Ramana's Musings

I desperately wanted to get this blog up and running without any hitch and everything intact before the end of 2008. This has been made possible by two young people who went out of their way to help and I wish to record my gratitude to them. One is our son Ranjan and the other is Amit Kumar Singh who is a techie. A visit to the latter’s blog is strongly recommended to those inclined towards computer technology. Ranjan has his own website design company which go ballistic from mid January when he will be relieved from his current employment.

Having got that very pleasurable task out of the way, let me come to the purpose of this post. It is to thank all my readers for the very encouraging support given to me on my attempts at blogging. Without such support and encouragement, I doubt that I would have stayed the course.

This post is also to wish all my readers a very happy new year. 2008 has been very interesting if occasionally bewildering and here is hoping that 2009 will be interesting and happy.

To leave all of you with something to think about, I leave with you another young blogger’s post where he asks some very interesting questions. Tarun Chandel is a young IT professional who was among the very first to encourage me to blog and I owe a debt of gratitude to him.

I subscribe to a monthly magazine published by the Embassy to India of the USA called ‘Span’.  I received their latest issue along with an insert that shows the American flag and the Indian flag side by side along with a message that reads – “Joined in sorrow, we stand together against terror.”

This little gesture from the American embassy sends me a great message.  That the Americans care.  This message was further buttressed by the visit, albeit a very brief one, from our dear friend Phil from Georgia, who comments fairly frequently on my posts, who too expressed the same sentiment while confirming that many Americans from his patch of green felt the same way.

I have already posted my feelings and thoughts about the 26th November act of terrorism in Mumbai which has now become known as 26/11.  That is how we write our dates, following our very long association with the British, the date first and then the month. Today, I read a fascinating blog on the motivation behind terrorism and I recommend that all my readers spend a few moments reading it here.

My friends and I are convinced that there is a great deal of relating to our angst by the American public.  Subsequent events have gone a long way towards convincing us that the Americans ache for us and wish to do everything possible to fight our ghosts as well as their own.

This post is about another related problem which perhaps is not receiving the attention that it deserves.  Despite all the drama that has taken place between Pakistan and India, Pakistan is again getting away with murder.  Despite overwhelming evidence provided by the FBI and the British intelligence, and despite Prime Minister Brown of the UK openly stating that most of the acts of terrorism in the UK can be traced to Pakistan, Pakistani establishment has flatly denied that no evidence exists to prove such accusations and that it will not take any action against the perpetrators of these heinous acts.

There are many readers of this blog from the USA and I appeal to them to do what they can to spread the information that American funding of Pakistan, in billions of dollars is going down the tube.  That state is being called a rogue state on the verge of economic collapse and some of its powerful military elements are hand in glove with the Taliban who in turn are in cahoots with the Al Quida.  The funds go to finance arms and the pockets of some of the powerful elements in the establishment, mostly military and military connected.  The arms are not being used to fight terrorism as the American establishment fondly hopes but to build up for aggression against India.  The Americans have been taken for a long ride over the last many years and for those interested, I shall give enough links to posts in blogs from American sources to confirm this.  The situation is no different now, post 26/11.

India has lived with Pakistan sponsored terrorism for the past many years, will live and deal with it in its own way in the foreseeable future.  India has alos fought four official wars and one unofficial one, with  Pakistan and has the wherewithal and confidence to fight again if necessary.  Unlike Pakistan, which has disowned its citizens on the latest act of terror and the last war in Kargil,  India has openly acknowledged its responsibility for its citizens. What is ground reality in Pakistan, is that  rogue elements with sufficient inputs and support from official elements within Pakistan’s ISI and armed forces are allowing the Talibanisation of Pakistan which is a dangerous portent for the West more than it is for us.

What more needs to be done to convince the American establishment that they are flirting with and financing a snake which will turn back and bite America sooner or later?

