Antony,Defense Minister

A K Antony, kerala's perennial Mr Clean is India's Defense Minister. Kerala has had its own share of men in the national cabinet - but its a different feeling when one of the state's most respected leaders has the responsibility thrust upon him by the sheer strength of his character. It is a different feeling from when Kannoth Karu became the Industries minister back in '95. It defenitely is.

The defense minister, National Security Adviser, Foreign Secretary of India, Space agency Chairman , India's candidate for the UN secretary bid , Primeminister's secretary, President's secretary and a home-rule government at centre - the line up in Delhi looks pretty impressive for a state notorious for its indifference to Delhi and highly under represented in the nation's capital. Is kerala becoming less introvert ?

Comparing Mr Antony to Krishna Menon would be doing injustice to both of them. The frames of reference have changed - Indian defense is on the right track of modernisation and in the process of redefining our strategic goals in the sub-continent and the Indian ocean region. A laissez-faire approach with respect to the defense policy makers will be more beneficial here. Calling A K Antony inexperienced makes no sense here - the only experience that would help a defense minister will be experience as a defense minister ; that argument will lead us to Catch 22 then.

Where A K Antony and his zero tolerance to corruption will - I hope - come into play is in the already notorious defense deals of India. 890,000 million rupees annual budget allocation is sure to attract a lot of Ottavio Quattrochi's and Barak missile sellers. Sonia Gandhi would be remembering that early winter Diwali in Delhi when there were no crackers because Bofors had provided enough. The choice of Antony as the defense minister would be a right step towards some clean-up.

Tailpiece : If the battered Congress party plans to fight another election in Kerala, they badly need to reunite the warring factions - especially the DIC (K) faction which has a considerable
influence in South Kerala and Malabar (cause there are a lot of people still wanting to make kannoth karu the Kerala CM) . The only figure who could rise about the partisan squabbles while leading the party is 'Saint' Antony and the Maino high-command realizes it pretty well. His new role is a pointer towards the future of the congress party in kerala.

Good Night and Good Luck !

Has India lost Gujarat ?

When this reporter, with his longish beard, walked into an elite government colony in Ahmedabad to meet a senior official, three children suddenly got off their bicycles.
One screamed aloud, “Terrorist!” Why?
“Because you are a Mussalman,” he responded. So?
“All Muslims are terrorists. My father is a judge. He will call you terrorist in court.” Really?
“Yes. Now get out of here. This is a Hindu area!”
Sauyajya is 12 years old and has not met a single Muslim in his life. No one knows how many Sauyajyas are in the making in Gujarat. - Prashant Jha, columnist

ICYAI the full, disturbing essay is here,

Nothing short of a massive social movement is required to cleanse the state of Gujarat.

The Blanket of freedom

Nineteen-year old Mahammad Maqbool Dar was taken away by troops from his home near Charar-e-Sharief on Friday, his mother Hanifa Begum said. A day later, the boy, a daily wage labourer, was brought dead to a hospital sparking two days of protests in Charar-e-Sharief as anger continues in other parts of Kashmir.The government, concerned at a possible backlash ordered a magisterial enquiry and asked the army to take action against the guilty.

Earlier this month in Anantnag two civilians were killed by the army. No punishment for the army, which said, it was mistaken identity.

In September in Kupwara a girl and her uncle were killed - again no punishment, but a colonel in-charge of operations there was removed for inefficient command.

In February, four boys playing cricket in Handwara were killed by the army. A judicial inquiry has just begun.

Source : NDTV , Oct 23 2006

A team of doctors who performed autopsy of Maqbool at Charari Sharif Hospital on Saturday told Greater Kashmir that “he died due to cardiac arrest caused by extensive torture and multiple burns. His private parts had been damaged.”

Source : Greater Kashmir




Son, we live in a world that has walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with guns. Whose gonna do it? You? You, Lt. Weinburg? I have a greater responsibility than you could possibly fathom. You weep for Santiago, and you curse the marines. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know. That Santiago's death, while tragic, probably saved lives. And my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, saves lives. You don't want the truth because deep down in places you don't talk about at parties, you want me on that wall, you need me on that wall. We use words like honor, code, loyalty. We use these words as the backbone of a life spent defending something. You use them as a punchline. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom that I provide, and then questions the manner in which I provide it. I would rather you just said thank you, and went on your way, Otherwise, I suggest you pick up a weapon, and stand a post. Either way, I don't give a damn what you think you are entitled to.

Col Jessep , A Few Good Men




Terrorists intruded into the house of Sohan Lal Braroo and shot him dead during the night. They gang raped his wife Bimla and young daughter Archana. Archana succumbed during the gang rape itself and Bimla who was shot after being raped, died in hospital.

