The honourable military dictator of Pakistan claims he has been in the "Line of Fire" all his life. Cheap publicity stunt? Retirement booty collection? Who knows? and yes, when it comes to incredible people like the general, who cares?
The book has shot up to the top 20 on Amazon's bestselling list. Partly on speculation about what the man has claimed in the book and partly on a desire to get a perspective on what self-righteous dictators think about the rest of the world. So what does General Pervez Musharaf do in the book? Well, he does what he does best---lie. That's right. Anybody worth his salt, having read the book would confirm with a squirm on his face that the goddamn book is a pack of lies.
The General has made ludicrous claims that the Kargil infiltration was in response to Indian activity on the border.... that the whole operation was a 'victory for the Pakistani army'. Perhaps the most deliciously inappropriate claim made in the book is that the Americans promised to bomb Pakistan 'back to the stone age'. Well, maybe they did, but I guess, it wouldn't exactly help Mush to antagonize his good friend Dubya at this point in time.
All said and done, more was said than done. The book is probably a flash in the pan that will interest people for a few months because of the General's good PR. But what after that? Well, maybe Mush should answer that.....
Friday, September 29, 2006
Monday, September 25, 2006
Sleep Issues
Whenever I come home from college one thing changes dramatically:my sleep patterns. I start sleeping like I've never slept before. I'm not used to afternoon siestas so my sleep's always concentrated in the nocturnal hours. But then once I hit the bed at night...there's no telling when I'll be up. I just seem to sleep on and on and on....like there's no sunrise or morning or a world outside of my bed.
And yet in college one tends to stay up late--because that's when all the fun is.....watching movies late into the night is a favourite pastime back on campus. I am really unpredictable when it comes to sleep. Friends have caught me sleeping while they're still talking to me...in the middle of a movie....at times when everyone should be up and studying for an exam the next day, I invariably doze off.
The best part is when friends wake me up and talk to me- they borrow stuff from me or come looking for something....and when they ask me the next day I remember nothing of the conversation....almost as if my body was operating on auto-pilot after been shaken out of deep slumber.
Six for a man, seven for a woman and eight for a fool: they say that's the number of hours of sleep you need depending on what category you belong to. Well I guess, you can only apply that rule to people who follow a definite routine in the first place....not to dimwits like me who do not have a functional biological clock. I can never go to sleep saying for sure when I'll be up. Any number of alarms are just a waste of energy. I simply turn them off and go back to sleep. The interesting part I never remember switching off the alarm! It's only when I test the alarm later to see if it's working that I realize I must have turned it off.
One of the greatest challenges that faces me today is to work out a consistent sleep pattern. To set my biological clock working. It's a daily fight for me. It's tough and leaves me frustrated and disgusted with myself more often than not. It's been so long that I've tried and failed to work out my sleep issues.....
And yet in college one tends to stay up late--because that's when all the fun is.....watching movies late into the night is a favourite pastime back on campus. I am really unpredictable when it comes to sleep. Friends have caught me sleeping while they're still talking to me...in the middle of a movie....at times when everyone should be up and studying for an exam the next day, I invariably doze off.
The best part is when friends wake me up and talk to me- they borrow stuff from me or come looking for something....and when they ask me the next day I remember nothing of the conversation....almost as if my body was operating on auto-pilot after been shaken out of deep slumber.
Six for a man, seven for a woman and eight for a fool: they say that's the number of hours of sleep you need depending on what category you belong to. Well I guess, you can only apply that rule to people who follow a definite routine in the first place....not to dimwits like me who do not have a functional biological clock. I can never go to sleep saying for sure when I'll be up. Any number of alarms are just a waste of energy. I simply turn them off and go back to sleep. The interesting part I never remember switching off the alarm! It's only when I test the alarm later to see if it's working that I realize I must have turned it off.
One of the greatest challenges that faces me today is to work out a consistent sleep pattern. To set my biological clock working. It's a daily fight for me. It's tough and leaves me frustrated and disgusted with myself more often than not. It's been so long that I've tried and failed to work out my sleep issues.....
Saturday, August 26, 2006
Krishna on my mind
Janmashtami was more than a week ago. But I have Krishna on my mind. Here is one character that has always enamored and fascinated me with his unique persona.
Krishna is a God from Indian Mythology and yet there is something human(e)ly mystic about him that probably makes him a shade more accessible to mortals than ‘any other’ God. Krishna’s attitude towards life and the way he lived it is truly incomparable and has a certain ‘coolness’ about it.
Not for him the perfection and self-righteousness associated with the Gods….not for him the idealism and utopianism associated with sages….This dude stands for practicality. He believed in doing what needed to be done and achieving what needed to be achieved. He just didn’t care. On some level, he emphasized the ends more than the means; although this certainly cannot be interpreted as his tolerance for wrongdoing. After all, his greatest battle on earth was against evil.
