Thinking Aloud

A Characteristic concoction 'Rational vs National' screamed the headline of the new pall bearer of secularism, the magazine Outlook. 'Fresh evidence available with Outlook reveals that not only has the ICHR been packed with 'sympathizers' the story announced 'but a new statement of objectives or resolution has been added, changing certain key words from original memorandum of Association of 1972, legitimized by an Act of Parliament. While the original Memorandum of Association states that ICHR's aims would be to give "rational" direction to historical research and foster "an objective and scientific writing of history" the new resolution which will be included in the Gazette of India, states that ICHR now seeks to give a "national" direction to an "objective and national presentation of history". So "rational" has been changed to "national" and "scientific" too has been changed to ...

Introduction: Real crime of these eminences does not lie in the loss they have inflicted in terms of money. It lies in the condition to which they have reduced institutions. It lies in their dereliction - because of which projects that were important for our country, have languished. It lies even more in the use to which they have put those institutions. But the worst of it is that  they have used their control of these institutions to pervert public discourse and thereby derail public policy. They have made India out to have been an empty land filled by successive invaders. They have made present day India and Hinduism, even more so, out to be a zoo- an agglomeration of assorted disparate specimens. They have belittled our ancient culture and exaggerated syncretistic elements which survived and made them out to have been an entire 'culture', the 'composite culture' as they call it. And all the while, they have taken care to hide the central facts about these com...

  And I read it in the news paper as well. It was the same one sided story that we have been shown and made to read again and again and with this ongoing media hijacking the news, people are left with no authentic source of information. After all, mediacroocks does have credence. The anti-national elements, who should be been sued for sedition have taken cover of freedom of expression and played the victim and the actual victims who have been suffering for decades, were sent to jail. One of the leading "page 3" daily, though some people call it news paper as well, reported that people don't have tolerance to accept alternative views and this intolerence is creating a dangerous society. It is worth noting and analysing as this seems a very geniune concern. So for the benefit of the readers I would try to list out few points where toleration of every Indian is expected:   1. Tolerate the intruder like imager of Indian army in its own country. 2. Toler...

दिवाली नहीं मैं धुआली हुई , उजाला है कम , मैं तो काली हुई | उजाला भी अब आतिशों की तरह है , पल भर को रोशन अँधेरा घना है , जलाओ दिए दिल में, कुछ हो उजाला ,                  मैं तो रुढियों की हूँ मारी हुई .                  दिवाली नहीं मैं धुआली हुई| वो दीपक की लौ का , हवा से लहकाना, वो अक्षत , वो चन्दन , वो फूलों का महकना , गंध बारूदी ने इन सब को पिछाड़ा ,                 मैं तो आतिशों की हूँ मारी हुई .                दिवाली नहीं मैं धुआली हुई | वो लक्ष्मी का पूजन , वो पुस्तक का पूजन , वो घर की सफाई , क़ि रहे दूर दुर्जन , उसी रात चौसर पे मदिरा चढ़ी ,                मैं तो खुद को जुए में हूँ हारी हुई   ...

Interestingly I realised that next day was Gandhi Jayanti by a strange crowd. Many ladies were standing by  the road besides their cars. Most of them were in fancy traditional attire  that seemed to be  crafted for special purposes. I got my  brain working  and soon I could identify - the ladies were in Chaniya Choli and some nearby standing guys, who were crowded on a counter , were in kafni payjama and kediyu, though pagadi was missing for the occasion. So they were coming from Garba. Now I shifted my attention to the  crowded counter.  Shortly the crowd made sense to me when I saw a a flex printing - "Buy Today, Tomorrow is Dry Day". On top of this was an epitaph  "Johnnie Walker --Keep Walking" followed by a stout man walking briskly,  apparently in a swirling  coat and a stick in his folded hands. When it comes to brisk walking, with stick in a hand, I could recall pages of my history book about 'Salt Satyagrah' that begun wh...

तुम हो दिन और रात सभी , मैं तो हों केवल एक प्रहर, तुम झर - झर बहती निर्झर सी, मैं तो हूँ केवल जड़ प्रश्तर . गुस्से में तुम तमतमाई शिव के तांडव की ज्वाला हो , मस्ती में तुम  बच्चन के मधुशाला की हाला हो,    जब आती है हाला शाकी बन, जैसे मुझ पर ही हो नश्तर..    तुम हो दिन और रात सभी , मैं तो हूँ केवल एक प्रहर ......... हंसी छिटकती है ऐसे, जैसे प्रश्तर पर छिटके जल हंसी मुखरती है ऐसे , जैसे खिलता है रक्त कमल   तुम गहरे पानी की ' मृणाल ' , मैं तो हूँ केवल एक भ्रमर    तुम हो दिन और रात सभी , मैं तो हूँ केवल एक प्रहर ......... केश सुनहरे लहराते ज्यूँ काले बादल में प्रकाश पलक झपकने की मादकता, ज्यूँ शाम ढले आकाश   मैं भ्रमित पथिक भूखा प्यासा , तुम हो एक जीवनदायी कहर   तुम हो दिन और रात सभी , मैं तो हूँ केवल एक प्रहर .... अधरों का हिलना ऐसे ज्यूँ , मंद- मंद सी कोई लहर रक्त अधर के मध्य प्रकाशित, मोती पंक्ति ज्यों प्रथम प्रहर    यह नैन -नक्श तीखे - तीखे , हो जाऊं न घायल लगता डर.       तुम हो दिन और र...