Happy Holi !

Anyone who hasn’t played holi truly misses what life is about.

(Courtesy Rediff.com)

Baba Lalji Maharaj, who was living in Saiji village in Ashok Nagar district for the past 30 years, claimed before he died on October 27 that he was the iconic freedom fighter Netaji, ex-sarpanch G S Raghuvanshi said.

“We were returning from a hospital after getting him treated when he revealed his identity and asked us to keep it a secret till his final rites were performed,” Raghuvanshi said.

Our salute to this great Indian, who is on par with Gandhiji, may be even more, if he could live anonymously for so long despite being one of the greatest Indian freedom fighters. There were differences between these two truly great personalities, but none too big for them to not respect each other more than anyone else.

We all wish we all could atleast have known Netaji more. The new generation, the proud, much often arrogant generation of Indians, could have been ashamed at the humility and the greatness of the man. Netaji had once asked the fellow Indians still struggling under the British yoke, ” You give blood, I’ll give you freedom”. To that I would like to say, Sir, you gave us more than your blood.

We salute you with the bottom of our hearts.

(Image courtesy webindia123.com)

If getting the United States and India Nuclear Cooperation Promotion Act of 2006 was because of energy deficit in India, Canada should be highest on the list to get a similar agreement signed next. It should not just refer to the nuclear energy, but also other sources and areas of interest. A bit more than a full fledged free trade agreement.

Just a few reasons :

1. Canada is a developed free market economy with GDP much higher than most developed nations.

2. Alberta province is filled with energy sands which Canada plans to convert to crude oil. (Although, Expensive than pumping from below the ground, nevertheless a big ready source in the times of crisis)

3. Canadians have a great experience with harnessing nuclear energy.

4. Canadian dollar is almost at par with US. Its another lucrative market for Indian goods apart from outsourcing business.

5. Canadians are much more familiar with Indian culture than probably even Americans. With its English CommonWealth backgrounds, the understanding is greater.

6. Its a member of G-8 with a slow but strong voice.

7. It sits on a huge dump of a variety of natural resources. If they are not useful now for the Indians, they will be sometime in the near future. Although, Canada has been far more conservative, with its growing economy and changing outlook, the policy is slowly but surely changing. Americans are by far, best suited to take the most advantage of it, but it shouldn’t mean others won’t have a chance.

8. Its a big donor of humanitarian aid to Indian neighbours and others, and can have a big silent say in how they formulate their foreign policies.

9. Last but not the least, with global warming, Indians will need a cooler place to spend the summers. What can be better than Canada with its vast empty lands and great natural beauty.

Canada has been a silent predator whom no one notices because its always hidden by its bigger, wealthier, stronger and more thrilling southern neighbour, the USA. It has similar values and similar threats that India faces, along with a good defence production background.

I’m unable to find good reasons for why the Indian goodwill bus shouldnt stop in Canada next, may be even before Australia or Japan.

The 2nd century text, denounced as heresy 1,700 years ago by orthodox Christian clergy, describes conversations between Jesus and Judas Iscariot during the week before the Jewish holiday of Passover in which Jesus tells Judas “secrets no other person has ever seen.”

I couldn’t help but compare …

The other apostles pray to a lesser God, Jesus says, and reveals to Judas the “mysteries of the kingdom” of the true God. He asks Judas to help him return to the kingdom, but to do so, Judas must help him abandon his mortal flesh: “You will sacrifice the man that clothes me,” Jesus tells Judas, and acknowledges that Judas “will be cursed by the other generations.”

with this from the Hindu epic of Bhagvat Gita

Lord Krishna : Just as a man giving up old worn out clothes accepts other new apparel, in the same way the embodied soul giving up old bodies accepts new bodies

May the colours of Holi fill your lives with colours too.

Images from Rediff.com

50 overs Australia 434 for 4 (Ponting 164, Hussey 81, Katich 79)
49.5 overs South Africa 438 for 9 (Gibbs 175, Boucher 50*, Smith 90) to beat Australia

Unbelievable!

South Africa Win the Greatest Game in history of One-Day International Cricket matches.

Hoorah for the undying spirit to conquer.

They also took away the series 3-2.

Highest 5 Run Chases in World Cricket History

438-9 49.5 South Africa vs Australia Johannesburg 2005-06
332-8 49 New Zealand vs Australia Christchurch 2005-06
330-7 49.1 Australia vs South Africa Port Elizabeth 2001-02
326-8 49.3 India vs England Lord’s 2002
325-5 47.4 India vs West Indies Ahmedabad 2002-03

Images from Rediff.com and TimesofIndia.com

As the Indian holy city of Varanasi bravely put Tuesday’s terror behind it and went about its business normally, Special Task Force investigators gathered leads that indicated that the blasts may have been carried out by an LeT module under Mohammed Saleem, alias Doctor, who was shot dead in Lucknow on Wednesday.

In another encounter around the same time, the Delhi Police special cell shot dead two Bangladeshi militants. One of them, Ghulam Yazdani, was apparently the LeT chief in Bangladesh. Their involvement in the Varanasi blasts has, however, been ruled out.

According to Delhi Police, Saleem controlled all Lashkar operations in Delhi and took orders directly from Saifullah, the supreme commander of the LeT. Saleem was provided huge sums of money from LeT men in Nepal to carry out operations in India.

Updates: Locals of all religious backgrounds, in a show of solidarity, take out candle light vigils for the victims. Police is gathering vital clues.

More Updates: Explosives found at a Mumbai (Bombay) Railway platform, which is used by hundreds of people daily.

“I am proud of this city, which is anointed by the holy Ganga waters, where there is no distinction between Hindus and Muslims”, World renowned shehnai maestro Bharat Ratna Ustad Bismillah Khan said some days after the blasts, adding, “For us here, there has always been one God – call Him Allah or Ishwar or Ram.”

Fatwa against Terrorism after Varanasi attacks :

In response to the plea of two educated muslim women, Mufti-e-Banaras (old but still popular name of Varanasi) and Imam of Shahi Masjid Gyanavapi has quoted extensively from Quran in support of his three-page proclamation that thinks little of those resorting to violence and bloodshed. He has ruled that a person of any country or religion involved in act of terrorism goes against the teaching of Islam.

Mufti Maulana Abdul Batain Nomani gave the verdict that all human beings of the world were members of the family of Allah. “It is the duty of each and every Muslim to have good relations with all individuals irrespective of their religion”, he decreed.

Although, there is another fatwa against terorism, for instance, in the neighbouring country which prohibits terrorism in Pakistan but justifies it elsewhere. It defies imagination that there should be two standards for measuring a wicked threat to the humanity as a whole.

Images from TimesofIndia.com

When money speaks, the blind law shuts up. Shame !!! Shame !!! Shame !!!

Updated: Additional Sessions Judge S L Bhayana has said in his judgement that false witnesses were planted by the Police.
More Updates: Good sense has finally prevailed. It seems that Delhi police will appeal against the judgement. Lets hope that its not another coverup excercise to hide their failings in the earlier judgement.
More Updates: Now Delhi Police is registering a new case after a huge hue and cry was made by the public.