Muslim Men and Hindu Women * 77

 Muslim Men and Desire for Hindu Women

Updated on August 10, 2012

Inter religious marriage

Lust is a word that means intense or unrestrained sexual craving. Sometimes the word does look vulgar or coarse but it defines a mindset that is dictated by desire and temptation. All over India and Pakistan the one fact that stands out is the number of Hindu girls with Muslim men has husbands. In Pakistan it takes a bizarre form with about 20-25 Hindu girls being kidnapped every month in Sind province and forcibly converted and married to Muslim men. In India there is no coercion but any numbers of Hindu girls marry Muslims. Even the film stars are into it and the most famous present day heroine Karina Kapoor is marrying a Muslim star who has 2 grown up children.

I began to wonder why this is so after all just a few decades the Muslims and Hindus did not have much of intermarriages. Before independence and the advent of the Raj, the Muslims were the rulers and they could have their pick of Hindu girls. Even the warrior Timur selected 200 of the most beautiful Hindu girls for his harem. But it all ended with the Raj and independence.

So frankly I am intrigued to see so many Hindu girls marrying Muslim men. The contrast is stark as in all cases the Hindu girls convert to Islam. This is mandatory and is something that happens, but I suppose there is very little coercion involved, except in Pakistan where the situation is entirely different. I wonder what could be the psychology behind these marriages.

Obviously there is some background to it. One thing that strikes me is loss of power by the Muslims the Hindu girls became unattainable. So the Muslim men with a not a little encouragement from the Mullahs began to assiduously woo Hindu girls. The idea was to win them over and marry them and beget children. It’s like a victory in battle, after all in ancient wars the women were the prize.

These are harsh thoughts, but I suppose there is some truth in it. Thus the Muslim man will go out of his way to court a Hindu girl. What about the Hindu girl? There is a new found freedom given by independent India and the Hindu girl is exercising it to the hilt. One manifestation is these marriages. In contrast the reverse of Muslim girls marrying Hindu boys is just a trickle. Rigidity in Islam is intense?

Where are the Women Body Guards of Maummar Gaddafi of Libya

Qaddafi is gone and everybody is writing about him being shot in the legs, dragged and killed. It's sad that the rule of law was not followed, but my mind veers to another facet of Qaddafi, his women body guards.

Gaddafi had defied conservative Islam by recruiting these women guards. These guards wore lipstick, make up, chic dresses and high heels and strutted about holding automatics.

They were also loyal and one of them named Leila, died by taking a hail of bullets meant for Gaddafi in 2008.

What we know is that these women when selected were all virgins, but once part of Gaddafi's force they all slept with him , two at a time by rotation in the nude. When Gaddafi was cornered these women guards just escaped or were asked to go by Gaddafi. Because in his hideout no women guards were traceable.

Where did the guards go? Now we know that some were caught by the revolutionary guards and shot but not after they had been raped any number of times. A few went back to their homes and melted into the crowds. After Gaddafi died, it was dangerous for the women guards to be seen and  all just shed their uniforms and tried to escape.

Gaddafi hanged many people sponsored international terrorism, but he kept al Qaeda at bay. The conservative Mullahs hated him for his liberalization of women as seen from his body guards. But Gaddafi didn't play by the rules and thus has paid a price with his life.

 Gaddafi has gone but the respite the west was hoping with a pro USA regime is shattered. The US ambassador has just been shot dead in Benghazi and that cannot be a good omen for the future. As far as women guards is concerned, we won't be seeing anything like them again as Libya veers towards a Islamic regime and the Sharia. Worse the ISI has a big foot print in Libya and all the USA can do is wring its hands. What a colossal mistake to remove Gaddafi

America a Land of Milk and Honey: Think Again

  Most people all over the world feel that the best place to live in the world is America. Even when I have gone abroad, most of the people I have interacted have a desire to go to the USA. In my own backyard, Punjab thousands of Sikhs and Punjabis are making a bee line for America. People feel that there is minimal poverty in America and it is mostly a land of milk and honey.