Krishna knew how to bend the rules. That’s what made him stand out. He could be larger than life and yet have his feet firmly set on the ground at all times. He is someone that the masses could instantly connect with, that hot chicks could carelessly flirt with…..and yet Krishna’s divinity shone bright, leading millions on the path that he had laid out for them.
This guy was someone who could operate on different modes all through life—he could be playful, pensive, assertive and amiable ….and he could shift gears between modes at the drop of a hat. He’s the same bloke who sneaked into his mom’s dairy for a helping of curd, but he also sermonized to Arjuna on the philosophy of existence.
He is the subject of one of the most important books in human history-the Gita; he’s a source of inspiration and devotion for millions across the globe. The message he carried rises above religion-he’s probably larger than Hinduism in his appeal to an overwhelmingly large number of people. All said and done, Krishna is by far one of the most intriguing concepts of Indian culture.
Krishna is a fountainhead of strength, of courage and conviction for many like me…..he shall continue to occupy a special place in my conscious and sub-conscious—he’ll always be on my mind!!
Krishna is a God from Indian Mythology and yet there is something human(e)ly mystic about him that probably makes him a shade more accessible to mortals than ‘any other’ God. Krishna’s attitude towards life and the way he lived it is truly incomparable and has a certain ‘coolness’ about it.
Not for him the perfection and self-righteousness associated with the Gods….not for him the idealism and utopianism associated with sages….This dude stands for practicality. He believed in doing what needed to be done and achieving what needed to be achieved. He just didn’t care. On some level, he emphasized the ends more than the means; although this certainly cannot be interpreted as his tolerance for wrongdoing. After all, his greatest battle on earth was against evil.
Krishna knew how to bend the rules. That’s what made him stand out. He could be larger than life and yet have his feet firmly set on the ground at all times. He is someone that the masses could instantly connect with, that hot chicks could carelessly flirt with…..and yet Krishna’s divinity shone bright, leading millions on the path that he had laid out for them.
This guy was someone who could operate on different modes all through life—he could be playful, pensive, assertive and amiable ….and he could shift gears between modes at the drop of a hat. He’s the same bloke who sneaked into his mom’s dairy for a helping of curd, but he also sermonized to Arjuna on the philosophy of existence.
He is the subject of one of the most important books in human history-the Gita; he’s a source of inspiration and devotion for millions across the globe. The message he carried rises above religion-he’s probably larger than Hinduism in his appeal to an overwhelmingly large number of people. All said and done, Krishna is by far one of the most intriguing concepts of Indian culture.
Krishna is a fountainhead of strength, of courage and conviction for many like me…..he shall continue to occupy a special place in my conscious and sub-conscious—he’ll always be on my mind!!
Thursday, August 17, 2006
Indian = ?
I once sat down to wonder what being an Indian really means....maybe I had just too much of free time...but nonetheless, the thought seemed important to me, and soon I was asking myself why I hadn't raised the question before.
What is that one thing(or more than one) that holds the fabric of indian society together? I mean, we're all so different and yet we have a lot in common to bind ourselves as fellow citizens of the same nation. Is it our culture? naah...that varies faster than latitude in our country: there's hardly anything in common between the culture in ladakh and nicobar now is there?
Is it our politics? probably not..we have more political parties and ideologies than the Sheikhs have oil wells. It's not even the food...you can't boast about a great meal without a helping of butter chicken in Punjabi style and yet, even garlic is taboo in some parts of the country.
Maybe it's Bollywood that binds us together(what with all the song and dance and general psychedelics)...
Maybe it's something more serious...like democracy or our commitment to it....maybe it's our constitution and all the nationalist paraphernalia(the flag, anthem and all)....
But all said and done...you've got to admit that it's a special feeling...something that comes straight from the gut....where else in the world would you not think twice before pissing around the next street corner...
So Indianness = complexities that not many people understand. It's engrained in the DNA of your brain....it's part of you without you realizing it on a conscious level.....
We're all Indian----right up to the bottom of our hearts!!
What is that one thing(or more than one) that holds the fabric of indian society together? I mean, we're all so different and yet we have a lot in common to bind ourselves as fellow citizens of the same nation. Is it our culture? naah...that varies faster than latitude in our country: there's hardly anything in common between the culture in ladakh and nicobar now is there?
Is it our politics? probably not..we have more political parties and ideologies than the Sheikhs have oil wells. It's not even the food...you can't boast about a great meal without a helping of butter chicken in Punjabi style and yet, even garlic is taboo in some parts of the country.
Maybe it's Bollywood that binds us together(what with all the song and dance and general psychedelics)...
