Decadence!

Change is but a fact of life.... Those who flow with the change remain most content... And any resistance to change is futile!- Some of the given facts of life... As the world today moves towards Americanization and increased acceptance of alien western values, We must accordingly stay abreast with the times and accept this change as a part and parcel of life.... But How much is too much change? Will this acceptance of change culminate in us become another Western nation, with western value systems, culture etc etc, or should we make a possibly futile resistance to this change and stand up for what is possibly our own identity, our own culture, our own existence?

Our traditional values whittle away, slowly and gradually. Our children can't converse in their own mother tongue. They need the crutches of English to talk. They do not relate to the grand monuments that were built by their ancestors. They can't understand the reasons why a needless war was waged against the British, when all the English wanted to do was to modernize the country and pull it out of centuries of darkness.They guffaw at our rich past calling them a collection of caves and dens!

We do not understand why is it necessary to show respect to elders. We can not possibly relate to the deference and the so called suffocating atmosphere of a joint family. We'd rather 'hang out' with our girl friends and boy friends than look after an ill relative!

All this has been rationalized by saying that it is wisest to accept change. But once again, how much change is too much change? No body supports confining women to the kitchen behind the veils, or crushing children's ambitions under the expectations of the family. But there must be a fine line between remaining Indian or becoming stooges of the western powers. We ought to accept and appreciate our unique place in the history of the world. We ought to develop an understanding of our own culture, our similarities and our differences. For, there is only so far that we can blindly mimic others, and only so little time to assert our true selves!

Holy Land...Unholy War!

Israel has yet again launched a series of offensives aimed at dislodging the extremists in Palestine, Yet again the international community has appealed to Israel to cease hostilities and Yet again Israel has chosen to act unilaterally...

Israel Palestine Drama resembles an Indian TV Sop that has been going on and on and on, with interesting twists and turns sometimes, but usually it is the same story that make the headlines- 'Israeli Airplanes attack militant headquarters in Gaza', 'Palestinian terrorists fire missiles into Israeli territory', 'International community asks both parties to exercise caution' and so on and so forth....

So, what exactly will it take to bring an end to this mindless never-ending conflict? It is very easy to say that Israel should withdraw from the occupied territories and treat the Palestinians as equals. This argument is analogous to the proponents of azaadi in Kashmir, those who are led to believe that an independent Kashmir is panacea to all troubles that plague Indo-Pak relations.Lets put things into perspective; Islamic extremists and Arab nationalists can not bear a flourishing Zionist entity in their midst... In the same breath one should also understand that the Zionists in Israel can not bear to share their divinely endowed lands with the Arabs...So, How do we resolve this crisis that is already undoubtedly one of world's hot spots and has the potential to suck in other regional players viz. Iran, Lebanon, Syria etc.

I, for one believe that the destinies of the Palestinians and the Israelis are intertwined in a way that for now at least it seems unwise to treat the two entities as sovereign parties. An immediate cessation of hostilities should be called for and efforts should be made to amalgamate both the Israelis and the Palestinians as a part of a common suprastate, with the State of Israel and the Palestinian Authority as two arms of this super-entity. The federal components should be completely autonomous except in matters of foreign Policy, Defence and economy. This would be a win-win solution for both the parties, if ideological differences are kept aside. The Palestinians would gain access to the Israeli markets and would prosper economically, while the Israelis, for once could gain peace with their Arab Neighbors. The Suprastate should be given a lifetime of 20 years to peacefully enable the disengagement of the Arabs and the Jews. All areas with a Jew-Arab ratio of 0.4-0.6:1 or vice versa would come under the direct supervision of the SupraState Authority. The Capital of the Supra State would be the holy city of Jerusalem, the city of the first Qibla to the muslims and the site of the temple for the jews. Post 20 years, the 2 components can be given a choice to separate or to continue with the current dispensation. The Administration of the SupraState would be managed jointly by the Israelis and the Arabs, with a Presidium at its helm.

Probably, it is easier to propose theories to resolve the issues and tougher to actually implement anything on ground, given the state of hostilities, decades of mistrust and the deep abhorrence for foreign intervention. Yet, I believe that the time has come to make some radical decisions and take some chances, else the Holy Land shall forever lay drenched in blood...

Aashay Sahastranaam

Well, Lets agree to the fact that AASHAY is not a very often heard name or a very common word, so people are bound to make mistakes pronouncing it....This post is dedicated to understanding the deep meaning that underlies this name, and makes the person who owns the name even more special and brilliant...

Before we start the sahastranaam, let us understand the true meaning of the name <>

Aashay means meaning itself. It is a Hindi word that means MEANING. For example....Nimnilikhit Vaakyon ka AASHAY spasht karein... i.e. Explain the AASHAY (meaning) of the following sentences...

Sadly however, given the high rates of illiteracy in the country, and even higher rates of unawareness of hindi langauge in the nation, the word is unbeknownst to most. Although this makes it unique, it also creates several problems, mostly manifested in the corrupted versions of the word AASHAY.

