India's A-Game Against Pakistan

It's no brainer that India and Pakistan have never exactly been the most friendly neighbours to each other. Despite all the hostility and difference of opinion India has abstained from lodging any direct attack against the neighbour country on the international platform.

While Pakistan has always insisted on having a plebiscite in the war-torn Kashmir valley, often going over-board with its emotions; India, on the other hand, has always asserted its rightful claim to the valley's 'Iron throne'.

But the recent turn of events has been such that the dynamics in the valley have changed completely.

Though terrorist infiltrations, terror attacks, cross-fires and curfews have long plagued the valley, a direct attack on the armed forced has been a rare event. But a recent attack on a troop of army men in Kashmir's Uri sector has changed the parameters that have long governed the politics in the highly volatile state of Jammu and Kashmir. Uri attack has shifted the focus of the global conscience to a region that has been considered an area of bilateral dispute so far.

While the countries that have for long maintained a neutral stand on the issue, have openly picked their side; other nations that have eschewed from making a statement so far, too have declared their loyalties.

Pakistan, which under the circumstances seems to be in a desperate need of cover, has ducked into its constant rant about the Kashmir issue, blaming India for being the 'mad king'.

While Pakistan is facing flak from the global community over nestling terrorism and terror outfits in its protection, things have not been a smooth ride for the Modi government too. People across the nation are blaming Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government of inaction and of having a feeble stand, ignoring the bigger picture in the process.

To those who have been following the series of events that have led to nations including US, UK, France, Russia, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka isolating Pakistan on the international forum, the heated political curry is a part of India's master-plan against the nation. The events that have unfolded in the recent time seem harmless and discrete. However, when put together in the right order, they hold the key to understanding India's ultimate solution to its nearly seven-decade-old 'Pak problem'.

Here's the breakdown.

India has always taken a defensive stand, prioritising bilateral dialog and negotiations to surf through the rough waters. Her stand as a peace-keeper has helped her to maintain stability and win many friends.

Extending the same tradition, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made an impromptu visit to Lahore last year to wish Pak PM Nawaz Sharif on his birthday. While this move was severely criticised by people at home, who insisted that PM Modi had cowed in, it was like icing on top of India's spotless image that projected her willingness to cooperate even in the most dire circumstances. Internationally, this move was widely welcomed by the United Nations and other leaders.

While the rift between Indo-Pak relations seemed to be healing slowly, Pak PM's efforts to jeopardise India's bid to the Nuclear Supplier's Group (NSG) by writing to the world leaders personally not only projected the nation in bad light but also raised questions on its willingness to establish peace in the Kashmir valley.

Following this, Nawaz Sharif's 'deep shock' and protest over the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani in an encounter in Srinagar raised several eye-brows, questioning his stand on eliminating terrorism from the Pak soil.

Yet another give-away on Pak's intentions of resolving the Kashmir issue was Nawaz Sharif's statement at a political rally in Azad Kashmir, in which he said that he was 'waiting for the day when Kashmir would become a part of Pakistan'. His statement invited wrath both from wit‌hin and across the land, wherein, on one hand India fired back lodging its retaliation on Sharif's lucid dreams, while on other hand Pak media called him 'delusional' for having such wishes.

Soon afterwards, atrocities being committed in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK) by the Pak army came out, which further strengthened India's case against Pakistan.

While Pak, in a move to defend whatever dignity it was left with, started the talking about how India was murdering human rights in Kashmir obsessively, it's constant bickering about the Kashmir issue, seemed like the curious case from one of the classic tales 'the boy who screamed lion'.

Following this, India threatened to scrap the Indus water treaty, to which Pak replied by threatening to use the nukes should the two countries go to war. A move that was widely criticised by the global community and earned Pak 2 negative points

Going for a diplomatic offensive, India announced that it would boycott the 19th South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation that was scheduled to be held in Islamabad in November this year. Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Bhutan and Sri Lanka followed India's lead.

Going for an offensive strike, India authorised its Army commandos to destroy terrorist hideouts across the Line of Control in Kashmir. The operation went flawlessly as the jawans gunned down nearly 45 terrorists in the process.