Maybe it's something more serious...like democracy or our commitment to it....maybe it's our constitution and all the nationalist paraphernalia(the flag, anthem and all)....
But all said and done...you've got to admit that it's a special feeling...something that comes straight from the gut....where else in the world would you not think twice before pissing around the next street corner...
So Indianness = complexities that not many people understand. It's engrained in the DNA of your brain....it's part of you without you realizing it on a conscious level.....
We're all Indian----right up to the bottom of our hearts!!
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
Hyderabad Diary 2
Hyderabad embodies the duality that India stands for in the world today:the juxtaposition of the new rich and the dilapidated old. So where you have the latest retail chains and urban spaces, you also continue to have the long forgotten bylanes that breed the spirit of India.
Old Hyderabad is as conspicuous by its architecture as by its sights and smells. You have the towering Charminar that stands as a sentinel of the traditions and history of the city....the adjoining market that has been where it is since ages....and the people who, though traditional, have learned to move forward with the times.
When you're in Hyderabad, what hits you from out of nowhere is the pathetic condition of the traffic. People seldom follow rules and sometimes it beomes a free-for-all on crossroads. The city would have been so much better had its people maintained discipline on the road. For a changing city, I am sure this too is bound to change.
Hyderabad, the city of Nawabs is also the city of the software majors.....of the Telugu film industry and the delicious biryani. Like most of the places in India it is full of culture and yet...has a contagious freshness about it. As I flashback on the week I spent back in Hyderabad, there's one thing for sure....I'll always carry the memories that it has left with me.
Old Hyderabad is as conspicuous by its architecture as by its sights and smells. You have the towering Charminar that stands as a sentinel of the traditions and history of the city....the adjoining market that has been where it is since ages....and the people who, though traditional, have learned to move forward with the times.
When you're in Hyderabad, what hits you from out of nowhere is the pathetic condition of the traffic. People seldom follow rules and sometimes it beomes a free-for-all on crossroads. The city would have been so much better had its people maintained discipline on the road. For a changing city, I am sure this too is bound to change.
Hyderabad, the city of Nawabs is also the city of the software majors.....of the Telugu film industry and the delicious biryani. Like most of the places in India it is full of culture and yet...has a contagious freshness about it. As I flashback on the week I spent back in Hyderabad, there's one thing for sure....I'll always carry the memories that it has left with me.
Thursday, July 13, 2006
Hyderabad Diary 1
When you go south of the Tropic of Cancer in India, you might as well expect to find hot, sultry conditions awaiting you. At least that's what I expected of Hyderabad. But I was pleasantly surpised otherwise. The place was remarkably cool for this time of the year.
So what's special about yet another teeming metropolis in a country of the teeming millions? To the people who live and work in the big cities-nothing. But to someone who hails from a small town-a lot. I was amazed by the manner in which Hyderabad is at the forefront of almost everything happening in the country. But people there told me that the place was no longer as happening as it used to be, ever since a change in government in the state. And yet, Hyderabad, to me was in stark contrast to the sleepy township that I come from.
The city is certainly one of the IT hotspots in the country, and often competes with neighbouring Bangalore for IT related investments. But, unlike Bangalore, Hyderabad is also a city that is steeped in antiquity. A place that has, through the centuries, learned to strike an intricate balance between its glorious past, rebellious present and a future full of possibilities.
Secunderabad, Hyderabad's twin city, separated from it by the majestic Hussainsagar Lake, is rather special because of the large expanses of Cantonment Areas there. These areas, habitated and maintained by the Indian Army are the epitome of excellence in civic planning. Lush green acres, dotted with Victorian buildings for residential and administrative blocks-that's the typical geography of this area.
More about Old Hyderabad in the next post....
So what's special about yet another teeming metropolis in a country of the teeming millions? To the people who live and work in the big cities-nothing. But to someone who hails from a small town-a lot. I was amazed by the manner in which Hyderabad is at the forefront of almost everything happening in the country. But people there told me that the place was no longer as happening as it used to be, ever since a change in government in the state. And yet, Hyderabad, to me was in stark contrast to the sleepy township that I come from.
The city is certainly one of the IT hotspots in the country, and often competes with neighbouring Bangalore for IT related investments. But, unlike Bangalore, Hyderabad is also a city that is steeped in antiquity. A place that has, through the centuries, learned to strike an intricate balance between its glorious past, rebellious present and a future full of possibilities.
Secunderabad, Hyderabad's twin city, separated from it by the majestic Hussainsagar Lake, is rather special because of the large expanses of Cantonment Areas there. These areas, habitated and maintained by the Indian Army are the epitome of excellence in civic planning. Lush green acres, dotted with Victorian buildings for residential and administrative blocks-that's the typical geography of this area.
More about Old Hyderabad in the next post....
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