Since my childhood, I have been subjected to being called by these corruptions, and frankly speaking, I don't think I even mind it now... Its almost like I have several names, depending on the caller... Here is the list of the names that are commonly used by people to call me-

1. Akshay(Its almost like my other name)
   
2. Aasha
3. Aashy
4. Aashiq
5. Asaram (I really can't explain the workings of this mind...rather the inability to process Latin Alphabets)
6. Ashay (Not AAAAshay....but Ashay)
7. Assay

etc etc...

Having a complex surname means that the distortion is not confined to the name but also extends to the family name. Here are some variants of Manake-

1. Maanek
2. Maanaakey
3. Maanki
4. Manke (Pronounced as Mun Ke... umm...translated in english as "of the heart"...)
5. Mankaadey
6. Mandkey (confined only to the Marathi Janata)
7. Mandki (Marathis again!)
   

etc etc

The combination of the corruption of both first and last name gives way to such generous display of creativity in pronounciation as "AASHARAAM MANKAADEY" or "AASHA MANDKI"

Anyways, Can't find an approporiate ending for this one, so, for the record would just like to make it clear that I love my name totally and I reply to these distortions only because I fear that others might not have evolved sense of pronouncing the name and hence it is my moral obligation to facilitate communication...

ThanQ!

PIFFing away to glory

Awesomely memorable this week has been... With 18 movies devoured in a period of 7 days for a grand price of Rs. 300 only, Its been like a roller coaster week when it comes to movies..Here is my list of top 8 movies at the fest....All of these are too good to be missed!!!

1. Caramel- An awesome awesome Lebanese movie about lives of 4 beiruti women...Awesome Arab music and breathtaking Lebanese beauties make this movie the bestest at the PIFF...
2. El Orfanato- An amazing Spanish horror tale revolving around the disappearance of a couple's kid... Fantastic sounds.... An awesome plot...Must watch!
3. Katyn- A touching Polish movie on the mass murders of Polish army officers by the Soviets.. Moving tale of human tragedy and resilience...
4. A ton of luck- An amazing colombian movie about a group of armymen who find a stash of money... A awesome tale of human nature....Must watch!
5. The counterfeiters- An Austrian/German movie about a jewish counterfeiter who helps Nazis duplicate pounds and dollars in a concentration camp... Exceptionally well told tale...
6. Emotional Arithmetic- A Canadian movie starring susan sarandon about how a woman is unable to leave her past in the concentration camp behind her.... Must watch!
7. Postcards from Leningrad- A venezuelan movie about the life of a child whose parents are revolutionary guerrillas... A different perspective... Recommended!
8. Stalin's Disciples/ Loving Maradona- Stalin's Disciples is an Israeli movie about how the death of stalin affects the communists at a Kibbutz...Full of wit ansd satire... Loving Maradona is a documentary on the great Diego.... Highly Recommneded!
   

Zealots!

Recent decades have propelled the term "Islamic Terrorism" as one of the most used terms in current parlance... Let us trace the history of the emergence of what has been described as the "biggest threat to the existing world order since communism"..

1. The first Islamic Bigot movements came to the fore with the weakening of the Ottomans... An Arab zealot founded the Wahabi movement which encouraged its followers to return to the form of Islam (which they believed) was sanctioned by Prophet Mohamed... Uptil this time, the Muslim world had more or less been tolerant on the whole, although there were such notable exceptions as Mahmud of Ghazni (who sacked the Somnath Temple), Aurangzeb(who broke with the liberal ways of the Mughals) and Timur (who put all 'infidels' to sword in occupied Delhi). The wahabis followed the writ of the holy Qu'ran in letter more than spirit. The result was one of the first wahabi monarchies was established in Arabia by a tribe called the Saud... Modern day Saudi Arabia is based on the wahabi ideology.
2. The collapse of the empire of Iran provided the necessary impetus to the growth of Islamic Political Power. The mullahs led by Khomeini realized the power of politicized Islam and began to export this philosophy to the other countries in the region. Countries like Lebanon witnessed the devastating results of the power that the world's first Islamic Theocracy wielded. Islamic Iran trained and equipped thousands of soldiers of Islam who unleashed themselves in the struggles in the region. Iran's tacit support created one of the first terrorist organizations- Hezbollah- The Party of God. For decades thereafter Hezbollah struck Israel, Lebanon and much of the region with unmatched viciousness.
   
3. The creation of Israel in 1948 and its subsequent occupation of most of Arab Palestine was the rallying cry for a Pan Arab Movement. Arafat's fatah began its terror campaign to drive the Israelis from Palestine, other terror groups joined in, culminating in hijacks, abductions etc. most notably the Munich Olympics Hostage Crisis. The strengthening of the Hezbollah in Lebanon that almost drove the Israelis out of Lebanon provided impetus to the radicalization of the Palestinian youth, resulting in the famous Intifada of 1988. It was only when it failed to dislodge the occupiers that the Palestinians resorted to all out terror tactics. Hamas- A radical Islamic entity came into existence hence.
   
