General Pervez Musharraf!!
Man ,What a life that man has had.I am sure Pakistan is rejoicing his resignation, hoping that there will be a new democracy that will provide better governance,stability etc etc.Is the new Pakistan "Democracy" any better than the "military" Musharraf Rule?Only time will tell.
People will have their own opinions about Musharraf, everybody is going to agree with the fact that Pakistan became economically more stable under his rule.Now, this may be due to billions of dollars he got as "aid" from the USA for partnering them in their "War against Terror".Whatever the reasons may be, he got the economy back on track.
Economic Policies-Success
He swept into power after leading a coup against Nawaz Sharif's government in 1999.In 9 years, he has experienced a high degree of influx of terrorists in the Pakistani tribal areas.He has fought 2 major wars -The 1999 Kargil War and the ongoing war to "cleanse" Pakistan of Taliban .He's failed on both accounts.
Military Policy-Failure
His relationship with the religious heads, the clergies of the Pakistani religious set up, has been one of love hate.He famously supported religious extremism in Pakistan, with the hope that it would help extend his rule.But when the move backfired on him, he stormed the madrassas all over Pakistan.The much publicized storming of the Lal Masjid in Lahore left a bitter taste in the mouth of religious Pakistanis and consequently, he lost their support.
Religious Policy-Failure.
His dismissal of judiciary was the worst move of his presidential career.When the supreme court chief justice(I guess that is Ifthikar Chaudary) took to the streets, Musharraf declared an emergency.He had to pay for this.
Judiciary Handling- Big Failure
The killing of Benazir Bhutto, the imprisonment of Imran Khan, the arrest of Nawaz Sharif showed his intolerance towards his opponents.The "deals " he struck with the tribal elders in the tribal regions wasnt of much help in curbing the Taliban influx into Pakistan.
Political Policy- Failure.
This was Musharraf's report card.1 success and 5 failures!!
But I think unlike other regimes in Pakistan, Indo-Pak relations hit a new high, with bus services and flights being resumed between India and Pakistan.India went on Cricket tours to Pakistan and the Indian common man got to interact with his Pakistani counterpart after a long long time.
His foreign policy was giving total support to the US and trying to mend relationships with India.This suited both the nations, but alas, he only contributed towards his downfall by doing so.
A strange legacy...
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Serial Blasts,Olympics,Proxy War,Emerging economies,The most "busy" continent-Asia
Any New York Times edition carries about 16-20 pages of news.The international coverage(read news that interests the US economically and politically) gets around (1/3) rd of the total space, approximately.
I can assure you that around 90% of that space will have Asia news.Asia, the biggest continent in the world has been a poor cousin for many years to the more elite"West" continents , namely Europe and North America.Australia hardly interferes with anything,Africa makes news for all the wrong reasons and nobody lives in Antarctica. Somehow, despite being the biggest continent in the world, having the most number of people in the world , Asia has been a collection of "developing countries", who have been struggling to come to terms with the rapid growth of the "West".
History presented Asia in a very different light though.Some of the most advanced civilizations originated in Asia.Our very own India was a "hotspot" for religious,economic and political development in the ancient world.With the advent of the industrial revolution in the post middle ages, Europe gained a lot of wealth and resources.This led to the process of rapid colonization of the Asian countries, who fell prey to the might of European countries and the internal conflicts in the countries just contributed to the situation.
With many countries gaining independence from the Westerners, a new era has certainly begun in the history of Asia.The focus is certainly on India and to a large extent China.Of course, the turbulent middle east and the situation close to home in Afghanistan has also ensured that Asia has got into the news for the wrong reasons.
Strange as it may sound, Asia started making news for the right reasons due to the middle east in the early period of the 20th Century.The Arab countries, consisting of nomadic tribes at constant loggerheads, suddenly became rich and powerful due to the discovery of oil in the region.One cannot be wronged in saying that this proved to be a double edged sword, ensuring that these countries became the venue of the cold war to gain control over the oil in the region.
The wheel has begun to turn, Asia certainly has the potential to do great things.Its just a question of time before this happens(Provided of course the conflicts in the region are resolved, which is a very tricky proposition).
