a dream song

Humanity is the issue

2010-10-29T18:11:00.000-07:00

Ah! all it takes is one statement from Arundati Roy to get the country fired up!

Yes she has her views and while I am not really with her on this one for now...I will give you some good reasons for me to applaud her.

At least Ms Roy has us thinking...and the only solution to Kashmir I see is humanitarian...for god sakes we have better relations with Pakistan than we do with Kashmir (or the North-Eastern states for that matter...) why can't we get the army out of Kashmir? At least 2 generations over there need to be calmed down before we can see peace in the valley and nothing that we are doin as mainstream Indians is helping at the moment. I want to see the children come into to cities like Mumbai and Delhi more often...they need to aspire and want peace...sending in the army to rape, pillage and kill isn't the answer.

That is what government after government has done and Kashmir is just one number...we've murdered Sikhs, we've killed and raped Christians and we've butchered in the North-East...now we gleefully add the central states to the list...yummie...Orissa, Uttaranchal and MP served straight up on a platter. Any part that even smells of a riot...we send in the army first!!

We don't really give a f@#k about the problems of the poor and the oppressed...destitute tribals in the North East, warrior tribes from the North West frontier, Muslims all over and yes all those in Kashmir this includes the Pandits there...have we asked ourselves why?? why are our brothers up in arms? Is it because Sanjay Dutt makes it look cool? Or maybe Salman?

Ah yes its wonderful to be born in Mumbai (mind you will still be f@#k*d if you are a Muslim...just ask your Muslim friend about the many people waiting for a Muslim paying guest or a rental! Thats of course only if you really have any Muslim friends in the first place!) But you are an animal if you're born in the valley or lets say in the now Maoist hotbed! No...its just the blasted cruelty of being born in a certain section...we don't really give a damn...these ignorant, brutes don't give a damn about their lives right...they are just trigger happy animals who can afford all the ammunition in the world....hey wait a min...how does destitute tribal and trigger-happy, ammunition-loaded warlords fit in one sentence....

FOREIGN HAND!!

Priceless...

So thats what the Kashmiris do...they seek the help of Pakistan and murder Indians! Now wait a min, this is very confusing...aren't they Indians to begin with?

So actually no...lets try this again! Kashmir is a part of India..we can prove that because its the Indian army thats there in the valley killing Kashmiris!?

ok I give up...Maybe we can ask Bal Thackrey to send Aditya there...try and teach them about peaceful demonstrations including but not limited to book burning.

Or we can seriously look at the next few generations...talk to them about peace...about art, dance, opportunities...

...about what we love and cherish in our India?

Bloodbath by Maoists, over 70 CRPF jawans murdered

2010-04-06T10:44:00.000-07:00

This is latest headline screaming across most news channels....

And there are a whole bunch of chickens running around with their heads cut off!

Why? Because at the same time, there are a bunch of intelligent people who are protesting in New Delhi about state violence in Operation Green Hunt.

News hounds reveal how well they research and how insightful they can be....they brand intelligent people like Arundhati Roy and Medha Patkar 'Maoist Sympathisers' and call for the government to revoke their passports!!

Both Arundhati and Medha are achievers in their own right and command respect for who they are and what they stand for...in this case it is not sympathy for murders...it is a realisation of how myopic the government has been and the fact that this is a clear case of the mistreated pet biting its owner.

A senior 'Journalist' on Times Now said — one can't justify the murder of 75 Jawans....and I want to yell out 'BEWAKOOF!!' The key word here is 'Jawans'!!!

These are armed men trained to kill...what is the choice...kill or be killed??? No!? I want to pause here and repeat that I am not a fan or supporter of violence...so there!

We need to realise that we are suckers that sit at home and drink in all that these idiots in AC studios tell us. So who are these Maoists?...and yes importantly also who are these Jawans? aren't they our own children? No...they're not! They're children of the poor and the tribals...both of them!

Now tell me am I a 'Maoist Sympathiser' too?

Life Behind The Iron Curtain-Tusha Mittal

2010-01-10T20:16:00.000-08:00

http://www.tehelka.com/story_main43.asp?filename=Ne160110life_behind.asp

The hounding of activist Himanshu Kumar is a parable about the war and panic in Chhattisgarh and the complete blackout of information, reports TUSHA MITTAL

Time out, Gandhi Himanshu fasting; December 2009. His ashram was rubbled by the State in May
PHOTOS: TARUN SEHRAWAT

HIMANSHU KUMAR is shaving his moustache to become more unrecognisable. Instead of the usual white kurta, he’s wearing a red shirt and jeans. The lights in his two-room rented house have been turned off. If you chanced upon him on a winter night in Dantewada, Chhattisgarh, speaking in hushed whispers about jumping off the back wall and disappearing into the darkness, you might have mistaken this Gandhian activist for a fugitive.

