Discuss

Hinduism is autistic.

Enough with apology

I am sorry for this round of friendly fire but this is entirely unavoidable. Let us be clear,  whether "some" Muslims  apologize or not for what some other Muslims are committing is least of our problems, or for that matter even a reflection on other Muslims (those who have apologized). The problem of friction between Hindus and Muslims (and globally between Muslims and other religions) goes much beyond that the matter of  issuing pro forma apology after every attack. This problem, which has a long history, arises from the theology or to be more precise Weltanschauung of Islam and must be addressed through rigorous analysis if there is any hope to find a solution to the antagonism between believers and kaffirs, and not getting embroiled in the irrelevant debate about statistics of apology.

Now that I am done with the fragging, I don't have much to say about topic addressed by Sandeep except for,

1. Yes denying anyone accommodation on basis of religion is deplorable. As is ghettoisation.
2. I don't have much personal experience regarding this.
3. Contrary to the implicit accusation, I very much doubt this is a recent trend.
4. I can only speculate that origin of this kind of practice might be due to hostility between Hindus and Muslims in close quarters or queasiness with consumption of meat.

Just Sayin'

Will it be proper to say that Obama is the new black ?

Anyway I don't particularly care for what Obama does, though I am always irked by his liberal boilerplate rhetoric, soaring or not. His alleged intention to mediate in J&K is a different matter altogether. I foresee testing times for US-India relationship.

Having said that such awful benediction ("when brown can stick around | when yellow will be mellow") is not an harbinger of hope. Despair ye Americans !

Pause

I am a bit occupied and really not in position to do heavy blogging, but when I resume I would like to respond to Rohit and Sandeep.

Not that any of you care.

Bastards.

Courage

At risk of permanent infamy let me put this on record. Me likey Chandani Chowk 2 China.

Aphorism: Conforming Rebellion

To rebel is to be Gothic.

Case for Shri Shourie (Follow up)

This post is meant to address various issues that I have received in response to initial post.

1. Shri Shourie is not popular.

Admittedly this has caused most consternation to me. I will repeat what I wrote in my previous post, Given all the available options before BJP this issue is irrelevant. Can anyone seriously make the case where the elections will be impacted in any serious way whether candidate is Shri Advani or Shri Shourie. In fact considering the possibility of middle class reacting favourably to nomination of Shri Shourie, he may turn out to be more effective candidate than even Shri Advani.

Ultimately victory will depend upon a. Local alliances b. Profile of candidate and c. Grass root organization.

2. Shri Shourie is too principled to hold a coalition.

Shri Shourie has been a prominent member of BJP for many years, which means that he posses some degree of flexibility, now I believe that once he is heading the coalition he will more amenable to coalition dharma than at present, whether that will be sufficient can be a matter of debate.
However there is a bigger issue here than stability of coalition, while one may prefer stability of government, the more important criteria is quality of governance. Present government has completed its full term in office with almost no concern for its stability. However as far as governance is concerned its record has been nothing but pathetic.
Leadership has been markedly absent with a pliable PM with no authority and a cynical head of dynasty concerned only with keeping seat warm for the heir of dynasty. The causality of this absence has been erosion of authority and responsibility with regional satraps concerned with securing their turf without any propriety and with complete disregard to taxpayer or constitution.
Therefore our first concern should be governance, which Shri Shourie is more than capable to deliver.

This makes political sense as well. Recall that neglecting governance and making compromises for sake of stability has eroded BJP's once impressive brand. Only Shri Shourie with his commitment can restore this brand.


3. We must concentrate on institutions. Therefore we should not be concerned with who is PM.

I agree with the first part. Prosperity of India depends on ability to build and nurture political institution which are capable of carrying public discourse. However this doesn't make post of PM unimportant. In fact for any ideas about India to come to fruition, India now more than anything requires strong leadership. Which is why it is necessary that we have the best candidate.

4. Shri Shourie is from Rajya Sabha, therefore he can't be a good PM.

Now there are five hundred plus members in Lok Sabha, including the heir of dynasty. Obviously it is naive to believe merely winning a seat in Lok Sabha (not a very difficult task for the PM by the way) is a sufficient criteria for being leader. In fact leadership is more of a character trait than a matter of popularity. Shri Shourie is perfectly capable of leading this country through these tumultuous times.

5. Shri Shourie will be undermined by factionalism within BJP.

To anyone who is even remotely familiar with the political scene in India, it is clear that even Shri Advani has been unsuccessful in controlling factionalism. In fact it will be easier for Shri Shourie, because then Shri Advani can return to his position of strength, organization.

6. Why are you doing this. You know you can't succeed. 

Two things. First thing, I am doing this because I have to do something and this is the best I can think of.
Second requires detailed explanation and a separate post. However for the time being this post sufficiently explains where I am coming from.