I can assure you that around 90% of that space will have Asia news.Asia, the biggest continent in the world has been a poor cousin for many years to the more elite"West" continents , namely Europe and North America.Australia hardly interferes with anything,Africa makes news for all the wrong reasons and nobody lives in Antarctica. Somehow, despite being the biggest continent in the world, having the most number of people in the world , Asia has been a collection of "developing countries", who have been struggling to come to terms with the rapid growth of the "West".
History presented Asia in a very different light though.Some of the most advanced civilizations originated in Asia.Our very own India was a "hotspot" for religious,economic and political development in the ancient world.With the advent of the industrial revolution in the post middle ages, Europe gained a lot of wealth and resources.This led to the process of rapid colonization of the Asian countries, who fell prey to the might of European countries and the internal conflicts in the countries just contributed to the situation.
With many countries gaining independence from the Westerners, a new era has certainly begun in the history of Asia.The focus is certainly on India and to a large extent China.Of course, the turbulent middle east and the situation close to home in Afghanistan has also ensured that Asia has got into the news for the wrong reasons.
Strange as it may sound, Asia started making news for the right reasons due to the middle east in the early period of the 20th Century.The Arab countries, consisting of nomadic tribes at constant loggerheads, suddenly became rich and powerful due to the discovery of oil in the region.One cannot be wronged in saying that this proved to be a double edged sword, ensuring that these countries became the venue of the cold war to gain control over the oil in the region.
The wheel has begun to turn, Asia certainly has the potential to do great things.Its just a question of time before this happens(Provided of course the conflicts in the region are resolved, which is a very tricky proposition).
Monday, July 28, 2008
Reading, film making et al
I have heard people say "Reading is a good habit, Cultivate it.'
I have to admit, I have been a rather on and off reader.I am highly selective with the things I read.Of course, I have read many school and engineering books just because I had to!! I have also read many of my favourite subjects again and again, though it was not required at all.
But generally, I would prefer watching a movie to reading a book in my free time.Its never been a pastime for me.Maybe that explains my poor knowledge of many novelists and their novels.Harry Potter and J.K.Rowling come into mind immediately.I tried to read the story of the little wizard frankly, but quite strangely, I couldn't stand it beyond 10-15 pages.
I am one of the very very few people who haven't liked Harry Potter series I guess, but I am not complaining, though it is not something I am proud of.The visual medium appeals to me more than the other mediums.I have passionately followed the works of many directors.I would not like to call them films, they are works of art , the director is a crafty story teller who is trying to tell you a story in a period of 2-3 hours and its upto the audience to like or hate the story.
That interests me more than anything.If there is one profession I love in the film medium, it is the director's.I have had this small ambition in some corner to direct!To tell people stories.I have always wondered how the directors would deal with "stars".Considering the tantrums that many of them throw, it would require good man management skills to get along with the actors and the producers, and virtually everyone around.This I think is paramount for a film's success, because the final product I think is a function of the actual process of making the movie among many many other things.
I was watching this movie "Johnny Gaddar" this weekend.I was highly impressed with the director.The guy is Shriram Raghavan.He started off with "Ek Hasina Thi" starring Urmila Matondkar and Saif Ali Khan.It was a revenge thriller, completely edge of the seat and at times brutal.I was expecting a good movie and he did not disappoint me.I loved the way the story was told.It was like a nice jigsaw puzzle that was quite beautifully solved and presented.
I also like Mel Gibson as a director.He belongs to the very elite class of people who are good actors apart from being equally good directors.I would also put Aamir Khan in that bracket.
I was checking Aamir Khan's profile on IMDB(Internet Movie Data Base) .He's been acting for 20 years, and his film count is just around 40!! Talk about being choosy with your movies.I think he's made a very brave decision to turn director. "Taare Zameen Par" was a very sensitive beautifully crafted piece of art.I really do hope he actually directs more movies.I guess I will have to be very patient for that, considering the pace and perfection with which the man works.I am sure it will be worth the wait!!
Reading a book and Watching a movie, its not very different!!!
