Aether and terrorism

Related posts [1], [2]

During the 19th century it was generally assumed that like mechanical waves, the electromagnetic waves too travel through a medium.
This medium assumed to be of very low density pervaded whole of universe. The medium was called aether. Even Maxwell who made a breakthrough in field of electro-magnetism assumed the existence of ether.

Now enter Morley and Michelson. They set up an experiment to measure the speed of earth through ether. The experiment was very sophisticated, when carried out however it was a total failure and made the duo famous in the history of experimental physics.

The set up was refined further but the result was same, i.e. failure. This was sought to be explained with many theories.

Then came Einstein with his special theory of relativity and occam’s razor. He argued that since ether can not be measured and since his theory of relativity can explain propagation of electro-magnetic waves, any assumptions about ether are unnecessary. It was in this way that concept of ether was slowly discarded.

Now let us come to Pakistan. Wise people argue that it is necessary to make a distinction between state of Pakistan and people of Pakistan in the context of terrorism.

It can be countered (as in case of ether) with, that there is no demonstrable evidence in support of this assumption and even if (for arguments sake) it is taken as true, the only conclusions one can draw is that either people of Pakistan are unable or unwilling to force the state to change its course, hence this assumption is at best useless and at worst impedes one from arriving at a conclusion.

A more consistent assumption will be to assume the opposite that as far as terrorism against India is concerned there is not much difference between state and people of Pakistan, this assumption can be tentatively supported by available evidence.

Hence India should be able to resolve terrorism by this approach.

It is not personal

When I didn’t know better, I also thought that personal attacks on politicians will wake up our leaders to the menace of terrorism. Now though I have second thoughts about this.
The reason is while feeling of revenge can be a useful handle to trigger desirable responses, even this approach assumes a certain level of spine and an intellect gifted with ability of dispassionate analysis, I am afraid our leaders simply don’t have these requisites (they do however have an almost animal instinct of cunning, which is employed in domestic politics).

In a way there is a symmetry in that, has persistent terrorist attacks woken up Indian public from comfortable numbness of superficial rhetoric ? Evidence suggests not.

Rescuing reality

One of the silliest catchphrases that I have often heard is mugged by reality.
Granted reality is many times a lurker, that it has within itself “unknown unknowns” and it is bound to spring surprises on the unsuspecting.

However when someone trots this excuse for ignoring terrorism for so long, one can not but feel pity for him. Because , in this case the reality was not hiding in some dark alley waiting to pounce upon the idealistic. Truth is, reality was there in open, in all its hideous glory, in Afghanistan, in Saudi Arabia, in Pakistan, existing as a festering sore in the Ummah. No, problem was not with the reality. Problem was with idealist, he forgot that there is but a thin line between ideals and delusion. For sake of utopia, the reality was given a short shrift, the violence was sought to be explained away in terms of moral equivalence or to be buried under the rhetoric’s of circles of revenge.

A dream was woven from the daintiest of fabric and the idealist covered himself with it.
Psychedelic was embraced; the vital (though inconvenient) was shunned.
Therefore what happened on a chilly morning was not a crime of reality; reality was just working through cause and effect towards what was inevitable. What happened on that day was shattering of the illusion, ripping away of the fabric, a reminder of the reality.
It was not reality who landed; it was the idealist who did.

Let me also say Indians will never land. Because we don’t have any ideals. Indians are, for a long time, condemned to be fettered in chain of self abnegation, we made slaves of ourselves in past and we continue to do so.No one can wake up one who has willfully chosen extinction. India resembles a dodo who has grown up the size of elephant

Afterworld

This is a request to Gods of afterworld (is the concerned authority The Rock, well never mind).
Can they resurrect Stanley Kubrick and bring him in front of me ?
Because I want to torture him in most painful ways, his cries will be sweet music to my ears.
Once he leaves for the hot country from torment, then, well repeat the process.

(Just saw 2001: A Space Odessey)

What is wrong with western directors? They can make a documentry of even the most interesting novels

विश्व शक्ति

क्षमा शोभती उस भुजंग को जिसके पास गरल हो,
वह क्या, जो विषहीन दंतहीन विनीत सरल हो

राष्ट्र कवि रामधारी सिंह दिनकर

Translation (A poor one):

Kindness befits the serpent who posseses the venom,
what of him who has no poison, no fangs and who is weak and meek.

By Ramdhari Singh Dinkar

About Frogs

There are many reasons to be sceptical of claims of cross border brotherhood.
The simplest is Pakistan is Islamic republic, call me bigoted but I protest being in relation with Islamic republics. Neighbours yes, brothers my foot.