 But now, I have during my last visit observed a subtle change. Perhaps the analogy with milk and honey is of the past. I have observed and this is corroborated by my American friends that things have changed dramatically since the turn of this century. How is that ? Figures and statistics do not lie Not many may be ware that fully 25 percent of Americans, since tax policies favoring the very rich have been put in place and the economy has tanked, live at or below the poverty line. Of course the poverty line is not like in India where Montek Singh that ludicrous economist and government had touted during the reign of the Congress party That a sum of  Rs 28 per day is sufficient for a man to make two ends meet. But American poverty is real as far as America is concerned and over 75 million people are affected

 In addition over fifty million Americans are without health insurance. This is a colossal figure and America must be the only developed country in the world without free, single-payer (government paid) health insurance.
 Twenty-one percent of all children in America are on food stamps, with the number climbing daily. American civil liberties have been severely stripped with the passage of the Patriot Act and now the National Security Defense Act. For all intents and purposes the Fourth Amendment of the United States Constitution, which protects American citizens from unreasonable search and seizure, has been repealed. We will have to think twice about America being a land of Milk and Honey

Memories of Lahore: Pakistans most Modern City

Visiting Lahore the capital of Pakistan Punjab: a Personal Memoir

Scenes from Lahore

Lahore was the Brightest jewel Before Partition

My Connection with Lahore

I have had a fond connection with Lahore. My maternal grandfather lived there and he had a resplendent ‘Kothi’ (bungalow). He would tell me tales of Lahore when I was young. He also would tell me that he will go back to Lahore one day. Alas! That day never came and he passed away, but he left behind an image of a vibrant and progressive city.

Communal Riots in 1947

Why did he leave Lahore? That was a sad occasion as communal riots had spread in the city after the call of ‘Direct action’ by Mohammed Ali Jinnah in 1946. There was widespread killing of Hindus and Sikhs as the Muslims desired a Pakistan (land of the pure) where only Muslims would live.

The Emotional Appeal of Lahore

Lahore also has an emotional connection with the Sikhs. It was the capital of the Sikh empire. Ranjit Singh was the Maharajah. Much construction work was done by Ranjit Singh who headed a secular regime. I had decided to visit Lahore and three years back I made it to the city. I travelled by bus from Delhi to Lahore. This bus service is one of the confident building measures between India and Pakistan. But it’s just about that and does not lead anywhere. The Pakistani’s officially are more correct than a welcoming lot.

My Father and Lahore

My father as a bachelor was also posted at Lahore. He had joined the Air Force and was posted in the cantonment there. Thus my desire to visit Lahore was double fold. As I crossed the border and entered Pakistan I realized the futility of Pakistan and the two nation theory. Do people know that more Muslims’ live in India than Pakistan?

Places to see in Lahore

I used my stay in Lahore and visited the Lahore Fort. This is an ancient relic and earlier was used by the Mughals before Ranjit Singh occupied it. Close by is the Samadhi (mausoleum) of the great Sikh maharajah with his 11 queens who were forced to commit sati along with him in 1839. As I looked at the Samadhi I had bizarre thoughts. How could the Sikhs have forced the queens to be burnt alive along with the body of the great King? Did he sanction it? Especially after the founder of the Sikh faith Guru Nanak had expressly forbidden it?

Other place to visit is the Lahore museum. This has a special section of Sikh rule and is very well preserved. At the entrance is the famous Zam-Zammah cannon that beckon visitors. It was the principle cannon of the army of Ranjit Singh. Lahore has a functional Hindu temple and the Sikh Gurudwara at Dera Sahib. Visiting them is a pleasure. But it’s all low key as in predominant Muslim Pakistan, the minorities must perforce keep a low profile.

Other Places

I walked the streets of Lahore and visited the Anarkali Bazaar. I was one among the populace; nobody knew that you are from India. It’s after all one race. The old Lahore is a treasure to traverse like Delhi. But the women on the roads are few and many wear the Burkha. I particularly enjoyed visiting the shrine of Data Sahib. He was a Sufi saint whose work “Kashf-ul-Mahjub" has been translated from the original Persian into several European languages. It is also a pleasure to visit the tomb of the fourth great Mughal emperor, Jahangir which lies three miles north-west of Lahore across the River Ravi. A visit to the Shalimar gardens can be a rewarding experience as well.

Lahore Now

The lack of women on the roads is a sad reminder that Lahore is the hot bed of the Taliban activity. It’s a far cry from pre-partition days when the famous painter Amrita Shergill decided to settle in Lahore in the thirties of the last century because she felt it to be the most progressive and cosmopolitan city. Alas that Lahore has gone. I do not know if it will return.

Reaching Lahore

Lahore is very well connected. There is a bus service from Delhi to Lahore and a train service as well. In addition Lahore is the hub of international travel and most major airlines touch Lahore from all important cities of the world. But one gets a feeling that till the Taliban is eliminated Lahore may never come back to what it was.

