Musharraf to get out of Pakistan?

Last updated on: May 30, 2008 at 4:18 pm By Desh Kapoor

How things have changed in Pakistan! A few years back, Musharraf packed Nawaz Sharif off to Saudi Arabia as he expelled the politician and put back Army in charge with full powers. Now, Musharraf is packing to be flown out of Pakistan as Nawaz Sharif returns. There is nothing permanent in politics! According to some reports, Musharraf will be flown out of the country in a special wide-bodied Airbus A-310 aircraft has been parked at the Chaklala airbase in the garrison town of Rawalpindi adjacent to the national capital. Senate chair and caretaker PM Muhammadmian Soomro has been asked to cut short his foreign tour and return home for this to thing to be taken care of. Read more

Twist of fates

Last updated on: May 30, 2008 at 4:09 pm By Desh Kapoor

This week was very interesting: - while Nepal became a secular republic from the only Hindu State in the world - Karnataka saw BJP, a Hindu party, install its first independent government in a South Indian state. Both will have their challenges. I personally feel, irrespective of what religion the Nepal state follows, its closeness to China will hurt us. Read more

Super 30 creates 30 super ones!

Last updated on: May 30, 2008 at 3:55 pm By Desh Kapoor

Here is another story along the lines of the work that has been done at Springdales. Super 30 is a school started by Anand Kumar, mathematics teacher; and Abhyanand (BIhar's Additional Director-General of Police), who teaches physics; for preparing 30 students from poor, low caste, minority families. This year all 30 of their students made it through IIT-JEE. It is by far one of the toughest exam in India, probably the world for its level. These handpicked students are given free education, food and accomodation. The success rate of this small effort has improved steadily and has now reached 100%. Super 30 took shape five years ago and its success can serve as a model for other such institutes across India. 18 of its students cracked the IIT-JEE in 2003 the year Super 30 was set up. The number rose to 22 in 2004 and 26 in 2005 and has been steadily increasing over the years. I feel that instead of having reservations in the highest institutions for the underprivileged, it is so much better to have special schools in the country to prepare the underprivileged students for their life ahead in institutions of higher learning. Read more

Evidence of Chinese Army faking as Tibetan Monks

Last updated on: May 29, 2008 at 4:15 pm By Desh Kapoor

I had written about this earlier - of how the Chinese Army dressed up as Tibetan Monks to start the riot and the trouble. Here is a photographic evidence. If you or anyone you know has more evidence/thoughts on this, then please do comment on it.. Read more

Why I am a "Hindu"?

Last updated on: May 28, 2008 at 3:54 pm By Desh Kapoor

The other day a friend, American, asked me what faith I followed? Or was I just spiritual. I reluctantly replied to him Hindu faith. I know at my intellectual level that is somewhat true and those following my thoughts here on this blog would have expected me to have said "Spiritual". But I did not. I have been wondering why? Why was I reluctant to leave off the label and go out in the open as alone.. without label? Or was it that there is something that has been "labelled" as Hindu that I do consciously relate to and get attracted to. I probably would have explained myself better if I had sometime but I did not. So, I wanted to spend sometime to understand my own mind for myself. And maybe in that process share my thoughts so my kids could understand what I thought of this question when they grow up and in this multi-colored world start looking for and searching for their identity. The plane had reached the magical 10,000 feet so everyone could take out their stuff and start listening, working etc. He took out his Bible and started reading. The first class is a great help in the mornings when you travel everyweek and the breakfast that one gets there is worth it. After the breakfast, he opened his book again. I looked on interested. He introduced that he was a pastor. "Do you know about Jesus" he probed. "Yes", I said, "infact I love him. I think he was a revolutionary soul, as great as Buddha was in his time". "Hmm interesting", he avered "have you ever gone to a Church?" I smiled and said "No". "Maybe you would want to think of coming to the Jesus, the Savior" he said nicely. "You mean converting?". With practiced hesitation he said "yeeahh.. well ... you could learn more and then if you feel.. " he left it off with a certain mystery. "You know, Sir, I don't need to convert my religion to love Jesus. I can love Jesus as much as I love the concept of Buddha or Osho or Krishna. You are stuck because you can't see beyond Jesus. Your love for one makes you necessarily demote others' importance or greatness. That is why you have one whom you have given pre-eminence. I have no such restrictions". The conversation ended abruptly. So, for one, I love my freedom. Since there was and is no such thing as "Hindu way", I am free. This freedom is difficult to explain. Other people have called this Island I dwell upon as Hinduism so let it be so. But to me it leaves me independent of any one influence. A friend was worried that Hindus should have "a" way of life that the kids can follow, so they would not convert. That is the least of my concerns. If I can relate the freedom of thought - of being able to listen to a Sufi, to praying to Buddha, to going to a Gurudwara to bow my head infront of Krishna and meditating on his consciousness - then I would have set them free. At least it is easier for me to relate to the other person without tom-toming the primacy of my "God" or "Savior"! If ONLY I could teach my kids to be free then they would never want to jump into another box. There is an ethos which has come through the open-ness of my "faith" that is difficult to explain. It is not the Hinduism of Shiv Sena or any political institution. It is the freedom of thought of Swami Vivekananda. I want to pass on that freedom. Read more