Tags: India, Pakistan, Terrorism

This is a test post to see if my blog is up and running. There is still some more work to be done which, all going well, I shall complete in the next couple of days. Moral of the story – Stay with WordPress 2.6.5 till 2.7 irons out all the wrinkles!

My posts between the 16th of September and the 16th of December have not been uploaded and they need to be uploaded. That is all that remains to be done and I shall be back in proper posting. In the meanwhile, just something to amuse you.

A friend of mine has sent an interesting cartoon strip which is for you to see and enjoy.  If you point the cursor on the pictures and click, it will expand to enable you to read the same comfortably.

Look forward to quite a few posts in the next few days.

A happy new year to all of you in case I am not able to post on the 31st!

Tags: Calvin and Hobbs, Capitalism, WordPress update

Cricket is one factor that unites India like nothing else perhaps does. You cannot meet an Indian who has not played cricket or has not been an ardent admirer of the game from the side lines. Each is also an expert on the game.

The Indian Cricket establishment is the richest in the world of cricket and its commercialization of the game has made billionaires of many players who compete with film stars for popularity and adulation.

Cricket is also a metaphor for India. One always can read more into a game than just the game itself and the latest game is a classic example of this.

India and England were to play seven one day and two five day matches. The first lot of five consecutive matches of one day games were duly completed with India winning all of them. The last two games were not played as the Mumbai attack took place.

The England cricket team even contemplated canceling the rest of the tour but, they decided that they would continue with the two test matches except that the venue for the first match was shifted from Mumbai to Chennai.

That the match was played, hopefully sent a loud and clear message to the terrorists that no matter what, Indians would continue with their normal lives as soon as possible and in this endeavor that the England Team helped by playing, made Indian hearts go out to them for doing so.

The match itself was a boring three and a half days for Indians, with England dominating the proceedings. The game took on a life of its own, on the last session of the fourth day’s proceedings when Virender Sehwag took the battle to the England camp with a swashbuckling performance. The ground work laid by him helped the following players to build on and under difficult conditions register an emphatic win.

The star of the match, though not the man of the match award winner, is a player from Mumbai who scored an unbeaten 103 runs to steer the Indian team to victory. He dedicated the win and his performance to the people who perished in Mumbai as well as to those who liberated the city.

If there was a message from the performance of all the players, from both the sides, that was this; terror cannot take away our spirit. I hope the powers behind the horror are listening.

Tags: Cricket, India vs England Test, Metaphor, Spirit

Recently, I have not been blogging as much as I normally do. This has been due to the turmoil that all of us went through post November 26, with telephone calls, emails, group mails, social network alerts and comments on posts etc. This activity has certainly tapered off but has not completely disappeared.

I was also preoccupied with the planning for the arrival of my father to live with us, his arrival and settling him in comfortably. After his arrival, some alterations to the bathroom to suit his convenience had to be arranged for and finally, all was completed to his satisfaction yesterday. His personal effects that have been trucked, is expected to arrive tomorrow and that will take a couple of days to unpack and arrange.

Next week therefore, promises to be busy with the unpacking to start with, my weekly class, and a planned for visit to fit my father with a hearing aid too. So, I may not be able to post much next week too. I am just about managing to keep up with reading my regular bookmarked blogs and commenting on them.

In all this, the horror of the recent terrorist attack has never been far away from my consciousness. There are so many mails and analysis in newspapers, magazines etc that one is not allowed to forget. The paradox of the captured terrorist singing like a canary, seeking forgiveness from India, all those affected and pleading to be sent back to Pakistan is an amazing development. This baby faced monster expects India to do all this? What drama!

If proof was needed that these animals do not have the same normal feelings that we other human beings have, can be summed up by the news item in the BBC. I reproduce it here to illustrate and also give a link for those interested to read the full article. The report is following the visit to Pakistan and Afghanistan by Mr. Gordon Brown, Prime Minister of Britain. Do read on.

“The prime minister’s visit to Afghanistan came a day after four Royal Marines were killed in two separate bomb attacks.

