I was reading an article about a smart thief in the united kingdom, he was working in a large bank as an accountant, he use to transfer 1 penny from account of each of account holder, and there were thousand of such account from where he use to transfer 1 penny every month, this he did for over 13 years and no-one took a note of 1 penny missing from their account.
At the end of 13 years when he retired from that bank, he took away millions of pound which he smartly transferred to his account.
This story reminds me of what our government is doing in India, they have recently discontinued the usage of 25 paise coin, how is this going to have an effect on common man?
Well all the price set by the government in India are not an absolute round figure, for example gas prices (petrol in India) costs 52.53 (without tax, each state has its own tax on petrol so prices will be different in each state). please note the 53 paise, do we have 1 paise or 5 paise or 10 paise coins in use in India?
No!! then why are these prices in paise? If anyone gets 1 ltr petrol he will pay 53 rupees and not an absolute 52.53 as the price is, this money will then eventually come to government, which will smartly take away the 47 paise and leave 52.53 in the account, this money is then moved into foreign bank as property of the politicians...
This is how our government is looting us, and we are allowing this to happen. In States where i live, we have all the coins in action starting from 1 cent to 1 dime to one dollar, here government is honest and they do not follow any colonial concept of rule.
When will we get freedom in my motherland?
Monday, April 18, 2011
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
A Bogus Crusade
It is laughable to hear the Government of Turkey describe Monday’s raid by Israeli commandoes on the so-called ‘Freedom Flotilla’ in which nine ‘peace activists’, including four Turks, were killed as a “bloody massacre”. If the death of four Turks who set upon the Israeli commandoes with knives and clubs, and shot at them after seizing their pistols, is a “bloody massacre”, then the chilling atrocities committed on Armenians by Turks surely amount to the genocide which they are described as but persistently denied by Turkey.
Let us not forget that the Armenian Genocide witnessed little girls being snatched from their mothers’ arms, dragged to the streets, raped and left to bleed to death; that young and old, men and women, were despatched to horrific deaths; that Armenian property was looted and what could not be stolen was set on fire; and, that tens of thousands were disinherited of their nationality and forced to seek shelter in alien lands. And all this happened without Turkish authorities lifting so much as a finger in admonishment.
Neither should we forget that till date Turkey has not owned up to that crime against its own people and against humanity, nor has it allowed others to recognise the massacre and worse for what it was. So much so, US President Barack Hussein Obama, who has sought a full report on the raid on the ‘Freedom Flotilla’ from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “ASAP”, chose not to use the word ‘genocide’ in his message on the 95th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide after promising to do so, presumably because he was mindful of Turkish sentiments.
Therefore, we really need not be distracted by the official reaction of Turkey which, apart from indulging in fiery rhetoric denouncing Israel and allowing thousands of Islamists to march on the Israeli Embassy in Ankara, has recalled its Ambassador to Tel Aviv. This could be Turkey’s first step towards snapping diplomatic ties with Israel, a country with which it has had cordial relations for six decades. It is Turkey’s sovereign right to decide how it conducts its foreign policy, as much as it is Israel’s right to decide how it responds to what is clearly a blatant Turkish provocation inspired by the ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP, which is increasingly veering towards assertive Islamism for reasons which I shall dwell upon later. First, a brief account of what happened on Monday and who is responsible for what Turkey has so colourfully described as a “bloody massacre”.
The ‘Freedom Flotilla’, a convoy of six ships of varying sizes, led by the Turkish-flagged Mavi Marmara, had set sail for the coast of Gaza, ostensibly carrying “urgently required relief material for impoverished Palestinians” living in the blockaded territory. The three-year-old blockade of Gaza Strip is being enforced by two countries, Israel and Egypt, for different though inter-linked reasons. Israel has imposed its blockade, including maritime blockade off the coast of Gaza, because it is currently in a “state of armed conflict” with the Hamas regime which has repeatedly attacked civilian targets in Israel with weapons that have been smuggled in via the sea route and through tunnels connecting the Palestinian territory with Sinai in Egypt. Gaza’s Rafah border crossing with Egypt has also been consistently misused by the Hamas militia for smuggling in arms, ammunition and explosive material. Egypt, which has a peace agreement with Israel and whose President Hosni Mubarak is not enamoured of either the Muslim Brotherhood, which is the progenitor of Hamas, or the Islamists who dream of Hamastan instead of Palestine, has not only closed the Rafah crossing but is also building a steel-and-concrete underground wall to prevent tunnels from being dug. The blockade of Gaza Strip, really, is in effect a joint Jewish-Arab enterprise. We could endlessly quibble over the details, but that would not change the reality on the ground.
