for its internal affairs. As long as Indo-Pak relations should not be kept out of religious spectrum, Pakistan will suffer a lot and is not able to reach any solutions for the burning issues like terrorism. Also, Pakistan more often misses the chances to mend the fences with its neighbors so that India can stop the cross border terrorism. Since religion is misused by vested interest in Pakistan, the government cannot get out of the tentacles immediately. All peace loving people unequivocally urge terrorism is the greatest menace of our time. And the brains and hands that work behind terror attacks belong to those who have no claim to call themselves human beings. Those who bring death to innocent people could not have had human emotions.

However, it is wrong to argue that there is good terrorism and bad terrorism and that it is OK for one party to indulge in it while it is immoral for another. The previous US govt. had committed the worst crimes of terrorism under the pretext of war on terrorism. As we can see, those actions have not defeated terrorism. Instead, they have bred and encouraged more terrorism.

Equally responsible for the growth of terrorism has been the silence of many of our Muslim scholars and institutions. There should be no lukewarm attitude toward such crimes. They must condemn in no uncertain terms the heinous crimes that holders of Muslim names commit in the name of Islam. Evil will not go away by itself, it has to be driven away by iron fist.
The misguided souls who fell sympathy for the terrorists because they claim to champion causes dear to Muslims must learn from the experience of these past years that terrorists will never achieve any goal. History is witness that they suffer humiliating setbacks. That was inevitable because what they set out to do is create fear. That rouses public anger, which no force on earth can defeat. It is high time for both the governments and the opposition to wake up to make a united strategy to eradicate this menace.

(Part or full of this letter was published by a number of major international news papers and news websites, that include: Arab News, the Saudi Gazette, the Gulf News, the Washington Post, the New York Times, the India Today, the Indian Express, the Hindustan Times, The News, The Guardian, UK Telegraph, Deccan Chronicle, Deccan Herald, the Times of India, Pioneer Daily, Reuter, the News Week, ABC, BBC, CBS, CNN, CNN IBN live, Asianet, Zee News and many other blogs by prominent writers and columnists that include: Larry King, Mitchell(US state dept website) etc.)

In Sharp Contrast

During the Gulf war, I was one of those who stayed with my company in the Kingdom. The management had taken all security measures for us. And they provided us with gas masks, too. One day an official from the US Embassy called our chief accountant and advised him to collect a gas mask from the embassy for his wife, who is of US origin.

Since she had already been provided a mask by the company, she had not availed it from the embassy. Later we came to know this: When the embassy people matched the number of masks against the US citizens residing in the Kingdom, they found somebody had not collected the mask. They checked the records and found the wife of our chief accountant was one of them. This is how America and other Western nations take of care of their citizens!

And India? Bhopal gas tragedy tells us everything we need to know, doesn’t it?

Saudi sponsors and Runaways

The president of Fokasa has addressed one of the long standing issues in Saudi Arabia in the right perspective. Slavery appears to be abolished from the world, but the mentality to make the weak as slave is always there as the hidden agenda of the strong. Article 1 of the Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the United Nations in 1948 says: “ All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and act toward one another in a spirit of brotherhood.” But, in Saudi Arabia, such spirit of brotherhood is more often invisible when it comes to expatriate workers. Even though the Saudi press brings in focus the pathetic conditions of the expatriate workers now a days, the result-oriented settlements or solutions do not arrive in full swing. The sponsor is the determining factor to the destiny of the workers. The Saudi Labour laws guarantee many benefits to the expatriate workers. But the nexus between the sponsors and the vested interest sabotage them to exploit the workers here. This is the issue to be taken care of by the top authorities in the government. The government has to issue stringent directives to punish the sponsors and their accomplices as and when they breach the existing labour laws. And it has to appoint a special wing to monitor such human violations so that the workers can fearlessly approach for their benefits.

Another child marriage victim

This has reference to your news report – another child marriage victim – 22/04/10.



Some people have a deep-rooted and biased concept about the Kingdom: The whirl winds may come and go every now and then here, but the change of wind will never come. It is untrue. Over the years, we have seen many changes like the rain in the summer. We have also seen the same rains, thunders and lightning in this desert which we used to experience in our countries.