Here's the fun part. While Indian Army was giving a press briefing about the operation, Pakistan denied all reports of a surgical strike in the region. It took 'clueless Pakistan' a day to get in touch with the reality and accept that the strike on the terrorists had indeed happened. If that wasn't enough, Pak media flew to the region where strikes were conducted, just to prove India wrong (love their sense of humour)!

Though Pak took it as an act of war, the world appreciated the move, winning India two brownie points. As India's case against Pakistan strengthened, South Korea and Maldives too extended their support to India.

In the meantime, people flooded the White House with petitions to declare Pak a terrorist state. A similar thing happened in United Kingdom too.

All these events combined with the Uri attack provided India the perfect ingredients required for defeating Pakistan in its own game.

It is interesting to note how India has never lodged a direct attack against Pakistan even while putting forward its case against terrorism.

India's visionary diplomacy combined with Pak's lucid ranting has paved way for India to corner the country in its own game.

My view: Pak should take the clue and stop this soap opera now. Endless lives have been lost on both the sides. Countless mothers have lost their sons, children their fathers, wives their husbands and sisters their brothers. Pakistan should let go off this madness now. It is time that the world unites to work towards a better future instead of crying over the spilt milk.

Gentle Reminder...

For all those countless hours when you were working hard for your dreams..for all those sleepless nights when you were busy fighting your demons..for all those moments when you told yourself that you weren't good enough and that you wouldn't make it to the end...Here's a gentle reminder...

You're perfect the way you are..you are enough even if people disagree..you're complete even when you think you aren't...

Keep fighting..keep trying..keep chasing your dreams...but also take a break to appreciate your journey, to admire the view, to give yourself a pat on the back for making it through the night and for standing tall even in the moments you thought you wouldn't survive...

Take a step back to appreciate what you have, what you've created, what you've become...Take a moment to celebrate yourself!

AAP ke Scam!

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is the ‘self-proclaimed godman’ of Indian politics. The party believes in the fundamental of clean governance and boasts of working towards building a corruption free and a balanced society.

Though the party and its members have been involved in a number of controversies, yet they have managed to escape unscathed somehow.

However, this time the party has out-done itself.

FACTS

According to an RTI inquiry, AAP-led Delhi government spends a whopping sum on print advertisements in and outside Delhi daily.

The RTI inquiry filed by advocate Aman Panwar (who belongs to INC, that was criticized for spending Rs. 23 crore duing 2010 common wealth games) revealed that the AAP government has spend Rs. 14.5 crore in print advertisements in last three months, which is an average of nearly Rs. 48 lakhs a month!

The publications include ads in Kannda and Malayali dailies in cities including Hyderabad, Chennai and Bengaluru (still wondering how putting up Delhi government ads there would be helpful).

In a reply to the Lok Sabha, the AAP government has admitted to spending nearly Rs. 5 crore for publicizing the two rounds of Odd-Even scheme implementation in January and April.

It its defense, the party has said that it allocated Rs. 100 crore in its budget to advertisements this year as against Rs. 500 crore last year.

QUESTION

The question that arises here does not pertain to the source of this humongous amount (courtesy: tax payers), but to the fact that why did CM Arvind Kejriwal starve the MCDs when he had funds?

Why did he let the innocents suffer in his power tussle with the Centre? Why did he create such a chaos in the entire National Capital Region (remember: MCD strike, health wokers’ strike) when the situation could have clearly been avoided?

What is more concerning at this hour is the dream of a ‘better society’ that CM Kejriwal and his posse are weaving in the eyes of the ‘aam aadmi’ of Delhi.

If his idea of a ‘balanced society’ entails creating ‘fictional issues’ for the common man only to solve them to glorify his stature, then something is clearly wrong.

If Kejriwal believes that by putting up ‘Modi ji let the Delhi government work’ posters across Delhi and crying Congress/BJP every-time something goes wrong is the right thing to do, then either he is delusional or he’s suffering from ‘Messiah complex’.

Either ways, what our beloved CM sahib needs to understand is that this is not an Ekta Kapoor daily soap, where the protagonist acts like a martyr, cries and keeps switching sides like a ping-pong ball.

