Why the Modi and BJP must be shown the Door

The Modi government in my view must be booted out. Working abroad in Singapore and Abu Dhabi, I can get a picture that may be a shade clear than from inside India. Recently a press conference of Rahul Gandhi was carried live by the local channel and I watched it( more by chance than anything else). Everybody must have watched it, as it concerned the Rafale deal. There is no doubt that giving a contract to Anil Ambani was a gross misuse of national resources at the highest level. This is not, however, the only reason that Modi and the BJP should be shown the door. I have a few more points

a) Construction of the Ram temple and bringing up this topic at all times to vitiate the atmosphere. I am also a Hindu /Sikh but I do not want that the mosque to be razed and a temple built on top of it. Even God Ram would not like it. Why can't the BJP build a massive temple some distance away and renovate the mosque? This is the beauty of Hinduism- accommodation. BJP is, however, whipping up hysteria on this issue. I don't think Shashi Tharoor said anything wrong.

b) The BJP and Modi have also created a state of anarchy in the country( More in BJP ruled states) with the support and active instigation of lumpen elements in the guise of cow slaughter. I saw a video of a police in UP taking an oath to " protect the cow". It is laughable but the matter is serious as in case a uniformed force is made to do such things, woe betide India. Cow slaughter is a minor issue but BJP has made it important plank and encouraged lynchings/ killings in the name of cow slaughter. I think even a police officer was killed on this recently.

c) The BJP has vitiated the atmosphere by trying to spread Hindutva. This by itself per se is not bad, but the way it is being spread and the minority community being sidelined is cause for alarm. This is against the grain of Hinduism which is an all-encompassing religion. You can't wish away 19 crore Muslims and 900 years of Muslim rule? These are facts and the BJP cannot obliterate them, it can only vitiate the atmosphere and in the process may make India worse than even Afghanistan. Veterans must ponder over it.

There are a host of other points like farmers distress, Aadhar card etc including the conduct of Mr.Modi with his wife( which he belatedly acknowledged).

I close with this few thoughts. Anybody is free to disagree and I don't mind.

Loving a Naga Tribal Girl

I had a Naga army officer, who was my friend and he took me to the weekly public dance. This was the time when I was posted in the "far East" of India. Such an action( Public dance) doesn't happen anywhere in India except Bangalore. He introduced me to a lovely girl. She was Naga and I requested a dance. She smelt of perfume and everything nice. Finally, we danced close to the lilting tunes of Louis Armstrong and Kenny G. She told me her name and gave me a number.

I had a Royal Enfield and I requested for a drive with her. We began to date and one fine day she even invited me home. Those are cherished moments and form the theme of my new novel. I roamed on my bike with her, through mountains and jungle roads, all maintained by the BRO( Border Roads Organization). We sat in coffee Houses and dined at a Punjabi Dhaba. She loved to have drinks and we often carried the best Indian whiskey, Peter Scot. Those were great days.  I suggested that would she leave Nagaland? No, she replied and the man she would marry must stay in Nagaland.

What could I do? Air HQ posted me to Baghdogra in North Bengal and it was time to leave. We had a last tumultuous drive, plenty of whiskey and a night under stars. Does the tale end? I am afraid so.

Sikhs and Shanghai: An Age Long Past

Sikhs in Shanghai: Relic from a Forgotten Time

Background

I

When China was a weak nation the British wishing for a toehold in China subjected the Chinese to the famous "Opium wars" which led to the defeat of the Chinese and the hoisting of unequal treaties.. In 1900 the Chinese made a last-ditch attempt to overthrow the western powers in what is known as the Boxer rebellion, but they were again defeated and the most famous siege of Peking was lifted after 55 days. This was the period when the British inducted regiments of the Indian army consisting of Sikhs to fight the Chinese. The Sikhs played a stellar role in defeating the Chinese. 

