news views and analysis

The image you see below is from a recent issue of GQ Magazine published in India. Arjun Rampal actor/model answers some candid questions and one of his answers is a boastful “I am one of the few people who have gone into the Agyari pretending to be a Parsi”.

This is really pathetic and obnoxious of Arjun Rampal. A little background. Arjun Rampal is married to Meher Jesia, ex Miss India.

Current rules state that only Parsis are allowed entry into their holy places, the Agiyaris and the Atashbehrams. And Arjun is not a Parsi. What right does he then have to break the rules of a community, just to satiate his own personal curiosity and boast about it.

Rules in religion are not always agreed upon. But as long as they exist one needs to respect them. I wonder if Arjun Rampal would dare to go to the Kaaba at Mecca, which is out of bounds to non-Muslims. No offence to Muslims, but I wish he would try that stunt and see the consequences.

Parsi fire temples are not guarded securitized places. Over the centuries there has been a certain respect/trust within the society, which respects the wishes of the Parsi community and not venture into their fire temples.

I am not a legal maven, but I wonder if a criminal case of trespass can be filed against this Arjun Rampal. He has knowingly desecrated a consecrated place, an agiary.

It also makes me wonder what sort of a person Arjun is, what moral standards he must have to take credit in publicly admitting such an act.

Cross-Posted on Parsi Khabar.

In what can be deemed as a shameful act, Indian journalism or rather one network and one journalist sinks to another low.

Barkha Dutt….she of the screeching, shouting, TV soap opera fame has through her network sent a legal notice to Chyetanya Kunte, an Indian blogger.

During the terrorist attacks of 26/11 in Mumbai, Kunte wrote a blog post about shoddy journalism (now deleted) that targeted the shenanigans of Barkha Dutt. However the “internets” never forget and the post lives on here.

Kunte writes

If the terrorists don’t manage to shove you in to your private hell, the journalists on national television will certainly help you get there.

And that is a very valid point.

The Indian blogosphere is rightly disgusted.

Barkha Dutt tries to explain herself on this topic on Facebook.

Gaurav makes a fine point.

Can you imagine if what would have happened if any of the politicians had dared to sue NDTV for libel. Not only NDTV but everyone in English media would be crying fascism like it was Third Reich. This despite the fact that not only a politician has as much right to redressal as NDTV but also he probably has a stronger case for libel against Barkha Dutt (and English media) than Barkha Dutt has against Chyetanya.

Frankly, I think Barkha Dutt screwed up on this one. By unnecessarily making an issue where none exists, she has further lost credibility. This whole incident reminds me of IIPM-gate.

Am no legal eagle (unlike my sister…a real lawyer and all!) but what would happen if Kunte would ignore this notice and ask BD and NDTV to go take a walk?

It all starts this Saturday noon, with my craving for some grilled pork Banh-Mi from one of my favorite (not any more) vietnamese sandwich shops Paris Sandwich.

I go into Paris Sandwich at 113 Mott St. (Betn. Hester and Canal) and order a sandwich and other stuff for a takeaway. My total comes to 14$. I give my card to the cashier and she tells me there is a minimum of $15 dollars for using a card. Thats a first for me from this store, which I have been to in the past.

Having a minimum is against the merchant policy laid out by Mastercard and Visa and I tell the cashier the same. She does not understand what I say, so I ask to speak to the manager. She goes to call the manager and comes back and says something to the extent that manager says sorry. I ask to speak to the manager at which time a lady comes out and asks me what the problem is. I tell her that it is unfair of her establishment to have a minimum policy on credit card transactions. While I am telling her this, the real manager, a guy in his early 30’s walks up and tells me to either follow the policy or leave.

Well, I tell him that I am leaving and that it still does not make his policy correct. I also inform him that I will file a complaint with MC and VISA via their online link. And I walk out of the store.

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Why is it that the government becomes impotent when it is time to put laws into practice.

The Union government wants to bring about a ban on smoking in public places that are indoors. This includes restaurants, pubs, government offices et al.

And you have the BMC going up in arms saying it cannot enforce the ban.

While the rest of the country stubs it out, at least in public, from October 2, in Mumbai you can carry on smoking. That’s because the BMC, which is supposed to implement the smoking ban, has thrown up its hands.

“We simply cannot do it with the current infrastructure and manpower,” says civic health executive officer Jayaraj Thanekar. [link]

It seems they are busy with other things in hand…including the proper procedures to collect bribes without getting caught.

Seriously, how about getting our Marathi Manoos Champion Thakeray to enforce this? Outsource it.