The ‘Freedom Flotilla’ was ostensibly organised by the ‘Free Gaza Movement’, which claims the 1.5 million Palestinians of Gaza Strip are living in abject poverty on account of the blockade. Israel says food, medicines, fuel and all civilian goods are allowed to pass through the blockade and tales of suffering, impoverished Palestinians are either sheer propaganda meant to generate support for Hamas or exaggerated to paint Jews as the persecutors of helpless Arabs, put countries otherwise favourably disposed towards Israel on a guilt trip, and keep the mills of anti-Zionism grinding in Arabia and beyond. What is true is that Israel has prohibited the supply of material which can be used for building tunnels and fashioning improvised rockets that are regularly fired by the Hamas militia.
The tenuous ceasefire that followed ‘Operation Cast Lead’ has held, but there’s nothing permanent about it as Hamas considers it no more than a hudna, to be used for regrouping and rearming its forces before launching fresh attacks. Israeli authorities had repeatedly requested the ‘Freedom Flotilla’ organisers to hand over its ‘relief supplies’ for inspection before being despatched to Gaza Strip and not to attempt reaching the Gaza coast. The organisers refused to either allow an inspection of the cargo or to hand it over to the relevant Israeli authorities.
That’s understandable, because the purpose behind the ‘Freedom Flotilla’ was not to help the poor and the famished of Gaza Strip, but make a political statement that would find a resonance around the world, forcing Governments and people to lend their voice to a ‘moral crusade’ while ignoring Israel’s national security imperatives. The media chose to romanticise the ‘Freedom Flotilla’, sensing a soft story that would tug at the heartstrings of newspaper readers and television viewers, instead of raising relevant questions about the entire dubious exercise and exposing the real organiser of the flotilla, the Turkish Insani Yardim Vakfi, or IHH, an Islamic charity with a radical anti-Western orientation. There is sufficient documentation to prove that beyond its legitimate philanthropic activities, the IHH provides extensive support to radical Islamist organisations, including Hamas, and that in the past it has maintained contacts with and provided support to global jihad organisations.
Given these facts about those behind the ‘Freedom Flotilla’ and its dubious cargo of material to help Hamas build tunnels and produce improvised rockets, Israel was within its rights under international law to stop the ships in international waters as the purpose behind the ‘moral crusade’ was to undermine Israel’s sovereignty. Israel had two options: Either score cheap brownie points by retreating before bogus ‘moral crusaders’, or court equally bogus international opprobrium by protecting its national interest. It chose the latter, which, we in India with an effete Government must concede, requires a lot of gumption.
This brings us back to the enraged reaction of Turkey, more specifically of the AKP regime in Ankara, to Monday’s unfortunate incident provoked by the belligerence of the so-called peace activists, among them a crew of Al Jazeera and a Pakistani television anchor, on board the Turkish ship Mavi Marmara. A recent poll suggests a dramatic shift in Turkish public opinion with the Left-secular Republican People’s Party, or CHP, surging ahead of the Islamist AKP. The CHP is now seen to be commanding 33 per cent of the vote, compared to 31 per cent for the AKP. The Right-wing Turkish nationalist MHP stands third with 19 per cent of the vote. The next election is scheduled for 2011, but the AKP, according to reports, has been toying with the idea of calling an early poll rather than risk a worsening economic situation. In such a scenario, what better way for the AKP to shore up its electoral fortunes than by painting Jews as villains guilty of “bloody massacre” of Turks and by extension Muslims? Other Islamist regimes have played this game successfully, so why not the AKP regime?
