Kashmir Hindus: Forsaken, forgotten for 21 years

I am just re-posting the article from rediff.com highlighting the 20 years plight and struggle of our own Kashmiri Pandits. Chased from their homes in Kashmir 21 years ago, these poor folks are still fighting for their constitutional right. And as is the norm, our "minority appeasing", "anti-brahmin"  governments don't give a damn about these folks.
http://www.rediff.com/news/column/kashmir-hindus-forsaken-forgotten-for-21-years/20110119.htm


January 19 is an insignificant day for most of the people around the world. It comes and goes and nobody notices. But for the last 21 years, for one community, it is the day that brings back frightening and dreadful memories.
It is the day when 21 years ago final nail in the coffin of forsaken community of Kashmiri Hindus was hammered. It was the day when Islamic terrorists and their sympathisers gave 24 hours eviction notice to Kashmiri Hindus. It was the day when the threats of Raliv, Galiv Ya Chaliv (Convert, die or escape) replaced the sounds of evening Azaan (prayers) from majority of mosques in the valley of Kashmir.
It was the day when so-called secularism died in Kashmir. It was the fateful day when humans lost and beasts took over. It was the day that will remain etched in the memories of Kashmiri Hindus worldwide because on this day they lost the most precious thing they had -- their homeland.
And did rest of the world care?
No. Not then, not now.
It has been 21 years since first shots of Kashmiri Hindus' ethnic cleansing were fired loud and clear from the ramparts of mosques in the Kashmir valley. And it has been 21 long years of neglect, apathy and carelessness on the part of all the successive governments both in the state of Jammu and Kashmir [ Images ] and the capital Delhi [ Images ].
Kashmiri Hindu refugees who were overnight made homeless on January 19, 1990 have been moving from pillar to post, demanding their fundamental rights. But no one cares. No one has time for this community because they are too small a number to matter. It is a shame that the one and only symbol of India [ Images ] in the valley, the Kashmiri Hindus, are treated as pariahs by the government.
If it were not for Kashmiri Hindus and their steadfast belief in the Indian constitution and tricolour, Kashmir would have been lost two decades ago. Sadly that stark realisation is lost on the Indian polity and government.
It is not mere governments that have ignored this refugee community of patriots and nationalists. Even the media has forgotten its responsibility of highlighting the cause of those who do not have a voice. These days, the mainstream media is more interested in knowing what goes on inside the four walls of the Big Boss' house than fighting for the fundamental rights of those who have been wronged.
Some leading journalists instead of focusing on ethnic cleansing issues like those of Kashmiri Hindus' have converted the noble profession of journalism into tabloid yellow journalism and are busy lobbying for political parties. It is a shame that in a free country like ours with free press, half a million Kashmiri Hindus have been hounded out of their homes and hearths and mainstream media has continued to ignore this for 21 years.
But having said that, the Kashmiri Hindu is a survivor. Islamic terrorists thought they could annihilate and eradicate Kashmiri Hindu community from the face of this earth but they miserably failed in their mission.
The Kashmiri Hindu community despite homelessness and horrendous ethnic cleansing survived and will survive. It is the Kashmiri Hindu's tenacity to weather any storm and belief in its values and morals that has kept the Kashmiri Hindu alive. While Kashmiri Hindus are starting their 22nd year in exile, they will never give up their dream and demand of reclaiming their homeland.
In spite of extreme apathy shown by the world, Kashmiri Hindus will continue to fight for their fundamental rights and homeland in the Vale of Kashmir. Indian governments, Human Rights organisations, the media, and other world bodies might continue to ignore one of the largest ethnic cleansing in the recent times, but that will not shake off Kashmiri Hindus from their just path to their dream.
Nothing can or will break their will.
The dream shall live on. The fight will go on.
Lalit Koul is the president of Indo-American Kashmir Forum and editor of Kashmir Herald.

Thoughts on College Football Week 5

Here are a set of random thoughts on the games played yesterday:

1. LSU and Les Miles are riding one heck of a lucky streak. They are definitely not supposed to be 5-0 and by combination of luck, luck, luck and the inability of defenses to field 11 players at the right time, they in the ranks of the undefeated. I don't think this is going to last and might end as soon as the coming weekend at Florida.
2. On the other end, Mack Brown and Texas are running dry on their luck and dropped their game against Oklahoma. I never expected Texas to overcome the 21-7 lead. Bob Stoops must be feeling good after being at the wrong end of the field the past few years. I expect Texas to drop their next game against Nebraska and perhaps against Texas A&M.
3. Alabama deserves its No. 1 ranking going by the way they beat Florida. The result was never in question after the first quarter and Nick Saban is worth every dollar of his supposedly 4 million salary. The teams may meet again in the SEC championship game.
4. Oregon is another team that had a good victory against Stanford. They never panicked when Stanford jump-started to a 21-3 lead and chipped their way back into the game and run them over in the 2nd half. Their game is a joy to watch when their offense start clicking. I would love to watch Oregon Vs Alabama play for the BCS Championship.
5. Ohio State fans must be having an uneasy week ahead on the status of Pyror's hamstring injury. Looks like Pryor is a one-man offense for the Buckeyes and if he is injured and is not at his best, Ohio State's national title aspirations might as well be buried with tough road games coming ahead.
6. Boise State is expected to "unfairly" drop down the polls the next few weeks. Its a shame if they do not end up playing for the National Title.