This was also the time when the western powers got special privileges in China and the city of Shanghai became the focal point of these interests. The British began to man all the civic services and the police in Shanghai. To help them the British brought in Sikhs from Punjab in India. These Sikhs joined the Shanghai police force and for the next 40 years they continued there till the advent of the Japanese and the ousting of the British

Sikh policeman

Sikh gurudwara in 1908

Sikhs Settle in Shanghai

The British brought in the Jat Sikhs from Punjab. These men nearly 6 ft. tall overawed the small Chinese who began to fear them. The British inducted these Sikhs in the Shanghai police force. The Sikhs also brought in European sports like Hockey and cricket. The Sikhs were all in the lower ranks and many were part of horse battalion. Many pictures of these Sikhs are available in the museum in Shanghai, now managed by the communist regime.

The Sikhs also erected at least 6 Gurudwara in Shanghai. All have now been destroyed. Many were restored after the exit of the Japanese but the communists who frowned on religion destroyed them. Presently perhaps one Gurudwara is still in Shanghai.

Why no Military Coup in India

The Army calls the shots in civil administration in Burma, Pakistan and Thailand

Image Source - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Army

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It is an enigma why the Indian army did not follow the path laid out by India's neighbors like Pakistan, Burma, and Thailand and continued to be a mute spectator even when India burned and its own privileges and perks were curtailed.

The political scenario around India's neighborhood is very different from what we see in India. Burma, Pakistan, and Thailand have an entrenched military presence in civil administration. In India, the civil administration from the days of Nehru has always sidelined the army and over the years whittled down its perks and privileges. They have been instrumental in reducing the army to a position of weakness vis a vis China and Pakistan and the stage is set that at the moment the Indian army cannot even sort out Pakistan which is one fifth the size of India. Combating China is more of a dream than reality. 
 
The army itself accepted this p[osition and I for one can see no explanation for it.

It started with Pakistan when General Ayub Khan seized power in 1958. He dismissed the corrupt civil administration and ushered in his own form of governance called "basic democracy". Elections were held but not on the name of any political party.

The next step was the rise General Ne Win. He carried out a military coup and ushered in an era of military rule and now after 6 decades the army is the most important factor in Burma and has 30% seat reserved for it in parliament. 

In India, this has not happened probably because of the weak and pacifist ethos of the Hindu. After all, Frank Moraes wrote about the Hindu as being "meek and mild". This is, however, a half-truth as the Buddhist religion is even more pacifist than Hinduism and yet military coups have taken place in Buddhist countries like Burma and Thailand and a lot of blood is shed.

The truth is somewhere else and probably lies in the lack of ambition by the Indian army top brass and the extinct for self-survival. Let me get my rank and continue to say three bags full so how am I concerned about anything, even the privileges of my men.

The political leadership has almost emasculated the army and one wonders why we can't have a coup here. Probably the composition of the army on the basis of caste and religion has something to do with it. Unlike Buddhism and Islam, Hinduism is not a composite religion and caste and clan is the dominating factors. The castes are almost antagonistic to each other and a coup  an impossibility. A Castiest army cannot unite for a military coup.

Shocking revelation as Saudi Crown Prince says West asked to spread Wahhabism

Saudi prince has accused the west of supporting Wahhabism-Photo-( image credit-star 2 sun-Youtube.com)

The cat is out of the bag as some stunning revelations have been made by the Saudi Crown PrinceMohammed bin Salman. According to his information which he mentioned in an interview to the Washington Post, the crown prince said that it was the West that initially asked Saudi Arabia to spread Wahhabism to counter the then-Soviet Union.

Wahhabism is an extreme form of Islam and the Western powers thought it would be an excellent tool to beat Soviet Russia. The Outlook has reported that this led to Saudi funding of Madrassas and construction of mosques all over the world to stop the rising tide of communism.

Fear of Russia

The crown prince has said that initial investments in mosques and Madrassas was routed through Pakistan but later the Saudi government gave money directly. The crown prince has admitted that money was also given to the Taliban.

