Recently Team Anna has released a set of documents accusing 15 cabinet ministers of corruption along with basic documentary evidence. Watching what has been happening raises 2 important questions.
1. Are they right in blaming the PM ?
2. In the aftermath of the accusations why is the media focusing more on the differences in Team Anna rather than the a detailed analysis of the documents ?
Well the answer to the first question according to me is a resounding No. They have categorically said that they don't think the PM takes bribes but he is complicit when coming to reacting to corrupt activities and the 'coalgate' happened in a ministry directly under his supervision
The second question is really disturbing. Is there some kind of conspiracy behind this or is it just plain media sensationalism. Sometimes I think that the media must be under the payroll of the government they way they highlight the 'differences' rather than what the activists are actually trying to say.
From July 1–3, 1863, 172,000 American soldiers clashed in the Battle of Gettysburg, in what would prove to be a turning point of the Civil War.The battlefield was left with the bodies of more than 7,500 soldiers and 5,000 horses of the Army of the Potomac and the Confederacy's Army of Northern Virginia, and the stench of rotting bodies in the humid July air was overpowering. The people of Gettysburg decided to honor the dead and give them a decent burial and arranged for land, buried them all and called upon the President of United States. The speech he delivered on that day(less than 3 minutes) is the foundation of America today and there is the problem
The Gettysburg Address
This is the speech. I really admire this guy. What powerful words.
Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth, upon this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.
Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation, so conceived, and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met here on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of it as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.
But in a larger sense we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled, here, have consecrated it far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember, what we say here, but can never forget what they did here. It is for us, the living, rather to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they have, thus far, so nobly carried on. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they here gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain; that this nation shall have a new birth of freedom; and that this government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth. The Problem
This speech is the taught widely across the U.S and it is inscribed in a memorial in Washington. The problem is that nobody knows if Lincoln spoke these exact words as there are 5 different manuscripts of this speech and some of them are drastically different. So there is a good chance that the foundation which US has built itself upon might be words that were never spoken and not exactly as Lincoln intended it to be and like the famous "American Dream" , the foundation might also be built upon a bit of dreams. But hell, dreams are good and the words above are some of the most powerful that I have ever seen and I respect that country for bringing out stalwarts like Lincoln
There are good chance that you and I might get bombed off when doing an overnight train journey, a bus journey or even in a shopping mall. Yes, I am talking about the ever persistent threat of a terror attack.
If it’s some consolation, the whole world is now under the threat of terrorism. So, the fact that when we hear about terrorism, we have an unknown face of a masked man or a psychopath like Kasab is not enough. Let’s know our enemies. At least, I would like to know who the guy is who is going to harm me. Always hated surprises anyway.
Here goes:-
Al Qaida: - The original bad guys. Believe it or not, they are not much of a threat to India. Their focus is on the war with the west. Of course that doesn’t make them less dangerous for us.
Pakistani Taliban: - The aim of the Pakistani Taliban is apparently to overthrow the democracy in Pakistan and replace it with an Islamic republic like the one in Afghanistan. I know, it’s scary. Again they have other things of importance now. So India is not their immediate priority.
Jaish-e-Mohamed :-
India specific organization. Their aim – separate Kashmir from India
A relatively not so well know outfit
The leaders are of course from the Kathmandu hijack. Yes, we had them and then we let them out to wreak havoc.
Responsible for the attack on our parliament in 2001.
This is interesting: - The leader Maulana Masood Azhar was born in England and studied for a year in London School of Economics for a year
Lashkar-e-Toiba(Army of the Good) :-
Well known to all of us
Stated aim according to Wikipedia is to introduce an islamic state in South Asia and liberate the Indians in India.
They are supported by the Pakistan Army which makes them very potent against India.
Attacks against India
2003 : 24 Kashmiri pundits gunned down on the night of March 23, 2003.
2005: During Diwali, Lashkar-e-Taiba bombed crowded festive Delhi markets killing 60 civilians and maiming 527.
2006: Lashkar-e-Taiba was involved in serial blasts in Varanasi in the state of Uttar Pradesh. 37 people died and 89 were seriously injured.
34 Hindus were killed in Kashmir on April 30, 2006.
2006 : he investigation launched by Indian forces and US officials have pointed to the involvement of Lashkar-e-Taiba in Mumbai serial blasts on 11 July 2006. The Mumbai serial blasts on 11 July claimed 211 lives and maimed about 407 people and seriously injured another 768.[
2008 : Mumbai
Indian Mujahideen :-
This is sad. These are our own people. The people whom we need to fear the most
SIMI/IM has long-standing ties to global Islamist organizations, including Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Harkat-ul-Jihad-Islami (HUJI), and mafia as well as Pakistani intelligence agencies and other criminal and militant organizations beyond India. – From National Bureau of Asian Research
Major known attacks
2007 : UP Serial Blasts
2008 : Jaipur Bombings
2008 : Bangalore Serial Blasts
26 July 2008 : Ahmedabad Serial Blasts
13 Sep 2008 : Delhi Serial Blasts
2010 : Pune
What can we do about all this ? Other than being responsible citizens, I have no idea. Maybe participating more as active citizens and raising our voice against injustice anywhere. But for ordinary people like me that is just impossible and unthinkable.
In the film 'Wednesday', There is a dialogue like this 'We are Mumbiakars .. sometimes we get stuck in rain and sometimes in bombs'
Yes 'We are Indians .. Sometimes we do get stuck in bombs and gun fires ' Imagine if all these attacks happened in U.S or any other countries.
** Software Engineer Dude .. Most of the data here is copy paste from wikipedia .. :-) :-)
Trrrrrrinnnnnnnngggggg ....... The Alarm rang. I switched it off and went to sleep.
"Appu Get Up ....... Dont you want to go to the office today ... Its 9.00 a.m" said the old witch(My aunt). Wow great i thought. Great, 4 hours after the alarm rang. I should have got up earlier and gone to gym.
Reached office by 11.00. Load of work, I should have come earlier I thought. So much work.
An entire day in the office slogging hard. I should not have eaten such a heavy lunch. Its making me feel very very inactive and heavy. Its 9 in the night.
Damn Man Damn .. I should have had a much better day.
Reached home at 10. What about the promise to do self study for the course which you have enrolled into. Remember you left a chance to go onsite for it. I should have studied for it .... No not today. A whole days work is so energy sapping. Went to sleep. Tommorow will be a new day I thought.
Trrrrrrinnnnnnnngggggg ....... The Alarm rang. I switched it off and went to sleep.
5 Years Later .........
Trrrrrrinnnnnnnngggggg ....... The Alarm rang. I switched it off and went to sleep.
"Appu get up .. Dont u want to go to office ........ " , Says my wife. I should have got up early,
