India's new neighbour - Talibanistan

As we thought we had enough shocks for 2009, another one strikes, though not quite out of the blue.

The Doomsday Scenario is playing out - today, Amritsar is geographically closer to the Taliban than Delhi. Yes, its true, the Taliban are inching closer to the Indian frontier, by taking control of Pakistani territory, inch by inch. And sooner than we expect, we would have to deal with the Taliban. And soon, we will have a new neighbour to deal with, to add to our list of painful neighbours - Talibanistan!

Our options are limited as a country. We are being pushed into a corner - the way Israel has existed for the last 60-odd years.

What do we do? Talk to the Pakistanis? Will it help? No, not at all. When Zardari said he expects Taliban to take control of the country any time soon, it is evident, he controls nothing but his presidential palace. There is no point in talking to him.

What about the Americans? Obama has spoken about eliminating Al-Qaeda, focusing on Af-Pak, etc. etc. But given the economic situation prevailing in the US, it might be tempting for Obama to cut spends by moving forces out of Af-Pak. We can't bank on the US to be on our side, given the poor economics of their presence in Af-Pak.

Our options are limited - we have to deal with this menace ourselves. After taking over Pakistan, the Taliban will turn their eyes on India for sure. And that's real bad. That really would the first real threat that India would face since its independence for the Taliban threatens the Indian way of life, our free speech, our economic independence. And we can't let it happen.

We need to boost our defences all along the Western borders - that is obvious. But more importantly, we have to break the enemy from within. For that, our intelligence has to break in to the Taliban to understand their plans better. Then we would need to deflect their attention from our borders. We should attempt to build resistance within Pakistan against the Taliban. The Baluchis and the Sindhis are certainly are not pleased with the Punjabi-Pashtun nexus and are likely to play ball against the Taliban.

All along I had my reservations on the way successive governments in Delhi had handled Pakistan. But Manmohan Singh's A-team of Chidambaram and Pranab has proven that they have the will not only to talk tough but also act. I hope they have the threat that Talibanistan poses to India in their minds and they act on it.

Making it work with Patience.......

Now this is keeping me awake at midnight......
When I started this blog, I had resolved that I would be fairly regular in putting in a few words here, but then since the beginning of the year, I have been a silent observer of what's been happening around us all...... Haven't been able to blog much.
It's strange that sometimes random thoughts really flow in a wonderful fashion into something that's worthy of being on this blog for you to read, but at some times these thoughts just don't flow....
I would love to figure out why it happens. Why can't the thoughts come out with a definite regularity is a question that has been bugging me since January.....
Blame it on the weather? Well, I don't think so.....
Or does it really make any sense to think about all this, for creativity just happens, when it has to.
Is impatience really the worst enemy of creativity? (A bit of rambling here - the talk of impatience here reminds me of something that we normally see on flights. The moment the aircraft slows down on the taxiway heading towards the parking bay, in the rush to disembark, there is a mad scramble towards the aisle, to open the overhead bins, etc. leading to a royal chaos on the aisle. The result - a remarkably slow movement of passengers out of the aircraft.)
That's what happens in the mind as well. Too many random thoughts clog constructive creative thinking. Impatience certainly kills creativity.
The other day, I was feeling a little frustrated that things were not working out the way I wanted them to and put a status update on my Facebook saying - "Rajeev wonders why we have to wait...."
On this I got a reply from a Facebook connection saying "Patience makes you pay more attention to the details...hence it is so very essential... "
And that's the key to it. Talking of patience, I must mention what I experienced yesterday. A development that I have been associated with, professionally, for the last three years had been giving us all at work, constant nightmares - would it work at all? Is it just a grand dream? Is our money safe?
During the course of the these three years, there had been a number of false starts, quite a few moments of that awful sinking feeling, heated arguments and you name it, it was all there.
But when I was saw the development yesterday, it was beautiful - the creativity of the minds behind the development was evident, like a labour of love, a fine work of art. For me it was like seeing a baby grow. And that's when I said to myself, with time and with patience things will look good.....
And so I shall not worry about my blog. I will be patient and wait ...... But now I will have to go to bed!!!!

Death of Innocence

Does the city have a life?
The mad rush of day and night….
The stream of life….
The tempers, the trials, the tribulations.