Similarly we heard some voices which we had never expected to be heard in the Kingdom. The thoughts of some Saudi writers still echo. Khaled Al Maeena’s open page editorial on 9/11 – catch the criminals- is still vibrant. Tariq’s article –fanaticism- was a true revelation of the liberal Saudi mind. And many more. Such voices played a great role to focus the menace of terrorism in the Kingdom. Now it is crystal clear that the Kingdom is the only country that conquered it with iron fist. And the efforts of Nourah Alkhereiji, Nimah Ismail Nawwab (well known Saudi poet), Lubna Hussain etc to stand for woman rights and human rights are commendable. They are instrumental in order to streamline the society. What a powerful article Nourah wrote earlier in Arab News regarding the child marriage – Mufti has spoken against it - (23.08.08). Her article was there to light such dark minds. I fully agreed with her points of view then: the people who have no concern about the under-aged are mentally sick and of course need psychological treatment at any mental asylums. Two years later, we still listen to pathetic condition of children. Children of 10 or15 years are not at all matured enough to shoulder family life. They are still children being looked after by their parents. A concerted movement from both the government and the good hearted people is the need of the hour to deter such crimes.

Volcano sneeze

This has reference to your news report -Volcanic ash could blanket air travel for 5 more days(17.04.10)
No worry about the consequences on the economical or political side due to this volcano sneeze. The humanitarian side is very important, especially the organ transplant and medical treatment. There were news reports of organs having been delivered regionally by surface transportation available. And some of the poor patients who had a time frame of appointments to reach the operation table were held up. Here every single penny or every single second is lost is a loss which cannot be easily retrievable. However, nature more often teaches lessons to prepare for the future. Many who had been enjoying a bird's view since very long had gotten the opportunity to realize the ground reality, at least for a few hours. Many approached surface transportation to reach their destinations. Journey through the surface travel is more creative and thought provoking, because it always reminds us how to safe guard environs and nature. If the natural calamities do not make any human losses, it seems to be necessary to sit and think with equanimity about situations of the common man in the world.

Organ Donation

As a first step, the donors must have the bounden duty to convince their family members to fulfill their wishes promptly and immediately. Recently a sixteen year old Indian boy, Stanly, died after fighting a prolonged disease. His wish was to donate his all organs to the needy. While he was alive, he used to convince his parents his last wish. And his beloved parents immediately made arrangements for that. Not one, five patients could benefit from his different organs. That boy’s determination was commendable. Such determination is inevitable from every donor. The donors must always keep their cards attached with their very important documents while travelling so that the authorities can realize, in case of an accident, the bearer is an organ donor and take necessary and immediate action for donation. Otherwise time frame for preserving organs intact will lapse. There are also some blind beliefs about donating organs. That should be eradicated by counseling and seminars. This is one of the great human virtues.



However, as a donor card holder with SORT (Society for Organ Retrieval Transplantation) in India and SCOT (Saudi Center for Organ Transplantation) here in Saudi Arabia, I am against the concept of offering any organs against monetary benefit No one can belittle a great segment of humanitarian ethics for a few coins. If the donor is dead and his or her family is under poverty line, the government or the concerned authority has to take a firm step to rehab them as a good gesture. That is different and welcome. If money is in the focus, trading in organs may be flourishing. On the other hand, to donate an organ to his/her own family members or intimate friend always depends upon the situation and attachment to the needy. There is no exploitation is involved here. Proper enlightenment is necessary to aware more people to donate spontaneously.

The Swami and the Actress

Lust was born before the so called civilized man was born. As long as the living things exist in this world, it will be here. Some will tame it as a domestic animal, and others leave it as wild beast. The domestic animal supports the bodily function to serve the domestic affair better. The restive wild beast will rampage. It is a continuous process. Self control is the only thing that can prevent adultery. And this kind of swamis particularly must stand for that. But the result is often juxtaposition.



The Swami cannot cure any congenital breathing problem overnight, as the actress proclaimed here. Breathing exercise can gradually heal it. No man god can heal anybody. It is the suppressed mind that springs up some times by certain psychological impulses. That is what a psychiatrist more often or a medical practitioner some times does to his patient.

The people who worship Rama or Krishna as god can easily brush aside these types of exploiters and their baseless explanations. Devotion is a lucrative business in the world now. Since the prostitution at some corporate business houses has been dignified by the grace of globalization, the prostitution behind the god men will be sanctified in due course.



I remember the wordings of late Kaniyapuram Ramachandran: KAALAA KAALANGALIL DHARMAM PUNASTHAPIKKAN AVATHARANGAL ETUKKUMENNU BHAGAVAN SREE KRISHNAN BHAGAVAT GITAYIL PARANJATHU KAARANAM, ETHU ANDANUM ATAKODANUM IPPOL DAIVANGALAAKAAM.



Rational movements are mainly there for bringing forth the exploiters who do anti social elements in the name of god and religions. To my surprise, even the left movements at times try to side line the rational movements in India for the electoral adjustments.

Mohanlal and TA uniform

Do you think Sukumar Azhikode's view is justifiable?

Sukumar Azhikod is correct here. It does not mean that I agree with his earlier comments on Mohanlal. TERRITORY ARMY uniform is used to instill confidence and boost patriotism on our soldiers. It is not a commodity to promote any corporate businesses. Hon. Antony must give an explanation or indicate the provision in the law that enables the actor to utilize his uniform in such advertisements. If it is wrong, Mohanlal has to apologize and withdraw from such ads in the future.

