Modi creates history by changing the geography of Jammu and Kashmir

My last blog post was about Modi and this one too. I had mentioned in that blog post that he continues to surprise like always and he has proven that statement right once again. Union Home Minister Amit Shah moved a bill in the Rajya Sabha to bifurcate Jammu & Kashmir into two Union Territories Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh. He announced that the UT in Ladakh will have no legislature like Chandigarh while the other UT of Jammu and Kashmir will have a legislature like Delhi and Puducherry. 

Change is possible if there is a will to change. All governments of the past stated that Jammu & Kashmir was, is and will remain the integral part of India. However, it is only Modi who made that possible in a practical way by making Jammu and Kashmir a Union Territory of India. Jammu & Kashmir is now truly an integral part of India.

I do not understand why Congress is opposing this move. My question is that if this was so easy, why did it take so many years to get done? I am sure that Modi government has legally scrutinized the move and only then proceeded with this decision.

Following are some of the implications of the decision:

1.       All laws that applies to India will now apply to Jammu and Kashmir. You will not see a statement like this in any of the act going forward:

“This Act is applicable to the whole of India except Jammu & Kashmir”

2.       No one can now burn the Indian National flag and go scot free just because he is from Jammu and Kashmir.

3.       Any Indian can now settle in Jammu and Kashmir and buy or own land in Kashmir.

Just look at point no.2 above. If Kashmir was the integral part of India, then how come Indian flag could be disrespected or burnt without any legal implication.

I welcome this decision of Modi government whole-heartedly. To take such decisions, we need a brave, bold and powerful leader. Modi has proved once again that he is one such leader.

Modi Returns

I never thought I would be writing a blog like this today as I had my own doubts about Modi making a comeback. Even though I felt he had a slight edge; I was inclined to believe that the negativity being spread would sink his ship. However, he continues to surprise like always.  History repeats itself and I am writing a blog similar to the one I wrote five year back. More than Modi’s victory, it was defeat of people like Kanhaiya Kumar and Prakash Raj that made me happy. Also, the country rejecting communist ideology was heartening to see. An ideology that does not have any takers in the world due to its failure to uplift people still have takers in a state like Kerala. Here too, this time around people reduced their number to just one. The funny part though is that communist supporters in Kerala are rejoicing about the fact that BJP could not open its account in Kerala. I always refer to the communists of Kerala as frog in the well for this very reason. Even when the entire country has voted for Modi and BJP, the communists think they have reason to celebrate because Kerala did not vote for them.

There was never a doubt in my mind that Modi deserved a second chance because just 5 years was not good enough to judge him. I think a 10 year term is a real time frame for any major transformation to be achieved in a country like India. Also, a true comparison between UPA and NDA can be done when we compare their performances for the same duration.

Now that India has made a wise choice by bringing him back to power, this is my wish list for Modi:

1. Promote Agriculture

                I am of the strong belief that agriculture will be an upcoming sector that will lead to youth empowerment. Everyone is looking forward to eating quality organic food. There is lot of scope for improvement in this area. Technology in agriculture can lead to a food revolution that will help farmers to earn well. A government level push similar to Swachh Bharat Abhiyan should do the trick here. Agriculture should be promoted not just in rural areas but in urban areas too. Terrace gardens and society gardens should be promoted. Schools should encourage and teach agriculture related skills so that kids know how vegetables come into existence. It is very necessary for kids in cities as they hardly get to see the entire process involved in getting the food they eat, on their table. It need not be a grand initiative. Even small baby steps to start with should be good enough.

2. Entrepreneurs to be supported

                I do not believe that more government jobs are the way forward. Instead right from school there should be a strong effort from government to encourage skill development that leads to creation of entrepreneurs. Specialized skills should be focused on rather than creating book worms who know all the theory by heart but cannot apply the knowledge in practical sense.

3. Empowerment over freebies

                NYAY of Rahul Gandhi would have been a real ANYAY on the people. Doling out freebies like the communist ideology would have converted this nation into a disaster like Venezula. I hope true empowerment of poor is achieved through education.

4. Infrastructure development

                Infrastructure should continue to be focused on. This typically is always the case with a BJP government. I am hoping this will continue.