The tears, the smiles,
Of loved ones and passers by….
All the little joys of nature….
Unnoticed, they all go….

The lure of lucre eggs us on.
But what have we lost?
The lust for life, the passion to be….
And innocence dies a death.

'God's own country'

An old piece (written on January 27, 2002) describing my trip to Trivandrum (January 24-26, 2002), which I think is worth preserving.... Here goes:

Me's just back from a junket to 'God's own country'........ yeah you got it right - Kerala, truly 'God's own country'. I had a conference in Trivandrum organised by my company. A whole lot of people from my co were scheduled to attend..left Delhi on a 'brrrrrrrrrr' cold morning.... the plane was full of my office people - seemed as good as home in there..........landed at BOM at 8.......... a city I love for its myriad smells, tastes, colors and sights, a city that epitomizes triumph and endurance of the human spirit over adversity........ was tempted to get out of the sterile environs of the cabin,
smell the air and call up a few friends..... but didn't because I was afraid, I might branded an Osama follower!!! We flew over the Konkan and Malabar coasts................ what a sight that was........ would pay a million for that.... the shimmering blue sea on one end and green and brown of land on the other. Landed at Trivandrum at 11.......... the approach to TRV is fabulous. The airport is located near a beach and in the middle of a coconut grove..... the view was fabulous..... the doors were opened and we were greeted by the bright Kerala sun and warm balmy breeze. Waiting at the terminal building were lissome dusky Malloo beauties, all there to welcome us!!! We were all greeted with a tilak and a red rose each...the route to Kovalam is fabulously green. Coconut trees lined both sides of the road. had a small glimpse of the backwaters. Reached the hotel on Kovalam beach and had to get ready for the conference which was to start in an hour..... Kovalam is known for its beach sands which have thorium in minute quantities ........ a place frequented by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis...the view of the sea was too tempting...... but had to rush....... the thing went on the till late in the evening after which we were invited for a Mohiniyattam show in open air theatre....... good music in the sea breeze - what else could I ask for.....the next morning I was up early for I couldn't resist the lure of the sea..... nopes I don't know swimming......... I was lured by the strong sea breeze....... went to the beach and saw the fishermen returning with their catch for the day.......the conference was over by 2PM........ we had time for ourselves now...... went for a speedboat ride.......... cannot describe how it felt. Soon after that we left for the city... visited the Padmanabha temple.... even though I am not a religious guy or a 'temple-goer'. stripped to the bare and clad in lungis (as per the custom!), we watched in wonder the exquisite 700-800 year old stone carvings.....now was the time to buy some souvenirs......... went about the city for that and picked up quite a bit. Reached back late in the night........and I shouldn't forget the food........ yum yum yum... coconut rice, curd rice, appams, thorans, sambhars, local coconut stews, fish curries.... mmmm my mouth waters at the thought of Keralite food. Woke up at 2AM in the morning - we wanted to view the sunrise at Kanyakumari!!!! Kanyakumari is a 2hr drive from TRV..... reached Kanyakumari well in time, but there were clouds in the horizon....... we were not disappointed tho..... there was a 'slit' in clouds and we could see the sunrise........ what a place to be on 26Jan!!!! Sitting at the bottom-most tip of the peninsula, watching the sunrise and hoping for brighter times ahead for us and our Republic!!!! Long Live the Republic! Moved about, went to Vivekanand Memorial, the Thiruvalluvar statue and moved about a bit....... and then it was time to return....had to rush back to TRV to catch the flight back to Delhi..... was sad to leave the warmth of the place.........as they say all good things come an end, but this was the beginning of my love affair with 'God's Own Country'......... as one of my friends had said.. for those who love time is eternity for those who love, yes the short I spent there was like eternity.as we took off, I made a vow to return back..... spend more time, visit Cochin, Munnar, Thekkady, Periyar and the backwaters!!!! And now its back to the cold, dust, traffic jams of Delhi.....

All that I want!

Up I go.......

on the long winding road.

The blue sky, the bright Sun,

The green hill, gushing streams,

All things big and small ...

Speak of a beauty....

But...

What use is all this

...... without that loving voice,

... those caring hands,

... that comforting smile.

To have her beside me....

Walk up, hand in hand

...... step by step,

... is all I want,

... is all I need!

(Dedicated, with lots of love, to Neeti)