Obama election

This has reference to three letters under Saudi backing (07.09.08) Not only Saudis, but also the expatriates back Obama as per Tamimi’s report.

I am also optimistic like them, even though the US election would disappoint us. Optimistic, because first thing Obama may try to do is that he would import some quantity of democracy from other parts of the world. America is at present shortage of democracy as its generosity to lavish it on the other countries is well known. Since China is no more a communist country, he could try Chinese democracy first. However, he shouldn’t try anything from Russia as it is busy implementing the American pattern of settling everything at the flick of a remote control, in Georgia. Leave poor Musharaf alone, as he has already decided to settle in his new villa in Pakistan at the expense of Pak Democracy hypothecated by the Republican Bush. (although the service was rendered to the US, the End of Service Benefit is being calculated by the people in Pakistan not by the masters as predicted)

As a last resort, I am sure Sonia madam and Manmohan Singh are there to help him to a certain extent when Prakash Karat is in deep sleep. Second thing Obama may try is that he could bring all the American gladiators, oh sorry, soldiers camped in different shambles back to American soil. The soldiers were trained to protect their own borders not others. Let protection like charity begin at home. (I am extremely sorry if the US seems to be the landlord of the world). Third thing is that as soon as he completes his presidential speech at White House, he would catch the same chartered flight to reach Middle East to sort out all the conflicts and punish Israeli government.

Republican or Democrat President, his first priority goes to the welfare of his country. For that the strategy is already in the offing. It is beyond any one’s dreams. Yet, hope, something like a new nightmare should not come.

Reply to the Hindu

Your editorial – collapse of governance (29.08.08) is topical and incisive. The government has not properly utilized its democratic and secular tools in handling the issue. Instead it yields into the same insular vote bank politics as we witnessed in the eve of the Mandir Masjid politics, for which we paid a lot and are paying still. No more drops of blood to be shed at the expense of any types of religious politics or vote bank politics. We the secular and democratic people constitute the majority in India. We have to invoke our constitutional obligations with iron hand, which strictly stand for democracy and secular credentials, to reinstate the normalcy in Kashmir. And raising Pakistan’s flags and chanting slogans in favour of Pakistan is totally intolerable and unacceptable in line with our constitution. Our constitution guarantees not only our fundamental rights, but also our fundamental duties to keep our system intact. Why does the government then hesitate to act?

Reply to Mr. Rajeev Shukla

This has reference to Safe Exit (Front Foot by Rajeev Shukla) 23.08.08. This is the bitter truth. The dream of a good democratic government in Pakistan seems to be a still born. Pakistan’s democracy has been fragile from very beginning, so extremism has always a chance to mushroom. Poverty plays the lead role for that. And power mongers will do the supporting roles. The extremists will work in full swing not only in Pakistan, but on the neighboring border too. Even if terrorists will not achieve their goals, terrorism is the great menace in the century. That will further increase tension between India and Pakistan. The ordinary people in both countries wish to live in harmony. Democracy is not a mere word that is debated only in theory. It gives a great experience by practicing it. For that we need the flawless sincerity from both sides. People often have a negative approach or a pre-determined stand when they discuss a long standing conflict. If both the parties of a dispute are sincerely determined to stand for an amicable solution, there will be a good atmosphere from which a good result will emerge out. It is time the people have to awaken to the sense of that kind of thought. Killing each other at the behest of leaders does not mean democracy. Democracy stands for the people, not for the leaders. We wasted sixty two years to learn good lessons from it. Do we need to bequeath those bad lessons to our posterity, too. No, an emphatic NO forever. If the Berlin wall could rest under an epitaph, why can’t we do away with the barbed wire fencing?

Mahmud Darwish

Poetry expresses the most profound feelings of a people. That was what the concept of General Anwar Sadat. When Uri Avnery quotes these lines for Mahmud Darwish in his latest article- Palestine’s national poet (21.08.08), and it comes from a well known and dispassionate Israeli writer, his obituarial lines deeply touch the reader. Darwish was one of the greatest poets in the world. Only could Darwish term the Arab-Israeli conflict as “a struggle between two memories”. The phrase preserves humanity for both the confronting nations. It evokes nostalgia for both. It does not echo any shrieks of gun or missiles. Because he understood the feelings of his friends and foes. He equates the existence of his with theirs. He delves into the impact of the losses both had suffered so far. Only can a beautiful mind deliver such a great and mellifluous phrase. Such poets and writers leave a perennial vacuum, which no one can fill. I salute him. And a few lines for him:



Record !

You are a great poet

Of not the Arab world

But of the entire world