This is real life and these are real people.

Blaming the powerful opponent for your failures does not point out towards their flaws but to your own weaknesses.

If you cannot do what you say and comply with the standards that you have created yourself then you have no business in governing Delhi or any other state.

Why is Indian media so naïve?

Media is one of the most important pillars of democracy. It not only informs and educates the citizens but also ensures balance in the society while acting as a moral compass and taking up social causes.

It acts as a mirror that reflects the true face of society while giving it scope to improve and hence evolve.

But what if the same media, which is supposed to act as a guiding light in the troubled times, looses its sense of morality and goes rogue?

What if the same media, which sets higher standards for the society, starts contradicting its own standards?

Indian media has been criticized around the world for its sensationalism and yellow journalism. It has been mocked and looked down upon for its insensitive coverage of events solely focused on gathering page-views and increasing TRPs.

Sadly for us, the story doesn’t end there. Indian media, which is famous for ‘branding people’ and giving ‘public verdicts’ has lost track of its own morality.

Remember how the image of a boy clicking selfie with his dead grand-father went viral on the social media and how media went crazy over it? How readers and media criticized the boy alike for his insensitive behavior?

Now here’s an alternative scenario. Balika Vadhu actress Pratyusha Banerjee recently committed suicide and the news became a hot topic of discussions and speculations everywhere. From her past to her present, from her relationship with her boyfriend to her pregnancy rumors, even a minor update in the police investigation qualified to become a ‘Breaking News’ and was being frequently followed by the readers.

The saddest part was when the entire media was flashing pictures just before her last rites. How she was dressed for her last journey, how people paid their last respects and how she was taken from her house to the crematorium.

There was something deeply disturbing in it that was hard to ignore.

People come and go in every household, and no matter who it is or what the time or the cause is, it’s never easy to deal with the loss.

The thing is, when something like this happens in our own house, we want people to be sensitive and respect our privacy. But when it happens to a well known face all that sensitivity and privacy is forgotten and media taking a contrary stand forgets all its code of conduct and begins the marathon for the highest TRPs and page views.

What’s even more disturbing is that people actually followed the news religiously.

If media is reflection of the society and it fulfills the demands made by the same society, then isn’t the society equally responsible for the cold-blooded coverage of the event?

If media is naïve, then how is the society that we’re living in any better? After all our society is known for its double standards.

In our country both media and the society are the sinners. Let’s not put the entire blame on one because it’s easier that ways.

Kapoor & Sons (Since 1921): Refreshingly Real

Director: Shakun Batra
Cast: Rishi Kapoor, Ratna Pathak, Rajat Kapoor, Fawad Khan, Siddharth Malhotra, Alia Bhatt
Rating: 4/5

Kapoor & Sons is refreshingly real. After all the glitz and glamour that Bollywood is known for, comes a movie that is outright simple and yet extremely engaging.

Well-written characters combined with powerful acting by some of the most seasoned actors of industry and the beautiful chemistry shared by the terrific trio of Fawad, Alia and Siddharth, just makes it all the more interesting.

The plot is relatively simple. Estranged brothers Arjun (Siddharth Malhotra) and Rahul (Fawad Khan), both writers, are forced to return to their childhood home in Coonor when they get news about their grandfather’s (Rishi Kapoor) heart attack.

While in the hospital, Kapoor reveals his last wish of getting a family photograph. As the entire family gathers under one roof, secrets unveil and misunderstandings turn into tragedy.

Rishi Kapoor as the 90-year old grandfather is absolutely adorable and charming. He’s the lively Bollywood ‘dadu’ who smokes up and loves girls.

Siddharth and Fawad as siblings are perfect. While Fawad plays the character of the mature elder son who is always expected to the right thing, Siddharth is the younger sibling who feels deprived of his parents’ love.

Rajat Kapoor and Ratna Pathak in their role as the parents show are flawless.

Alia is the bubbly girl who lost her parents at a young age.

The beauty of the movie lies in the depth of each character and its astounding connection with the reality.

Unlike most Bollywood movies that are unrealistic and superficial, K&S has taken a page from the lives of ordinary people and turned it into something that most people can relate with.