I have to admit, I have been a rather on and off reader.I am highly selective with the things I read.Of course, I have read many school and engineering books just because I had to!! I have also read many of my favourite subjects again and again, though it was not required at all.
But generally, I would prefer watching a movie to reading a book in my free time.Its never been a pastime for me.Maybe that explains my poor knowledge of many novelists and their novels.Harry Potter and J.K.Rowling come into mind immediately.I tried to read the story of the little wizard frankly, but quite strangely, I couldn't stand it beyond 10-15 pages.
I am one of the very very few people who haven't liked Harry Potter series I guess, but I am not complaining, though it is not something I am proud of.The visual medium appeals to me more than the other mediums.I have passionately followed the works of many directors.I would not like to call them films, they are works of art , the director is a crafty story teller who is trying to tell you a story in a period of 2-3 hours and its upto the audience to like or hate the story.
That interests me more than anything.If there is one profession I love in the film medium, it is the director's.I have had this small ambition in some corner to direct!To tell people stories.I have always wondered how the directors would deal with "stars".Considering the tantrums that many of them throw, it would require good man management skills to get along with the actors and the producers, and virtually everyone around.This I think is paramount for a film's success, because the final product I think is a function of the actual process of making the movie among many many other things.
I was watching this movie "Johnny Gaddar" this weekend.I was highly impressed with the director.The guy is Shriram Raghavan.He started off with "Ek Hasina Thi" starring Urmila Matondkar and Saif Ali Khan.It was a revenge thriller, completely edge of the seat and at times brutal.I was expecting a good movie and he did not disappoint me.I loved the way the story was told.It was like a nice jigsaw puzzle that was quite beautifully solved and presented.
I also like Mel Gibson as a director.He belongs to the very elite class of people who are good actors apart from being equally good directors.I would also put Aamir Khan in that bracket.
I was checking Aamir Khan's profile on IMDB(Internet Movie Data Base) .He's been acting for 20 years, and his film count is just around 40!! Talk about being choosy with your movies.I think he's made a very brave decision to turn director. "Taare Zameen Par" was a very sensitive beautifully crafted piece of art.I really do hope he actually directs more movies.I guess I will have to be very patient for that, considering the pace and perfection with which the man works.I am sure it will be worth the wait!!
Reading a book and Watching a movie, its not very different!!!
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Agneepath Agneepath..!!
I happened to watch Agneepath for the nth time yesterday.Its amazing how I dont ever get bugged/bored watching Vijay Dinanath Chauhan ( Amitabh Bachchan ) fight it out single handedly against a succession of baddies led by Kaancha Cheena ( Danny Denzongpa). It is undoubtedly one of Amitabh's best performances ever. He got the national award for his efforts in this movie.
The story is about a man who avenges his father's death at the hands of conspiring villians, restoring the lost pride of his family and taking control of the village in the process.While the supporting cast is nothing to write home about, a very good performance by Danny complements the brilliant Amitabh in the movie.
My favourite scene is where Amitabh explains the "Jungle Raaj" that is essentially the survival of the fittest.He draws a parallel between the laws in the jungle and the life in the underworld Mumbai ( Being released in the early 1990's, Mumbai underworld had a vice-like grip on bollywood back then ).
He is absolutely amazing in all the scenes.This can be ranked as his best performance post sholay.Gives us a glimpse of what Amitabh is capable of and reminds us of the good old "angry young man" days of the legend.
Watch it for Amitabh.
p.s.: I also have to mention the performance of the child artist, Master Manjunath ( of Malgudi days fame ). He was the best child artiste in Kannada cinema and one of the best the country has ever seen.Watch this film and you will know why.He plays the young Amitabh in the movie.
The story is about a man who avenges his father's death at the hands of conspiring villians, restoring the lost pride of his family and taking control of the village in the process.While the supporting cast is nothing to write home about, a very good performance by Danny complements the brilliant Amitabh in the movie.
My favourite scene is where Amitabh explains the "Jungle Raaj" that is essentially the survival of the fittest.He draws a parallel between the laws in the jungle and the life in the underworld Mumbai ( Being released in the early 1990's, Mumbai underworld had a vice-like grip on bollywood back then ).