5. Strong anti-terrorism policy

                Here too Modi has definitely done better than previous governments.  However, there must be renewed focus on ensuring that Pakistan is pressurized further to shut terrorist breeding grounds. Also, expose Pakistan further in front of the world so that it gets isolated more and more.

I wish to end this blog by thanking fellow countrymen to have voted for Modi. At the same time, I do hope and pray that he does not become arrogant like Indira Gandhi. Yes, a strong opposition is needed. In that sense, it hurts to see that Congress does not fit the bill here nor does any other party. A strong opposition is necessary to keep a check on Modi. I truly hope that Congress does some course correction and becomes a truly democratic organization that helps leaders to evolve and take charge instead of relying on dynastic politics.

Special26

It was a special 26 February indeed. The first news I came to know on my birthday is that Terrorist State Pakistan has been given a befitting reply by Indian Air Force for the 14th February suicide attack on CRPF soldiers by Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorist.

On 14th February itself I was having a strong sense of anger and frustration and wanted to write a blog to express all of it. However, I always prefer that my blog posts do not show helplessness or frustration as far as possible. Thanks to Indian Air Force, the frustration did not last long. On my birthday, I got the opportunity to wake up to see the good news that the cruel act of terror was avenged and that too without any casualty to our soldiers. It was even better to learn about this news from my elder brother who has served the Indian Air Force for 20 years. I can understand how elated he must be, as just recently when we met we had a discussion regarding the Pulwama attacks. Check out our Whatsapp chat below:

No words can express my gratitude to the Indian Air Force. A special thanks to our honorable PM Narendra Modi too. There was never a question mark on the ability of our armed forces. They were always capable to beat Pakistan and it has been proved in the past too in a conventional war. However, off late Pakistan has been focusing more on unconventional war through use of terrorists. It deserved an unconventional response too. For that a strong and decisive leadership was needed. Full credit to Narendra Modi for that. I know opposition leaders cannot give any credit to him and hence have chosen only to appreciate the Indian Air Force. No one can deny that without a clear cut mandate from the Prime Minister this attack on Pakistan soil could not have been executed. Especially since Indian military does not bypass or overrule the political leadership. 

I would end my blog post with a request to all those who are strong critics of PM Narendra Modi that give credit where it is due. Hypocrisy won't take anyone far. Criticize him till you gasp for breath. Once you are done, do take a deep breath, think calmly without any prejudice and see whether he deserves to be appreciated or not for showing decisive leadership by allowing our armed forces the freedom to decide when and how to execute the counter strike on Pakistan.

There could not have been a better icing on my birthday cake than this :-)

Shabarimala issue - Hypocrisy of secularism

Shabarimala has become a hot topic where a tradition of the temple, unique to this place is being questioned. Before I go any further let me tell the readers that my personal belief is that menstruation being a natural process experienced by females should not be a reason to restrict women from visiting any temple. Maybe traditionally women were restricted as there was no provision in those days to maintain proper hygiene during periods. Today the situation is different. At the same time, I do not agree that a decision regarding this should get enforced by Supreme Court as the tradition does not amount to cruelty to women. A change has to happen for sure but definitely not by enforcement but by arriving at a consensus. If a place of worship is turning into a conflict zone then status quo should be maintained.

The communists who claim to be non believers should not be playing politics in matters of faith. If they are hell bent on playing politics with matters of faith then show consistency by doing this with every other religion. By the way coming from Kannur in Kerala, I have observed that these very communists are the greatest idol worshippers. They have created statues of their party symbol in every nook and corner.  Hindus have always been open to reform. We have evolved and changed. A true Hindu like Arjuna will not hesitate to debate with God. In Hinduism we do not live by one book and the beauty of this religion is that even an atheist can be a Hindu. There are thousands of God and not believing in one won't stop you from being a Hindu. In fact, this is one religion that teaches us to see God not only within us but in every living being. This is what Lord Ayyapa is basically all about. Tatvamasi means 'You are God'. If an atheist believes that there is no God and we are the ruler of our own destiny then can he not believe in Tatvamasi?

Hinduism has been an all inclusive religion. In Hinduism there are so many Gods that if one God closes the door on you, you can go to another or simply create your own God and worship him or her (for the sake of gender neutrality :-) ) If idol worship is not acceptable you may sit and meditate. Such flexibility is unique to this religion.

