Major Sandeep - RIP

This is not the first time and will not be the last time either. It's a shame that the fighters of India are neglected by the politicians ! I've seen this happen during the Kargil war. I've seen this happen to the IPKF soldiers...not to forget the day to day losses on the borders and in other terror attacks.

Shame on the Kerala Govt. for not sending a single Minister to Major Sandeep's funeral.

Hat's off to Major Sandeep's dad for staying firm !

The politicians are spineless blood suckers. They won't budge until their next to kin are affected. Time is not far away ...if the security situation is not revamped.

I pray to the god almighty for NSG commando Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan's soul to rest in peace. The same applies to every commando, police officer and public who lost their lives.

Bombay Blasts - IV

I strongly recommend this piece in IBNLIVE. I see a lot of valid points in this.

AK 47 versus a revolver: it's no match. While the terrorists who held Mumbai hostage were said to be equipped with the latest automatic weapons and ammo, the Mumbai police battling them did not even have as much as a helmet. NSG commandos had to be flown in from Delhi. M N Singh said civil police was no answer to terrorism. "This is the first time there's been a face-to-face combat between police and terrorists. For that, the police are not equipped," he said, adding the state should have a commando force to itself to plug the time lag.

Deora concluded the debate by saying that the root of terrorism was ill-sentiments against each others' community. "We must ask ourselves before we go to a community - do we harbour band sentiments against a community? Are we biased?" he asked.

Here is another wonderful piece from the NY Times.

A parliamentary investigative panel found serious gaps in the Indian Navy and Coast Guard’s ability to monitor sea routes because of a lack of long-range surveillance equipment, including aircraft, according to The Indian Express.

Ill-paid city police are often armed with little more than batons. Even the elite commandos heading the charge against the gunmen this week were slowed by old, bulky bulletproof jackets and had no technology at their disposal to determine where the firepower was coming from inside the sprawling hotels.

Sharpshooters had neither protective gear, nor the high-powered telescopes that their counterparts in Western countries would most likely use in a standoff with terrorists. On Saturday afternoon, a sharpshooter who had spent over 60 hours perched outside the Taj Hotel said neither he nor his partner had fired a shot because they were not sure how to distinguish the gunmen from ordinary civilians trapped inside the hotel.

Bombay blasts - III

As I saw the events in Bombay unfold, I couldn't help but to think about the following:

• The sloppy job of the local police.
• The unpreparedness of the State/country to handle a calamity.
• The big hotels / public places and the security situation.
• The reaction time / speed to handle a crisis.
• An intelligence force that's only on paper.

It's high time.. ( Well...if this is not the ultimate eye-opener I don't know what would be ) the politicians put religion, caste and money aside and think about the country. There is a lesson for the corrupted politicians and the police here. If India goes down..everyone goes down !!

What's next?

India must not forget this as another incident and moveon as is usually the case. The law makers must act fast and spend the necessary money to strengthen the security.

It's not worth the cause to just blame the neighbors for everything. India has to prove the involvement of whoever she claims is responsible for terrorism.

India must take Israel as a role model. Surrounded by hatred all around ..the small country manages security and intelligence so well..that her enemies are scared of her.

India is much bigger than Israel with a decent economy. It would be wise to put the dollars to constructive use and tighten the belts and the fences...so that no one can break in.

For that, India needs good leaders, free police / Intelligence and a public that knows and understands the stakes.

The public must start thinking that they are 'Indians' and not hindus or muslims or christians. A wise society would put the Ramayan, Bible and the Koran aside and have India and only India in its heart and soul.

This is the time to act.

Bombay attacks - II

As I see the NSG commandos being dropped from choppers into the Oberoi hotel my heart bleeds. These noble souls are on the line...thanks to our stupid policy makers. These young men live salaried and have to fight all this while our politicians swindle the country !

I wish our politicians starting from the President to the PM to all the ministers including the State Chief Ministers could dropped into Oberoi to deal with the terrorists.

