Beauty, Nudes and Art and Amrita Shergill.

When I was younger, I did have some talent as a artist.In those days I painted a lot, but my father was vehemently opposed to any study of art and so I fell in line with him and achieved a conventional degree and carried on in life. Still two or three of my paintings remain as a reminder to what I could have accomplished. Anyway that is old hat now, but my interest in art did not diminish and recently I spent a considerable amount of time witnessing and studying the paintings of Amrita Shergill at the Museum at Delhi.
The paintings are absolutely stunning. The best part are some lovely nudes of herself which stand out in the collection. Who was Amrita Shergill ? Not many may be knowing that she was a Sikh girl who died young at the age of 28. Her short life span however is a beacon to modern Indian painters. Born in 1913 of a Hungarian mother and Sikh father in Hungary, she died of a mysterious illness at Lahore in 1941. I have reproduced one of her paintings to give a reader the visual of the type of painter she was.

Goya's nude Duchess

Nudity , beauty and women from centuries have gone hand in hand. However It must be understood hat nudism per se is not art. But again most of the greats in the field of art have painted nudes as a form of self expression.
The famous painting by  Fransisco Goya of his love for the  Duchess of Alba led to one of arts greatest paintings. it set the tone of the greats being painted in the nude for posterity. As a follow up Brittany Spears got herself painted in the nude  in this century so as to leave her image behind for posterity.
Coming to Amrita  Shergill, she was certainly a genius and achieved more than painters in a life time. her paintings are raw and earthy and conform to the fact that a nude is Gods most wonderful creation. Her self portraits in the nude are there for posterity as a tribute to her skill and spirit. That is perhaps the reason the  ancients in India and Greece painted and sculpted nude women. Lastly we must remember that  a nude is a creative form of expression and perhaps  an erotic woman's painting is the ultimate in creativity.
I feel sad that Amrita died so young.One wonders what she could have achieved in a life time, but then  God has his own peculiar way of running the world.

Japanese Character:Complete Negation of Teachings of Buddha and Embracing Cruelity in WW II

 


  I have been intrigued a lot about the Japanese Character. I had a Japanese girl friend when I was doing a course in French. She was a nice girl and we drank endless cups of tea. I also learn't  that the  Japanese are mainly Buddhists.  The Buddha, as we all know renounced the pleasures and comforts of life and went away to seek enlightenment. He propagated a path to salvation that had as its main pillars non-violence, peace, friendship and respect  for human life.

However a look at the Japanese conduct during the last century and one wonders whether the Japanese Army and people really imbibed the teachings of Buddha. It appears they negated every concept enunciated by  Lord Buddha.

A look at the Japanese occupation of China is a point. In 1937 Emperor Hirohito issued a royal decree that Chinese soldiers captured were not to be treated as POW's. This resulted in the Japanese Army  butchering  over 57,000 POW's. Going further the Japanese Army started what is known as the 'rape of Nanking' and on their occupation of the city unleashed a terror that just cannot be imagined. More than 200,000 Chinese citizens were killed and over 100,000 women raped and then butchered with swords or simply shot.

I fail to understand the rationale of this Japanese conduct, particularly of a people who believed in Buddha. China was not the exception and they carried out such activities at other places as well.
The Japanese treatment of POW's of British and Australian origin was abhorrent and the Geneva Conventions thrown to the wind, with daily beheading and torture. No apologist for Japan has been able to explain this conduct of the Japanese. What was the reason for the Japanese to indulge in these massacres and tortures ? Perhaps scientists must study this aspect of the  Japanese character.  I cannot understand how the Japanese justify to themselves the complete negation of all that Buddha taught. It is an enigma to me

Why I admire Maummaer Gaddafi. * 75

Colonel Maummaer Gaddafi is the dictator of Libya and has been in power for nearly 42 years.He was for a long time an untouchable to the west as he exported all forms of terrorism. But Gaddafi had a change of heart and he offered to pay compensation to the victims next of kin of his terror attacks. London, Paris and Rome then invited him to visit them. For long Gaddafi has been a champion of Islam and even during his last visit to Italy in 2010, he exhorted the Italian girls to convert to Islam.