When the hell will there be a reality check and people realize how damaging and dangerous it can be for the country if they elect John McCain and Sarah Palin.

McCain with someone else would have not been as grave a threat as he is with Palin, who is but a heartbeat (or lack thereof) away from the presidency.

My cynicism increases when I read something like this

On the “CBS Evening News” on Thursday, Katie Couric asked Ms. Palin, Senator John McCain’s running mate, what she meant when she cited Alaska’s proximity to Russia as foreign affairs experience. Ms. Palin could have anticipated the question — the topic of their interview, pegged to her visit to the United Nations, was foreign affairs. Yet Ms. Palin’s answer was surprisingly wobbly: her words tumbled out fast and choppily, like an outboard motor loosened from the stern.

“That Alaska has a very narrow maritime border between a foreign country, Russia, and on our other side, the land — boundary that we have with — Canada,” she replied. She mentioned the jokes made at her expense and seemed for a moment at a loss for the word “caricature.” “It — it’s funny that a comment like that was — kind of made to — cari — I don’t know, you know? Reporters —”

Ms. Couric stepped in. “Mocked?” Ms. Palin looked relieved and even grateful for the help. “Yeah, mocked, I guess that’s the word, yeah.”

Ms. Couric pressed her again to explain the geographic point. “Well, it certainly does,” Ms. Palin said, “because our, our next-door neighbors are foreign countries, there in the state that I am the executive of.”[link]

This is indeed a difficult time for the US…..all their own doing. However it cannot be that 300 million otherwise smart, wordly individuals can listen to such rubbish and not revolt.

There have been undercurrents of the Chinese fielding a team of "women" gymnasts who in reality are just girls….and underage for a womens sport.

Today CNN has an editorial on this topic

Amid pre-Olympic hand-wringing over why the birthdates of He, Yang and Jiang didn’t jibe with other registration materials that showed they might be as young as 14, China swore on its stars’ passport stamps that the tots are the legal tumbling age of 16. But while the tiny trio helped their nation whisk the gold medal away from a suddenly clumsy U.S. group in the team competition, it was impossible to deny the visual evidence of something unjust in China. [link]

Keeping in mind this is China, I would not be surprised if they actually are but young girls, made to look like ladies taking part in a competition. And this trickery would not be the first, now would it?

Remember

Beijing Olympics: Opening ceremony star mimed because real singer judged not pretty enough [link]

and the TV virtual show that was part of the live telecast of the Opening Ceremony

Parts of the spectacular Beijing Olympics opening ceremony were faked, it has emerged. [link]

Ah, the vagaries and devious intricacies of the despotic People’s [Communist] Republic of China.

Last week, one of the greatest Indians of his generation, Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw passed away. As the world’s oldest Field Marshal and India’s first, he deserved a full state funeral. However trust our government to screw things up and then start the blame game. Here is an email forward that I received that captures the gist of the angst that I feel.

If you have to die, do so around Delhi or Mumbai

by Krishna Prasad

The passing away of the only Indian to be appointed Field Marshal when in active service has been remarkable for the warmth of the ordinary men and women, who queued up to say meebeenamet to the adorable dikra who put his life on the line for them.

It has also been remarkable for the complete lack of grace and gratitude, civility and courtesy, decency and decorum on the part of the bold-faced names rapaciously grazing the lawns of power in Delhi and elsewhere, for the brain behind India ’s only decisive military victory.

Sam, the Bahadur, had been unwell for a while now. From about 1000 hours on June 26, reports of his being “critically ill” had appeared in the media. Yet, when the “expected tocsin” sounded at 0030 hours till the guns were fired in salute around 1500 hours on June 27, “civil society” chose to show its incivility.

Pratibha Patil , the commander-in- chief of the armed forces with all the time in the world: Absent

Hamid Ansari: Vice-president releasing books and writing reviews of books by fellow-travellers: Absent

Manmohan Singh , the prime minister who could do with a bit of the field marshal’s charisma and heroism: Absent

Sonia Gandhi : daughter-in- law of the woman the field marshal called “sweetie”: Absent

L K Advani: prime minister in waiting of the party which would like to do to Pakistan what Manekshaw did: Absent

M Karunanidhi and Surjit Singh Barnala: chief minister and governor of the state which Manekshaw had made his home for 35 years: Absent

Politicians may have their reasons. They always do. Maybe, there are issues like protocol. Maybe, this is one way in which ‘civil India ‘ shows the armed forces its place. Maybe, this is why we are not as militaristic as Pakistan . Maybe, the knees are just too old to climb the hills.

