My days in Gujarat - 1

I have been travelling through Gujarat for the last 1 1/2 years. The only exposure I had had to Gujarat before was a brief stopover at Shahibaug area in Ahmedabad when I got abandoned by a tourbus en-route to Mumbai. My impression, then, was frankly unfavourable - the place seemed filthy.

Then Godhra happened, and then the post-Godhra riots. I was as appalled by what the English media portrayed was happening in Gujarat as you may have been. However, a small voice kept nagging me. NDTV had shown a report on TV the day the train burnt, where they had mentioned a Mrs Deshpande, a daily commuter, who was one of the victims. The report had also mentioned women and children getting killed. Suddenly, these reports never appeared anymore and the story that came out was about the coach being full of kar sevaks and their provoking local muslims etc - almost painting a picture that "they had it coming" . I was also hearing the same story from members of the NGO that I used to work with, who had come from Gujarat then. Little did I know that the truth was, in fact, this:
http://indiaview.wordpress.com/2009/02/05/godhrathe-true-story/

The scale of the conspiracy to malign Gujarat and its leadership is mindboggling, and everyone is involved - the Western Press, our friends across the border, our media, the grand old party...everyone. ....and think of those 58 poor souls who got burnt to a crisp - 27 of them were women, at least one of whom was 82 years old, and 10 were children. Think also of the 750 muslims and 250 Hindus that got killed in the vicious broth of violence brewed by the anti-national conspirators merely to "fix" their nationalist opponents in power.

It was when I started working in Gujarat and travelling all over the place when I realised that every one, EVERY ONE of the stories that came out in the english media, particularly TV, from 2002 to today was either exaggerated or was an outright lie.

Gujarat could not be more different from what you expect based on the stories that the media feeds you. I found Gujarat to be warm, prosperous and modern, showing no signs of the medieval communalism that the papers and TV characterised the state as having. I also found near-unanimous support for its Chief Minister cutting across communities and classes, and this in what was then the "weakest" area for the CM, Junagadh in Saurashtra. I actually saw people from all communities come to the streets and urge their neighbours to go vote - when I asked them why, they said that if people went and voted, the CM would win!!!

Amazingly, a friend whom I met recently in Delhi shared the exact same story with me, he and his family had been independently touring the state on holiday and came up with a palette of stories that completely reinforced what I learnt.

Folks, Gujarat is the standing proof of the sheer malicious strategy that is being foisted upon us by the current political-media complex. Please visit the state, talk to its people and learn the truth. Then form your own judgement.

Yankee Doodle Dandy talks about Gandee!

Now looky here!

http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/world-news/otis-conditions-for-no-auction-spend-on-health-or-push-non-violence_100162804.html

We have an American, of all people, dictating to our Government to spend less on war and more on alleviating poverty, pushing non-violence etc, and holding Gandhi's trinkets as ransom... and our media promptly starts handwringing and looking guilty!

Well, Mr Otis, perhaps you should be doing some navel gazing before pontificating on what we need to be doing. You know, you guys didn't exactly go to Iraq to grow flowers and teach Iraqi children good habits, did you?

Perhaps you should dust up your books and understand how your CIA is singularly responsible for India spending "20% of its budget on defence and 3% on its poor" as you choose to put it. You'll also realise how your government's policy of propping up raghead dictators while peddling democracy on the side to the third world, is the reason people get blown up in every other country in the world, and you have to wear your bullet proof jacket.

In an case, what is your locus standi even as an individual to comment on a 10000 year old civilization? Someone who rifles through garbage and steals junk, suddenly discovers a gem in the dust and makes big money off it has no business preaching to the world's largest democracy how to spend its money.

In any case, it appears that Dr Vijay Mallya has thrown the requisite alms in your face and asked you to scram.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Mallya-buys-Gandhis-items-for-18-million-/articleshow/4231248.cms

I guess that's why you are grovelling appropriately now.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/James-Otis-apologizes-for-auctioning-Gandhi-items/articleshow/4322891.cms

Once you get rid of your acne and decide to become an adult, come over to India and we'll teach you what it means to be a great nation.... and oh, bring your bullet-proof jacket along, CIA's bearded pets across the border often come to hunt here!

Twisted Humor!

How would you like it if you woke up one fine morning and found a 67 foot tall statue of some random Brit-American in front of your beachside house? What if, to your agitated enquiry, someone told you that it was put up for a film set, and by the way, it is going to stay for ever after that? Alternatively, imagine what the reaction would be if someone put up a 67 foot tall statue of Tenali Rama in front of the Masjid at Mecca or at Vatican Square? Would the pious followers that worship there doff their hats in appreciation of the great wit, or would they do a Bamiyan, alleging "Hindu fundamentalist assault on peaceful Islam/ Christism", "Islam/ Christism in Danger" etc?

The original controversy regarding Charlie Chaplin's statue in Mangalore's beaches is clearly stated in Hindustan Times here:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?id=1f739699-8559-41a4-a504-7d0173b40bec

Clearly as per the above article, the so called controversy came up because the Director of the movie had decided to put up the statue without any official clearances, and without checking the convenience of the villagers. This, and the perfectly legitimate objection that the statue was coming up in a place where it was blocking the entrance to the local temple.

And now look how the wonderful media has twisted the story now:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Christian-Chaplin-statue-sparks-controversy-in-Karnataka/rssarticleshow/4264831.cms

Suddenly, this has become a "Christian" controversy, with "Hindoo Fundoos" crawling out of the woodwork! Shame, Shame on the media for selling their souls and their civilization for money. This destructive force unleashed upon India through the airwaves must be destroyed, nay, atomised, for peace to prevail in this nation. It is time some of these arrogant, completely unaccountable blackguards were made such an example of, that the rest of these 5th columnists tremble even when the breath of a true Indian brushes by them.