India - China Military Equation in Ladakh 62

Indian Army Vs China in Ladakh

I write this post with a heavy heart as a nationalist one cannot condone the thinking of the political leadership which in turn rubs off on the Army. I underwent the 41^st Staff course at wellington. One of the exercise as part of the curriculum is a study tour of the Northern or Eastern border. Which study to tour to take is at the option of the student officer? I opted to visit the Northern border for a first hand study.

The visit to Ladakh was an eye opener. We visited the various Indian Army formations facing China and had a one to one interaction with the Deputy GOC. Some of the results of that inter -action is summarized below.

a) We learnt that the Indian army had one division facing China in a holding role. On query we learnt the Chinese on the opposite side had 6 divisions. This didn’t make sense, one division vs. 6?

b) The 1962 border war had resulted in large areas being occupied by China. After cease fire the Chinese vacated the areas they had occupied and went back to their earlier line of control.

c) This land vacated by the China is now a no mans land with China occasionally patrolling it. On query we were specifically told by the GOC that the vacated area by China was out of bounds for the Indian army and they only watched as once in 3 or 4 days the Chinese trucks came and went away. On query as to why the Indian army did not go back and occupy the territory which India claims as Indian Territory, the reply was that these are the instructions of the government at Delhi.

d) It also appeared that the in the event of a war the Indian army had no plans for an offensive into the occupied area of Ladakh or Tibet.

It also came to light that the Chusul airfield close to the line of control, which was the scene of some bitter fighting during the 1962 war, was not operational. On query as to why it was not made operational when it was in Indian territory. We were told that these were the instructions of the Central Government so as to not antagonize the Chinese.

All this makes sad reading and shows that the Army which mirrors the policy of the Central government may still lead India to another defeat as a when there is another clash. I do not think anything is learnt by India after 1962. One must read Kautaliya that master of political thought,to realize that a dread of an enemy is sign of defeat. Sadly the political leadership intent on filling its coffers with hard cash has no time for the greatness of India. I wonder the pot bellied ministers sitting in Delhi have even heard, let alone read Kautaliya.

Donald Trump is Riding High * 76

Donald Trump Represents a Reality: There are Many in America who support him

Lack lustre rule of Obama is coming to an end and a new president will be sworn in. It is interesting to note that a extreme right wing candidate in Donald Trump does have a sizeable number of supporters

Politics in America.

Face of terror

The political scenario in America has heated up and the leading opposition contender is Donald Trump. He leads the pack and his likely opponent is Hillary Clinton, wife of ex-president Bill Clinton. I suppose this is her only qualification as she has for so long been identified with the establishment, that Americans will want a change and I am sure she will not win. Whether Donald gets the nomination or not, is not the point, but I am convinced the American people will vote for change and Hillary does not figure in that line up.

The US president is the most powerful in the world and one fact that cannot be hidden is the role of the present president Barack Hussein Obama. A fact not known to many is that he was the man who released Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi from Camp Bucca in 2009 . This man now heads the dreaded ISIS and Daesh and has dreams of establishing an Islamic Caliphate. As per Dr Micheal Knight an Iraq expert at the Washington Institute for near East Policy , Baghdai is a Salafi( follower of a fundamentalist Islam) and carried an awrd of $ 10 million on his head. The fact is this man is also a threat to many countries in the region including teh UAE and Saudi Arabia, not forgetting Egypt.

One fact that is clear is that during the time of Obama the war on terror ( islamic fundamentalism) was toned down and the results have been disasterous. There are many YouTube videos showing the speeches of Obama which to say the least are chilling. My point is that with the present dispensation in power, the US has beome more vulnerable. An American travelling abroad is in great danger as there is a chance he would be captured by Muslim Jihadi . In adition alll over the world, the US is at the recieving end and to many it is the "great Satan".

In such a scenario the rise of the ideas of Donald Trump is inevitable. His winning or losing is a game, but the fact is that almost 30% Americans believe that something drastic should be done about Islamic activities.This is more pronounced after the California killings. Donald Trump has articulated that thought and idea. To condemn him for suggesting profiling of Muslims and stopping of more Mosques being built is not a point at all. Perhaps he is being overly aggressive, but then he is pandering to the present american sentiment.

The American's want change and it will come. After all Hitler also came to power in a general election. This is not to suggest that a Hitler will emerge in America, but the exit of the negative years of Obama must be rectified and history will do it.