Mr Brown spoke of his “disgust and horror” at the willingness of the Taleban to use a 13-year-old child to deliver a bomb in a wheelbarrow to a Marine patrol, killing three men and the boy.” (Emphasis mine)

Tags: Afghanistan, Care-giving, Pakistan, Terrorism

My son Ranjan, goes for a walk/jog on a few mornings every week. He has made some friends at the jogging park of his own age and outlook and one of them Sandeep, has been visiting my blog on and off and offering some interesting comments.

Sandeep’s blog ‘Still Crazy After All These Years’ is an interesting one and you can learn a thing or two about this young lad. I have bookmarked the site and visit it and comment whenever there is a post.

I am yet to meet Sandeep and his, from all accounts, lovely new bride and hope to do so sometime next week.

Sandeep’s latest post on his recent visit to Almora up in the Hiamalayas is a very interesting one and I request my readers to visit it and offer whatever you wish to.

I intend discussing this matter with Sandeep and do something about sponsoring a child or some such help to the institution.

Tags: Almora, The Himalayas, The Mentally Handicapped

I take my readers to my post ‘Matrimonial Commitments’ of October.

If you go down the post to the comments, you will see a very clear comment from Susan Squire, the author of the book on which I had based my post.

After the exchange of comments, Susan and I exchanged some emails in one of which she promised, perhaps in a humorous way, that if indeed I bought the book, instead of borrowing it from a library, she would send me free of cost, her earlier book ‘For Better for Worse’. Keeping the spirit alive, I sent her proof of my having bought the book and lo and behold, today, I received by courier, her gift – an autographed copy of the book.

I also take you to my later post ‘Ground Zero Mentality’ in which, Jerry Davich quoted me as “”Earlier this year, he tried explaining to me how our long-distance relationship, despite such geographical and cultural distances, is for “a purpose which will unfold eventually.”

I have no doubts whatsoever in my mind that Susan’s gesture, and my using this post to publicly express my gratitude as well as my appreciation for her keeping her word, and the long distance relationship that has become possible due to the blogworld between the two of us too, will be for a purpose which will unfold eventually.

What do you think?

Tags: Jerry Davich, Keeping ones word, Susan Squire

My first blog went up in cyberspace on June 8, 2008. Today, I start the seventh month of blogging.

In the six months of blogging, this blog has registered 137 posts, 902 comments and has been favored with 8392 views.

It has been a satisfying experience. I have made a number of blogger friends and God willing, shall make many more.

I thank all my readers for the support and encouragement. I look forward to your continued support and encouragement.

I was introduced to this bloggers forum in its initial stages of launch and have found it to be quite an interesting forum. It has been launched by a blogger from Portugal, Mauro who is also quite an interesting character.

Mauro is struggling to get more traffic into his forum and I would really appreciate those of you who can, to visit his forum and see what he has on offer. Thank you.

Tags: BlogCrash

I am still in reaction to 26/11. It is however extremely difficult for me to write all that I feel as I may create more problems than India already has. I have therefore decided that I shall simply give three links and let others speak for me.

The BBC still calls them Militants!

Official Pakistan is in denial.

Indian leadership continues to be indifferent to urban public opinion.

In this scenario, there are some non Indian and sane voices that can be heard.

I just need to make one comment about our political and administrative leadership for my Indian readers. It occurs to me that no amount of public expression of outrage and disgust is likely to have any impact on our current leadership. All the urban population put together, does not make a difference to the quality of the politicians who matter. All of them get elected from rural India and some enter through the back door of the Rajya Sabha. If you look at the response from that point of view, many things fall into place.

Urban and informed Indians must look for other methods to get the leadership to listen to them.

Now for the three links.

Irfan Hussein writes in the Dawn of Karachi.

PIR ZUBAIR SHAH and GRAHAM BOWLEY write in the New York Times.

For the icing on the cake an editorial from the New York Times.

Tags: 26/11, Terrorism