4. The Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan is described as the turning point in the strengthening of the Islamic Zealotry. Left aghast by the invasion of the atheistic, godless Soviets... Afghan nationalists joined hands to oust the common foe. For years, this land had been stalked by civil strife and tribal wars. To face an enemy, bent on the destruction of what they perceived was their culture and pride, they forged a common front under the name of the Mujaheddin... CIA's dollars and the support of the Pakistani Islamist Establishment further strngthened the Mujaheddins. By 1989 the Soviets were gone, yet the CIA dollars remained as remained millions of indoctrinated and unemployed Afghans. Afghanistan once again took a turn to civil war and in 1996, the Taliban emereged as the rulers of Afghanistan. One more regime in the region now used its islamic roots to export its ideology abroad.
5. Pakistan was founded as a secular republic by Jinnah. However, the process of Islamization began in front of his eyes. When Zia Ul Haq took reins of power in his hands, he was only furthering a cause that had long been espoused- Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Under Gen Zia, Sharia was introduced in Pakistan and Madrassas bloomed. With the Soviet war in Afghanistan underway, Zia supplied millions of indoctrinated youth (The future Taliban) to the CIA's covert war machine against the Soviets. By the end of the 1989, victorious Mujaheddin were returning home to spread the word of Politicised Islam. Thanks to a series of inefficient democratic regimes, Pakistan took a turn for the worse. The insurgency in Kashmir, supported by Pakistan, was now supplied with the same Mujaheddin who had earlier fought against the soviets. Militant camps sprung up in every corner of the country, more and more unemployed and deprived youth took shelter in these camps to make a martyr of themselves.... 9-11 turned Pakistan's world upside down. Armitage's dire warning ' We will bomb you back to the stone age' worried Musharraf so much that he swore allegiance to an anti Taliban alliance with the US at its helm. The militants created by Pakistan's army & the ISI now turned upon their masters. Now free of ISI's leash, Pakistani isurgents have wrecked havoc in the world.
6. The war in Iraq lend credence to the theory that America was hell bent on destroying Islam. Millions of radicalized youth took to the streets to battle it out with the Great Satan. The true effects of the war are yet to be seen though the carnage in Madrid and London can be partly ascribed to the war.

The growth of terrorism has been partly due to the after effects of what happened in the 80s & 90s and also due to the free flow of currency from the supporters of terrorism based in Saudi Arabia & elsewhere in the region... Regional conflicts have also been hijacked by these militants...There is, as always, an economic angle to terrorism...Unemployed, Uneducated men are easy prey to the terror machine, wanting to make a quick buck and get rich...

The solution lies in correcting the historical grievances that exist as well as provide socio-economic succour to dissuade young men from getting swayed and serving the terror machine...

End of the U.S

I recently read an article by a Russian Professor in a newspaper which predicts the collapse of the United States on similar lines as the Soviet Union into multiple independent entities... The Professor goes on to state that the main reasons for the breakup would be Financial & Moral Bankruptcy, and that the Americans, not unlike Soviet Citizens would rise in revolt against the central government and demand independence.

In spite of the seemingly outward differences, The Soviet State & the U.S share much in common... Lets enumerate the differences-

1. Both are spread over a huge landmass (The U.S is the 4th Largest and Soviet Union was the largest country in terms of size). The U.S is spread from the Pacific to the Atlantic while the Soviet Union stretched from the Baltic Sea to the Bering Strait
   
2. Both are non-homogeneous entities not unlike the Former Yugoslavia. U.S is home to the European Caucasians, African Blacks, Mongoloid immigrants and the native Indians. The USSR was made up of the Caucasians in the west and center, Turkic people to the south, Mongoloids to the south east and numerous others.
3. Both the USSR & the US are artificial entities created by a history of wars. The US began as a set of thirteen colonies on the Atlantic Coast widened itself to include all of what it is today by means of war, purchase and diplomacy. The USSR commenced as an extension of Tsarist Russia and added territories to its kitty by means of exporting its ideology.
4. Both the Soviets and the Americans are attached to their nation because of the monetary gains that accrued to them. In the Soviet Union, it was the bureaucracy that reaped the benefits form their loyalty to the party while in the U.S, it is corporate America that that furthers its monetary goals by lobbying with the administration.
5. Multiplicity of languages is another issue. The Soviet State had numerous languages dominated by Russian, similarly, the U.S has a whole plethora of Spanish speakers and other native speakers that are dominated by English.
6. The United States is exactly where the Soviet Union was in late 1970s- A state of Financial Stagnation and Moral Bankruptcy. In the Soviet Union, The Brezhnev era heralded an epoch of corruption and stagnation while the U.S policies for the last 2 decades have resulted in a global financial meltdown and the consumerism and materialism have contributed to a moral decay.
7. The Afghan war was the undoing of the invincible Soviets. The U.S is juggling too many cactus balls in its own hands- The war in Afghanistan continues to drag on, as does the war in Iraq, the threat of Iran is also omnipresent as is threat from a terror infested Pakistan.

However, times have changed and what happened to the USSR 20 years ago is not what will necessarily happen to the U.S. Also, there is too much at stake and if the US goes down the drain, it will take all these newly liberalized countries with itself causing an upheaval on a global scale.