I would say

that Babus are jackasses but I would be repeating myself.(via )

Looking for metaphor

This tragedy , I believe, more or less describes UPA government.

Parliamentary Zoocracy

Apparently Mukul Kesavan thinks that purpose of elections is to fill a zoo.

Honour

Why can't we have a day to honour Top Ramen Curry.

Update:  Mystery of Maggie, One of the the most profound mystery that I am trying to solve is, What the hell happened to Maggie, Maggie used to taste pretty good when I was a kid of about ten years, then I stopped eating Maggie (inspired by Nirogdham and Akhanda Jyoti). I resumed eating Maggie after a long long time in IIT, and it was simply uneatable when compared to Top Ramen Curry, granted much of it had to do with the way Maggie was prepared, but somehow after that I have developed a dislike for normal Maggie noodles, the one prepared from Atta are OK though.

Maverick is down

After Barack Obama became President of  US, there was expectedly* clamour among the chatterati in India to find home grown Obama. As luck would have it, considering the inept way campaign has been run**, we have our McCain in form of Shri Advani***

* Expectedly because chatterati aspires nothing more than to imitate America because it covets American approval even as it mocks America for being unsophisticated.

** Apparently BJP has gained ground in the second phase of elections. However considering the disaster that is  UPA govt. BJP's victory should have been a sealed deal. This election is like two player red queen's race in reverse. Both Congress and BJP are trying to lose.

*** Although McCain (famously known as maverick) ran an inept campaign, I will be frank, he has much better grasp of issues concerning US than Shri Advani has of India.

Aggregating aggrevation

You know what really pisses me off. The guys at Food Bazaar/ More/ Reliance Fresh/ Company Cafeteria who will refuse to tender change in cash for sodexho coupons from time to time for mysterious reason. Now they do state a reason which is since sodexho deducts some amount on coupons they can't tender cash, which is stupid because I have to work around this by adding a little cash to sodexho coupons while making payment at which point they will happily tender the change in cash.

I am sure some this is a suitable justification for homicide.

Journalistic misdemeanour

What, exactly, is aggressive reluctance ?

A time for revenge

Some time back Ashok Malik proposed that BJP must promise to investigate Mitrokhin papers, now I agree with that. Such investigation if it had been conducted when the archives were published would have provided rare opportunity to make Indian public aware of  the extent to which our polity was compromised by foreign intelligence agencies and perhaps public support in strengthening our intelligence capabilities. Although a bit late in the day now, it is still possible to salvage from the archives.

However there are more pressing concerns. First of them is the investigation of the bribery during the no-confidence motion , Congress was successful in suppressing this with the help of pliant media, BJP should make it top most priority to uncover the conspirators behind this subversion of democracy.

Second considering the unprecedented autonomy the ministers in UPA led govt. enjoyed and less than stellar character of the worthies it is well nigh impossible that there was no wheeling dealing. In fact I suspect there is a lot of stench to be uncovered. BJP should focus on bringing the corruption before public.

BJP should also seriously consider investigating Media - UPA nexus. True much of anti BJP propaganda can be explained by visceral hatred that secular liberal establishment harbors for cultural nationalism, even then there is a near certainty that many in the media shilled for UPA in lieu of favors. It is a great opportunity to nail secular media.

Aphorism: Language

In any society language holds the key to social consciousness. Those who control the language, control  the levers of society. The control of language is the most potent force one can wield. Accepting the dictum that power corrodes human mind, authority over language awakes the inner tyrant of even the most well intentioned, turning them into despots bent on subjugating the society, even without them aware of the metamorphosis or being antagonistic to such despotism.

So Madhur Bhandarkar has a new movie

Jail . Anyone wants to place bets on the movie having anal rape.

Update: And why such an epidemic of movies which are about Delhi. Can't they find some other place than the absolutely worthless city.

Yet Another Update: You know what can rescue now setting carrier of Sunny Deol, remake of Last Action Hero . No I don't particularly like him but Shabani Azmi is a secular hag so there.

K Konspiracy

I just found out that this blog has crossed hundred feed subscribers for the first time. Assuming the figure is correct (and goat lover assures me it is correct), what exactly is wrong with so many people.