Humor for Lexophiles

Last updated on: May 26, 2008 at 4:27 pm By Desh Kapoor

Got these from a friend. I thought these were hillarious so wanted to share it with you all. -- I wondered why the baseball was getting bigger. Then it hit me. -- Police were called to a day care where a three-year-old was resisting a rest. -- Did you hear about the guy whose whole left side was cut off? He's all right now. -- To write with a broken pencil is pointless. -- The short fortune teller who escaped from prison was a small medium at large. -- When the smog lifts in Los Angeles, U.C.L.A. -- The math professor went crazy with the blackboard. He did a number on it. -- The professor discovered that her theory of earthquakes was on shaky ground. -- The dead batteries were given out free of charge. Read more

"Unintelligent" Delhi to get an Intelligent Traffic System

Last updated on: May 26, 2008 at 4:25 pm By Desh Kapoor

Delhi is gearing up to have an "intelligent" traffic system. An admission, obviously, that hitherto what we were subjected to was .. well.. "not so" intelligent! In any case, some of the features - - "intelligent" (key word) video cameras at major intersections that are connected to the main control centre. - inbuilt enforcement system against violations of red signals, lane driving and speed limits. (Haha.. this is going to be a bummer.. Delhi-ites driving in lanes???) - Installation of variable message signs to inform road users about the traffic situation Planning Commission has approved an outlay of Rs.2 billion for the period of 2007-12 and Rs.320 million for 2008-09 for this entire scheme already. So a lot of pockets will be lined. 🙂 I am hoping that at least some of it will reflect the inherent "intelligence" of Delhi in a truly "Intelligent" traffic system! Read more

Thackeray now targets Students

Last updated on: May 26, 2008 at 4:18 pm By Desh Kapoor

The joker that this Raj Thackeray is anyways.. now he wants to target those students who come over from North India - including Bihar and the UP - to study in Pune. Pune's claim to fame is that it is a educational town! It has a big student population and it has become very vibrant! Not only that, he and his party would fight Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav to perform Chhat Puja in Mumbai! This is worse than how US would treat Lalu! The level of insecurity is mind-boggling in the Marathis now. A far cry from the those days of confident strong men like Shivaji. It is obvious the Marathis like Raj Thackeray and his supporters have lost their minds. I strongly feel they should arrested and deported - just give them a boat and ask them to go around the world to see who accepts them! Just take away their Indian passports from them.. they just do NOT deserve it! India's diversity is too much of a burden to bear for these jokers! Read more

Swiss destruction of evidence in AQ Khan case

Last updated on: May 25, 2008 at 6:27 am By Desh Kapoor

The cover up for AQ Khan's network was huge! Swiss President has now acknowledged that his country destroyed some documents which provided sensitive evidence in a high-profile nuclear smuggling case linked to Libya’s now-abandoned effort to build an atomic bomb because of security reasons. AQ Khan has admitted to transfering nuclear technology to Iran, Libya and North Korea. The Swiss Government under pressure from US destroyed the documents which included detailed construction plans for nuclear weapons, for gas ultracentrifuges to enrich weapons-grade uranium as well as for guided missile delivery systems. Zurich daily Tages-Anzeiger reported on Friday that Urs Tinner, one of the three accused, was recruited by US intelligence while he was part of Khan’s smuggling network. So a lot was going on but the proliferation was nevertheless happening blatantly. Read more

Night classes

Last updated on: May 25, 2008 at 4:25 am By Desh Kapoor

This is a hillarious joke! ********* *********** During work, Raman and Narayan were chatting: Raman: Narain, I've been attending night classes for 5 months now and I have an exam next week. Narayan: oh! Raman: For example, do you know who is Graham Bell? Narayan: No Raman: He's the inventor of the phone in 1876; if you take night Courses you would know this. The next day, the same discussion took place: Raman: Do you know who Alexander Dumas is? Narayan: No Raman: He's the author of "The 3 Musketeers", if you take night courses, you would know this. Read more