All this may show that Gaddafi is a hard line Moslem, but there is a twist to this as he is targeted by hard line Islamic fighters as 'evil' and many assassination attempts have been carried out by Islamic fundamentalists. Why would Islamic hard liners want to kill Gaddafi ?  This is not an enigma, but a fact as Gaddafi has defied Islamic hard line interpretation of Islam and for this reason he certainly has my admiration.

The biggest reason the Islamic hard line terror groups want to kill Gaddafi is because he has brought women out of the purdah and the Hijab.He has given them a sense of identity. One can't but help admire Gaddafi for this. The Colonel has recruited women guards, who have none of the trappings of a hard line Islam.  They wear make up( which is anathema to Islam) and do not wear the nikab as they move with aplomb with guns slung across their shoulders. This is contrary to what Islamic hard liners can tolerate. For this alone Gaddafi deserves admiration.

I for one hold no brief for Gaddafi, but he has done more for women in Islam than anybody else and I admire him for it.
Update
Much water has flown down the river and Gaddafi is now no more. Overthrown by US special forces in conjunction with hard line Muslim groups. Gaddafi has been executed and now Libya is a state where extremist Islamic thought flourishes..

The Amazon Brigade of M Gaddafi-President of Libya

 A look at the girls in uniform in the photograph will warm the heart of any cockerel. But friends beware these girls are the personal body guards of Colonel Maummaer Gaddafi , the President of Libya. .


It is a well known fact that those who ride the tiger are eaten by the tiger. But this has not happened in the case of Gaddaffi and he has survived many attempts on his life. Those attempts to kill him, perhaps made him think of a fool proof plan for his security and he hit upon the idea of having female security guards.

The world was witness to these female body guards when Gaddaffi arrived in France on a state visit last year where he was flanked by 30 beautiful guards dressed in blue uniforms. All of them were armed and the popular perception was that they were all ‘virgins’. This of course cannot be vouchsafed.

The body guards are handpicked by Gaddaffi and a look at them will show that they have none of the Islamic trappings about them. The security girls do not hide themselves under a burqua or the hijab.They wear nail varnish, perfumes and lipstick and also style their hair to fit under their caps. They also wear high heels to give them a lovely look. But these girls are also adept at handling guns and can fire them if the need arises.

All the selected girls are trained at a special school and learn to handle fire arms and master the martial arts. Those that pass out successfully after due vetting by Gaddaffi are absorbed as his bodyguards.

The leader is accompanied every where by these girl body guards. In such a scenario the rumors abound and lot many people mention that most of these girls pander to the sexual whims of Gaddaffi. The girls are really motivated as can be seen from the fact that one of the body guards named Aisha was killed and 7 others wounded in an assassination attempt on Gaddaffi in 1998 when Islamic fundamentalists had ambushed his motorcade.  Incidentally Aisha was  the favorite of Gaddaffi.The bodyguard had thrown herself as a human shield and saved Gaddaffi. Gaddaffi is now facing the biggest challenge in the form of popular agitations against his rule, after the ouster of Hosni Mubarak. His body guards  have their work cut out for them.

Barack Hussain Obama-44th President of the USA

 How many people are aware that Barack Hussain Obama the present President of the USA was born a Muslim. He also attended 2 years schooling  in a Madrasa ( Islamic religious School). We also know that holy month of Ramadan was from 11 August 10 to sept 2010. In a press conference during that period  Obama was not wearing his wedding ring nor was he wearing his watch.

When noticed, his staff said his ring was out for repairs. No reason was given for the missing watch.
So it’s just a coincidence that Muslims are forbidden from wearing jewelry during the month of Ramadan???
 Add to this his withdrawal from Iraq and throwing in the towel in Afghanistan and his Cairo university speech where he said 'America will never be or ever was at war with the Muslim world'. Silly, it is the Muslim clergy who has declared America the Great Satan.
I am thinking and dear friend please do so also.

Obama is at the fag end of his term. What is his contribution? Frankly I ddon't see anything except repeated speeches where he always said that there is no danger from islam. Sir, Is he right ?

Where is Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh ?- Under the Chair like the Proverbial Cat in the Fairy tale.