For the last 18 years, Himanshu has been trudging through the jungles of rural Chhattisgarh, empowering tribals, teaching them how to vote and bringing them access to food and healthcare through his Vanvasi Chetna Ashram (VCA). When his wife first joined him, he told her to replace her make-up kit with medicines. Despite living in this Maoist-dominated conflict zone for nearly two decades, despite its many intimidations, Kumar has never felt the urge to flee. Until now that is – when the might of the State is upon him.

Trouble first began to escalate in 2005 when the infamous Salwa Judum was launched. The VCA filed at least 600 complaints against human rights violations by the State and fake encounters by the police. Himanshu Kumar was transformed in the State’s eyes from trusted aide to adversary. In May 2009, his ashram was brutally demolished by the police. Now suddenly, the Gandhian activist has lost his liberty. He lives in a free country, but does not have the freedom to walk out through the front door of his own house.

“Should I get arrested and become a martyr or should I leave before they catch me?” Himanshu Kumar wonders out loud on the morning of January 4. He knows what happened to Binayak Sen. He knows he could be next. “I’m worried the police will implicate me in a false case. They could arrest me anytime now,” he says.

If the injured Shambo reached Delhi, she could be a big embarrassment

This is not misplaced paranoia. Himanshu’s makeshift ashram is under constant police surveillance. On January 3, his car was stopped by the police as it sped from Dantewada to Raipur carrying Sodi Shambo, 28, a tribal woman with a fractured leg held together by a metal rod. Shambo’s husband was tilling the fields on the morning of October 1, 2009, when Salwa Judum SPOs barged into Goompad village. One bullet from their guns split open her leg. Her children leapt towards her, covering her body. That could be why she is still alive. Nine others were killed during combing operations. Most were those who could not run away — Madvi Yankaiya, 50; Madvi Bajaar 50 and his wife Madvi Subhi, 45; their daughters Madvi Kanama, 20 and eight-year-old Madvi Mooti; and a newly married couple Soyam Subaiya, 20 and Soyam Subhi, 18. Another 2-year-old boy was found with his fingers missing. The Dantewada SP announced that nine Naxalites had been killed in an encounter in Goompad village. This is the tale the outside world would have believed, had Himanshu not met Shambo during a regular public hearing in the forest. She told him about the massacre she had witnessed; he ensured she filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court. The court accepted her petition and directed the state to file a response.

Had Shambo reached Delhi, where she was headed for medical treatment, she could have become a major embarrassment for the Chhattisgarh government. This is why Himanshu and Shambo were suddenly surrounded by police on the highway and detained at Kanker police station. There was an order from the Dantewada SP that Shambo be produced in the police station to record her statement on the Goompad killings. Shambo had been living openly in Himanshu’s ashram in Dantewada for the last two months but the police had not approached her for a statement. “We did not know where she was. We were trying to find her,” says SP Amaresh Mishra ingenuously. “I found out through an Internet forum that Himanshu was taking her to Raipur. I also got a letter from Shambo’s masi two days ago accusing Himanshu of vanishing Shambo all this while.” This was a patently concocted assertion given that Himanshu had presented Shambo to the media at a big press conference in Delhi in October. Clearly, a false case of abduction against Kumar was in the works. According to Colin Gonsalves, a senior advocate who has filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court on the Shambo case, it’s actually the other way around. “This amounts to illegal abduction by the police. Shambo is not an accused. She cannot be forced to go anywhere,” said he.

On January 4, Shambo was sent to Maharani Hospital in Jagdalpur for further treatment under police “security.” Sudhir Thakhur, the doctor responsible, admitted the hospital did not have the required medical facility to perform Shambo’s surgery. TEHELKA was not allowed to speak to Shambo at the hospital, despite a guarantee from the Dantewada SP that she was not being kept in confinement. Even after the director of the hospital gave permission, police personnel guarding Shambo’s bed refused to let us near her. When we tried to talk to the ward nurse, the police ensured they overheard the conversation.

As Himanshu shaves off his moustache in the darkness, it is almost as if he is at a tipping point. Caught in a pool of quicksand, he must leap out immediately or sink. “My faith is not shaken. I’m just feeling trapped inside a web. To break this perhaps it is necessary for me to go fight from a new place. I am not running away. I just need to change my location.”

THE BATTLE between the State and Maoists is well known. But in Chhattisgarh, another battle has been fast gathering steam — between the State and civil society, between a policed existence and the idea of democracy, between a coerced media and free speech. Himanshu Kumar is now at the centre of that battle. Over the years, he had become one of the few bridges that link the rest of India to the remote jungles of Chhattisgarh. Given the national media’s neglect, and the absence of a robust local press, he was perhaps the only disseminator of an alternate reality. Without him and a few other activists working in the area, there would be only one version — that of the State. This is what the Chhattisgarh government is now trying to create. Every few days there is news of an encounter — six killed in Jagargunda, another six killed in Gumyipal. No one knows if these are Naxals or ordinary tribals. The State doesn’t seem to want anyone to find out.