Everything was going fine till the 9/11 attacks took place and the Western powers led by the USA and UK realized they had committed a blunder. The Taliban which they had created and supported had turned against them. The Saudis continued their funding at that time as it was not possible to backtrack at once. The fact remains that it was the Western powers led by Britain and the USA that encouraged the spread of the extreme form of Islam.

Can the Scent of a Woman Intoxicate a Man

remember seeing the movie 'Scent of a woman' starring Al Pacino as a retired blind Colonel of the US army. If I remember Al Pacino makes a comment that I wish I had a woman in bed and got up in the morning with her smell pervading the bed. Does smell have a meaning as far as sex is concerned? More so for a man, the smell of a woman can be intoxicating.

The theory of smell or to use the scientific terminology pheromone is nothing new. Basically, it's a chemical substance secreted by certain animals like insects which often functions as an attraction for the opposite sex.

Well, my experience shows that a younger woman in bed is an aphrodisiac and one reason is the peculiar scent that emanates from her.

Glory of Sikh Soldiers in World war I

Nobody remembers, not least the GOI and the veterans the Sikh Indian soldiers who fought against the central powers during WWI. They effectively were the main force that broke the back of the Turkish army in Mesopotamia. Salute them

History: Coup against Napoleon in 1812

The Plot

The plan was both audacious and ingenious. The man behind this plot was General Claude-Francois Malet. This is not a name much known, but he was a key conspirator. He was a general of the French army but had his own ambitions. He had parted from Napoleon because of his ambition. As per reports Malet was born in 1754 and was 58 years old at the time of the coup.

Malet had strong differences with Napoleon and was biding his time to strike back. Napoleon knew his tendencies and had imprisoned him. It was when he was in the Bastille that he hatched this plan for a military coup against Napoleon. He was aided in his plan by a master forger who was also in prison along with him. Both men came to know each other and Abbe Lafon the man who was the master forger suggested that a set of fictitious papers and orders be prepared and use them to stage a military coup. They hoped the plan would succeed and with Napoleon enmeshed in Russia, he would have no choice but to abdicate.

T

Execution outside Paris

Failure and execution

The coup like the attempt against Hitler collapsed like a pack of cards. Malet and co-conspirators were tried by a court-martial. Napoleon was incensed when he heard of this news and when the proceedings of the Court-martial were forwarded to him, he approved the death sentences at the stroke of a pen. He could not countenance anyone defying his authority, The news of the death sentence was conveyed to the conspirators and all of them (15 in number) were herded together and taken outside the city of Paris and shot dead. The execution was carried out with clinical efficacy and Napoleon was informed that all the conspirator’s had been executed. He must have heaved a sigh of relief. Napoleon however continued ruling for another 3 years before he was deposed. Mallet is now only a footnote in French history, but in case he has succeeded, it would have been a different story.

Lusting for the Hindu Woman

Interreligious marriage

Lust is a word that means intense or unrestrained sexual craving. Sometimes the word does look vulgar or course 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 as 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 has married 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.

The Big Divide

Obviously, there is some background to it. One thing that strikes me is a 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?

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The Tale of Draupadi

The tale of Draupadi in the Mahabharata is an intriguing one. One has to decide whether Draupadi was a liberated woman or one who just acquiesced with what was presented to her. Draupadi was a princess of infinite beauty and her fame as a lovely princess had spread far and wide.

The poet Vyas who composed the verses of the Mahabharata does not dwell on the mind of Draupadi and as such we have to glean about her thoughts and mind by interpreting the verses composed by Vyas.

As was the custom the father of Draupadi advertised far and wide for her swayamvara. It was a custom where all the suitors vied with one another for the princess and the man who won claimed her as his wife. There were games of skill and archery competitions which went on for many days.