I would like to reproduce in full the article by B Raman, so that people can read it and realize that this Prime Minister needs to be dealt with as enunciated byField Marshal Manekshaw ' Those who talk by the yard, perform by the inch, deserve a kick by the foot'.Wednesday, February 16, 2011


WHAT A FALL WAS THERE, MY COUNTRYMEN

B.RAMAN

Dear Mr. Prime Minister,



Like millions of ordinary Indians, I too watched from the beginning till the end your televised interaction with selected journalists from the electronic media on February 16,2011.
You had never spoken to us, the ordinary people of India, on the various scams which have rocked the country one after another since August last year. Our only source of information has been the media.
As the citizens of this country who put your party in power, we had a right to expect that you will talk to us and explain to us what is the truth and how you intend arresting and reversing the rot that has set in and the continuing decline in the credibility and image of India as a result of the stories of these scams .
These stories---whether correct wholly or only partly--- have brought out one thing loud and clear--- the ineptitude and incompetence of your Government, the poor supervision which seems to prevail in many Ministries and offices, including the Prime Minister's Office, and the insensitivity of many senior members of your Cabinet to public concerns over these alleged scams.
Corruption is nothing new, but the magnitude of it as seen since you came to power has been highly disturbing . What is new is the ineptitude, the incompetence and the lack of supervision which seem to prevail since you came to power--- the like of which one had not seen under any other Prime Minister of India since we became independent in 1947.
You try to blame your difficulties and embarrassments on your having to run a coalition. You are not the first Prime Minister having to run the country at the head of a coalition. V.P.Singh, Chandrasekhar, Deve Gowda, Inder Gujral and Atal Behari Vajpayee headed coalitions too. Despite this, they gave us a government which worked as a team and which did not pull in different directions. I can't recall any instance under the previous coalitions where a Minister repeatedly circumvented the instructions of the Prime Minister, without fearing the consequences of his action.
All the previous Prime Ministers, who headed coalition Cabinets, made it clear to their political associates who the boss was and who would take important decisions. They never tolerated anyone who sought to circumvent their instructions. They never let their political allies dictate terms to them.
This is the first time we are seeing a Prime Minister, who tries to earn not the confidence of the people by projecting himself as a strong leader who will not tolerate any nonsense from his coalition partners, but the pity of the people by projecting himself as a helpless leader, who has nothing but to do what his coalition partners ask him to do.
We watched in utter amazement for one hour on February 16 not the rallying cry of a leader, who has realised the magnitude of the rot and who is determined to set it right whatever be the consequences to his position as the Prime Minister, but an exercise in self-pity of a leader who is at the mercy of his coalition partners and does not have the courage to call them to order.
This was the first time we had an opportunity of listening to you on the State of the country in the light of these scams. We were looking forward not to excuses and pretexts to explain away the sins of commission and omission of your government, but to a bold re-assertion of your leadership as the Prime Minister of this great country, who has the courage to face the people of this country in their eyes and reassure them: Thus far and no further.
I have no doubt in my mind that many right-thinking people of India, like me, must have felt ashamed and enraged as they saw the Prime Minister of this country giving out one excuse after another for not being able to govern effectively and for not being able to prevent blatantly wrong decisions and corruption.
You let us down badly, Mr.Prime Minister. You let us down badly.

B.Raman
 Update
History has a uncanny method of doing justice and now justice is done and sardar ManMOhan Singh is defeated and consigned to the dustbin of history. I am afraid history will judge this man harshly as he failed to lead the nation and ended up being the running dog of the Nehru-Gandhi family.

He allowed corruption to thrive and did nothing. Remember Nero fiddled while Rome was afire?  Man Mohan Singh will have a lot to answer at the bar of Indian history

