:: Blog@Uttiya ::

Finally, there are more voices joining into the assertion India has had all along – Pakistan harbors and even promotes terrorism. Just yesterday, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in no uncertain terms that “Osama Bin Laden is in Pakistan and someone high up in the Pakistani government knows where he is“. Someone in her position cannot make a loose statement, especially after the Dubya mess-up with Iraq and WMDs . There has to be concrete and credible evidence that supports such a public assertion.

Additionally, the accused of the India 26/11 conspiracy, David Headley has admitted under oath in the US courts that Pakistan Navy has trained the 26/11 attackers.

If there was any damning conviction of Pakistan’s role in global terrorism, this was it. Pakistan needs to awaken to the problems it faces with its unchecked non governmental militia and out of control provinces like South Waziristan. There is rampant talibanism in thse places and there are too may unchecked agents in the country. It is time Pakistan woke up from its denial and took strong, affirmative action to root out terrorism in the country.

just read this great news piece in the TOI. Finally, I can see some politicians with vision. Jitin Prasada is one such politician.

His vision of pushing state owned petroleum companies to improve services is a welcome boon for consumers. Thats what a proper education and experience in the corporate world can do for you. I really hope he does not get dragged down the the quagmire of mediocrity that is Indian politics.

Give us more such people!

Can we eliminate the politicians from India? I do not know who they are claiming to help. They claim to speak for the common man, but I am yet to see affirmative action from anyone which benefits the common man.

Take the recent Bharat Bandh for instance. A conservative estimate from FICCI is that the cost to the nation may have been close to Rs 130 Billion. Thats for ONE day.

Forget MNCs and IT companies. They are not for the so called “common man”. Let us talk about this common man for a bit, whose cause these politicians seem to espouse to vehemently and forcefully.

The common man in India works in small companies, in firms, in shops and showrooms, in warehouses, factories. He is the rickshaw driver, the auto driver, taxi driver, the small variety store owner, the helper in the grocery store, the truck driver, the class four employee in goverment jobs. The grass roots and below poverty line daily wage earner is the one whose case is always cited by the parties.

All of these people were inconvenienced by the bandh. The decision of the fuel price hike is not repealed, so basically we lost Rs 130 billion for nothing but a show of how a small number of politicians can hold a nation to ransom.

We need intellectuals in government, who are really interested in resolving issues. Instead, we get showboats and selfish demons who are only interested in doing nothing and ensuring the rest of the nation also does nothing. I call them economic terrorists.

We do not need these people to govern our country. Can we please get rid of them?

Am right now in Amsterdam airport. The airport is nice, albeit a bit confusing with the layout. The signage isnt helping either.

However, the place is well made and has enough to keep you occupied. Certainly not Singapore, but trying to get there.

What intrigued me most was an incident in the McD when trying to grab a byte. A Chinese guy called Wei, employed in McD, came up to me and we had an abrupt conversation, which went something like -

Wei: Good Morning

Me: Good Morning

Wei: Are you from India?

Me: Yes. Where are you from? Are you Chinese?

Wei: Bye Bye.

Well, whats the point of a conversation like that???

Taslima Nasreen is in the news again. This firebrand of a writer is no stranger to controversies, but has seen a steady decline in her popularity and media presence over the years. So she has decided to hit back.

I have no grudge against Ms. Nasreen. She is free to write what she wants. However, I do object to her shooting off her opinions while on a extended and decidedly unwelcome stay in India. We have been extremely patient and perhaps a bit too lenient with her, citing human rights and concerns on her safety in light of the fatwa on her in Bangladesh. However, aren’t the thousands of Bangla refugees in India enough? Why do we need one more, who is definitely far more troublesome than all the rest of the refugees put together.

Fact is, no one else wanted her. We have been far to hospitable to these irritants who are present in their thousands in India. Its time for them to go home. Athiti devo bhava is fine, as long as you are an atithi.

Recently, I have been following a multitude of media reports of the Shiv Sena blasting Mumbaikars left right and center for not being Maharashtrians enough.

All of which gives rise to a moot question – who is a Mumbaikar? Is it someone who lives in Mumbai, or is it a so called “Marathi manoos” – an ethnic Maharashtrian living in Mumbai? Having lived in Mumbai myself, I strongly believe it is the former.  It is the people of Mumbai who will define Mumbai, not the Shiv Sena. In any case, Mumbai owes a lot to non-Maharashtrians who have contributed significantly to its growth.

The Shiv Sena promotes itself as a saviour of the Marathi Manoos, but is hell bent on alienating the same Marathi Manoos from the rest of the Indian Diaspora. Maybe the question Sena should be asking itself is “Whose Sena am I?”

Do the new!!! TCS conceived rice husk water filter reaches the masses as Tata Swach. See the report here.

There is no dearth of predictions and even prophecies that the next war in the world will be for water. Today, one person has died in Mumbai when protesting regular water cuts. The death toll has started on the countdown to the water wars.

I have been seeing that increasingly, we can create real mashups and circles online. More and more people are also going online. The Twitter revolution is really amazing, with everyone and their uncle on twitter.

I have been on twitter for the last one year, but only recently became active. I have found the conversations stimulating, the people diverse, yet responsive and a strange sense of belongingness. Have met people who are visible and important, yet ready to talk and exchange ideas. This, I feel, is one thing that can yield enormous benefits to the world.

Soon, I hope, there will be others who will see the potential and online identity has and use the internet as a medium of communication and social change. This can bring about speed and transparency into the daily lives we lead. I am excited to be a part of it