To conclude, I would say that everything about religion is beyond logic. Matters of faith in every religion has been that way. However, when it comes to questioning, one should first ask whether it is really a cruel thing that is happening and if not let it be.

Autobiography of a Road

I am the Pipeline Road at Balkum, Thane. I know I am not dressed to perfection today but I cannot do much about it. My mother BMC has disowned me and does not bother anymore about my upkeep. TMC too doesn't care much because it has got nothing to do with me. The only people who care for me are residents of a nearby society who too worry about me because I am of use to them. Else, I am sure no one would have bothered about me and I would have died long back. In fact, it would have been better to die in a dignified manner long back in comparison to the life that I am leading right now. 

The pipeline nearby gets the needed attention from BMC but I get a step motherly treatment. I really do not know what caused BMC to behave like this with me. If I would have known I would have taken every step in my capacity to address it. Come election time and somehow I get special attention. I wish everyday could be election day because my wounded body gets bandaged. Even though the happiness is short lived, it does give me few moments to smile about. Post elections when the sun and rain Gods play their part,I am back to the same situation as before. I hope that someday BMC will own me up and embrace me the way it did on day one of my existence. I still long for it. It may be a futile effort but still as long as I am alive, I will keep aspiring for it.

People from nearby society, out of their need, sometimes contact TMC to see whether they can do something for me. However, they get rebuked by them stating that they have no obligation to take care of me. Bureaucracy is not just your problem, roads like me also have to face the red tape. I know nutrition meant for me and accounted for me is being enjoyed by someone else. Maybe an aadhar card linked account for me could have helped prevent this. However, I do not have a retina or a thumb impression to identify myself. Birth marks if any have been wiped out as well. I really do not know how to create a distinct identity for myself because most roads more or less look the same during monsoon time. 

Humans who are in a hopeless situation like me desire for an incarnation of God to arrive and lead them to true happiness. Maybe, in my case it would have to be a human who comes to birth to lead me to salvation. Until then I will keep waiting.....................

Pappu he was and Pappu he will be

I have always believed in perseverance and strongly feel that one should never give up. However, in Rahul Gandhi, I see a living example of the fact that even perseverance has a shelf life. There are certain things that are out of scope and it is futile to keep trying. I am not sure when the Congress Party will realize this. They have persevered with him to the extent that their very existence is at threat. Yet, they haven't given up on a leader who doesn't know what he is doing and is not conscious of what he is saying. 

A leader should be a reader is a statement I heard recently. Unfortunately, Rahul Gandhi either doesn't read or he reads without understanding. Maybe to some extent the education he got should get the blame for this. He may have been used to just mugging up without understanding the logic behind something. So, he can blurt out things but really cannot understand the meaning of what he is saying or comprehend the impact it can have.

Just yesterday in the Parliament, he uttered nonsense and acted in a childish manner. In his efforts to defeat Modi, he did not think twice before questioning the credibility of the surgical strike done by our army. He quotes the French President wrongly and his claims fell flat when the French government issues a statement disapproving it. The least thing a leader should ensure is credibility. This is difficult for someone like Rahul Gandhi who is a leader because of his lineage and not because of his leadership abilities. History has proven that the most powerful of empires had to relinquish their power at some point and that is true even for the Gandhi empire which has ruled this country in a democratic setup. Gone are the days when the illiterate and uneducated of this country kept on voting for Congress just because it was headed by the Gandhi family. There may be few educated people too who have hopes from Rahul Gandhi but is more because of their hatred for Modi and less likely due to their faith in Rahul's leadership abilities. 

In a democracy, each and every person has the right to vote for the person or political party of his choice. They may have valid reasons for it. However, I really doubt any sane person can think that Rahul Gandhi is that person who could lead this country in the future. If hate for Modi is prompting one to vote against Modi, atleast ensure that you vote for someone who is a credible leader. At the same time, if the collective conscience of this nation can still perceive Rahul Gandhi as PM then I think not even God can save this country from doom. 

Pappu he was and Pappu he will be.

I want my birthday changed to 1st January

No, it is not me but my daughter who wants her birthday changed to 1^st of January. I thought I will make it clear upfront.

