Raja Hassan's Debut Album

Last updated on: April 20, 2009 at 9:17 pm By Desh Kapoor

There are a few people who come out from small places and enter your hearts for ever. And even though you are not related to them, you feel good about their success. We have all seen Susan Boyle, the lady who shocked the world. There was one such contestant in one of the Indian Music Reality show - Raja Hassan. His simplicity and good nature and passion really affected me. Although, I truly felt that Aneek Dhar was the best of the three in 2007 finals, but I also knew that for all the technical brilliance of Aneek, the passion of Raja could not be matched. Now Raja has come out with his first Debut album Yaar Mila De. It is a tribute to his father. Raja has also sung "Khabar Nahin" in Dostana along with Vishal Dadlani, Shreya Goshal, Amanat Ali & Raja Hasan. Read more

Sharia for whole of Pakistan: Taliban

Last updated on: April 20, 2009 at 3:28 pm By Desh Kapoor

"(Sharia) is not only for Malakand division, it is for all humanity, for all Muslims. So we will go more for implementation of Quran, Shariah-e-Muhammadi, not only in Malakand division, but other parts of Pakistan also," This was Muslim Khan, Taliban spokesman talking to Dawn News channel in an interview. So, cat is out of the bag now. Fareed Zakaria was repeating ad nauseum that Taliban is not a threat to the world.. but just the NWFP etc. Well, they aren't trying to capture Pakistan to have a better stock of peanuts in their shanties but their aim of Pakistan is really of its Nukes. The rest is really chaff and can be dispensed with. Same goes for most Pakistani analysts. Read more

Drishtikone Newsletter Vol 1 Issue VI (March 3rd Week)

Last updated on: April 20, 2009 at 7:06 am By Desh Kapoor

Here is the newsletter for this week, with the main stories from last week and from past years. Some you will like and some you will be shocked by. Have fun reading. Read more

Search for Historic Krishna

Last updated on: April 19, 2009 at 5:56 pm By Desh Kapoor

I have always considered Sri Krishna as my eternal Guru. I can most relate to His logical mind and clear thinking in terms of spiritual ideas. He is considered to be the Highest Ego by some and I feel it was an ego out of compassion and an Infinite Ego - where it is not possible to differentiate between Zero and Infinite. So, I though it would be interesting to look at the "Historic Krishna". Who was He? And when did He walk on this earth? Krishna and the Western Devotees In 1966 in New York City, International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) was set up by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Some believe this was the first time that Westeners came in touch with Krishna and became His devotees. But is that so? Read the following inscriptions on a pillar erected around 110 BCE in central India in Vidisha near modern Besnagar - by Heliodorus. He was the Greek ambassador of the Indo-Greek king Antialcidas to the court of the Sunga king Bhagabhadra. "Devadevasa Va [sude]vasa Garudadhvajo ayam karito i[a] Heliodorena bhaga- vatena Diyasa putrena Takhasilakena Yonadatena agatena maharajasa Amtalikitasa upa[m]ta samkasam-rano Kasiput[r]asa [Bh]agabhadrasa tratarasa vasena [chatu]dasena rajena vadhamanasa" - Original inscription "This Garuda-standard of Vasudeva (Krishna or Vishnu), the God of Gods The first inscription of the Heliodorus pillar that was made by Heliodorus 110 BCE. was erected here by the devotee Heliodoros, the son of Dion, a man of Taxila, sent by the Great Greek (Yona) King Antialkidas, as ambassador to King Kasiputra Bhagabhadra, the Savior son of the princess from Benares, in the fourteenth year of his reign." (Archaeological Survey of India, Annual Report (1908-1909)) "Trini amutapadani‹[su] anuthitani nayamti svaga damo chago apramado" - Original inscription "Three immortal precepts (footsteps)... when practiced lead to heaven: self-restraint, charity, consciousness." (Archaeological Survey of India, Annual Report (1908-1909)) Some say that Heliodorus was probably one of the most prominent devotee of Krishna in his times. Read more

Another asinine statement from Gohar Ayub Khan

Last updated on: April 18, 2009 at 5:24 pm By Desh Kapoor

The problem with some commentators and "analysts" in Pakistan is that they like to play to the gallery. Very few come out with the truth in media. There is a joker called Gohar Ayub Khan in Pakistan. He was also a foreign minister in the past. He was the one who also once before made an allegation against Sam Maneckshaw that simply made him a pariah in his own country - for which the first Field Marshall gave so much. Now he comes out with another book, and makes a completely asinine statement: Pakistan was ready to launch a full-fledged air assault on "pre-selected targets" in India in 1998 had New Delhi tried to disrupt its nuclear tests To the idiots and jokers - like Arundhati Roy and all the peaceniks of India - the decision to go nuclear by India was "an act of aggression". But those who had even an inkling of the rampant and the crazy proliferation going on between China, North Korea, and Pakistan and then from Pakistan to Saudi Arabia, Iran, Libya and elsewhere know that FAR from being an act of aggression it was actually an act of "Self Defense"! India WANTED Pakistan to do the tests! THAT, the smart people believed, was the ONLY way to put the spotlight on the Pakistani Nuclear program and therefore, by proxy have the proliferation by China and North Korea show in its dim light. For, at that time the US State Department had virtually become the biggest shield for the Pakistani proliferation machine. Read more