Egyptian Leader Gamel Nasser: Led Egypt to Defeat

Gamel Nassar, A Man with a Illusion

The early fifties was a tumultuous period in Egyptian history. The country was in ferment and people were wondering what will happen next. King Farrukh was like a pawn in the hands of the western powers, notably the UK and France who controlled the Suez canal. In such a situation a military coup ousted the King and a batch of young officers of the Egyptian army took over. Colonel Gamal Abdel Nasser emerged the man of the hour. He was a man who believed destiny was on his side and he started some revolutionary steps, that included nationalizing the Suez Canal, which was controlled by French and British Companies.

This step immediately invited retaliation and the British, French and Israeli armed forces joined hands and started a military campaign in 1956. The Egyptian armed forces were defeated, but Nasser emerged a hero as the Suez Canal remained in the hands of the Egyptians. All occupied territory was also vacated by Israel. This perhaps went to the head of Nasser who now started dreaming of finishing the state of Israel once and for all. Accordingly he allied with the Soviet union and the Russians happy to get a foot hold in the middle east obliged the Egyptians with weapons and aircraft. The Egyptian leader now felt confident and became more aggressive against Israel. He was confident that his Soviet equipped troops will over run Israel.

The latest MIGs and Tanks greatly bolstered his confidence. Propaganda was also fed into the Army that a victory over Israel would result in Israeli Girls being given as war booty for the troops. He made mistake after mistake and blockaded the Israel port on the Gulf of Aqaba. He began to make threatening noises. Nasser had however not realized that having weapons is one thing, but the expertise to use them is another. The Egyptian army was just not battle trained and the Egyptian leader lived in his own smug world

The Israel war cabinet in a meeting decided the time had come to teach the Egyptians a lesson and accordingly the Israeli Air Force mounted Air raids on the Egyptian Air Force. In one day of continuous raids the EAF was destroyed on the ground and not a single MIG took off to face the IAF. It was a sad commentary on the efficacy of the Arab Fighters and soldiers. The Egyptian army devoid of air cover threw in the towel.Nasser sitting in Cairo was bewildered. He wondered what had happened and went into hiding. There was now a real danger of Israel capturing Cairo and Nasser from his hiding place  could do nothing.

A desperate Nasser now appealed to the USA and Russia for help, but his dream to destroy Israel was shattered for ever. The shock of the defeat was too much for him and he died soon after. He is a lesson to dictators who saddle their people with wars to achieve their own meglomaniacal dreams.

The Atomic Bombing of Germany was Never on the Cards

Would the Americans Have Used The Atomic Bomb on Germany?

On 6 August a Stratro- Fortress of the USAF dropped an Atomic bomb on Hiroshima. Two days later another bomb was dropped on Nagasaki and led to over 200,000 deaths. The after effects of radiation have continued till today.

The dropping of the Bombs on Japan is claimed by US apologists  to end the war and force Japan to surrender. In real terms the Japanese were already defeated and were just looking for a face saving way to hand over their arms and end the war.

Some facts which have now emerged make chilling reading. At no stage the Americans had any plans to use the weapon against Germany. At the same time the military wanted to use the weapon to see its 'effect'. It wanted to test the weapon. Thus a devious plan was made to use the weapon against some Asian country. Japan was a prime contender for this guinea pig experiment.

 The US Air Force had started a fire bombing of Japanese cities. But 3 cities namely Hiroshima, Nagasaki and Kyoto were spared this fire bombing raids. The plan to spare these cities from these bombing raids was to test the A Bomb on them and observe the effects. It was a scientific experiment. The US military and their scientists had no qualms that the bomb would cause unprecedented damage and thousands would die. The US scientists egged on the US government to 'test' the A bomb. Even Albert Einstein in a letter to the US President advocated that a A bomb be made. Why? Einstein later gave some lame excuse.

Thus the dropping of the A bombs was a heinous crime against humanity, which was perfected by US scientists and  President Truman. At no stage the USA had made any plans ever to bomb Germany. Even the famous fire bombing raids were not conducted on Germany.

The United States as a nation has a lot to  explain, for this rephrensible conduct. Yet the USA sits on a moral high ground and gives sermons to other nations.

The fact is the USA and the West consider lives of Asians and Africans cheap and that is the horrible truth

.

Book Review of " Venus in India": great Erotic Literature

 ONE OF THE GREAT EROTIC BOOKS SET IN INDIA " VENUS IN INDIA" BY CHARLES DEVEREAUX

 

India is home to the best erotic literature and art in the world. Even the invaders who came to India were overwhelmed with Indian erotica and added their own concepts and experiences  to the formidable array of erotic literature available in India.