This appeared as the main Edit Page article in The Pioneer on June 2, 2010.
Let us not forget that the Armenian Genocide witnessed little girls being snatched from their mothers’ arms, dragged to the streets, raped and left to bleed to death; that young and old, men and women, were despatched to horrific deaths; that Armenian property was looted and what could not be stolen was set on fire; and, that tens of thousands were disinherited of their nationality and forced to seek shelter in alien lands. And all this happened without Turkish authorities lifting so much as a finger in admonishment.
Neither should we forget that till date Turkey has not owned up to that crime against its own people and against humanity, nor has it allowed others to recognise the massacre and worse for what it was. So much so, US President Barack Hussein Obama, who has sought a full report on the raid on the ‘Freedom Flotilla’ from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “ASAP”, chose not to use the word ‘genocide’ in his message on the 95th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide after promising to do so, presumably because he was mindful of Turkish sentiments.
Therefore, we really need not be distracted by the official reaction of Turkey which, apart from indulging in fiery rhetoric denouncing Israel and allowing thousands of Islamists to march on the Israeli Embassy in Ankara, has recalled its Ambassador to Tel Aviv. This could be Turkey’s first step towards snapping diplomatic ties with Israel, a country with which it has had cordial relations for six decades. It is Turkey’s sovereign right to decide how it conducts its foreign policy, as much as it is Israel’s right to decide how it responds to what is clearly a blatant Turkish provocation inspired by the ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP, which is increasingly veering towards assertive Islamism for reasons which I shall dwell upon later. First, a brief account of what happened on Monday and who is responsible for what Turkey has so colourfully described as a “bloody massacre”.
The ‘Freedom Flotilla’, a convoy of six ships of varying sizes, led by the Turkish-flagged Mavi Marmara, had set sail for the coast of Gaza, ostensibly carrying “urgently required relief material for impoverished Palestinians” living in the blockaded territory. The three-year-old blockade of Gaza Strip is being enforced by two countries, Israel and Egypt, for different though inter-linked reasons. Israel has imposed its blockade, including maritime blockade off the coast of Gaza, because it is currently in a “state of armed conflict” with the Hamas regime which has repeatedly attacked civilian targets in Israel with weapons that have been smuggled in via the sea route and through tunnels connecting the Palestinian territory with Sinai in Egypt. Gaza’s Rafah border crossing with Egypt has also been consistently misused by the Hamas militia for smuggling in arms, ammunition and explosive material. Egypt, which has a peace agreement with Israel and whose President Hosni Mubarak is not enamoured of either the Muslim Brotherhood, which is the progenitor of Hamas, or the Islamists who dream of Hamastan instead of Palestine, has not only closed the Rafah crossing but is also building a steel-and-concrete underground wall to prevent tunnels from being dug. The blockade of Gaza Strip, really, is in effect a joint Jewish-Arab enterprise. We could endlessly quibble over the details, but that would not change the reality on the ground.
The ‘Freedom Flotilla’ was ostensibly organised by the ‘Free Gaza Movement’, which claims the 1.5 million Palestinians of Gaza Strip are living in abject poverty on account of the blockade. Israel says food, medicines, fuel and all civilian goods are allowed to pass through the blockade and tales of suffering, impoverished Palestinians are either sheer propaganda meant to generate support for Hamas or exaggerated to paint Jews as the persecutors of helpless Arabs, put countries otherwise favourably disposed towards Israel on a guilt trip, and keep the mills of anti-Zionism grinding in Arabia and beyond. What is true is that Israel has prohibited the supply of material which can be used for building tunnels and fashioning improvised rockets that are regularly fired by the Hamas militia.
The tenuous ceasefire that followed ‘Operation Cast Lead’ has held, but there’s nothing permanent about it as Hamas considers it no more than a hudna, to be used for regrouping and rearming its forces before launching fresh attacks. Israeli authorities had repeatedly requested the ‘Freedom Flotilla’ organisers to hand over its ‘relief supplies’ for inspection before being despatched to Gaza Strip and not to attempt reaching the Gaza coast. The organisers refused to either allow an inspection of the cargo or to hand it over to the relevant Israeli authorities.