But what about the armed forces itself?

A K Antony : the defence minister ‘now behaving like the chairman of the confederation of the armed forces’ trade unions: absent ‘due to prior political engagements’.

The chief of army staff: absent (away in Russia )

The chief of navy staff: absent

The chief of air staff: absent

The fact that the defence minister was represented by his deputy Pallam Raju, the fact that the navy and air staff sent two-star general rank officers, shows that however high or mighty, however rich or powerful, civilian or military, if you should die as you must, you should do so somewhere in the vicinity of New Delhi — or Bombay.

Or else, they must have some use for you.Or else, too bad.

As he rightly surmised once: “I wonder whether those of our political masters who have been put in charge of the defence of the country can distinguish a mortar from a motor; a gun from a howitzer; a guerrilla from a gorilla — although a great many of them in the past have resembled the latter.”

The contrast couldn’t be starker:

When Amitabh Bachchan was ill after being socked in the stomach during the shooting of Coolie, Indira Gandhi flew down to Bombay to show her concern.

When Dhirubhai Ambani died, L K Advani cut short his Gujarat tour to pay his respects to an ‘embodiment of initiative, enterprise and determination’.

When Pramod Mahajan was shot dead by his brother, Vice President Bhairon Singh Shekawat had the time to attend the funeral.

Our VIPs and VVIPs have time for dead and dying celebrities, charlatans, fixers. Not for a field marshal?

In his biography, K M Cariappa, the only other field marshal India has had (and who too died at age 94), writes of his father’s cremation in May 1993:

“Honouring him in death as they did in life were Field Marshal Manekshaw, the three service chiefs all of whom belonged to the same course and at whose passing out parade from the joint services wing father had presided, the gracious chief minister M Veerappa Moily and C K Jaffer Sharief, Minister for Railways representing the President as the supreme commanded of the armed forces.”

Somebody should have told the geniuses in Delhi that Sam, the Bahadur, passed away in Wellington , Ooty, not Wellington , New Zealand . The nearest civil airport is Coimbatore , just 80 km away.

If this is how we say goodbye to Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, any wonder why Rang de Basanti could successfully tap into the angst of an entire generation?

Australian cricketers are sureshot bullies when it comes to a cricket field. Even then it takes the histrionics and verbage of someone like Bhajji to get them to show their true colors.

However, in reality they “chicken out” at the slightest instance.

Remember how they refused to play a game in Sri Lanka during the 1996 world cup? And now they are backing off from the Champions Trophy too

The Sydney Morning Herald claimed most leading Australian cricketers will pull out of the event if the International Cricket Council is adamant to host the elite tournament, second only to World Cup in stature, in the trouble-torn country.

“It is going to come down to the individual’s decision,” a member of the Australian team, touring West Indies, told the daily.

The ICC should stand firm in its decision to continue with the tournament once it has given the go-ahead. If individual Australian players do not want to attend, well good riddance to bad rubbish. However Cricket Australia has to field a team, however mediocre it may be. And if the board does not, then all countries should not go to Australia to play too.

I dont know why, but I get a whiff of the racial superiority that Gavaskar recently spoke about, in this incident too.

Have you been to Naushad Ali road recently. No, no, not Mohammed Ali Road. Naushad Ali Road.

Chances are you have but never realized it.

In the stupid politician series this is another hallmark.

Residents are angry that the plan to rename Carter Road as Sangeet Samrat Naushad Ali Road was mooted by corporator Kavita Rodricks without consulting them. [link]

The erstwhile Carter Road that has for decades been one of the landmarks of Bombay, has been re-christened Sangeet Samrat Naushad Ali Road.

No offence to Naushad whose music was timeless and amazing, but was there a need to name this prominent road after him. And will changing the name really make any difference.

Did it make a difference to Warden Road or Hill Road? Bhulabhai Desai and Ramdas Naik would say NO.

Will someone tell Kavita Rodricks, Corporator, SP (stupid politician) that she has pushed the envelope of stupidity when it comes to politicians.

Remember the seminal Tank Man who brought the despotic Chinese communist juggernaut to a halt in 1989.

Yes the same man who stood in front of a column of tanks in Tiananmen Square protests. Here is a CNN Video of the actual event.

The video below is an entry for Pangea Day. It is a view of the Tank Man from inside. Brilliant idea.

At a time when the Chinese are rearing their ugly heads in Tibet even as they go on preparing for a doomed Summer Olympics, these moments come to mind.