In case there is distaste over what I said, I hope this will help

Jihad to remain in school books in Pakistan (Via Indian Express)

Stating this, Pakistan Education Minister Asharaf Qazi pointed out that "jihad has many dimensions which also includes self-negation. We will teach students the full concept of jihad''.

And

Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has already rejected a suggestion from moderate Islamic scholars that religious studies should be introduced only after Class V.
While the lower classes would have several aspects of Islam in the curriculum, Qazi said students in Classes XI and XII would be taught the 39 selected chapters that contained an introduction to jihad, its importance and forms in the light of the scriptures.

Now I am not sure about Jihad, may be it means what Osama says, may be it doesn't, but is there any need to teach kids about this stuff! And remember this is not curriculum of Madarassa, prescribed to normal Pakistani school and what an average across the border kid has to learn. What wonder if that kid grows up to suspect India in the best case and hate Hindus in the worst case.

But point is not just Jihad, there is a larger issue.

I believe that religion has a purpose, I believe religious beliefs provides the vitality behind civilization, however I also believe that to even begin to understand the vastness of religion, one needs maturity and circumspection, both of which can only come with wisdom acquired through age and education.Therefore for me the purpose of education is to introduce a child to contemplation and an exercise meant to train the mind.

Indoctrination of the impressionable minds through religious studies can not achieve this purpose, on the contrary it stifles the intellect at best making a child, as ancient* saying goes "a frog croaking in a pond"* *full of verbiage but devoid of intellect, and at worst a mindless lunatic seeking nothing but shiqwah (or injury) in present and nothing but glory in the past.

Therein lies the path to destruction of a civilization.

*Why are all sayings ancient ? Why can't one quote from, for example Indian Idol or Ekta Kapoor Serials ?

** This has nothing to do with the only reader (and commentator) of this blog. Except for the fact that he reads this blog, I do not think there is anything wrong with him.
 

 

Category : Religion, Society, India, Civilization, Culture

Liar !

This is to be filed in "Why I am not secular"

I hereby bequeath to editor in chief of Indian Express the moniker of "Jayachand Gupta".
Reason this piece of wisdom in newskweek (Via Rajeev Srinivasan).

The piece starts with the Goebbelsian truth, "The bombers failed in their goal—to foment violence between Hindus and Muslims. " but this is hardly a case for renaming the idiot, for that you should have the forebearance to dig through the article

"Most of the people who ride in "first-class" train compartments in the city come from traditional business communities. They are upper-caste Hindu—and also, largely, Gujarati. That's important, for the large-scale killing of Muslims in Mumbai's neighboring western state of Gujarat, in 2001, is a blot on India's democracy, and a permanent scar in the minds of Muslims."

Forget for the moment the fact that these secular scumbags spread this lie, without providing any evidence in any support. Having travelled in first class compartments in Mumbai (on all the three lines) for two years, I find this idea of categorizing beyond absurd. In fact by attempting to further their secular agenda by implying that somehow the carnage was justified this enters well into territory of abhorrent.

One would like to submit, at risk of rising secular rage of Mr. Shekhar "I am secular"Gupta and others of his ilk, that if the purpose of carnage was to kill Gujarati Upper Caste Hindus, the terrorist would have found it more convenient to achieve the goal in, you know, Gujarat.
That they did not chose to do it was that either they were dumb (or to be precise dumb enough to select the target, but smart enough to assemble the bomb and handle the timers), or they were not really targetting Upper Caste Hindu Gujaratis.

I dismiss the former case as contradiction in terms, therefore the only reason for Mr blabbermouth of courage forwarding this revolting theory is to demonize Gujaratis for the reason that they chose to elect Mr Modi. I submit that by indulging in such kind of slander (against victims) there is no difference between the journalist of knavery and Mulayam Singh Yadav.

But this disgusting display of deception and lies doesn't stop here, right in middle comes

"On the other side, in April Hindu fanatics bombed the Jama Masjid, the stately 17th-century mosque in old Delhi that is an abiding symbol of Islam in the Subcontinent"

Excuse me, this is news to me! There has been no evidence that there is hand of any Hindu group, even the Shahi Imam Bukhari did not make any claim like that.
If the liar-in chief insinuates such lies, one can only wonder how far the road of self deception has he travelled.

I swear that I will punch the next person who praises Shekhar Gupta. The moron is by virtue of his propoganda as guilty of murdering the Indians as the terrorists.

PS WDE has written here, Nitin wrote about these lies here.

Update: Sandeep writes here.

Category : India, Security, Media, Secularism