He is absolutely amazing in all the scenes.This can be ranked as his best performance post sholay.Gives us a glimpse of what Amitabh is capable of and reminds us of the good old "angry young man" days of the legend.
Watch it for Amitabh.
p.s.: I also have to mention the performance of the child artist, Master Manjunath ( of Malgudi days fame ). He was the best child artiste in Kannada cinema and one of the best the country has ever seen.Watch this film and you will know why.He plays the young Amitabh in the movie.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Afghanistan- Warland
Any country that is an entry point into central Asia, strategically located with plenty of natural resources, has some of the bravest and most resilient people in the world should be peacful, protected and rich... But unfortunately, the words we associate with Afghanistan are chaotic, turbulent, poverty-stricken etc.
I feel for everybody associated with Afghanistan today, its people, its puppet government. Its a country that is a classical example of proxy war that the world's superpowers have been playing since the end of World War II. For the Afghans the World War , yes World war III, involving the Soviets, Americans, British, Canadians, Australians and Germans ( as a part of the NATO forces ), Talibani etc has been going on for over three decades.
I was watching some Afghanistan videos containing pictures of Kabul in the mid 1900's , and it is hard to believe how beautiful the country was.It is still beautiful, but alas the beauty has been almost disguised in a veil by the ruthless face of destruction that has plagued the majority of the country.
The Afghans consisting mostly of Pashtuns (Pathans) are some of the bravest people in the world.They have tribes that have a proud past, never having been enslaved, even the British troops could not move beyond the Khyber Pass . The Soviets fell when they tried to invade the Afghans and now the NATO troops have begun to suffer at the hands of a resurgent Taliban.
Taliban literally translates as "Students", its essentially a student amy made up of radical, madrassa educated Islamic youngsters, recruited chiefly from the mountainous region of the Pakistan- Afghan border.The big mistake they made was giving Osama and Al Qaeda shelter.They always had a soft corner for the wealthy Saudi, who had generously helped them during their war with Soviets in conjunction with the Americans!!
They followed the classical Pathan tradition of protecting your guest by not handing him over to the Americans after the 9/11 tragedy.The same people who were responsible for creating them started destroying them.Pity!!
I always thought that Afghanistan was just a battlefield where the real war between the militant factions and the Americans is being fought.It was a battlefield even when there was proxy war between the communist soviets and the capitalist Americans.
For God sake , its a country, not a war field!!
I just hope all this ends one day, I know its a just a hope.. Damage has already been done.
Hats off to the Afghan common man
p.s.: I deeply grieve the death of various Indian diplomats and some Indian army personnel in the Indian embassy bombing that took place in kabul a couple of days ago.
May their soul rest in peace
I feel for everybody associated with Afghanistan today, its people, its puppet government. Its a country that is a classical example of proxy war that the world's superpowers have been playing since the end of World War II. For the Afghans the World War , yes World war III, involving the Soviets, Americans, British, Canadians, Australians and Germans ( as a part of the NATO forces ), Talibani etc has been going on for over three decades.
I was watching some Afghanistan videos containing pictures of Kabul in the mid 1900's , and it is hard to believe how beautiful the country was.It is still beautiful, but alas the beauty has been almost disguised in a veil by the ruthless face of destruction that has plagued the majority of the country.
The Afghans consisting mostly of Pashtuns (Pathans) are some of the bravest people in the world.They have tribes that have a proud past, never having been enslaved, even the British troops could not move beyond the Khyber Pass . The Soviets fell when they tried to invade the Afghans and now the NATO troops have begun to suffer at the hands of a resurgent Taliban.
Taliban literally translates as "Students", its essentially a student amy made up of radical, madrassa educated Islamic youngsters, recruited chiefly from the mountainous region of the Pakistan- Afghan border.The big mistake they made was giving Osama and Al Qaeda shelter.They always had a soft corner for the wealthy Saudi, who had generously helped them during their war with Soviets in conjunction with the Americans!!
They followed the classical Pathan tradition of protecting your guest by not handing him over to the Americans after the 9/11 tragedy.The same people who were responsible for creating them started destroying them.Pity!!