Vyas tells us that Draupadi was won by the Pandava prince Arjuna. He was the third brother of 5 brothers who were sons of the Princess Kunte. He was a great archer and he bested all other suitors and claimed the hand of Draupadi. After that, he took her in his chariot to their palace when it dawned on Arjuna that a knotty problem had arisen. It is known that the mother of Arjuna had got her sons to promise that they would all share anything won or captured together. Thus, when Arjuna took Draupadi home to meet Kunte, the promise of the Pandavas to their mother surfaced. Kunte insisted that all brothers marry Draupadi. Vyasa does not relate what were Draupadi’s thoughts on this bigamous marriage, but she agreed or perhaps she had no choice.

The next part of the tale is most interesting as it emerges that Draupadi was a strong woman in her own way. She decreed that she would marry all the brothers, but she would live with each brother for one year. During this period no other brother would touch her or come near her palace.

She also ensured that she lived in an opulent palace all alone and none of the other wives of the Pandavas could enter inside her palace. The period of one year was chosen as that is the period to have a child as Draupadi was impregnated by all the 5 Pandava brothers and had 5 sons from them.

The tale of Draupadi is not an exception, but there are other tales. Kunte herself had 6 husbands and gave birth to 6 sons while the princess Jatila married 7 sages. Princess Matis also married 10 Pracheta brothers. All these were polyandrous marriages.

The Mahabharata is an exciting tale and the story of Draupadi gives much food for thought. One fact emerges that despite marrying 5 brothers, Draupadi was in her own way a liberated woman who made her own rules. She is in my view an example for modern women. She made the rules and these could not be broken.

The Pir from Lahore

The Pir from Lahore

A strange story about the powers of a Pir has emerged from Pakistan. I could not believe it till my Pakistani friend from Lahore confirmed the news to me. What was the news? the news was that a Muslim Pir has been arrested by the police after it came to light that the man had impregnated over 300 married women. Such is the faith of the women that they gave their bodies to the Pir willingly.

In Pakistan to be childless is a sin and a greater sin is not having a son and only daughters. This is a hangover of a feudal setup and it's very much prevalent in both India and Pakistan. This Pir propagated that any women who could not conceive or wanted a son could come to him and he would intercede with Allah and grant the wish of the woman to have a child or a son if she desired.

Women who craved for a son went to the Pir for his blessings. At home, they were harassed and sometimes beaten by the mother in law for not be begetting a son. Such women were emotional wrecks and when they met the Pir he charmed them with his magnetism. After a few meetings, he would invariably take the woman to a back chamber where he had a luxurious bed to which he referred as the "Noor bed". There he would have repeated sex with the women.

The Noor Bed

It so transpired that a few women had sons and they divulged this was due to the power of the Pir. They did not mention the fact of sleeping with the Pir on the Noor bed. Eager to have a son many other women also started to go to the Pir to seek his blessings. The Pir was young and virile and in the name of Allah he copulated with over 300 women and impregnated them. The women some of who were childless were obviously delighted to have a child and they spread the word about the power of the Pir. The fact that they had been sleeping with the man was not announced and remained a secret. The Pir continued merrily as more and more women came from great distances and gave themselves to the Pir.

This continued for some months till someone expressed his apprehensions to the Police. Hearing that the police were coming, the Pir ran away but was arrested.

The end

The question now was as to what charge to frame against the Pir. No woman was willing to come forward and accuse the Pir of rape and the Police are wondering how to prosecute the Pir. In case he was to be tried under the Hooded ordinance, then as per the Sharia, there is a requirement of 4 eyewitnesses. This is impossible in this case and I am told the Pir is on bail. I wonder if he has re-started his exploits.

I have been wondering if a statistic could be worked out as to how many of the 300+ women had male children. However, one fact stands out is the Pirs and holy men have a hypnotic effect on the people of the sub-continent. My Muslim friend from Lahore has given me a revolutionary opinion. She has said that the Pir must be complimented as he gave a child to a childless woman and thus saved her life from cruelty and beatings in rural Pakistan.