At a recent press conference in Raipur, Chhattisgarh DGP Vishwa Ranjan told journalists on record that there could be police action against them if they wrote in favour of Naxalites. Two weeks ago in Dantewada, DIG SR Kalluri called journalists into his office for one-on-one sessions. “He told us not to write in favour of the Naxals (euphemism for not writing anything against the State) and said the police have their eyes on us,” says NRK Pillai, vice-president of the Chhattisgarh Working Journalists Union. “The atmosphere isn’t conducive. There’s no one really to back us. Press owners will not stand by us. There’s always the fear of what will happen to our families.”

The State has declared war not just on Maoists but also on civil society

In the last two months, as Operation Green Hunt has got underway, the Chhattisgarh government has upped the ante in its efforts to squash any space for dissent and democratic protest. Stories from the jungles are not being allowed out; neutral outsiders are not being allowed in.

In a free state Shambo and Himanshu Kumar detained at Kanker police station on January 3

On December 29, 2009, Delhi University professor of sociology Nandini Sundar and political science professor Ujjwal Kumar Singh arrived in Bastar to undertake an independent survey of the situation. They found all the hotel rooms in the small towns of Dantewada and Sukma mysteriously full, out of bounds for them. The professors had to spend the night in a jeep, before they got accommodation at a boys’ hostel. There too, seven armed SPOs barged into Sundar’s room, then spent the night patrolling the grounds outside. The next day two jeeps of armed SPOs followed the professors around until they left Chhattisgarh, ensuring they could make no neutral enquiries from villagers about what was happening on the ground.

TEHELKA was meted the same treatment. On January 4, we were denied the right to stay at Madhuban Lodge, the only hotel in Dantewada. The receptionist opened rooms for us at first, but suddenly changed his mind when he got a call from his manager. The manager said the hotel had orders from the police not to give rooms to journalists without a “proper enquiry.” Dantewada ASP Rajendra Jaiswal denied that any such order exists but refused to call the hotel to clarify this. “Why should I help a stranger?” he told TEHELKA. Later, the hotel owner said all the rooms were needed for a family function.

On January 6, a band of activists, including Medha Patkar and Magsaysay award winner Sandeep Pandey, were assaulted with stones and eggs as they marched to the SP’s office in Dantewada for some answers. The police looked on.

Though there is little clarity on whether the offensive against the Naxals – Operation Green Hunt – has officially begun, another kind of assault certainly has. So far, Himanshu Kumar has certainly borne the brunt of it.

On December 14, 2009, a mob several hundred-strong surrounded Himanshu’s ashram, shouting slogans like “Himanshu Bhagao, Bastar Bachao”. They were protesting a padyatra he was about to undertake to engage with the tribals. Such an expedition would boost the morale of the Maoists and dampen that of the security forces, they alleged. According to Himanshu, the mob consisted of SPOs and tribals lifted from Salwa Judum camps to stage a demonstration. The padyatra was to be followed by a satyagraha to protest police excesses and a jan sunvai (public hearing) to take stock of ground realities post the declaration of Operation Green Hunt. In what was being perceived as a sign of positive intent, Home Minister P Chidam baram had agreed to attend the public hearing. Human rights groups from across the country were scheduled to participate. But that came crashing down when the State decided it would not allow anyone to explore its territory.

Hotels have orders from the police not to give rooms to any journalist

HIMANSHU RECEIVED a notice from Reena Kangale, the Dantewada collector, prohibiting him from initiating any public assembly. “Section 144 was imposed because of municipal elections,” says Kangale. “I denied permission for a padyatraand issued a prohibitory order stating the police can take action if any public meetings happen without my consent.” On December 13, an all-women fact-finding team was stopped at several points enroute to Dantewada and not allowed access inside. The Chhattisgarh Governor advised Chidambaram not to attend the jan sunvayi for safety reasons. The Home Minister stayed put.

The mob attack from “tribals” was also used as a pretext to send a jeep of armed SPOs as security for Himanshu. “There is a threat to his life. The tribals are unhappy with him. We are giving him police protection,” Dantewada SP Amaresh Mishra told TEHELKA. That Himanshu himself has written to the SP stating he does not want this protection is irrelevant.

The police “protection” has successfully hampered Himanshu’s work. He is unable to visit villages on fact-finding missions. Any complaints from tribals against the State bring instant reprisals. There have been other intimidations. Under pressure, Himanshu’s current landlord, an employee of the local district council, asked him to vacate the house in a few weeks.

To disable Himanshu further, his key aide Kopa Kunjam was arrested on December 10 on charges of murdering a former sarpanch, Punem Honga. Honga was abducted by Maoists along with another sarpanch who had been traveling with Kopa on his bike on July 2, 2009. According to VCA, the night before he was arrested, Kopa was offered Rs 25,000 to quit working with Himanshu and warned of dire consequences if he continues. Kopa refused the money. Sukhdev, another backbone of the VCA, was threatened with a similar fate after Kopa’s arrest. He quit. Lingu, another aide who also quit, confirmed to TEHELKA that he was with Kopa at the Dantewada police station the day before Kopa’s arrest, and was present when the police tried to convince Kopa to take up “other more meaningful work”.