The British who came to India and ruled for about 200 years also had many erotic works penned by writers in India. One of the most erotic books written in India and relates the experiences of a British army officer titled "Venus in India" is one such work.

The book is supposed to be penned by an officer of the British Indian army called Charles Devereaux. But on research people have concluded that no writer by this name existed and also no such officer existed. However the authenticity of the book and the fact that it refers to the British-Afghan war of the late 19th century cannot be doubted. Researchers have now concluded that the book was probably authored by  Major Crommelin Henry Rickets, an officer of the British Indian army. His parent unit was the 5th Cavalry stationed at Madras, but he probably saw action in the Afghan wars. He served in the Indian army for 21 years and then retired. He probably took the pseudonym Charles Devereaux as he wanted to conceal his identity for writing such a erotic book. Never the less the book "  Venus in India" is one of the great erotic books set in British India.

The book faithfully describes army life in British cantonments and  their interactions with each other and the Indian maids who worked for them. The novel is in the form of a memoir of a young British officer in one of the cantonments in the North West Frontier. The writer does refers to Naushera, close to Rawalpindi. It relates the love episodes of this officer with 3 sisters who are daughters of a serving Army Major. There are sub plots as well and the sex encounters of the father (Major) with the Indian maids and other interesting episodes adds to the thrill of the book.

The book is written in excellent prose and in no way can be termed obscene and that is why it is considered one of the best erotic books of the 19th century. It also gives us a glimpse of army life. I suppose not much is changed in the Cantonments even now.

I will recommend this book for all to read. It can easily downloaded from the net or bought from Amazon. I have read it at least thrice and it never fails to enthrall me. So happy hunting.

Nehru Downgraded the Military Force of India

Nehru and the Indian Army

Updated on December 1, 2015

general Ne Win

Sir Claude Auchinleck

Background

When India achieved freedom in 1947, it inherited a highly professional army. At that time the C-in- C of the Indian army was a British general Sir Claude Auchinleck. .

He was followed by Sir Robert Macdonald Lockhart of the Sikh Frontier Force and Sir Francis Roy Bucher of the Scottish rifles. So long as these men were in charge as C-in- C, India, Nehru kept quiet. In 1949, he had his first swing at the army and promoted General KC Cariappa as C-in- C, superseding the more able general Kulwant Singh.

He followed up with the next chief of the armed forces General Rajendra Singh Jadeja and abolished the post of Commander in Chief and replaced it with COAS (Chief of Army Staff). This was a significant and shrewd move by Nehru as he at one stroke demoted the status of the army chief.

This was the beginning and after that Nehru’s distruct of the army increased. The fact is that all his life he had sat on satyagrah and civil disobedience movements led by Gandhi and had no comprehension of what is the role of the army  In short he lacked strategic vision.

Nehru's Paranoid Fear of a Coup

In the early fifties,  the countries adjacent to India, namely Pakistan and Burma saw military coups. In Pakistan General Ayub Khan seized power in a blood less coup that overthrew the civil government. 

The significance of the rise of Ayub Khan was not lost on Nehru and he began to make his own conjectures. The situation was made more complicated for Nehru, when in Burma General Ne Win sat in the driver’s seat. This was a surprise to Nehru as the Burmese were Buddhists and he could not understand how a pacifist country could allow an army general to become the supreme leader. 

Both these coups unnerved Nehru and he decided to meddle with army promotions to see that loyalist generals were promoted. He thus did tremendous damage to army command and control. In addition  the National President Dr Rajendra Prasad asked that the army be disbanded as it was a relic of imperialism.

Nehru did not disband the army but he set in motion command and controls that took away all initiative from the army top brass and he himself and his appointed defense minister Krishna Menon began to run the army. By these measures Nehru though to obviate a military coup, India and its defence be dammed.

Ill equipped Indian troops against China

Nehru's House Crashes

Nehru next appointed a supine General Thapar as Army Chief. He also shelved all proposals to modernize the army and no new weaponry in tanks or field guns were added to the army arsenal. In addition one of his cousins General BM Kaul was appointed a Lieutenant General and he used troops to build a housing colony, instead of carrying out battle exercises. 

Nehru had lost almost 30000 square miles of Indian Territory to China, due to his failure to ask the army to occupy the vacant lands. The Chinese moved in and occupied the area known as Aksai Chin. Nehru woke up and without a thought asked the army to “throw out" the Chinese. It was an off the cuff remark, but China took it literally and struck across the Himalayan border.

