Indian Budget increases spending on Education

Last updated on: July 6, 2009 at 6:01 pm By Desh Kapoor

India is planning to spend Rs 9 billion ($189 million) on education programs which will leverage IT and Communications network within the country to reach the poorest. The budget laid this out. Although for India's size this is paltry. If I take India's population as 1.5 billion, then this amounts to Rs 6 per person. Which isn't a whole lot to begin within. But given the other expenses of Government schools and NGO funding over the year, one would assume that some of this will benefit the poorest of the kids. There will be a hike of Rs 20 billion in spending on higher education including setting up the new IITs and spending on existing IITs. I certainly do not understand this race to create more IITs. As if just by calling it an "IIT", it will somehow become "great"! Read more

"Fact" and "Truth": Confusions of the Spiritual Journey

Last updated on: July 6, 2009 at 5:50 am By Desh Kapoor

One of the biggest confusion in Spiritual journey is of a Fact and Truth - or, in Hindi, Tathya and Satya. Mostly, what are decidedly "facts" are peddled and assumed to be "Truths". Then there is a fight over these "Truths", which were never so to begin with. Truth is reality - the inviolable. There is no two's in that. There is only One "version" and one existence of that "reality". In Hindi, Truth has a synonym - Yatharth, meaning "That, what is". If you look closely, only the moment (microsecond) of NOW, fits that definition. This moment, that you are experiencing is One, "That is", Real, Actual, Inviolable, Unavoidable, and Unchangeable. Not your experience of the moment, mind you. But, THE MOMENT. Read more

Saudis give tacit approval for Israel raid on Iran Nuke plants

Last updated on: July 6, 2009 at 2:39 am By Desh Kapoor

According to reports in a Pakistani newspaper, Saudis have given a tacit approval to Israel's raid on Iran. Saudi will turn a blind eye to Israeli jets if they fly over the kingdom during any such raid. Israel has been training for many years to bomb Iran’s nuclear site at Natanz in the centre of the country. It is a question of Sunni and Shia rivalry. Although the Saudis will have to show their rejection and protest in public, but internally they may be very happy to see Iranian bomb go away. It is interesting to note that how the rivalry between Shias and Sunnis is so deep that they detest each other's strength to an extent that they may side with the avowed enemy - the Jews. Read more

India and Russia challenge US Dollar in run up to G-8 Summit

Last updated on: July 6, 2009 at 1:33 am By Desh Kapoor

Over long term, US Dollar may not be the safest investment. That, everyone knows. What must be done - at least at the macroeconomic level is still a big question. Read more

Australia, Student Deaths, Recession and Cricket

Last updated on: July 2, 2009 at 9:56 pm By Desh Kapoor

Australians are a proud lot. And they have done well in various areas. Sports being chief in that - specifically Cricket. There was a time, when teams from Indian sub-continent were just push-overs. Either they were beaten easily or when the Aussies were at the receiving end they would do things not completely sportsman-like and then pound those teams into submission. Those days are over. Now, the entire world cricket is funded by the Indian sponsors. India goes out of cricket - the game would not survive. That's the truth now. The center of cricket has moved from England and Australia to India. This has had its own issues. The teams from India (and Pakistan) do not take things lying down. They give it back. Which is somewhat bad for the Aussie psyche, which cannot handle that well... as yet. Cricket Tensions During one series in 2007-08, in Australia, there were rather unsportsman-like stuff from the Aussies (like the captain flooring the catch and yet claiming it to be a neat catch). That obviously made Indians mad and then there was this controversy about Harbhajan Singh calling Andrew Symonds (a mixed race player) a monkey. This created a lot of heated arguments. Aussies were obviously backing their team and Indians theirs. You can see the comment thread on the Ricky Ponting story to get a glimpse. Read more

Slave trade of Kid Suicide Bombers by Taliban

Last updated on: July 2, 2009 at 6:40 pm By Desh Kapoor

There is a slave trade going on in kids for killing them by Taliban. But its not new. Such slave trade - in just better holier-rhetorical has been conducted by the Pakistani Government and their allies, the Jehadis for over two decades now. The going price for a young Pakistani child: $7,000 to $14,000. It comes with bomb straps, free, around the kid and the compensation is based on his ability to get near the "target" to blow himself up. While the kids in the other countries are worrying about their homeworks or playing thier next local game, a Pakistani kid from poor areas is busy preparing himself to blow up. Despite what the Governments like the US have been saying in public about Islam and Terrorism not being linked, the Pentagon does not believe that to be so. In Pentagon's opinion, a suicide bomber is behaving as a normal and rational Muslim when he commits suicide while bombing. "Suicide in defense of Islam is permitted, and the Islamic suicide bomber is, in the main, a rational actor," concludes a recent Pentagon briefing paper titled, "Motivations of Muslim Suicide Bombers." Read more

SAP Professionals Network @ SAPprofessionals.org is redesigned and powerful

Last updated on: June 29, 2009 at 5:51 pm By Desh Kapoor

Dear SAP Professional: Read more

Challa by Rabbi Shergill

Last updated on: June 28, 2009 at 9:26 am By Desh Kapoor

Here is a beautiful rendering of the Punjabi folk song, Challa - one of my personal favorite. I love it in the voices of Gurdas Mann and Shaukat Ali (Pakistani singer).. and never could believe that anyone could do a different or a better job... but Rabbi Shergill has done it. He has his own unique style which shows through! Read more

Sufism as a counter to Islamic Terrorism

Last updated on: June 28, 2009 at 9:22 am By Desh Kapoor

In my analysis on Mumbai Attacks on November 30th, 2008 - while they were on-going - I had suggested 3 "Internal measures" that we, in India, need to take against Islamic terrorism. They were: Engage Muslims Close madrasas and make secular schooling mandatory Give State encouragement to Sufism and other Spiritual practices and put down Wahabism. I know many people wouldn't have thought much about these three suggestions at that time. But it had taken a lot of thought and thinking to come up with these three things. I have had the benefit of engaging with Muslims at the grassroots in UP during, what I believe was one of largest studies of its kind for Minorities Welfare Board, where we went to over 60 villages talking to youth, elders, Maulvis, teachers, intelligentsia in Masjids, Wakf boards, Madrasas etc. We even visited Deoband and other major schools. Our perspective was different and from a detached standpoint, and so had its own merit. Today, I was amazed to read an article which suggests that Pakistan itself - in view of the Taliban's offensive and regular blasts and suicide bombings as the country plunges into more and more darkness - has started to move on the 3rd suggestion I had made for India. The move to Sufism! Read more

Love of Self

Last updated on: June 27, 2009 at 5:13 pm By Desh Kapoor

The universe is loved not for its own sake, but because the Self lives in it. The gods are loved not for their own sake, but because the Self lives in it. Creatures are loved not for their own sake, but because the Self lives in it. Everything is loved not for its own sake, but because the Self lives in it. Read more