The Maoists are not willing to talk, and the State is clearly not allowing any other dialogue. Himanshu’s struggle becomes more poignant in the backdrop of the violence being unleashed all around it. The Maoists continue to fell trees, block trains, abduct and kill. The Salwa Judum continues to rape women, burn houses, loot and kill. Amid all the chaos, as the year ended, one man sat in a white kurta, under a sprawling tree, spooling a loom of thread. He had not been allowed a padyatra or a satyagraha or ajan sunvai, so he was fasting to protest State atrocities. But events over the last two days have forced the man in the white kurta to shave his moustache and turn into a man in red shirt and jeans — a reminder of an original freedom struggle, being scuttled all over again.

WRITER’S EMAIL

tusha@tehelka.com

From Tehelka Magazine, Vol 7, Issue 02, Dated January 16, 2010

A small tribute to Faster Fene

2009-12-29T23:11:00.000-08:00

Hey guys....

I have started a small facebook group dedicated to Aamchi Fafe.

Do join in the masti!!

cheers

A small addition

2009-12-04T03:38:00.001-08:00

Found this on a website...the link is here below

http://sify.com/news/the-murder-before-kargil-news-national-jfpxcPijegg.html

The murder before Kargil

2009-05-15 23:02:52
Last Updated: 2009-05-20 10:00:02

By Sumit Walia

Public memory is shortlived.

What else can explain the fact that as we debated, discussed and disseminated news about the elections on May 15, not one newspaper, not one television channel, not one website, remembered that it was on this day 10 years ago, that Lt Saurabh Kalia and his five member team were captured by Pakistani intruders in Kargil.

These young men were subjected to brutal and inhuman torture for almost 22 days, before they were shot dead on June 6-7, and their mutilated remains returned to India.

Even as we ponder over the next government, let us take a few moments to remember their supreme sacrifice.

Sify urges you to take a minute to pay tribute to our Kargil Heroes

The Kargil war may have officially started on May 26, 1999, when the Indian Army & Air Force decided to launch joint a offensive to throw out the Pakistani intruders. But the intrusion was detected long before that, on May 3, when two local shepherds named Tashi Namgyal & Tresing Morup reported seeing strangers on a ridgeline in the Batalik sector. On May, 4, the 3 rd Punjab Regiment sent out a patrol to verify the report, while Lt. Saurabh Kalia of the 4 th Jat Regiment led a patrol in the Kaksar area. But Lt. Kalia had to return due to heavy snow.

On May 14, the 4 th Jat Regiment decided to send another patrol to check the strategically important Bajrang post. A junior officer was to lead the patrol, but like a true Indian Army officer, Lt Kalia volunteered to lead the 5 man patrol, comprising sepoys Arjun Ram, Bhanwar Lal Bagaria, Bhikha Ram Moola Ram and Naresh Singh.

But once again, heavy snow prevented them from reaching Bajrang post on that day, and they resumed their patrol the day after. But as they neared their objective around 3.30 pm May 15, they were suddenly fired upon by the intruders who had occupied the Bajrang Post. They reported the incident back to battalion headquarters, seeking urgent reinforcements.

Lt. Kalia and his team fought back, but soon ran out of ammunition. Hours later, long before the reinforcements could arrive, they were surrounded and captured.

Capt. Amit Bhardwaj was leading the reinforcement column of 30 men when they were ambushed en route by Pakistani soldiers armed with light & medium weaponry. With the help of Havildar Rajbir Singh, he decided to divert the attention of the enemy & ordered his Second-in-Command to get the men out of the battle area. The two gallant men were killed, the others survived, though all were wounded. The bodies of Captain Bhardwaj and Havildar Singh were recovered after 57 days.

No Kargil without Musharraf

Saurabh Kalia was the son of Dr N K Kalia, a senior scientist at the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research and Vijay Kalia in Palampur, Himachal Pradesh. Born June 29, 1976, he graduated in May, 1997. Academically brilliant, he initially he wanted to be a doctor, but destiny had other, grander plans for him.

The young man appeared for the Combined Defence Services exam when all his friends skipped the exam to watch a movie. After clearing the exam, he went through SSB & was rejected by Army's medical panel twice, once for heart murmur & then for tonsils. But he persisted, and joined the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun in August 1997. Commissioned on December 12, 1998, he he joined 4 th Jat Regiment in January 1999.

"Today I am proud that I have joined 4 th Jat regiment & one day, 4 th Jat would be proud that Saurabh Kalia joined this regiment" he declared on that day. They were fateful words.