Couple of days back, late evening my daughter came up with this weird request to get her birthday changed to 1^st of January. Upon probing as to why she would want to get it done, she answered that her birthday being in December, comes last. She wants to celebrate her birthday before everyone else does. I told her that if she wants her name changed, I can do something about it but cannot help her with getting her birth date changed. However, she was adamant and started crying.

I was sure that this must have been an outcome of some discussion that happened in her school with her classmates. My wife ultimately did figure out from her that one of her classmates did comment about her birthday being last and it was the reason for this weird request. I was left wondering how a seemingly innocent comment of a classmate could have such an impact.

On one hand, I found it very amusing. I was initially laughing at her weird demand. However, the very next moment I thought that the whole reason was to come first or be ahead of others. We as adults are no different. Most of us, if not all are fighting to be ahead in the rat race. In fact, we may be doing things more harmful than changing birth date in order to be ahead of everyone else. 

On the last day of our life if we are conscious enough to reflect on our life, I think each one of us would realize that it didn't matter how many times we were first but the kind of impact we had with our presence on people around us.

Rahul Gandhi is better than Narendra Modi

The topic of my blog will come as a big surprise for anyone and everyone who knows me in person. I have been a very vocal supporter of Modi and suddenly when I post a blog with the title Rahul is better than Modi, it is bound to shock many.

Without wasting much time let me elaborate on my reasons for rating Rahul ahead of Modi and it will clear things off for everyone.

Inspiration

Look at Modi and you will realize that becoming the PM of the country is such a daunting task. One has to live like a monk, work hard at the grass root level in a party, struggle through your way up, rule a state to prove that one has administrative and leadership qualities and finally make it as PM of the country.

Now look at Rahul Gandhi and you will be inspired to think big. He is one of the most foolish person in the country and yet he thinks that he can be the PM of this country. Does he not inspire you to go beyond all your limitations? Think positive is what you get to hear a lot in most motivational talks that you hear by all the motivational speakers in the world. Who better than Rahul Gandhi to be a living example for this?

Compare Modi and Rahul based on my above statements and you will realize that Rahul inspires you more than anyone in this country. Modi doesn’t even look worthy to stand in the same frame as Rahul.

Humor sense

Modi has made us cry. Demonetization, GST, Fuel prices etc have cost us more pain. I think even a very close friend abusing you and insulting you does not hurt as much as Modi’s actions. He can only bring tears in our eyes. Forget about ever making us even smile.

On the other hand, even thinking of Rahul Gandhi is enough for us to laugh. Just imagine how much more laughter is in store if you get to see and hear him. He just doesn’t let you down. No matter how much the Congress has looted this country through rampant corruption, one just feels like forgetting everything and keep laughing when Rahul Gandhi is talking.

On humor sense front also as you can see, Modi just can’t beat Rahul Gandhi. In fact, he doesn’t even come a close second.

Poverty

Modi does not understand poverty at all. He wears the priciest of clothes and is always visiting foreign countries. He seems more like a sales and marketing guy roaming around and spending the taxpayer’s money on his foreign trips. Modi has dinner with high profile Prime ministers and Presidents from different nations.

Think Rahul Gandhi and you will remember how he had once reached a venue to give a speech wearing a torn kurta. He didn’t even have money to get the kurta stitched. He can be seen having food with poor people in their huts.

Who do you think understands poverty better? Isn’t it Rahul Gandhi?

It is my appeal to every Indian who will vote next time during Lok Sabha elections that they should vote for Rahul Gandhi for PM. With Rahul Gandhi as the PM of this country, one can be assured that no matter how much pain we would go through in his governance, he will ensure that tears do not roll out of our eyes. Even if it does roll out, it would be because of the excessive and uncontrollable laughter induced pain in the stomach that would be the reason for the tears and not like the ones Modi brings to our eyes.

Mumbai local - a conversation

It has been a long time that a blog post has been written by me. However, today's post makes me think that it was worth the wait. Writing just for the sake of it does not make sense. Today while traveling by Mumbai local train from Thane to Bhandup I witnessed a conversation which I felt was worth sharing on my blog.

I boarded a CST bound local from Thane and moved closer to the door on the other side as I needed to get down in Bhandup which is just a 10 minute journey from Thane. Within few minutes the train reached Mulund station. A man boarded the train guiding his 4-5 year old son ahead of him and his wife following him. The wife then moved past her husband and stood diagonally opposite to her husband and at a slight distance from me. As soon as the train started moving the lady started to talk to her husband in Marathi and I realized that she was actually not happy with her husband for allowing their son to board the train first. She felt it was risky because if they could not have managed to board the train, they could have been separated from their son.