Is the Black Man a More Potent Lover * 68

In a recent discussion at the US Club bar a retired brigadiar opined that the black man was more virile than most other men. That made me think nd I realized that the  human race has a number of species. Almost all of them evolved as per Darwins theory from the ape over a period of many thousands of years. Most of this development of the races because of the evolution from different species of apes also evolved differently.Thus we have the Chinese and Japanese races which are different from the white race and blacks.
The Black race generally is associated with Africa and because of the harsh climate and lack of development, led to this race having to struggle more to survive.This again is Darwins theory of the survival of the fittest. The black or the negroid race thus devolped greater physical characteristics than other races and in popular ideas a feeling grew that they are also more potent in the sexual field.
A review of hard core porn will show that the greatest demand is for a coupling of a black man with white or other woman. This fantasy is played to the ultimate hilt, though there is no scientific evidence to back this claim. What panders to this fantasy is the physical characteristics in terms of height and build of the black man which tower over other races. These physical attributes do not add to greater potency, but then in popular imagination a man or a woman would like to believe this is true.
This myth commenced from the plantations in the deep south of the USA, where the African was made to work day and night on the farm. The result of this hard labor , was a greater development of the muscular aspect of the body and the house ladies sitting in smug comfort of their mansions were attracted to these muscular slaves. Obviously in contrast to the sedate existence of the white master, the Black scored in physical built.
Another aspect that feeds this fantasy is the human minds desire to try the bizzare in life.This is also one of the reasons that the myth of the black man as a more potent lover has gained credance over more rational thought. But whatever the real fact, this myth of the black man being a more potent lover will not easily go away.
The Brigadier may be right or wrong , it really does not matter as popular perceptions die hard.

The Mulatto, an Archaic Word that Signifies an Offspring of a Black- White Relationship

 I have been reading a lot about the deep south in America. I learn't about the Mulatto from books on that region.Mulatto is an archaic word not much in use these days as it reminds people of slavery. but it is part of the dictionary. I remember one of my girl friends laughing and telling me that she was a mulatto ! That made me think and I realized that Mulatto was a term to denote an off spring of a relationship between a white and black of either sex. But in real terms particularly in the deep south of the USA , it was a one way relationship with black women and white men, who were the masters.
With the advent of slavery in the south and the large mansions and plantations, it was inevitable that the white masters would exploit the women on the plantations. This continued for a good part of a hundred years, till the concept of the black man as a bonded slave weakened. Black women who were young and comely were invariably exploited by the white master and his son for their pleasure. A lot many women had children who were termed mulatto’s. The sad part was that these Mulatto girls who were very beautiful again slept with their white masters in an incestuous relationship. In fact in New Orleans Mulato girls were in great demand by the whites.
As far as the Negro male was concerned, relationship with a white woman was taboo, as the whites guarded their women zealously. But some times a relationship did occur, the consequence of which was death for the black man. This is beautifully brought out in the novel ‘To kill a Mocking Bird', also made into a movie with Gregory Peck.
The Mulatto was an anachronism of history, and it is good that the word has gone into disuse. Its certainly not a credit to the whites in America and the Christian religion, that condoned these acts of the whites. The repercussions are there now in the form of Black militant organizations and the conversion of the Blacks to Islam.Perhaps this was inevitable

Can India have a Popular Uprising Like in Egypt ?

I sometimes wonder the reason for the Hindus( Majority of Indian population) being so subservient and obedient.  They accepted Moslem rule for 900 years and British rule for 200 years. It is a wonder that a large population of crores was governed by a comparative handful of people. Social scientists must study this aspect of the Hindu ethos. Why was there not a mass upsurge, that could have thrown these invaders in the Arabian sea. But it did not happen and that is a fact of history.
This is not to deny that individual warriors and local insurrections were not there, but by and large the masses remained passive and accepted their fate. A particular galling example is the massacre carried out by Timur-e-Lang, who in an invasion of India massacred 100,000 Hindus in North India in 1398. 
Perhaps this stoic acceptance of their fate has something to do with their religion and the caste system.  The religion as a philosophy is fine, but it teaches that the actions of man govern his future and killing an animal or a man is crime that will be punished. Secondly the caste system divided society and one class of people were not allowed to bear arms.
 But times are changing and there is awareness that people power has some meaning.  But the Hindus of India have a long way to go to change an ethos that has governed them for thousands of years. As such on the face of it a mass agitation like the one in Egypt does appear unlikely. There is rampant corruption, fissiperous tendencies and yet the masses have not done anything.  We have ministers who have swindled the nation for thousand's of crores of rupees and yet  the popular reaction is sadly missing. Frank Moraes wrote about the 'meek and mild ' Hindu, A man content to live his life the way it is, as it is 'written in the fate'. This concept must go and Hindu social reformers must change this ethos. There is the RSS, but it is not the vehicle to bring about the required change. We have to await a social reformer who will bring this about.