Musharraf and our national shame

In Palampur, Dr. Kalia was unaware about his son's capture till 31 st May, when The Tribune said "The intrusion in the area was detected by Lt. V.K. Kalia & his patrol party. His party is missing since then but Skardu Radio in Pakistan has announced that they have captured the men alive".

But the initials were wrong, so Dr. Kalia assumed that the unfortunate officer was someone else with the same title. This was buttressed by the fact that the date of incident quoted in this news was May 6, while Dr. Kalia had received a letter from his son dated May 10.

There was no news for next 8 days. On June 7, The Indian Express reported that "On the morning on May 6 th , 1999 Lt. Saurabh Kalia led a patrol of 5 men in Kaksar area & is missing since then. Army sources say he is missing but officers & Jawans of his unit say they saw him being hit by enemy fire".

This time all the details were right, but the letter dated May 10 kept Dr Kalia's hopes alive. But being a father, Dr. Kalia could not resist calling Army Headquarters the next day to cross-check, and found his world crumbling around him.

Army Headquarters confirmed that Lt. Saurabh & his party was missing since 15 th May. On June 9, they heard news that Pakistan had returned the badly mutilated bodies of six Indian soldiers. Dr. Kalia still did not know if one of them was that of his son. At 2 pm, Doordarshan news confirmed the arrival of bodies of Lt. Saurabh Kalia & other 5 soldiers. Soon after, he received a phone call from Army Headquarters confirming this.

Lt. Saurabh's younger brother Vaibhav Kalia went to identify the body.

In his own words: "Saurabh' face was the size of my finger, eyebrows was the only visible feature, there were no eyes, no jaw, nothing. There were cigarette burns all over his face. My parents could not have seen him".

Postmortems of the bodies were conducted by a panel of doctors from Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi but a copy of this was not provided to the family as per Army' regulations.

But the Death Certificate (click on image above) of Lt. Saurabh Kalia clearly shows how brutally Pakistani soldiers tortured these six men. Their eye-balls were removed; ear drums were punctured; nose, upper & lower lips were smashed; their index finger was cut (as this finger is used to fire a rifle); forearm & right shoulder was broken; cigarette burns were visible all over the body; their private parts were chopped; back of the head was smashed by a rifle-butt so badly that the skull was visible.

These six brave soldiers went through this hell for 22 long days before being finally shot dead by their Pakistani captors. After violating all international human right laws, Pakistan blatantly denied the torture of the six soldiers and rejected India's demand to punish the guilty.

Lt. Kalia's body wrapped in the tricolor arrived back his home before his first salary was credited in his bank account. More than 6,000 people gathered to receive the brave warrior's remains.

The Kalia family's grief was unimaginable, but the support of 1 billion Indians gave them strength. Dr. Kalia received over 80,000 letters & emails along with uncountable phone calls. All these letters & all the articles that ever had the honour to be associated with Lt. Saurabh Kalia has been preserved with great care, affection & love by Kalia Family in a one room museum in their house in Palampur.

That room is like a temple for a soldier. On can find Lt. Kalia's dress, cap, badges, his black tin trunk, shoes, alarm clock, bottle of Chelpark ink, poster of Aishwarya Rai that he had in his room in IMA, his own photographs, among other things.

Lt Kalia made not just the 4 th Jat Regiment, but the nation proud. Which is why even as we ponder over the fate and composition of the new government, we urge you to take a few minutes out to remember these six young men who disappeared on this day, 10 years ago.

It's the least we can do as a nation.

The author is an IT Specialist. He is also a military history buff who continues to explore & research various facets of the Indian Military history in his spare time.

Pay your tribute to a hero

2009-12-04T03:20:00.000-08:00

I received this email today....you can go thru it and then have a dekkho at what I have to add to this...

Dear Sir/Madam ,

SPARE 5-MINUTES from ur busy schedule .PLEASE !!!

Lt. Saurabh Kalia of 4 JAT Regiment of the Indian Army laid down his
life at the young age of 22 for the nation while guarding the
frontiers at Kargil.
His parents, indeed the Indian Army and nation itself,
lost a dedicated, honest and brave son..
He was the first officer to detect and inform about
Pakistani intrusion. Pakistan captured him and his patrol party of 5
brave men alive on May 15, 1999 from the Indian side of LOC.
They were kept in captivity for three weeks and
subjected to unprecedented brutal torture, evident from their bodies handed over
by Pakistan Army on June 9, 1999.
The Pakistanis indulged in dastardly acts of inflicting burns on these Indian officers with cigarettes, piercing their ears with hot rods, removing their eyes before puncturing them and breaking most of the bones and teeth.
They even chopped off various limbs and private organs of the Indian soldiers besides inflicting unimaginable physical and mental torture.