The house built by Nehru crashed and his reputation as world leader was trashed. He lost face and after this defeat rarely ventured out of India as he felt shamed. But he had done great disservice to the nation by downgrading the army.

Black Emancipation in America : A Long Way to Go

My Thoughts on Black Emancipation After Watching the Movie'Lincoln'

In the movie "Lincoln'there is much talk of the 13th amendment. This amendment related to slavery. Slavery was an accepted norm in the USA and the church which is supposed to represent truth acquiesced with it. It is inconceivable that good farmers who kept hundreds of blacks as slaves were allowed to do so by the church. Perhaps the parsons forget to lecture them on race and piety in the Sunday sermons which were attend by hordes of white slave owners.

I have just seen the movie Lincoln. It’s a terrific movie and all credit to Lincoln who abolished slavery and tried to emancipate the black slaves. I say ‘tried’ as his dream looks to me not fully realized, at least in some parts of the USA. If you watch the movie there is much talk of the 13th amendment. This amendment related to slavery.
Slavery was an accepted norm in the USA and the church which is supposed to represent truth acquiesced with it. It is inconceivable that good farmers who kept hundreds of blacks as slaves were allowed to do so by the church. Perhaps the parsons forget to lecture them on race and piety in the Sunday sermons which were attend by hordes of white slave owners.

Where is the black man in America today? Is he completely liberated? If so why are so large a number of blacks turning to Islam? Icons like Muhammad Ali among others all were Christians till they converted. Obviously this point has not been looked at and most whites just shrug it away.

Let’s look at Louisiana. It’s a state with a large black population, but to my mind the racial divide is very much evident there. After the civil war Louisiana was under martial law, yet the fact remains that white Democrats blocked black voters from registering. How frightening this was, can be seen that in 1900 there were just 739 black voters in a population of which they constituted 47%. I don’t think this is funny and points to a fact that the whites never reconciled to black emancipation. Mind you Lincoln had been dead for 35 years at that time.

To get an idea of these lynching’s which continued till the sixties of the last century, the Tuskegree institute has estimated and recorded 3446 blacks lynched from 1882-1968. How many know that these lynching’s were a spectacle and advertised. More like a Roman amphitheatre where the Lions or gladiators killed unarmed people.This was a state where the most abhorrent crimes against blacks were committed. Crimes like lynchings and hangings. The Law enforces? They shamed their uniform by siding with the lynchers. Sometimes they arrested suspects mostly black on flimsy grounds and handed them over to a mob of lynchers all whites. I wonder where sanity had gone and where was the church?

Lincolns dream in a way has turned sour. The blacks constitute 12% of the population, yet constitute 50% of all prisoners in state prisons. There is no reformist streak as advocated by Gandhi or Buddha. It is naked power play of racial supremacy. The church is silent as the parsons and the men in flowing robes all acquiesced with these abhorrent practices.

Louisiana is on an edge even now and the poverty rate is 19.2% and a quarter of children live in poverty. A look at the child birth rates of blacks and whites is revealing. It is 5.7 for whites per 1000 births while for blacks it is 13.6. What does this mean? The civil war was over in 1865 and Lincoln dead for long, but despite Obama being the President of the USA a lot needs to be done. America could also stop preaching about equality and other things, till it sets it own house in order.

The Royal Enfield Motor Bike and India * 65

The Bullet is a vintage model that is loved by the public even in the 21st century.

The bike with which I am concerned is the Classic Bullet. This bike first made an appearance in 1939. The bike was further refined in 1948 and the 500 cc twin spark bullet was introduced. This developed 25 BHP power.The original Royal Enfield Company folded up in the UK and shifted to India. The bullet is now manufactured at its Chennai plant.The Royal Enfield is a marquee name in the field of motorcycles.lt traces its lineage to 1893, when it was founded by George Townsend to manufacture sewing needles and fishing hooks at the "Givry Works" in Redditch, Worcestershire, UK. From needles the proprietors went on to manufacture bicycle parts and later digressed to manufacturing of motor cycles.

It is a 350 cc bike which has a classical look of the fifties. A 500 cc version is also manufactured, but it is costlier and gives a lower mileage per liter of petrol. The 350 cc is thus more popular. The 350 cc Bullet is powered by a 4 stroke engine with a single cylinder having a 4 speed gear box. It develops 18 bhp@5000 rpm. In contrast the Royal Enfield Classic 500 also has a single cylinder, 4 stroke engine but delivers a power output of 27.2 BHP and 41.3 NM torque. The 500 cc bullet has a maximum speed of 130KMPH. The bike is available in Blue, Red and Black colors.