Its Trump vs former Afro American aide Omarosa

trump-Omarosa-social-media-feud-gets-worse-as-she-refuses-to-stay-silent

Omarosa Manigault-Newman is an American reality television show participant. She is a former political aide to the president but better known as one of the contestants in the reality show "The Apprentice". Omarosa has been accused by the White House of having broken her secrecy agreement by making certain bits of news.  Fox News has now reported that the issue is not dying away though many days have elapsed and it has erupted on Twitter and other social media sites with both taking swipes at each other. An acrimonious debate has commenced on Twitter.

Secrecy clause

Trump is campaigning to silence the lady but she has declared that she will not keep quiet and won't be silenced. She told AP in an interview that she will definitely tell her story and will not be intimidated. However, she does appear to be a bit rattled as she has declined to answer any questions about her stay as an aide to the president, citing the secrecy clause. The lady is strong-willed and despite the statement by the White House on the secrecy clause has continued her tirade against Trump. Time reported that she even went to the extent of stating that he is "unfit" to be the president. This is not all and the New York Times reported that Trump has hit back by referring to Omarosa as a "dog".

It's a battle royale and who will win ?

India is the home of the Tiger and here is some news about the Bandhavgarh Park in MP

A wildlife sanctuary and nature reserve in central India has the highest concentration of Bengal tigers on Earth. Indeed, about 50 of the fierce felines roam Bandhavgarh National Park, and a jeep safari is an ideal way to catch a glimpse of them. (I will not suggest just strolling around through the forests here, for obvious reasons.) The park gets its name from an ancient fort seated at the top of a small hill in the center of the reserve. The Tigers are the star attraction here, but if you visit, keep an eye out for leopards, sloth bears, wild boars, and the remarkable grey Langurs- made memorable from the days of the Ramayana.

Introduction to Shah Naimatullah Wali Predictions

The rival of NostradamusNot many are aware of an Islamic astrologer cum Sufi saint called Naimatullah who lived almost 300 years earlier to Nostradamus and is reported to have visited Persia and Multan now in Pakistan. He reportedly lived to the age of 105. Like Nostradamus Naimatullah also has made many forecasts. Much of his works have been destroyed but a few are still available that show that this Islamic scholar and Astrologer was something out of the ordinary. 

Kim in Singapore

Kim makes history by visiting Singapore for a summit with Trump 

The first overseas visit by a North Korean leader to Singapore has broken a convention and given a lot of respectability to Kim

North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un  went to Singapore for a summit meeting with Donald Trump. The meeting was important and all credit must go to Trump who has achieved out-of-the-box results as far as North Korea is concerned. The visit by Kim was a path-breaking trip as no North Korean leader has ever flown outside the North for any visit or meeting. 

Kim lands

Kim sped through the city's streets in a massive limousine draped in North Korean flags to the St Regis hotel for the historic meeting with Trump.

Trump had already cut short his visit to the G-7 meeting to attend the summit with the North Korean leader.

The stakes are high

The visit by Kim Jong-un to Singapore was great news and over 3,000 journalists landed in Singapore to cover the event. The stakes were high and supporters of Trump were hoping that he will be able to convince Kim to de-nuclearise.

Result

While landing at Singapore, Kim exuded confidence but skeptics are not convinced that the North will give up its nuclear weapons.  The meeting was perhaps a PR event as in the end Trump got only vague promises and no plan as to denuclearization of North Korea. But the fact they met is itself a good thing and has made the Korean leader respectable. Trump deserves credit for it, even if the summit meeting fell short of expectations.

An Indian Made Single Malt Whiskey

India is catching up and now the finest of Single Malt whiskey is manufactured in India. It is Amrut distilleries "fusion". Maybe it does not match Glenlivet or Glenmorangie, but it can hold its own.

Have a young woman sip whiskey with you in your arms and I am sure its the path to Nirvana.