After 22 days of torture, the brave soldiers were ultimately shot dead. A detailed post-mortem report is with the Indian Army. Pakistan dared to humiliate India this way flouting all international norms.
They proved the extent to which they can degrade humanity. However, the Indian soldiers did not break while undergoing all this unimaginable barbarism, which speaks volumes of their patriotism, grit, determination, tenacity and valour - something all of India should be proud of.
Sacrificing oneself for the nation is an honour every soldier would be proud of, but no parent, army or nation can accept what happened to these brave sons of India. I am afraid every parent may think twice to send their child in the armed forces if we all fall short of our duty in safeguarding the PRISONERS OF WAR AND LET THEM MEET THE FATE OF LT.SAURABH KALIA.
It may also send a demoralising signal to the army personnel fighting for the Nation that our POWs in Pak cannot be taken care of. It is a matter of shame and disgust that most of Indian Human Rights Organisations by and large, showed apathy in this matter.

Through this humble submission, may I appeal to all the civilized people irrespective of colour, caste, region, religion and political lineage to stir their conscience and rise to take this as a NATIONAL ISSUE !!!
International Human Rights Organizations must be approached to expose and pressure Pakistan to identify, book and punish all those who perpetrated this heinous crime to our men in uniform.
If Pakistan is allowed to go unpunished in this case, we can only imagine the consequences.
Below is the list of 5 other soldiers who preferred to die for the country rather than open their mouths in front of enemy -

1. Sep. Arjun Ram s/o Sh. Chokka Ram; Village & PO
Gudi. Teh. & Dist.
Nagaur, (Rajasthan)

2. Sep. Bhanwar Lal Bagaria h/o Smt. Santosh Devi;
Village Sivelara;Teh.&
Dist.Sikar (Rajasthan)
3. Sep. Bhikaram h/o Smt. Bhawri Devi; Village
Patasar; Teh.
Pachpatva;Distt.Barmer (Rajasthan)

4. Sep. Moola Ram h/o Smt. Rameshwari Devi; Village
Katori; Teh. Jayal;Dist...
Nagaur(Rajasthan)

5. Sep. Naresh Singh h/o Smt. Kalpana Devi; Village
Chhoti Tallam;
Teh.Iglab; Dist.Aligarh (UP)

Yours truly,
Dr. N.K. Kalia (Lt. Saurabh Kalia's father).
Saurabh Nagar,
Palampur-176061
Himachal Pradesh
Tel: +91 (01894) 32065

Please sign in by writing your name and then copy and
paste it again to forward it to your friends and relatives. Let us give a supporting hand to Dr. Kalia in his efforts to get justice..
Remember, Lt. Kalia and his colleagues died on the front so that we could
sleep peacefully in our homes.

PLEASE DON'T BREAK THE ONWARD MOVEMENT OF THIS MAIL.
WE SEND ALL SORTS OF SILLY MAILS TO OUR FRIENDS WHICH
COMPEL ONE TO FORWARD BY SAYING THAT IT MAY HARM YOU IF YOU WON'T DO SO. BUT
HERE IT IS NOTHING LIKE THAT, IT WILL ONLY BE YOU WHO WILL FEEL
SATISFIED IF YOU WILL CONTRIBUTE TO THE CAUSE.
JAI HIND .....Victory to India !!

...ok now my turn...

this is horrendous of course and while my sympathy is with his family and my heart foes out to them...I suggest we look at ourselves "India" first before we point a finger at others "Pakistan"

i)The Army left 5 soldiers at an advanced position even though "Massive infiltration of mercenaries covered by firing by heavily armed Pak troops" was reported...?? How is this possible? what were the officers thinking? what were these 5 jawans gonna do?

ii)They spent most of the day returning fire until their ammunition ran out...and even after they were captured, back up arrived after the Pak troops had vanished...leaving no trace...Impressive na?

iii)It is also believed that their signal instruments were not functional or had failed in the conditions....very likely...I've trained with various regiments when I was in the NCC and the pathetic state of arms and ammunition they have no option but to use is well known...I have known an entire regiment to have just one MMG (Medium Machine Gun) and no HMG (Heavy Machine Gun)and that too the MMG was not fit for action...they only used it for display and exercises!!

iv)And this is the best part ----the Indian Government has not stepped forward to acknowledge or award these soldiers and their bravery...wonderful...thanks for your lives but...lets move on! How touching and sincere and grateful!

So why do we even start with Pakistan when we have our own devils to contend with?

Peace

A stinker

2009-11-19T21:08:00.000-08:00

well this just was a few of my thoughts that tumbled out once I read a post on FB that really p#$$*d me off!

Dear Chandar....even I'm tempted now...

You see its really nice to hear you speak english on FB but you aren't British right? I'm sorry but I am an East Indian...and you can't get more Bambaiya than them...we are considered original settlers...but i still point out to the word settler!

You see my mother tongue happens to be English...yea two generations ago at least most of my family have lost their original language!