That’s understandable, because the purpose behind the ‘Freedom Flotilla’ was not to help the poor and the famished of Gaza Strip, but make a political statement that would find a resonance around the world, forcing Governments and people to lend their voice to a ‘moral crusade’ while ignoring Israel’s national security imperatives. The media chose to romanticise the ‘Freedom Flotilla’, sensing a soft story that would tug at the heartstrings of newspaper readers and television viewers, instead of raising relevant questions about the entire dubious exercise and exposing the real organiser of the flotilla, the Turkish Insani Yardim Vakfi, or IHH, an Islamic charity with a radical anti-Western orientation. There is sufficient documentation to prove that beyond its legitimate philanthropic activities, the IHH provides extensive support to radical Islamist organisations, including Hamas, and that in the past it has maintained contacts with and provided support to global jihad organisations.
Given these facts about those behind the ‘Freedom Flotilla’ and its dubious cargo of material to help Hamas build tunnels and produce improvised rockets, Israel was within its rights under international law to stop the ships in international waters as the purpose behind the ‘moral crusade’ was to undermine Israel’s sovereignty. Israel had two options: Either score cheap brownie points by retreating before bogus ‘moral crusaders’, or court equally bogus international opprobrium by protecting its national interest. It chose the latter, which, we in India with an effete Government must concede, requires a lot of gumption.
This brings us back to the enraged reaction of Turkey, more specifically of the AKP regime in Ankara, to Monday’s unfortunate incident provoked by the belligerence of the so-called peace activists, among them a crew of Al Jazeera and a Pakistani television anchor, on board the Turkish ship Mavi Marmara. A recent poll suggests a dramatic shift in Turkish public opinion with the Left-secular Republican People’s Party, or CHP, surging ahead of the Islamist AKP. The CHP is now seen to be commanding 33 per cent of the vote, compared to 31 per cent for the AKP. The Right-wing Turkish nationalist MHP stands third with 19 per cent of the vote. The next election is scheduled for 2011, but the AKP, according to reports, has been toying with the idea of calling an early poll rather than risk a worsening economic situation. In such a scenario, what better way for the AKP to shore up its electoral fortunes than by painting Jews as villains guilty of “bloody massacre” of Turks and by extension Muslims? Other Islamist regimes have played this game successfully, so why not the AKP regime?
This appeared as the main Edit Page article in The Pioneer on June 2, 2010.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Changing the indian education system
The announcement made by India’s congress (I) government to do away with the board exam at the 10th class and to have one single school examination board has generated a huge debate in the country.
The abolition of 10th grade exam is mooted to reduce the stress of the students who have to undergo another exam at class 12.
Before we get into the details, lets examine the history of education system in india, not going into vedic system of education or that of Hindu kingdom such as Taxila and Nalanda format, we will start with the Education Commission of 1882-1884. The Company rulers and the Viceroy-Generals had arrived at a decision to form such a Commission to look into administrative affairs of the education system of India. Rurality was the order of the day in native education, when British interference was necessary for upliftment. From that day on, development of education under British rule had commenced. Several fields were looked into, like the system of revenue in education, female education, establishment of schools and colleges, affiliation of government run universities and funds allotted.
The turn of the century witnessed even more development in education under British ruling, when educational reforms of 1901-1904 came into consideration. The reforms were primarily made under the supervision of Lord Curzon, Viceroy of India. Initial resistance were dispensed with and the politically intelligent Indian class came into proper picture. In fact, had it not been for such native men, British educational system would never have been thus popular as it is in present times. To honour Indian contribution to education, several acts were made into law by the British government of India.
The present congress government wants to change the education system which was established as a result of prolonged period of thought process. Kapil sibal (union HRD minister) wants to change the methodologies adopted for evaluation of students and introduce a more soft and humpty-dumpty kind of evaluation system which in long run will greatly diminish the ability of next generation to think critically, evaluate a situation and respond accordingly.