Why are American Negroes Converting to Islam ?

 Recently, I recieved a email from my friend in the USA that his neighbor a African American had converted to Islam. I was intrigued by this and realized that a lot many Blacks are converting to Islam. We must remember thatGeorge Washington led the war of Independence and the United States became a free country in 1776. America was virgin land and the white settlers opened up the country with plantations and factories. Thus there was a need for cheap labor. To get this cheap labor, a nefarious scheme to abduct and kidnap black men was commissioned. These Blacks were kidnapped from the African continent and brought to America to work on the plantations and estates. There status was that of slaves.

The masters of these slaves were all white men who regularly went to Church and were good Christians. The priests who gave sermons from the pulpits, found nothing wrong in this slavery of the black man.  These so called men of God did nothing about this. The civil war brought no respite and this slavery continued in the deep south. But over a period of time with the advent of 2 world wars a slackening of the hold on the Blacks was evident and a civil rights movement gathered steam as the Black man bid for his rights.

The transition was not easy and white supremacy organizations like the KKK appeared who killed blacks without compunction. The sad part is that these men  were good Christians and yet the black man was discriminated against. The Christian religion has a lot to answer for the state of the Black man in America for nearly 200 years or more.

There was bound to be a backlash and now the Blacks are converting to Islam. It started with Cassius clay becoming Muhammad Ali and now it has grown like ivy.This conversion is a failure of the Christian religion which is not a white mans preserve, as it has happened in America.

When will Muslim Pakistan Learn that Fomenting Terrorism Does not Pay

  I have been wondering that 2010 was perhaps the worst year for Pakistan, as it was besieged by a series of terror attacks. Pakistan was a creation of the British who wanted to leave India a truncated state. They pampered MA Jinnah and carved out an Islamic state. However the state created in 1947, had no history behind it  and to survive they created a bogey of 'Hindu India' .As a follow up Pakistan, started fomenting acts of terrorism against India. General Zia ul Haq was the man who refined the terror angle against India.. But in 2010 the same terrorism has bedeviled the country itself. With rampant corruption and also floods, 2010 is in real terms an extremely bad year for Pakistan.
One of the reasons for this upsurge in terrorist activity is a reaction by the Taliban to the attacks by the USA with drones. The watch word is revenge. Thus the Taliban and its ally Al Qaeda have with great ferocity attacked civil and military targets. The result is that over 2000 people were killed and thousands injured in 52 suicide attacks during the last year. Starting with the terror attack at Lakki Marwat which killed 90, there was no let up and attack after attack took place, that included an audacious attack on a mosque in Rawalpindi.

Many other shrines were also attacked and among them were the Datta Durbar shrine in Lahore and the Abdullah Shah Ghazi shrine in Karachi. In addition a terrorist attack on the Ahmadiyya sect killed over a hundred people of that community. Along with terrorism a politicized army and the Army chief dictating government policy is a matter of concern. Thus the Pakistan government cannot oppose the army which want India to be classified as enemy no 1, even if the Taliban and Al Qaeda run amok in the rest of Pakistan.

All this points to a heady cocktail of death and destruction with the army still feeling despite all the mayhem that ‘Hindu India’ is the greater threat.   Only deterrent action by India can nip this menace.

Who is the Greatest Hindu Warrior From History

This is a question that is difficult to answer as depending upon perception one can opt for any warrior from Porus who stopped Alexander to Hari Singh Nalwa who brought havoc on the Afghans in the North West. Then we have Shivaji Maharaja who battled the Moguls and Guru Gobind and Banda Abrader who also fought the Moslem tirelessly. But among all these warriors my vote will go to Samrat Hemchandra Vikramaditya, popularly called Hemu.