Anyhow as long as someone is reading this blog, here is my latest brainwave. A hapless husband frustrated with the endless barrage of repetitive soaps embarks on a journey determined to stamp out the source for this poison, however the journey leads him to the horrifying truth, that daily overdose of Saas-bahu saga is a conspiracy hatched by Ekta Kapoor, ChiComs and our bothers across the border to cause permanent damage to Indians and conquer India by subterfuge.

All those who wish to finance this venture, please stand orderly in a queue.

In search of a good slogan

Here is one for BJP.

"Woh kehte hain pehle khaandaan hum kehte hain pehle Hindustaan."

The irony in intended* .

Comparing Modis and Tytlers

I don't bother to defend Modi mostly because I think Gujarat riot in 2002 was failure on Modi's part to properly discharge his dharma. However I am kind of non plussed by the comparison between Tytler/Sajjan Kumar and Modi. The comparison would hold true if Modi was instigating the mob to kill Muslims (something which Tytler and Sajjan Kumar are accused of ). But there is no such accusation. In fact there is not even a credible accusation, contrary to Media outrage, that Modi was somehow complicit in felicitating riots.
Which makes any comparison between Tytler and Modi ridiculous to say the least.

If one wishes to make a meaning comparison then the right person to compare would be Rajiv Gandhi. Rajiv Gandhi failed to prevent Anti-Sikh pogrom in the heart of capital, though he had all the tools at ready disposal and he was in full command of government. Therefore Narendra Modi is as guilty as Rajiv Gandhi.

Of course this comparison is uncomfortable for our cosmopolitan flotsam.

Devil's alternative

I don't watch English news channels (for reasons of sanity), so this might be redundant, however my impression is that BJP and Shri Advani are taking a beating on Kandhar issue. Now the response of NDA government during and after Kandhar crisis are far from commendable. To be specific its response was tardy while hijacking was folding out and it did not learn the lessons from hijack to put in place correct policies to deal with similar situations in future.

One can debate on this, though this may raise interesting case of pot calling kettle black, what with Charar-e-Sharif and Rubaiya Sayeed, however the debate is on what one can call Machogiri, our lady of 10 Janpath, her spawns and her poodles are mocking Shri Advani for releasing terrorists. To shut them up BJP should ask a simple question, "Had it been Congress at that time in government would it have allowed innocent passengers to be killed by the terrorists ?".

Now there are answers to this, personally I favor no release policy. However, it's not my near and dear ones who are held hostage. Heavens forbid if such a situation were to arise, I have no idea what I will do. This is a human response. Therefore it is clear that regardless of the lofty principles, a democratic government will never have easy answer to the question this is known as Devil's alternative.

Devil's alternative means that Congress will not be able to take recourse in diversionary rhetoric

Annoying adverts.

Last post reminds me, FM is a constant source of irritating advertisements. Two more in addition to the last one.

1. Some ad for Bournvita (or Complan) - Made irritating by the fact of that stereotypical Punjabi lady voice (yes that "Hai Rabba", "Mar Jawan" ) type. It is irritating not only because it is grating but I have never actually ever heard any Punjabi speak like that, though to be fair almost all of the Punjabis I met are long settled in Uttar Pradesh, so it might be that ladies really speak like that in Punjab/Delhi.

2. Bring out the vote campaign, now this is my special favorite for reasons explained here. It represents everything that is wrong with our narcissistic class, some earnest semi-celebrity, a grave voice spouting half baked asinine platitude about voting devoid of any intelligence or insight.

3. This one I saw on TV for some car, a dorkish bespectacled little girl is shown gloomy because no one will notice her which is not very difficult because well the girl is dorkish and bespectacled. She in her gloom turns to her father who rescues her from the ignominy of non recognizance by buying the said car.

Now this is one example of child exploitation in advertisements. But there is more it sends the message to gain acceptance and admiration for the kid the parent must have car. This is manipulation of self esteem. Needless to say anyone falling for this line is going to have issues. The truth is Cars don't buy acceptance for dorks, in fact noting does. Dorks just grow up and become Omega male who blog about annoying advertisement or Bitter womyn bloggers respected ma'am who hate Sarah Palin.

Stupid

Temple of Environment

Update: I was not clear enough initially so here is the explanation why this non-sense annoys me on multiple levels.

1. As guessed correctly by Frogji, this is nothing by latest stupidity inflicted by cult of environmentalism. Now as a Hindu I have no objection with the worship of eternal in any of the forms devotee may feels comfortable, but environmentalism is nothing but self worship of conceited post rational men and women.