But then again...at that time there was no Maharashtra? Why do we harp on something that we have known for about half a century?...in the same breath forgetting that centuries ago the land was one? We are all brothers...be it someone from Chennai or from UP...I'll take a stand here and even include the Pakistani's, the Bangladeshis, the Tibetians and the Burmese...(but thats just so that hopefully you see my point..cos i am a big believer in the 'world is one' concept!)

My biggest problem is with the 'YOU' factor!! it is the easiest thing in the world for POLITIANS (and this happens the world over...from Hitler to the Americans to Mugabe!!) pick out something that alienates a section of people...the minute we as a people subscribe to the 'YOU' concept we admit defeat!

Today it is the Marathi Manoos...but has Raj or Bal have any idea how many types of Marathi are spoken? what if every dialect and type want their own state...do you realise how idiotic this is?

So please save the need to follow Maharashrian culture and Marathi Language...we learn it in schools and I can speak and write it...but it is still not my mother tongue and I dont think in Marathi!

And about the develop their own states theory I'd like to know which Marathi built the Indian railways or the port that made Mumbai so powerful? or maybe all the missionary schools that Bala Sahebs family goes to?

Jai Hind

Into a city that riles you...

2009-10-01T00:32:00.000-07:00

out from a home...and into the heartland...from the metro to a land that struggles to be cool...away from the pulse and into languor...forget your blood and hope for some life support!

This is Pune and I already miss my bbay!

2009-07-15T18:52:00.000-07:00

i have discovered that over the last few years Brasil has grooved to a new talent and that is Maria Rita....this diva is a true star in her own right

...and this is even more amazin....she is the daughter of a true legend...and I'm talking about the one and only... Elis Regina here is her greatest track

Salut!

2009-04-09T19:19:00.001-07:00

gosh ive finally managed to upload a video of these guys on my blog page!

I love the styling and while the video is in Simon Cowell's famous words "boring and self indulgent!" it ooozes with colour, great photography and a really good sense of composition...do have a dekkho folks!

I see a different you

2009-04-09T19:06:00.000-07:00

(sigh!)...into the whorl of all my memories..all kinds of strains…music..sights…fragrances and whole lot of what not…I get a cozy feeling of having been thru a time and space…where I have been loved like I am now and where I loved…

…maybe a past life? Maybe a figment of my imagination…but it is there a strong sense of me somewhere that isn’t here.

http://www.myspace.com/koop

Had come across these guys some time back and am really really impressed with their music…may they be blessed with a hell of a lot of success.

I’m waiting to hear more guys!

Enur feat. Natasia – Calabria 2007

2009-03-22T02:10:00.001-07:00

Enur feat. Natasia – Calabria 2007
Video sent by wiredset

Chk this one out folks...this is as bombastic as you get~This is the Ultra Records we all know and love – hot beats to get your feet tapping and booty shaking. “Calabria,” by Enur feat. Natasia, is as hot as you can get, unless you can think of something better than sexy, wet girls dancing around in booty-shorts, cropped tops, lingerie, and other items of underwear that leave little to the imagination. :) This video doesn’t shy from very revealing ass shots, either. Ok – who else is getting all hot and bothered? Check out more at http://www.ultrarecords.com/.">http://www.ultrarecords.com/.">http://www.ultrarecords.com/.">http://www.ultrarecords.com/.">http://www.ultrarecords.com/.">http://www.ultrarecords.com/.

been a long long time...

2008-03-02T23:33:00.000-08:00

Hey.....its been ages and though I have often thought of this space..well..I just never got down to it...so there...
well the things that are happening in life now..

Tigers in the air! hahahhahaha....Britannia's first fully animated TVC is on air..(Britannia Tiger Banana Biscuits) and we had a lot of fun doing it!
Finally I guess I have developed some facsination for cricket! Crikes!! (What with India doin decently well down under and the colts winning the U-19 World Championship while staying unbeaten in the tournament...phew!
Also this seasons American Idol has blown me away...haven't really watched too much of the past seasons...but just a chance viewing this season has me hooked...there is oodles of talent on display...with the top 24 just out of this world...whooof...serious must watch!
Am putting in some good time with my sketching (will try n post some stuff soon :)
hope to translate this good showing with going back to painting again...(haven't painted at all for more than 6 years now!

Well thats all folks...its time to rock the boat again

cheers

Have fun while time flies by

2007-07-25T15:40:00.000-07:00

its been a freaking 2 months since the last post....and there has been tons in between...

got myself a Moto! muahahahahaahahahahahaaaaaaa

and the laptop is something to die for....

but hey...

i say...be a man! go tap some bong....

and this is what im hvin tons of fun listening to...

Michael Bublé - Call me Irresponsible
Bossa -Brazilian Spirit
Isra Box- The Bossa Nova Exciting Jazz Samba Rhythms
And this amazing Tom Joabim greatest hits album

The Blackwing Diaries: From the Disney Art Corner: "How to draw..."

2007-05-27T17:28:00.000-07:00

The Blackwing Diaries: From the Disney Art Corner: "How to draw..."