I always thought that Afghanistan was just a battlefield where the real war between the militant factions and the Americans is being fought.It was a battlefield even when there was proxy war between the communist soviets and the capitalist Americans.
For God sake , its a country, not a war field!!
I just hope all this ends one day, I know its a just a hope.. Damage has already been done.
Hats off to the Afghan common man
p.s.: I deeply grieve the death of various Indian diplomats and some Indian army personnel in the Indian embassy bombing that took place in kabul a couple of days ago.
May their soul rest in peace
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Nelson Mandela-Terrorist list??
A couple of days ago,the US govt did Nobel Peace Prize Winner Nelson Mandela a favour by removing him from their terrorist list!!
That was one of the most bizzare things I ve heard in the recent times.I admit that the terrorist list drawn out by the US govt is pretty elaborate,but nelson Mandela??!! C mon..
Condelezza Rice did admit that it was a mistake and efforts had been made and subsequently Mandela's name was removed from the list. Now his 90th birthday celebrations are coming up at Hyde Park,U.S and its due to be attended by a large list of dignitaries from around the world and maybe this was the birthday present given to him by the government of the United States of America!!
That also made me actually take a moment and think about the great leader.He is undoubtedly the greatest leader Africa has ever produced. The countries in the African continent has been ruled by men who are either completely oppressive ( Dictators like Idi Amin Dada from Uganda springs to mind ) or by leaders who were revolutionaries once upon a time and have remained in power for too long and have started abusing it( A good example is Mr Robert Mugabe, the current Zimbabwean president/ruler/dictator,he has been leading since Zimbabwe's independence in 1980 and has abused power to a large extent,which has left Zimbabwe's economy in shambles ).
He is the last standing revolutionary of his generation. (Our very own Mahatma was his conuterpart ).Let us take a moment to thank Mandela for all that he has done to mankind in general and the third world countries in particular.
Thank You Nelson Mandela. Wishing you a very happy 90th birthday.
May your legacy live on forever and be an inspiration for the current and future generation revolutionaries.
That was one of the most bizzare things I ve heard in the recent times.I admit that the terrorist list drawn out by the US govt is pretty elaborate,but nelson Mandela??!! C mon..
Condelezza Rice did admit that it was a mistake and efforts had been made and subsequently Mandela's name was removed from the list. Now his 90th birthday celebrations are coming up at Hyde Park,U.S and its due to be attended by a large list of dignitaries from around the world and maybe this was the birthday present given to him by the government of the United States of America!!
That also made me actually take a moment and think about the great leader.He is undoubtedly the greatest leader Africa has ever produced. The countries in the African continent has been ruled by men who are either completely oppressive ( Dictators like Idi Amin Dada from Uganda springs to mind ) or by leaders who were revolutionaries once upon a time and have remained in power for too long and have started abusing it( A good example is Mr Robert Mugabe, the current Zimbabwean president/ruler/dictator,he has been leading since Zimbabwe's independence in 1980 and has abused power to a large extent,which has left Zimbabwe's economy in shambles ).
He is the last standing revolutionary of his generation. (Our very own Mahatma was his conuterpart ).Let us take a moment to thank Mandela for all that he has done to mankind in general and the third world countries in particular.
Thank You Nelson Mandela. Wishing you a very happy 90th birthday.
May your legacy live on forever and be an inspiration for the current and future generation revolutionaries.
Friday, July 4, 2008
Memory
Its amazing how you can still remember certain events vividly.. Like things that happened to you in school and college.
I still remember some events from my high school times.Carmel School was quite an experience for me.I used to study there before I went to Delhi,so When I was back in Bengalooru,I decided to continue with Carmel.It was nice to meet old friends there-Vikas,Abhijeet.It was nice to make new friends,the fact that the class size was only 18 made it easier to know all the people in my class.Not all of them were close to me,but somehow I m able to connect to them even today.Its amazing how it was not a class, but a small group of 18 people.. Like Guinea pigs!!
I wouldnt be liking to change anything about my school days,not a thing.I know there have been incidents in my school which I could ve avoided had I not been so silly and gullible,but they all thought me a lesson.I still cherish those days.Its like I want to have a time machine that would transport me back to 2000-01!I wouldnt mind writing my ICSE boards again frankly!!