Politicians and Prostitution in India

Last updated on: April 18, 2009 at 2:38 pm By Desh Kapoor

Politics and Prostitution have gone hand in hand for a long time. Ok, I am not talking about how netas in India act as prostitutes - which they do - but how they covet and long to bed the fairer sex every time. Jagjivan Ram's career was completely destroyed because of the romps of his son.[2][4] Also, those in the know talk a lot about KPS Gill and his "needs" - I have heard enough people talk about this police officer in hushed tones in Delhi. Now, the elections are upon us and many netas are in Delhi. This has strangely (!) coincided with the increase in demand for call girls in Delhi. According to an escort agent in this Mid Day story, the demand for girls has gone up by 30-40%. The most sought after are Models, Actresses and Foreigners. Fair Skin rules.[1] Read more

Have Chinese undermined US Defense?

Last updated on: April 18, 2009 at 1:44 pm By Desh Kapoor

Chinese are smart and have made the US play into their hands - from the economy to manufatcuring to defense. And for some reason, the Americans have played happily along. Read more

Kissing Susan Boyle – to be or not to be

Last updated on: April 18, 2009 at 1:20 pm By Desh Kapoor

Remember the latest world sensation, Susan Boyle, the singer who completely knocked the judges out of their seats in "Britain's Got Talent" and everyone else in the room and on internet by hitting square on the cynicism that plain looks evoke. No one gave her a chance. And yet she did not care about any of those things and did what she wanted and dreamed of. In my personal view, her performance, has evoked such interest because it demo-ed the victory of an underdog with a "confirmed" ZERO possibility of any chance to even show up on any main stage! The only other victory which in my view rivalled this scenario was the Indian team's victory in the Cricket World Cup in 1983. That was a time when the Indian team members were planning honeymoon and jaunts with their loved ones in Caribbean because they knew they would be playing a couple of matches and then would be knocked out. If it hadn't been for Kapil Dev's defiant dream, the other team members may well have been sitting on a Caribbean island... sans the World Cup. Read more

If Neanderthal came to life..

Last updated on: April 18, 2009 at 12:49 pm By Desh Kapoor

In a rather interesting article, Ronald Bailey, thinks out aloud about the rights of Neanderthals, if they were cloned. Well , their genome has been mapped. And if the scientists wanted, they could potentially clone a Neanderthal. And if "moral issues" were any impediment, then there is the option of programming Chimpanzees instead of humans and getting the job done. But it is very likely that the Neaderthals had some common factors with humans like living in family, speaking, ability to understand. So would they be given any rights? And more importantly, would they be able to survive the modern world? OR would they be put in some reservations? All are interesting questions for a hypothetical set of scenarios.. or are they really so hypothetical? Somewhere in far East Asia, Korea or even in China, maybe some one is engaged in raising a cloned baby Neanderthal in secrecy... who knows? To create an Army of ready to die, small brained fighting breed. Heck was that a politically incorrect statement for a fellow human-like creatures? Read more

Mona Lisa and Picasso

Last updated on: April 18, 2009 at 12:34 pm By Desh Kapoor

Sometime between Sunday evening, August 20, 1911 and Tuesday, August 22, 1911; Mona Lisa - the most well known painting in the world painted by Leonarda da Vinci was stolen from France's Louvre museum. The prime suspects in that theft were two of the greatest "artists" of France. Pablo Picasso, whose fame would rival Vinci's in modern world, and poet Appollinaire. Picasso was known for dealing with contraband art items and was at the forefront of a movement to "break loose" of the old art. Buried in the back of a cupboard at Picasso’s Boulevard de Clichy apartment were two figures — a small, powerfully built stone man and woman carved by the ancient Spaniards during the Bronze Age. The bottom of each bore the stamp “Property of the Louvre Museum”. Picasso was the baron’s painter friend. In fact, interestingly, Picasso and Appollinaire were the only two who were arrested for the theft of Mona Lisa. An account of the arrest and the happenings in court etc, show Picasso in a rather bad light. Read more