Naisarak, Srinagar - March '92

Early Monday, Hindu villagers were herded into the home of the village chief where gunmen started firing indiscriminately, according to S.P. Vaid, inspector-general of police in Jammu.35 civilians have lost their lives. Source : CNN

Doda,Srinagar - May 2006

Near two decades of violence, death and atrocities in Kashmir. Isn't it time that the insurgents realize they are fighting for a cause lost somewhere in the cacophony of interests in the valley, and what happened to the Indian PrimeMinister Manmohan's promise on zero-tolerance towards human rights violations in Kashmir. Its not that we are undermining a struggle gone terribly ugly or disrespecting the brave men of India who defend our freedom, but

Col. Jessep: You want answers?
Kaffee: I think I'm entitled.
Col. Jessep: You want answers?
Kaffee: I want the truth.
Col. Jessep: You can't handle the truth.

A Few Good Men - the movie

Dead man Walking - Afzal Guru

If the collective conscience of a nation becomes satisfied when one of us gets hanged without a chance to defend himself , it speaks a lot about ourselves.









Afzal Guru




Will Afzal Guru be hanged today ? He should be - says the great Indian middle class and its drum beater the Indian media. The mercy petition filed by his family - though he has not asked for mercy - is now in the hands of the President of India pending reference from the home ministry.


So are we ready to kill Afzal Guru for the December 13 2001 attack on the Parliament of India. Are we ready to ready to put the last nail in the coffin of popular resistance in Kashmir and terrorism in India. Yes we are as the euphoria clearly suggests.

The Supreme Court verdict says “The incident, which resulted in heavy casualties, had shaken the entire nation and the collective conscience of the society will only be satisfied if capital punishment is awarded to the offender.”

The question is who is the offender here ? Who perpeterated the crime - who did it ? Who investigated it ? Did this person whom the holy republic of India is about to collectively murder for the sheer xenophobic patriotic orgasm of it get a chance to defend himself.

Afzal Guru was not part of the attack - he surely was a sympathiser to the Kashmir cause, was aware of the attack and as the prosecution put it - did indirect favours to the terrorists. Is this reason enough for hanging him till death ?

Afzal Guru continues to maintain that he is being framed in this case - but all criminals say so - but the question is who investigated the case ? Oh our Delhi Police - they are renowned for their integrity and honesty and was recommended for the prestigious Jessica Lal and Priyadarshini Mattoo award for Justice. Then it must be correct and moreover not a single soul will come on the streets of Rajpath with lighted candles seeking justice for Afzal Guru.

And here is the best part - Afzal Guru was not given a chance to defend himself ! The Indian nation is about to hang a helpless person until he dies without giving him a chance to defend himself. We are not China,not Pakistan but we are very close to it.

There are clear indications that the Kashmir Valley will erupt in flames if Afzal is killed, fresh violence and insurgency could be the outcome. But do we - the great Indian middle class really care ? No we dont care about Kashmir, violence in Kashmir - state sponsored and otherwise has ceased to produce those necessary bowel movements for us these days, we skip that part of the newspaper in the morning. Kashmir resides in our collective amnesia. India has its largest military presence in J and K and we are safe - we can discuss about Iraq and North Korea and Bush while the valley of Gods burns its heart out in this conspiracy of nations.

On a selfish note, what do we gain ?

Will killing Afzal Guru stop the freedom movement in Kashmir ? No, but it will be a lesson to all those people out there on how tough we are. Like the British did in 1931, they hanged one Bhagat Singh from Punjab for attacking their assembly house and we Indians got so terrified that we stuck our tails in the cute space between our legs and ran home. We never asked for independence after that.

Do we need to confer martydom on Afzal Guru and make him a hero for certain causes we dont identify with ?

If the President of India decides to pardon Afzal Guru - what impact will it have on the Kashmiris. Will it be a graceful decision, a beautiful decision - its all yours to gauge. I think so.


Now if the Indian nation wants his blood despite all this ,what does it speak about us as a nation. If the collective conscience of a nation becomes satisfied when one of us gets hanged without a chance to defend himself , it speaks a lot about ourselves.



The founding fathers of our nation did not envision us to stand for wealth or power or religion. They envisioned a nation on this earth that stands for Truth. As the lion-head correctly reads - "Satyameva Jayathe" . Let us be well aware on which side of truth we are.

Saint and a Communist

the bigger picture

When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint.
When I ask why the poor have no food,
they call me a communist.

Dom Helder Camara

Will Kannur explode again ?

I'm not a soothsayer nor am I sitting on top of Kerala's state intelligence to say this. Its just a few news reports across the last few weeks and some conversations here and there. There have been reports of a gradual build up of ammunition and bomb making in the north malabar district of Kannur. There are reported incidents of accidental explosions and some real steel bomb testing being done. Anyone who follows Kerala's immediate political history will know the color of Kannur and the history of violence in the district.

Most of us in Kerala would remember the december 1999 and december 2000 incidents in Kannur which had a total death toll of around fifty and caused near stand-still in the state. I fear another build up this time as the 'martyr's month' approaches. It might be a wild guess of sorts but it needs to be read in the overall climate created by the release of the 'Marad riots' report last week. The hindu fundamentalist sangh could turn this to their advantage by inciting fresh violence in malabar as the Marad report squarely blames the NDF and elements within the Muslim league for the killings. We need to be careful ,very careful.