The Classic bullet generally comes with a kick start but the new ‘thunderbird 'model the Enfield have a self start option. The bike is very good for all types of roads and can be even used on the village trails so common in the sub continent. The bike has a front telescopic fork and sturdy rear shock absorbers which help in giving a smooth ride. The bike is excellent for long drives where it cruises on the highways with power and a good road grip.An improvement is made over the earlier models with interchangeable wheels and disc brakes. This makes for a smoother ride on the road. An innovation in the bike is aneutral gear foot lever which allows you to select neutral directly from second, third or fourth gear by pressing this lever with your foot.

The Bullet has a lower pick up and acceleration compared the newer Japanese bikes. However Fuel economy is reasonable with the bike giving about 30-35 km on a liter of petrol city driving conditions. On the highways you can get over 40 km to a liter.


One advantage of buying a Royal Enfield in India is the easy availability of spare parts with an extensive dealer network. In addition all models meet emission and noise requirements as specified by the government. The Royal Enfield Bullet 350 is essentially a rugged motorcycle that has proven itself for over forty years in the toughest of conditions. In India it is priced at about 100,000 rupees and for its price is a good buy.

 The Madras plant manufactures about 25000 bikes a year and a lot many are exported to England. In addition the Police and Army use this bike extensively. The bullet is vintage material and in case one has the desire to drive a vintage and sturdy bike the Royal Enfield bullet is your best bet. The best part is that you can hit a pot  hole at 80 KM an hour and you will be none the worse for it. It is certainly a bike for all seasons and roads.

Field Marshal Ayub Khan Pakistan President and the Starlet Christine Keeler

Ayub Khan and the Starlet Christine Keeler

  Field Marshal Ayub Khan was the first military general to lead Pakistan. This is certainly a well deserved title, but the General was also a flamboyant man who lived life to the hilt. He frequently traveled abroad and one of his favorite places was London.

In London he was often the guest at the imposing estate of Clivedon in Buckinghamshire. One may wonder what the Pakistan president was doing at this estate. ? Unlike later Pakistan presidents like Zia and Mushraff who dabbled in sending Jihadi fighters into Kashmir, Ayub Khan was more interested in other matters. This concerned a string of girls who frequented the swimming pool at Buckinghamshire. The girls were allowed to swim in the pool with the condition that to swim it had to be in the nude. This was loved by the girls who frolicked nude in the pool.

This was to the liking of general Ayub Khan who loved to swim and have fun in this pool. It was here he met Christine Keeler. This girl was a beautiful and sexy model. In addition she was not averse to sex with anybody and one of her lovers was the war minister John Profuma.

Christine Keeler met Ayub Khan at this pool and she was mighty impressed with the tall and heavily built Punjabi. In fact in an interview later she complimented the looks and masculine charm of Ayub Khan. He may have also swum with Rice Mandy Davis, a girl one third his age.

Christine Keeler was involved in the sex scandal of the early sixties that led to the suicide of Dr Ward. But Ayub had nothing to do with the suicide of Dr Ward. He was a simple man , out for fun. One can't grudge him that ! 

Chamar Regiment must be Re-inducted in the Indian Army

The Chamar Regiment and the Case for its Revival

The Chamar’s are classified as a backward community. They constitute about 50 million Indians and have a history of being warlike. Basically Chamar’s are cobblers and belong to the lower castes. The Indian army, in particular the Infantry battalions are mostly caste based. Thus we have the Sikh, Jat, Gurkha, Rajput, Dogra, Maratha, Mahar and Punjab regiments. All the regiments are from the higher castes except the Sikh Light Infantry regiments which are the scheduled caste Sikhs often referred to as Mazhabi Sikhs.

Caste Based Regiments

The Caste based Armies have the stamp of the British rulers and were created during the hey day of British rule and conform to the British interpretation of the Martial races. But that is beside the point as the British who were a shrewd judge of Character also created a fighting regiment from the lower castes. This is the Chamar regiment.

During the Second World War the British were looking to expand their recruitment policy as more men were needed to fight the Japanese Imperial Army. At the same time they kept the concept of the Martial race in the backdrop.

The Chamar Regiment

The British High command opted to have a Chamar regiment and history records that the 1st Chamar regiment was created in 1943. Among the Officers who became famous from this regiment are General Joginder Singh and Field Marshal Ayub Khan. It must be understood that the officer cadre of the regiments was not exclusive to that cast and could be from any caste and religion. This is followed even now.