Tamil Girls and their Fetish for Punjabi Men

Tamil girls,Punjabi men: The best thing for India

As a subaltern, I had the privilege of being posted in the Tamil Nadu state. To be precise, I was posted at the Air Force Station at Tambaram and the unit was Air Force flying Instructors School (AFIS). it was a baptism which I have never forgotten. To start by virtue of being a member of an elite service.I was immediately given the membership of the Madras Gymkhana., one of the premier clubs in  India established by the 'Goraji' during the days of the Raj.

.Relationships

I observed another major social more, my flight commander and the CO of AFIS had both married Tamil girls. Later I came to know they were Brahmins. Obviously, they were very happy. This was my first brush with the social interaction where I observed that many Tamil girls were marrying North Indian Punjabi men or boys. This phenomenon is not confined to the film world, wherein right from the time of Vyjayanthimala to  Sridevi, not forgetting Hema Malini have married Punjabi men. One can say that there is some fetish for Tamil girls and Punjabi men. During almost two decades of my service in the Air Force, I have the distinction of observing this singular aspect where many officers had married Tamil girls. I will add that as far as the Airforce is concerned an equal number have married girls from Meghalaya, which has the  Eastern Air Command, at Shillong.

Talking about personal experience, I had the fortune or being introduced to some of the top echelon society girls. My facilitator was a local Tamil friend of mine who had studied with me at the  Stanes High school and was now a fairly big merchant involved in export-import in Madras. It is not important to take any name but I can add that this was the most relaxing time of my life. I had a senior colleague a Flying Officer and he confided that he was going to marry Tamil girl brahmin. I accepted to be his witness at the court marriage which subsequently took place. The girl's parents were against the match but later relented and give a big reception to their guests and relations. Now that so many decades have passed, I have been wondering as to what could be the reason that so many girls from Tamilnadu who come in contact with Punjabi men end up being their wives. 

Belly Dance in the Beduin village Dubai

Dancing into the NEW YEAR in UAE

Vintage Cars at Abu Dhabi Auto Museum

TheresaMay is acting like the lead Cheerleader to Trump's threat to attack Syria

US president has threatened Putin with war and a cruise missile attack on Syria and he has support from UK but May should know the danger

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File photo of wax image of Trump( Image credit-Ajale/ pixabay.com)

War clouds are on the horizon in the Middle East after the recent chlorine gas attack allegedly by president Assad.  Trump has promised a missile attack to punish Assad and the #British Prime Minister Theresa May has decided to back the Americans and most likely will join the attack by the #United States. Theresa May is acting like a cheerleader but she does not know the consequences of her actions.

The Washington Times has reported that after Trumps treat, tensions have risen.

History

One year back Trump had launched a missile attack on Syria. The attack achieved nothing and Assad continues to be in power. In fact, he is now the de facto ruler of entire Syria.

Trump has to realize that the situation is not what it was like in 1945 when president Harry Truman launched atomic bombs over Japan without fear of retaliation as the Japanese never had any A-bombs.

Cheerleader

Trumps attempt to bomb Syria along with cheerleader Theresa May could backfire badly. In case there are Russian casualties the Russians could retaliate and it could very well lead to a nuclear exchange and that could be the beginning of World War III.

Where does the UK stand in all this? Nikita Khrushchev the Soviet leader had once said that it would take just 5 H-bombs to wipe England from the world map.

Russia could still survive and so could America but?

Future

There is a need for moderation at the present time. The western powers have tried to cage Russia and destroy it with sanctions and expulsions. The Russians are incensed and many observers feel they will this time not allow the Americans to have their way in Syria. A nuclear exchange is something Trump doesn't understand. He is a naive person who once made a silly comment during the election campaign as to why the Americans had nuclear weapons if they were not being used.

 Donald Trump has no comprehension of a nuclear war. The British Prime Minister Theresa May would be well advised not to Tango with the United States and Trump on Syria. Syria is not a concern to the UK and the British attempt to show that it is a great power in the world will come to a cropper. Theresa May be well advised to look inwards at the state of affairs in the UK, then to try and pretend to be a great world power