Thoughts on College Football Week 4

Here are some random thoughts at the end of Week 4 of College Football Season:

• Was really surprised to see Jim Tressel piling on points against a lesser opponent. Over these years, I have been pissed of by his conservative offensive and defensive schemes. But I have always admired him for respecting his opponents (however bad they might be) and not going for so called "style points". So, yesterday came as a shocker when OSU pounded over-matched Eastern Michigan 73-20. It was un-Tressel like and not sure what was running through his mind when he decided to run-up the score. I just hope what goes around, doesn't comes around for him anytime soon.
• On the other end of the country, Alabama defeated Arkansas 24-20 going on the road. I watched the game on and off and Alabama has a strong running game. Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson churned close to 245 yards on the ground which, in my opinion, turned the game in the Tide's favor. Also, Ryan Mallet decided to throw two interception at the inopportune moments of the game. I am not sure if Alabama is a championship caliber team or a team riding a lucky streak in closely fought games. But for now, it looks like they are the team to beat in the country.
• Speaking of luck, I am finally happy to see Texas lose a game at home to an UCLA team that threw for 27 passing yards!!!! I do agree that Mack Brown has consistently fielded good teams at Texas, but you cannot rely on your defense to bail you out every time (even Jim Tressel knows that). Looks like Texas has no semblance of a decent running game and defenses are able to sniff out the pass patterns quite easily. I am sure that Gilbert will develop into a good quarterback with a strong gasp of their quick-snap and pattern passing game, but looks like he is now going through the growing pains. A thing to note is that Mack Brown's teams either play in BCS bowls or Holiday Bowl depending on the experience of their quarterbacks. 
•  At the same time, kudos to UCLA for righting their ship after 2 loses to start their season. If UCLA has a decent quarterback, they are a top 15 team. Hope Kevin Prince develops into a decent quarter back as the season progresses.
• It is sad to see a prestigious program like Tennessee to go through two over-times to beat a UAB team. 
• I have always admired Mark Richt as a coach and he is officially in the "hot seat" now after 3 straight SEC losses. However, I am sure Georgia will start winning games with the return of star A.J.Green. Trust me, his return will be a big boost to their passing game, which will open up the running game.  If Green stays healthy, Georgia has a good chance of winning all its remaining games. With Green, defenses have to double-team him, opening up chances for the other receivers.
• Oregon offense is a joy to watch. Stanford is playing a good game mixing equal amounts of runs and passes. Their clash this week will probably decide the winner of Pac 10.
• Boise State deserves to play for the National Title if they win out their schedule. They have a very good offense and their defense if expected to get better with the season. With all the nonsense-talk about them playing in a non Big Six league, I am pretty sure they will beat almost all the teams in the country. Give them a chance to play and prove themselves.

Thoughts on Reggie Bush returning his Heisman Trophy

This post is not meant to offer a series of arguments as to why Reggis Bush should keep his Heisman or why he should be stripped of the coveted trophy in College Football. In fact, the point is moot as Reggie Bush has decided to return back the Heisman Trophy he won in 2010. From what I read at Yahoo Sports, its looks like Bush did not much of the choice as the Heisman Trust was anyways planning to strip him of the Trophy. So, looks like he took the moral high-ground and decided to return the trophy himself before they take it away from him. In fact, the sudden action of Reggie Bush has earned him the sympathy of football fans everywhere. I don't blame the Heisman Trust for possibly demanding the trophy back as Reggie Bush has clearly violated the  guidelines required of a Heisman candidate. He and his family took money from unscrupulous agents when playing at USC and thats against NCAA rules. So, he did a mistake and now has to atone for it. There is no other way to look at it. In fact, being a fan of Ohio State, I used to hate Reggie Bush and always thought he was overrated. Had this stupid opinion that Reggie would not be able to run a yard against a strong D like OSU. I then saw one of USC's (now vacated) games against Fresno State in 2004 season. Bush was the spearhead of that offense and if I remember correctly, he made some kind of record for all-purpose yards in that game. He was purely electric and magical in that game. It made me realize that he is one of those players who can truly bring  joy to a neutral (and not so neutral) fans everywhere. Here is one of his magical plays from that game:



His college career has so many such highlights that it is beyond doubt that he deserved the Heisman Trophy for that year. Its a shame he now has to return it. But the alarming trend to note here is how people are being forced to being politically correct these days and take actions to appease a section of the population. If this were the last decade, the result of the Bush related NCAA investigations would have resulted in USC getting hit with sanctions and thats about it. There would not have been any talk of Bush's Heisman Trophy. But now, with the pressure applied by various agencies, media outlets, the Heisman Trust will take the unprecedented move of vacating the winner for 2005. To be fair to Bush, the Heisman Trust should reopen the cases of all the previous Heisman winners and dig for any dirty laundry ;-) On the other hand, it may result in half the winner names being vacated :-)

AIRTEL SUUUUUUUUUUUPPPPPPPPEEEEEEEERRRRR singer finally ends!!!

It finally ended.... the torture is over for the kids (for now at least)... the kids can feel safe for another year and can do what they are supposed to do; play with friends, have fun, go to school, watch TV etc.... But come next year, the morons will come up the next edition of Super Singer Junior and start their child abuse again.

First. let me discuss about the just concluded "Abuse". As I predicted in my earlier post, Alka won the contest by a mile. As anyone with a positive IQ could see (that means everyone except Super Singer Producers and ostriches), Alka was the best singer since the start of the show. The poor kid had prepared for over an year and had given her best on a weekly basis. It is only fair that she won the contest and it was not Srikanth or Nithyashree. I do not have anything against these kids, but it would have been unfair to Alka if one of these two had won as it would have been more for their "Child like" nature rather than their singing talents. So, congrats to Alka... you deserve it. For the rest of them, start going to school, watch TV and have fun in life... I know the abuse you have endured for the past 1 year will take time to heal, but you will eventually recover.

So, what's next? They will have the next edition of Super Singer for adults and the next set of abuse will continue for the next 1 year. Another set of poor individuals will suffer at the hands of "egomaniac" judges and will swallow their stupid comments. If there is justice in this world, I would like the tables to be reversed; the competitors should be Mano, Chitra, Shuba, Panni Menon, et al and the judges should be the kids who had to endure their comments for over an year. Lets see how they feel when they are made to sing for an year. That's Justice Served!!!

So, what can we do about this? As I mentioned in my earlier post, STOP WATCHING THIS SHOW. No viewers means no advertisers. That will force the producers to rethink and start from scratch. Hopefully, it will result in a lean show that ends in 3-4 months and the contestants are treated fairly. However as we all know, that is not going to happen. But, that is my dream and dreams never die my friend :-)

Child Abuse and AIRTEL SUPER SINGER

How would you feel if your child is subjected to any of the following conditions:
1) Asked to spend an entire year on a competition and tough it along with already busy school curriculum.
2) Prepare daily for an year for a weekly shooting schedule according to the whims and fancies of some producers, musicians and so-called "coaches".
3) Even after all the preparations and giving their best, told that it is still not good enough and you have to improve.
4) Told that you performance is good, but you lack "Attitude" by a panel of STAR Judges.
5) Told that you are part of a family and not a competition... but you might be eliminated if you do not give best every week.
6) Worst of all... the kid is left at an emotionally confused and hurt state as a result of continuous tinkering and tampering of STAR Judges.

We can rightfully conclude that any child subjected to the following questions is a VICTIM OF CHILD ABUSE and the perpetrators must be punished. This my friends is what happens day-in and day-out in your favorite AIRTEL SUPER SINGER JUNIOR TV Show on Vijay Tv. I now agree that it is a popular show watched by a large num ber of viewers. But, don't you think that the duration of the show (1 year plus) is way too long? You start with 25 kids and you need 52 weeks to come up with the best of the lot? The kids literally waste a year of their school life and the worst part is that their life is totally controlled by the producers, judges and voice coaches. With all due respect to Mano, Chitra and Malgudi Subha, they do a real bad job of judging the kids. They look for attributes like attitude, costumes, facial expressions etc in a buch of kids while they should be judging them based on their singing. Also a lot of times, it looks like they are fixated on certain kids and seem to overlook the rest. The judges are excellent singers and I do not doubt that for a moment, but they definitely have to learn on giving the kind of feedback that would have a positive impact on the kids. I have seen that some of the kids have become burnt-out with the constant stress and pressure that their performances have taken a dip for the fall. So, here's what to do if you are a :

PARTICIPANTS: The next time a judge tells you something that is unrelated to music (like expression, attitude), show them the finger.
JUDGES: Just give the damn title to ALKA and end the show. The kid is obviously the best since the beginning and no one is even close.
VIEWER: Stop watching the show. Producers will lose advertisers and automatically wrap it up in 3 months.
PARENT: Keep your kids away from the SUPER SINGER Studios and save them from becoming an abuse victim.