I vote for Hemu because of the peculiarity of his reign and the period he lived in. It should not be forgotten that Hemu lived at a time when the Hindus were bested in all battles by the Moslems. In such a scenario he was like the phoenix that rose from the ashes and fought the Moslems. It is in record that Hemu won 22 battles against the Moslems on the trot. No Indian king ever had won so many battles against the Moslems. He was also the first Hindu who after 350 years was crowned as Emperor at the Purana Quila. A painting of that period shows that even Afghan and Moslem chiefs paid homage to Hemu. In fact his fame spread far and wide and Historians have recorded that the Moslems had the element of fear when they faced Hemu.At the battle of Chhapparghatta in December 1555, Hemu routed the Bengal forces under Muhammad Shah, who was killed in the battle

Hemu was thus a great warrior. Let us now come to the second battle of Panipat which he fought against Akbar and his General Bairam Khan. Much has been written about this battle, but perhaps Hemu would have won if an act of providence had not come on the side of the Moslem army. Hemu suffered an arrow hit in his eye .This was just by chance and he was rendered unconscious. And the Moguls could rally and turn the tables on Hemu. I sometimes wonder whether it was the wish of the divine that the Moslem should rule over Hindustan. I can see no explanation for the defeat of Hemu except that it was fated for Moslem rule to be established in India.

But now after a lapse of 500 years we can look back at Hemu and admire him as the greatest of the Hindu warriors.

The Hand and the Horoscope * 78

Recently I read a book 'Numerology by the eminent Astro Palmist Katkar. I was thrilled to read that the writer while in Bombay in the late forties of the last century was staying in a hotel.There he was approached two men who wanted to see his palm.This the astro numerologist readily consented. The men began to write some numbers on a piece of paper, keeping the hand in focus.

Katkar records that in about 15 minutes the men drew his  horoscope from the palm.It was an astounding feat says katkar to see the men casting an horoscope from the palm.This shows that the palm has a lot of mystery and is connected to the Astrological sciences.

The study of the palm and forecasts from it are in the realm of Palmistry. This is an ancient science, but to cast an horoscope from the hand shows that the hand and its lines have a deeper meaning.  Generally the left hand is associated with God given qualities and the right shows the actul developments. But it is a vast science and needs a lot of study.  I myself have studied this science for over 3 decades and can vouchsafe that one can make uncanny predictions from the lines on the Palm.

Samrat Hemchandra Vikramaditya( Hemu)-Napoleon of India

 A lot many people haven't heard of Samrat Hemchandra Vikramditya popularly called Hemu. However for Hindus he is a beacon, the man who shook the Moslems and was the last crowned King of North India at Delhi.


The Second battle of Panipat

This battle in 1556 is in effect the the last stand of the Hindus against the Moslems. It was fought between s between Akbar the Mughul ruler and Samrat Hemu, the Hindu King at Delhi.

The Hindu General Hemu had won a succession of victories against the Muslims and he entered Delhi and had himself crowned as King in the Purana Quila –the fort built by Sher Shah Suri. It was the first time a Hindu ruler had worn a crown at Delhi in 350 years. This was a poignant moment in Indian history as Hemu ascended the throne in the Purana Quila. Prior to this the great Hemu had shown his prowess on the battlefield and had won 22 successive victories against the Moslems. This is unprecedented in Military History and for the first time the Moslems were scared to face Hemu. This it places Hemu on the pedestal of the great warriors among the Hindus.

Conduct of the Battle


Hemu straight away went on the offensive. Repeated charges by the elephant corps of Hemu soon had the Mughul army in disarray. Despondency set in and the Mughul were thinking of breaking battle and retreating.

Hemu proved he was an able commander as he directed the battle from the vantage point of his elephant skillfully. There is no doubt that Hemu was heading for victory. But then providence took a hand and a stray arrow hit the eye of Hemu and he was rendered unconscious. This had a deleterious effect on his army as the army seeing their commander incapacitated lost heart and frittered away their advantage.

Last Word

The Mughul thus converted a lost battle into victory. After the battle a semi conscious Hemu was brought before Akbar who beheaded him. Some historians claim that Akbar himself did not behead Hemu, but that is inconsequential as he was present there at that time. Akbar and the Mughus thus re-entered Delhi, but the exploits of Hemu earlier on proved that the Hindus were as brave as anybody. Let us salute Hemu !