It is a well known fact that Indian Institutes of Technology are known world-wide for their alumni who have made it to the top, not just in tech firms, but across the Fortune 500. Yet, in terms of teaching quality, no IIT is among the world's top 50 technical colleges. The quality of IIT graduates is already determined by the time they enter the institution.
If we make the evaluation process of students a namby pamby affair, we are in essence negatively affecting the thought process of the next generation of indians, which is unacceptable.
If we collectively examine the recent decisions of the present congress (I) government we observe a systematic departure from the values which has been the strength of this great nation and the idea on which our country was build, we also find a lack of vision in the present leadership of India. The concept that the recent activities of the congress (I) led govt. is not honest, gains strength if we combine this urgency to change the education system of india and recent decision to establish a sharia based bank in India, (Islamic bank of India) indicates something which is enough to cause concern amongst all indians who respect and honer the system which has evolved over a period of 20,000 years and has made them what they are today.
In few months from now, elections in some states of India are due to take place, I would urge citizens of india to evaluate the recent developments and understand the philosophy behind them and then vote, in my view, by changing the way we (the indians) are educated congress (I) party is trying to diminish the intellectual ability we had to critique, question and come to a logical conclusion after understanding the philosophy behind any act.
My self strongly oppose the changes introduced in the education system of india which would reduce the ability to think critically of those who are undergoing such a system.
The abolition of 10th grade exam is mooted to reduce the stress of the students who have to undergo another exam at class 12.
Before we get into the details, lets examine the history of education system in india, not going into vedic system of education or that of Hindu kingdom such as Taxila and Nalanda format, we will start with the Education Commission of 1882-1884. The Company rulers and the Viceroy-Generals had arrived at a decision to form such a Commission to look into administrative affairs of the education system of India. Rurality was the order of the day in native education, when British interference was necessary for upliftment. From that day on, development of education under British rule had commenced. Several fields were looked into, like the system of revenue in education, female education, establishment of schools and colleges, affiliation of government run universities and funds allotted.
The turn of the century witnessed even more development in education under British ruling, when educational reforms of 1901-1904 came into consideration. The reforms were primarily made under the supervision of Lord Curzon, Viceroy of India. Initial resistance were dispensed with and the politically intelligent Indian class came into proper picture. In fact, had it not been for such native men, British educational system would never have been thus popular as it is in present times. To honour Indian contribution to education, several acts were made into law by the British government of India.
The present congress government wants to change the education system which was established as a result of prolonged period of thought process. Kapil sibal (union HRD minister) wants to change the methodologies adopted for evaluation of students and introduce a more soft and humpty-dumpty kind of evaluation system which in long run will greatly diminish the ability of next generation to think critically, evaluate a situation and respond accordingly.
It is a well known fact that Indian Institutes of Technology are known world-wide for their alumni who have made it to the top, not just in tech firms, but across the Fortune 500. Yet, in terms of teaching quality, no IIT is among the world's top 50 technical colleges. The quality of IIT graduates is already determined by the time they enter the institution.
If we make the evaluation process of students a namby pamby affair, we are in essence negatively affecting the thought process of the next generation of indians, which is unacceptable.
If we collectively examine the recent decisions of the present congress (I) government we observe a systematic departure from the values which has been the strength of this great nation and the idea on which our country was build, we also find a lack of vision in the present leadership of India. The concept that the recent activities of the congress (I) led govt. is not honest, gains strength if we combine this urgency to change the education system of india and recent decision to establish a sharia based bank in India, (Islamic bank of India) indicates something which is enough to cause concern amongst all indians who respect and honer the system which has evolved over a period of 20,000 years and has made them what they are today.
In few months from now, elections in some states of India are due to take place, I would urge citizens of india to evaluate the recent developments and understand the philosophy behind them and then vote, in my view, by changing the way we (the indians) are educated congress (I) party is trying to diminish the intellectual ability we had to critique, question and come to a logical conclusion after understanding the philosophy behind any act.
My self strongly oppose the changes introduced in the education system of india which would reduce the ability to think critically of those who are undergoing such a system.
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