On one hand, K&S is full of punches that will make you laugh out loud; on the other hand, it is full of moments that will make you cry.

Kudos to director Shakun Batra for turning something really ordinary into something so beautiful!

The cavalcade of colors: Holi

O Rang barse, bhige, chunar wali rang barse…

The festival of colors is around the corner and we can already hear people crooning to the popular Bollywood melodies. Owing to the courtesy of the lively tracks like ‘Balam Pichkari..’, Holi has become the next big event of the year.

Known not just for its vibrant colors and zeal but also for its mouth-watering dishes, Holi is one festival you just don’t want to miss. With Gujiyas, Phirni, Chat and Thandai being served from all directions, this festival is a treat for all the food lovers where they get to savor all their favorite delicacies without a shred of regret!

As vivacious as it gets, Holi is one festival, which is equally famous and accepted everywhere. The striking display of colors is not only intriguing but also alluring in a way that it naturally helps people to bond and connect over a simple statement of ‘Bura na mano, Holi hai!’. The spirit and energy are simply contagious, as you cannot help yourself from jumping into what otherwise looks like a complete ruckus.

What the world says is the ‘Indian Tomatina’, is not only celebrated in various parts of India but also has its influence in several parts of the world. The Color Run in the United States is one of the many examples where Holi has been modified for a greater cause. This Indian festival is also organized as a partying event across the globe, highlighting its role not only as a source of merriment but also in establishing communal harmony.

Colorful splash of water balloons, playing with water pistol known as ‘Pichkari’ and applying color to your friends and family, could it get any better? Holi sets a celebratory mood unlike no other festival throughout the year and it doesn’t matter whether you live in Barsana or Bangaluru or whether you live in Maharashtra or Manipur, Holi is one festival people celebrate with equal enthusiasm everywhere.

India is a culturally diverse land and everything comes in versions. This is true for Holi as well. Being celebrated across the country within different cultures, every state has its own story explaining the significance of this zealous festival. For Gujarat, Holi is a two-day affair, where on the first day bon-fire is lit and on the second day called “Dhuleti”, colors are applied.

Barsana, a small town near Mathura celebrates “Lath Mar Holi” wherein the women use sticks to beat up the men in the Radha Rani temple. Holi in Bihar is known as “Phaguwa” and is celebrated in form of a two-day festival, where bon-fire is lit on the first day and colors are applied on the second day.

Bengal observes a slightly different tradition. Holi in the state is called “Dol Jatra” and is celebrated by placing idols of Lord Krishna and Radha on an exquisitely decorated palanquin, which is then taken around the main streets of the city. In Manipuri people celebrate Holi for 6-days, and the celebration merges with the festival of Yaosang.

In Andhra Pradesh, Holi is celebrated along with Basant Panchami, where as in Punjab Holi is preceded by Holika Dahan.

From North to South, from East to West, Holi is one festival, which unites us like no other festival does.

No matter how diverse our cultures might be and however different we might be in celebrating our festivities, the underlying feeling always remains unchanged. While connecting us to our roots, these festivals permeate the feeling of brotherhood and tolerance. Thus, weaving us closer together as a country and as fellow humans.

After Delhi, AAP to party in Goa

After sweeping the streets of Delhi, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is ready to rock-and-roll and this time its taking the party to Goa.

Though AAP has made no official announcement in this regard, word is that the party is eyeing to contest in all 40 constituencies of Goa and is likely to make a formal announcement in next two months.

If AAP poster boy Arvind Kejriwal is preparing to clean Goa off all its 'corrupt officials' using his famous 'Jhaadu', then we are surely up for some fun and DRAMA!

After all who would want to miss the most happening party of the year, specially when its in Goa?

However, the real fun will begin if AAP comes into power. With no Congress to blame and no power tussle with BJP to complain about, how will AAP work? Against whom will AAP demonstrate and waste crores in putting up banners, if they are sole entity in power?

If tables turn, how will AAP cope with the waxing and waning tides of Goa, which happens to be an international tourist destination?

It will be interesting to see how Bikinis, Babes and Booze live with the Broomstick.

Fingers crossed folks, coz this party is just getting started!!!