Chamar Regiment in World War II

The Chamar regiment was thrown into battle as a part of 15 Corps which was commanded by lieutenant General Alexander Frank Christison. The Chamar regiment fought well and was part of the Japanese defeat in the battles of Kohima and the Arakan campaign. The Chamar regiment was part of the 268 Indian brigade which was commanded by Brigadier Dyer.

The Chamar regiment along with 15 Corps helped lift the siege of Kohima and followed up with battles with the Imperial army in the 2nd and 3rd Arakan. The 3rd Arakan campaign led to the capture of Rangoon in May 1945. The roll of honor at the War Memorial in Rangoon lists the Chamar regiment. No greater honor can be more than this, as it is an acknowledgement that the Chamar regiment fought bravely and helped drive the Imperial army from Rangoon.

However after the dropping of the Atomic bombs and the surrender of Japan many troops became redundant and were demobilized. In 1946 the Chamar regiment was disbanded due to economic reasons.

Last Word

The question that we must all ask is whether this regiment can be reconstituted. With a plethora of regiments based on caste, it will be a good gesture to re-incorporate the Chamar regiment. This will make the Indian Army more broad-based. As the British had constituted the Chamar regiment, it will only be carrying on what the British did and we accepted. Hence there is certainly a case for reviving the Chamar Regiment.

The TU-160 M2 is the Backbone of the Russian Bomber Fleet 62

The Russian Strategic Bomber TU-160 is Back as the TU -160 M2

Updated on January 19, 2016

The Begnning

In 1981 the cold war was very much on and the Soviet Union had as yet not bit the dust. At this time the Russian design team launched the TU-160 a supersonic bomber capable of a speed of Mach 2.05.

The plane appeared on the scene in 1981 and and created more than interest in the West. It was the world largest combat aircraft and initially about 39 of these machines were bulit.. The aircraft was designed at the Tupelov aircraft works , then located in Ukraine.

The TU 160 remained in service , but when the Soviet Union broke up, the TU 160 became almost redundent and Boris Yesltsin forbade further development of the plane as it was felt that a strategic bomber was not needed

The latest version

The Plane is Re- Launched.

Technical details of the plane are available on any aircraft website. But one can say that the plane was the biggest combat aircraft in the world. During the time the aircraft was in mothballs, 3 machines were purchased by US-based Platforms International Corp for lunching space vehicles. In addition 19 TU 160 also referred to as Blackjacks, remained in Ukraine custody. Some were scrapped, but others were sold back to Russia.

In 2007, with Vladimir Putin at the head of Russia as president, a review of Russia's strategic role began to take place. Putin dreamt of restoring Russian power and accordingly signed a decree to re-induct the Blackjack as well as develop the combat aircraft further. Putin also flew in a TU- 160. The Russian air force as per reports now operates about 16 of these machines.

In 2014 overhaul and modernization of the Blackjack bombers began at the Tupolev plant. The aircraft were fitted with new radars and navigation equipment. It is a tedious and costly process and by 2020 the Russian Air Force will have about 20 of these upgraded bombers.

In 2015 the Russian MOD announced plans to launch production of the TU-160. The planes to be launched will have new engines, new radars and new avionics. These aircraft to be ready in the future have been given the number TU 160M2. Essentially though the look of the plane will be similar, it will be a new aircraft. The development of the new combat aircraft has alarmed America and the EU. It is one aircraft that can strike deep in the western areas. Matters are not helped by the fact that in 2006 the Russian Defense ministry announced that a Black Jack could enter the arctic area undetected by US radar. This necessitated a review by the US AF.

Putin in a TU-160

The Future

The clock has turned again and once again the Russians are back to their projection as a great power. In such a scenario the development of the TU 160 is essential.

From a purely aviation point of view the development of the new blackjack will whet the appetite of aviation lovers. It’s a beauty to see this variable geometry plane fly at Mach 2 at over 2000 Km an hour. It will also restore Russian pride in them and show the world that Russian technology can produce such a plane.

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Last Word

The plane no doubt is a lethal weapon, but it has some built in operting drawbacks. Firstly the plane is not armed and is the first Russian combat bomber that does not carry any armament. This by itself would be a drawback in case the plane is unescorted. Secondly the plane does not incorporate the latest "stealth technology" , hence it's penetration of sophisticated defences is suspect.