Should Pakistan players be allowed to play in IPL?

Everyone (including myself) have been following IPL the past couple of weeks and will be doing so for the next couple of weeks. Love it or hate it... the Indian Premier League has become a necessary evil that is not going away for the next few years and is for here to stay. A controversy causing issue before the start of this year's IPL was the non-inclusion of any players from Pakistan. The first edition of the IPL saw a good number of Pakistan players and I believe Sohail Tanvir finished as the highest wicket taker of the tournament. Our Indian crowds also supported these players and people were talking about the ability of sports to heal any wounds and how relationships between the countries will be improved through cricket. Then the Mumbai terrorist attacks happened. The ever-changing Board of Pakistan did not allow the players to travel to India for 2nd season of IPL citing security concerns. Then the tournament moved to South Africa and the Pakistan players did not play in the tournament (probably due to public backlash). This year, it looked like the doors of India will once again open for Pakistan players for the 3rd season of IPL. Pakistan are the reigning Twenty-Twenty world champs and they had a lot of good players who wanted to play in the IPL and earn hefty paycheck. Then, something totally unexpected happened. Due to a combination of reasons ranging from confusion over player visas to negative public sentiments, the IPL teams decided not to take any players from Pakistan. Some of the Pakistan players were actually shocked by this and folks like Shahid Afridi openly whined and complained about this injustice being meted out to him. In fact, Sohail Tanvir, who was loved by the Indian crowds, went on Pakistan TV and said "Hinduon ki zahaniyat hi aisi hai (the Hindu nature is like that only)” and made this into a religious affair!!!

So, should players from Pakistan be allowed to take part in IPL games? My answer would be no, No and a big NO. Note that my answer has nothing to do with religion or hatred towards Pakistan. My answer is based on the logical course of events a country (India) has to take against a country (Pakistan) which is hell bent on disturbing its stability. Time and again, many innocent Indian lives are being lost because of terrorist attacks from across the border. Pakistan typically denies that it has anything to do with terrorism and the animals that are responsible for these attacks are elements operating secretly in Pakistan. But most of us do not believe this and if history is any indicator, Pakistan will never want to be at peace with India and will continue to pour its money (thanks USA!) and resources (thanks China!) into cross-border terrorism. Even if the trouble-makers have nothing to do with Pakistan government, the country has a responsibility to clamp down and dismantle terrorist infrastructure. So, either Pakistan is a rogue state which does not give a damn about world peace or it is a handicapped state that can't even control its own people....So, what should the countries of the world do against such countries????? My solution is... 1) put a trade ban on Pakistan 2) Stop all diplomatic activities with Pakistan 3) Stop all sporting activities with Pakistan. And the Pakistan players not playing in IPL would at least kick-start 3) in the list. What I am suggesting is not something new and has been done in the past against South Africa, Iraq and (even now) North Korea to name a few. A good analogy to quote here would be South Africa. Everyone is familiar with the historically horrifying "apartheid" enforced in South Africa from 1948 to 1994. One of the consequences of apartheid.... South Africa was excluded from Olympics in 1968 and consequently banned from international sports until apartheid was abolished (in 1994). This may not have meant much for South Africa, who did have some rebel cricket tours, but this will have a deep impact for Pakistan. In the current world, sports is THE source of complete entertainment and cricket rules in Pakistan. If you take away cricket from Pakistan and isolate it from international events, then (maybe) the good citizens of Pakistan will wake up, realize that no one in the world approves of their actions and at least force their government to start acting responsibly. Maybe Sports will bring together the people of Pakistan together and fight their government after all!

Quite a few folks in India argue that Pakistan cricketers are ambassador of the country and should be welcomed to India with friendship (Like Shah Rukh Khan). I think this argument is ridiculous and stupid. The players are here just for the money and they don't give a damn about India or Indo-Pak relations. They make some nice statements, pocket the money, go back to Pakistan and will probably laugh and make jokes about India. None of these players stood up and said a word during the terrorist attacks. Nor did they do any so-called "friendship building activities" when they were here. And even if these players have nothing to do with terrorism, we can always argue that the money they earn is taxed in Pakistan, which may end up in their defence budgets which ultimately sponsors terrorist activities. I know this is a stretch, but hey... its a valid argument!

So, let the Pakistan players condemn terrorist attacks, genuinely come to India to build friendly relations and if thats the case, let us welcome them to play in the IPL. If not, your services are not needed and we are having a good time without you! So, how do we know if Pakistan players are here for friendship and not for money alone? How about donating 50% of your pay check to the victims of the Mumbai attacks :-)