The clashes between the RSS and the communists had subsided after both parties agreed on a ceasefire and after the leadership of both parties realized the unacceptability of damages. The RSS must realize that they have nothing to gain politically from these violent acts - in the last elections BJP polled a pathetic 0.5% of the total votes in Kannur. The clout they have among the Bharatiya Masdoor Sangh could be put to better use than building bombs.

The CPIM should realize that retaliatory attacks from its side will not improve the situation any further. Moreover the wounds of Nadapuram and the muslim fundamentalist elements waiting there could use Kannur as a new ploy. As the governing party, I hope CPIM will show more maturity in case something bad happens. Kannur is the citadel of Communism in Kerala and let it not be a wound in our psyche. Revolution comes through disciplined, peaceful party building, and not through tit-for-tat acts of violence.

Peace prevails in Kannur today only because of the maturity of our political leadership - both CPIM and the BJP. Some credit also goes to A K Antony's police policy that reined in the IUML and NDF elements in Malabar. Let peace prevail but let us be aware of the ides of December. Let us be very aware.

Good Night and Good Luck !

Poor man's Banker

Muhammad Yunus
Nobel Peace Prize 2006

The connection between poverty and peace.The connection between womens empowerment and peace. The connection between mutual trust, accountability, participation, creativity - the four pillars of the Grameen Bank and peace. Long overdue but still one of the best Nobels ever. Because credit is a human right. Because every single individual on earth has both the potential and the right to live a decent life.

The Inheritance of loss

"In India you get up in the morning and there are ten people there to greet you and to discuss how you slept. Or you can call up someone and tell them how you're feeling and what you dreamt about."


"You miss out on knowing one culture profoundly and deeply and this does mean you're an outsider to some degree in both places. You are leaving and you're constantly on the plane - and your perspective does change. Every time I go back, things have changed and I haven't seen the process."

"When I wake up in India I'm always so aware of the birds, and all the morning sounds. Over here, you wake up to total silence. Silence and emptiness. In India the air is full of the sounds of life. Here I feel I have to create it - you have to put on your music in the morning to get the feeling of something going on around you. In India - it's all there for you: your identity is there for you, your life is there for you, your community is there for you. Over here, everything is what you do yourself. It's a lot of pressure, I suppose!"

"I hope I'll go back to writing, because I think the way I live, travelling in between places, writing really was my home"

- Kiran Desai , Man Booker 2006

Bowling for Columbine

Naomi Rose Ebersol was 'a seven year old angel', she went to school this monday morning and was taken hostage by Charles Carl Roberts,a 32 year old milk tank driver turned gunman. When they found her after an hour, she had twenty bullets in her body. Maybe one could imagine what she went through - twenty bullets in the fragile frame of a seven year old ,what would she have gone through - she only knows; and she is not here anymore to trouble us with that knowledge. Yet the american lawmakers are still very sure that they love their guns more than their kids ,they cling on to the 2nd amendment while the kids dodge or take bullets at school. School shootings have become USA's morning cup of tea - every other day this country wakes up to another school massacre.

On September 13 Kimveer Gill in Dawson College, on September 27 Duane Morrisson in Platte Canyon high school, September 29 Eric Hainstock in Weston High school and October 2nd Carl Roberts in Amish school,Pennsylvania - still parents wake up their kids in those wee morning hours to catch that yellow school bus, what do they lean on ?

The Amish school massacre has taken five lives till today -Apart from Naomi, the others who died were Anna Mae Stoltzfus, 12, Marian Fisher, 13, Mary Liz Miller, eight, and her seven- year-old sister Lena . Five other girls are hospitalized with critical wounds. The Amish school was a single room school run by the Amish community, with twenty six students. Roberts had entered the school this monday morning with plans to eventually commit suicide.

"He had come armed for a long stay with two guns, sexual lubricant and a makeshift torture rack — a plank of wood with ten eye hooks to secure the children.". He secured the ten girls and asked the boys to leave. As police surrounded the school , he shot all the girls and finally turned the gun on himself without getting unto his full,sick intentions.

Another school shooting and all that gen X grief ?

Well, the real story began after the shooting.

Today, two days after the school shooting and the deaths, one particular thing that surprises me is the forgiveness of the rustic Amish community. Not a single person from that small community appeared angry despite their grief - they are unwilling to accept that the killer who took those innocent lives was evil. Many of them were on the networks saying they forgive the killer, especially moving was the account of Naomi's grand-dad at the side of her body - with her wounds clearly visible - talking about the importance of forgiving the man.

Today they had a small prayer meeting where a slain child's mother prayed with the killer's mother - maybe they talked to god about those small things only mothers talk about. The clippings on the networks were heart rendering as a small village prepares to bury their little ones. They have forgiven the man who did it all and his family is receiving the forgiveness. It is easier to forgive than to receive it with all the humility and grace - and Carl Robert's mother is doing exactly the same.

Maybe those 'little angels' didnt die in vain, maybe we'll make of it some human sense or maybe its just my imagination that says five little kids are singing the sermon on the mount , somewhere in some distant meadow in Pennsylvania - make of it, what you will.

Good Night and Good Luck !