2. I am subjected to advert for this non-sense on a regular basis via FM.

3. The promotion is done by exploiting children.

Who are those folks

Ravi comments , "If folks want me to take Hindutva seriously, supporters of Hindutva must first stop using Pakistan as a role model for anything"

Now I have no idea why anyone would want him to take Hindutva (or anything else for that matter) seriously, however since Ravi is saying so, they must exist. If that is the case as Hindu fascist I request them to leave him alone, I am sure Hinduism can survive his lack of endorsement.

I don't know

What is creepier, married men reading Savita Bhabhi or actually adding Savita Bhabhi in their Facebook friend list. Seriously please help me, why has Savita Bhabi such a fan following. What am I missing, now I am not claiming that I have never seen smut (yeah, it is kind of understatement), but a) it is kind of gross not to mention pathetic after marriage, and b) Why not Hentai ?

Another communal post

Can some one explain the fundamental difference Kashmiri Muslims and Muslims in rest of India.

I am interested because I want to understand why what happened in Kashmir to Hindus wouldn't have happened to Hindus in any other part of India if Muslims were Majority.

"Now now Gaurav", The well intentioned are going to say, "Surely you are jesting, surely you can't mean that every Muslim is a radical who will want nothing less than annihilation of kaffirs and establishment of  Ummah".

Which is precisely my problem. To understand let's model this in form of sets.

Assume M_i = set of all Indian Muslims.

Then M_i = M_m +M_b + M_r.

where M_m = Moderate Muslims who are just like you and me (well mostly like you, I am obscenely awesome and hardly anyone is like me),  who do respect other faiths, are unquestioningly patriotic, and are concerned with nothing more than daily grind of life.

M_b = Believers, They are also concerned with daily grind of life, but their concern doesn't end here. They are also concerned with their faith and their identity. Which is why it is a confusing group, individual member of this group may or may not respect other faiths, may be unquestioningly patriotic or may be conflicted due to opposite pulls of faith and nation.

M_r = Radicals. They are convinced, partly due to indoctrination, and partly due to dis-affectation, that India is not their future, and they actively participate in undermining India.

Now the well intentioned elites argue that it is unfair to blame moderate Muslims for acts of radical Muslims.
In other words M_m >> M_r

Only problem, while moderate Muslim may not unleash violence, neither will they attempt to stop radical Muslims. They will remain silent witness to slow subjugation and annihilation of  Kaffirs at the hands of Radicals. Therefore the only difference between rest of India, and Kashmir, or between post-1947 India and pre-1947 India  is the percentage of Muslims, the cultural DNA is same.

Which is why I don't want myself or for that matter my coming generations ever to live in a Muslim majority nation.

FutureMan

"The man from past"

Ravikiran's article in Pragati perplexes me. The reasons are twofold. First, I quite like what he writes even though I hardly agree with him on anything. Second the topic of article, economic freedom is quite an important one.

Which is why I fail to understand why he had to begin the article idea with a hackneyed and in this case inaccurate "The man from past" introduction.

Now there is some merit in this as there is a huge difference in production level in most of the commodities prior to Industrial revolution and after it. However I believe mismatch between supply and demand must be as old as beginning of trade*. In fact it could have been more frequent in the past, even if the magnitude was at must smaller scale as any mismatch has to do with imperfect information both of current market as well as in expected future, and since information in the past used to less reliable as well as conveyed at a much slower speed there was more likelihood of mismatch.So I doubt our man from past will be shocked by the specter of queues of unemployed people or that of goods lying unsold.

Then there is the fact that to our visitor from past, if well versed in fiat currency,  the present system will hardly seem unimaginable, present system of mortgage backed securities and credit default swaps may be a jump from plain old cash, but it holds nothing to jump from barter based trade to currency backed one.

Even if we ignore the logic and merely concentrate on the structure this introduction doesn't quite flow smoothly into the main topic of economic freedom,  rather it impedes the flow and distracting from main point.

Then there is the matter of this introduction being overused to banality, written most of the time just for sake of shock and awe, but on closer look offering no insight. It is my considered opinion that our visitor from past has suffered much famine, pestilence, taxes and absence of computer games, let's spare him the indignity of being an unwilling participant in unimaginative writing.

*Googled for example but couldn't find any, except for this , which really doesn't count.

QOTD

"what was needed (someone might argue) was not more communism but more public-spirited pigs."