It was husband's turn to speak up and I was eager to see his reaction. He initially spoke in Marathi and after noticing that his wife was not feeling comfortable, started talking in English. It seems, he felt it would have helped keep the conversation private. He responded calmly and explained his logic to his wife. He said that he had ensured his son board the train first because he was sure that he would have managed to board the train even if he would have had to run a bit and then catch it. Any other way of doing it could have been risky. Having their son sandwiched between him and wife could have been more risky as he would have to keep looking behind to ensure son is boarding safely or not.

The wife who was initially upset seemed to have understood husband's logic and said that the discussion helped figure out his thought process. Husband replied stating that it is better to ask why some action was taken before concluding whether it is right or wrong.

Bhandup station arrived and this family of 3 got down. I also got down and was thinking about the whole conversation. I found it funny because they assumed that switching the conversation to English would have prevented others from listening in. Even though I did not intend to be involved, I was still a witness. Overall, I liked the way the whole situation was handled because the conversation could have triggered a conflict between the couple but it went smoothly.

MODIfied India

8^th of November, 2016 will go down in history as a day that triggered one of the biggest financial reform in India. PM Modi’s initiative of demonetizing currency of Rs. 500 and Rs. 1000 did come as a big surprise to all Indians. Was there some numerology involved behind in date selection? Modi is a number 8. His birth date is 17^th September, 2016. J Even if there was, it does not matter since the decision taken is in the best interest of the nation.

Demonetization has caused lot of hardships to the common man. However, it is the common man who despite all the hardships faced is still not complaining or agitating against Modi. There has been no violent protest by the mob. Strangely it is the political parties who are complaining. Some opposition parties even tried to instigate people against the government. Yet, people of India have shown great resilience. Point to be noted here is that in India, we have a good share of the population who are either illiterate or not highly educated. They do not fully understand the rationale behind the decision taken by the government. Despite this, they have rallied behind the government. In a country like ours where riots can break out due to public anger has not seen any violent protest after demonetization was announced. The opposition parties, instead of appreciating this decision of the government are trying to mislead the people. 

In one of the discussions I was having in a WhatsApp group, one person happened to link this decision as a step taken because of upcoming elections in few states in India. This same person also mentioned that Modi’s decision was bad for the country and the poor people of India. When it comes to elections, if my understanding is correct, it is the poor who go and vote in elections more passionately than the rich and the middle class. So, causing inconvenience to the poor people of this country will only have a negative impact on Narendra Modi’s party. Basically, if the overall mood of the nation due to this decision is grossly negative then Narendra Modi’s decision will lead to a major upset in upcoming elections for the BJP. This means that Modi haters and the opposition parties should be happy because this initiative will turn out to be suicidal for Narendra Modi as his image will be harmed.

Communists are morons is a statement I always make because of how they have conducted themselves as a political party. The CM of Kerala is the biggest moron is something that gets proved by this article where CM Pinrayi Vijayan claims that demonetization won't help because black money lobby was prior informed. If there is a black money lobby, it will cut across political parties, businesses and even states. In other words, his own party would have been aware of this action well in advance. However, until the action was taken there was no indication that any political party was aware of such a move. Also, the Left have no moral right to speak about disruption caused to public due to this action. They are pioneers in declaring hartals and disrupting life of common people. The reason for hartal can be as bizarre as a mark of protest for Saddam Hussain's hanging in Iraq. They feel for Saddam more than the soldiers of our country who sacrifice their life for securing ours. I think in any decision taken by any government at the center if you see opposition coming from the Communists, be assured that the decision is for the betterment of the nation.

Arvind Kejriwal (AK) and Rahul Gandhi (RG) seem to be competing to prove who is the biggest fool by making stupid comments regarding demonetization initiative. AK should be a case study for IIT. How come an IIT produce such an idiot? RG we can still understand, he is intellectually challenged. AK is a big surprise. Need an RCA for AK.

I would like to conclude by stating that radical steps need to be taken for the nation to grow. Just as for humans so for the nation: No pain No gain!