This is a smashin post on the classic goofy character....check it out its the way animation is meant to be!

my trip to Marrakech!

2007-02-03T12:04:00.000-08:00

Hey peoples chek out dis trip i am to be making all the ways to dees tiny little loverly place being called more occo ...u guys haff heard abt eet?
chek out the peeks i took haan

seasons greetings...

2007-01-08T21:57:00.000-08:00

.... and a

Jack n camera went up a hill....

2006-12-01T07:34:00.000-08:00

...yea n what a beauty too...i have always drooled at the old Victorian houses on Cumballa Hill n finally i had the time n the camera at the right time together....n i had such a wonderful eve folks....
chk out all the phun here....click on this link here

http://in.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/romel_ad/album?.dir=/b60bre2&.src=ph&.tok=phcov5FBFJHHIjfb

Alleta's Weddin

2006-12-01T01:30:00.000-08:00

my cousin Alleta just got married....n since i had nothin else to do at the weddin...i decided to give the poor photographer a run for his money! hahahahahahahaa

n e way here are some samples...hope u enjoy them

for more pics...u can chk the album on Yahoo here....

http://in.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/romel_ad/album?.dir=/b758scd&.src=ph&.tok=ph4PC4FBWh3Dd5Sl

the papas n the mamasita's

2006-11-25T13:21:00.000-08:00

ah to eat at Papa's n the company there makes it sooooooo worthwile!

Here's to Manasi-the newest phirangi in town, the fantastic Kanchan n the smashin' Ipsa!

wedding bells in the distance

2006-11-25T11:53:00.000-08:00

Marise n Alex...the next on the hitch-up list!

And below...my favourite couple...Myron n the darling Simone!
...of course they're both certified phirangi's now! lol

some interesting stuff!

2006-11-25T11:45:00.000-08:00

here are two really amazing things i came across...one was this pillar at Mahalaxmi....right outta the blue...n the other is a really beautiful tree at the yoga institute...apparently a pic of the same tree is the background on Karen's laptop! Ennnnnjjjjjjjjjjooooooooyyyyyyyyyy!

ah...

2006-11-09T21:12:00.000-08:00

n of course here is the lady accompanying moi!
runnin a bit late.....:D

...trust the Japs to move faster than the lens can focus....lol

Presence @ Prithvi...

2006-11-08T09:50:00.000-08:00

Well it had to be fantastic...the start of Nov...the very day n time we are scheduled to see 2 (of my favourite...)Habib Tanvir plays back to back...the rain gods came down to visit...so here is the story in words n pics....

We barely get there n it starts pouring...(the pic above is in the canteen n the crowd that gathered in the canteen to guzzle hot stuff n enjoy the insane weather!)

"parathas will take time sir"...said the canteen owner...ah! n how long would that be...?

"...Sir only till the rain stops..."

Eventually the plays were staged indoors...

(with yours truly braving wet clothes in a chilly auditorium!...why? )

(To the right...the opening dance from 'Sadak')

....one was hoping for the phenomenal performances associated with the troupe...
cos their first show the night before barely made their grade...

(....so it was a pleasant surprise to see an old friend...
Manoj Nair on stage claming a role, i saw him play the
first time in his life in Delhi in 04...that of the judge!)

So we got out of the theatre
that eve...n there was
an awesome feel good glow
all around...cos it was wet
and Prithvi had these dainty
lanterns all around
....hmmmnnnn.....
Absolute Melancholy!

...n here come the pics...

2006-10-23T10:00:00.000-07:00

here are the pics from the shoot.....my pics have been taken by my sweetheart...

HAVE FUN!

Da first time....

2006-10-16T13:05:00.000-07:00

well hve been on all kinds of shoots...(most memorable being...an on the spur invite to meet a completely unknown dude called Anurag Kashyap...while he was shooting the pool seq for a film called 'Black Friday'....huh....what was that name again?)..then again Sunday 15Oct was oneuvakind...my first effects shoot...as a supe! quite a ride on the wild side....

...will post pics soon!

2006-09-02T17:15:00.000-07:00

I see her everywhere, everywhere I go.
I see her everywhere, everywhere I go.
There she goes, there she goes.

feel like cryin'

baby where are u now?

Irwin's here

2006-08-27T07:23:00.000-07:00

Hey met up with Irwin last nite...was fun catching up with the bugger~

hope to shoot him before he leaves back to Hyderabad!

let see

dudes!!!

2006-08-24T05:50:00.000-07:00

hahahahahaaaa.....

this was a blast...here are two real dudes!

Mikal n Altaf!

Both of these guys were stationed in Kalina, Santacruz...when they were stopped n shot!

enjooooyyyyyy!!!!!!!!!!

dream shoot

2006-08-24T03:32:00.000-07:00

...well it has been a while now
...but my first ever photo shoot was quite a super thingie...a lovely model...some improvised but spectacular locations n some amazing light...wowie what an experience!