We were really lucky in many respects that we got to have a lot of fun.The main people responsible for that were the teachers in the school.I still remember how our English teacher would spare us the agony of sitting through her class with that "Figments of Imagination" book in our hand.She would let us play volleyball every class of hers!!Though I wasnt good at it,I sort of enjoyed the whole freedom that we got.
One of the best parts of school was the assembly at the beginning of the day and the cycling back after school got over.Assembly was a time for me to gaze my eyes to places where my mind would tell me to go! It was really nice to "sight"!! And because I did so many silly things in school,I would do it in the assembly at the risk of getting punished if I were caught.
Another nice part of the day was the ride back home.I still remember the group that used to cycle back home.I would cycle till the DG circle( Now no longer there!!) with karthik,abhijeet,vikas..
Kartik would make a left there.The three of us would continue straight.Vikas would keep going straight and I would go with Abhijeet.We would make a right and then we would tread along!!
We would either stop by at the "SLV" for by 2 "kesaribath" or go to the bakery for "apple cakes".We did it everyday for like almost 2 years.Investing 5 bucks everyday was something!!
The talk would be generally confined to Cricket,certain girls in the school... and maybe sometimes studies!! The cricket discussions were the best.. We would go talking as if we were some experts on the topic.I used to live in an area called banashankari then and Abhijeet used to stay in Jayanagar,further down,we would seperate then at a turning,with Abhijeet telling me to stop studying.. and other things..!!! It was really good!!
I hope my classmates are all doing well in their respective chosen paths.I am in touch with most and I know they are and I hope it will continue to be the same.
Miss u guys!!!
I still remember some events from my high school times.Carmel School was quite an experience for me.I used to study there before I went to Delhi,so When I was back in Bengalooru,I decided to continue with Carmel.It was nice to meet old friends there-Vikas,Abhijeet.It was nice to make new friends,the fact that the class size was only 18 made it easier to know all the people in my class.Not all of them were close to me,but somehow I m able to connect to them even today.Its amazing how it was not a class, but a small group of 18 people.. Like Guinea pigs!!
I wouldnt be liking to change anything about my school days,not a thing.I know there have been incidents in my school which I could ve avoided had I not been so silly and gullible,but they all thought me a lesson.I still cherish those days.Its like I want to have a time machine that would transport me back to 2000-01!I wouldnt mind writing my ICSE boards again frankly!!
We were really lucky in many respects that we got to have a lot of fun.The main people responsible for that were the teachers in the school.I still remember how our English teacher would spare us the agony of sitting through her class with that "Figments of Imagination" book in our hand.She would let us play volleyball every class of hers!!Though I wasnt good at it,I sort of enjoyed the whole freedom that we got.
One of the best parts of school was the assembly at the beginning of the day and the cycling back after school got over.Assembly was a time for me to gaze my eyes to places where my mind would tell me to go! It was really nice to "sight"!! And because I did so many silly things in school,I would do it in the assembly at the risk of getting punished if I were caught.
Another nice part of the day was the ride back home.I still remember the group that used to cycle back home.I would cycle till the DG circle( Now no longer there!!) with karthik,abhijeet,vikas..
Kartik would make a left there.The three of us would continue straight.Vikas would keep going straight and I would go with Abhijeet.We would make a right and then we would tread along!!
We would either stop by at the "SLV" for by 2 "kesaribath" or go to the bakery for "apple cakes".We did it everyday for like almost 2 years.Investing 5 bucks everyday was something!!
The talk would be generally confined to Cricket,certain girls in the school... and maybe sometimes studies!! The cricket discussions were the best.. We would go talking as if we were some experts on the topic.I used to live in an area called banashankari then and Abhijeet used to stay in Jayanagar,further down,we would seperate then at a turning,with Abhijeet telling me to stop studying.. and other things..!!! It was really good!!
I hope my classmates are all doing well in their respective chosen paths.I am in touch with most and I know they are and I hope it will continue to be the same.
Miss u guys!!!
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