Where is the AH Raj Thackeray ? What does he say about the NSG commandos from the other parts of India ?

Look at these terror acts on Indian soil:

• Indira Gandhi's Murder
• Rajiv's Gandhi's Murder
• Coimbatore blasts
• Bombay Dalal street blasts
• Rashtrapathi Bhavan attacks
• Bombay train blasts
• Bangalore attacks
• Attacks on other smaller towns
• Latest Bombay attacks

How many of these crimes have been solved fully? Has Justice been served in any of these cases ?

Bombay attacks

May the departed souls rest in peace.
May the injured heal fast.
Let justice be served.
My heart goes to the people of Bombay !!

I have a couple of questions:

• After every attack the hands point at Pakistan and nothing happens after that. Why?

• Intelligence agencies - Where were they ? They now say that the terrorists were from Pak and they came by boats !! What kind of intelligence agencies are these ? And they came by boats and drove Skoda cars in the city ! Didn't the RAW and Intelligence have a clue? How is that possible ?

India needs to revamp RAW and Intelligence agencies. Looks like amateurs with titles !!

Shame on the Police / Intelligence forces for not being able to stop this.

Bad that Bombay has to put up with all this !!

Obama ASAP Please !

The economy is in a pathetic shape crying for help. I see it everywhere around. Job market is scary. The shops / malls are not crowded at all !! Bad news everywhere.

Fairfield has lost quite a few businesses: Linens and things, Mervyn's, Circuit City to name a few. I hope it doesn't become a ghost town.

That said, I found this wonderful piece by my favorite Tom Friedman in NY Times today. Reflects exactly my thoughts !! Here is an excerpt:

Now you know why I don’t get invited out for dinner much these days. If I had my druthers right now we would convene a special session of Congress, amend the Constitution and move up the inauguration from Jan. 20 to Thanksgiving Day. Forget the inaugural balls; we can’t afford them. Forget the grandstands; we don’t need them. Just get me a Supreme Court justice and a Bible, and let’s swear in Barack Obama right now — by choice — with the same haste we did — by necessity — with L.B.J. in the back of Air Force One.

Home sweet home

We moved to our new home in Fairfield, California during the last week of August.

Took a while for me to dust my camera and take some pictures.

சட்டக் கல்லூரி - சதுரங்க மேடை

சட்டக் கல்லூரியில் கலாட்டா, அடிதடி. இது இன்று நேற்று தோன்றிய கலாச்சாரம் அல்ல!

நான் பள்ளி கல்லூரியில் படிக்கும் பொழுதே தொடங்கிய ஒரு கேவலம் தான்..நாளாக நாளாக பூதமாக வளர்ந்து இன்று இந்த நிலைக்கு வந்துள்ளது.

இதற்கு காரணம் யார் ? முக்கியமாக அரசியல்வாதிகள் மற்றும் அரசியல் கட்சிகள் தான். கல்லூரிகள் அரசியல்வாதிகளின் பகடைக்காய்கள். அவர்கள் ஆட்ட ஆட்ட ஆடும்..மாணவர்கள் (பல ரவுடிகள் மாணவர் வேஷம் அணிந்து ) நூலில் ஆடும் பொம்மைகள் தான் !!!

இடையில் மாட்டிக்கொண்டு தவிக்கும் பொதுஜனம்.

சென்ற வாரம் நடந்த அமளியில் போலீஸ் வேடிக்கை பார்த்தது கண்டு பலர் சீறுவது புரிகிறது. அங்கும் அரசியல் ஆதிக்கம் தான் !!

இந்தியாவில் இன்று போலீஸ் ஒரு கை இல்லாத பொம்மை!! பல கொலைகள், பல சட்ட விரோத செயல்கள் யாரும் கேட்பாரற்று இருப்பது எல்லோருக்கும் தெரிந்த கதை தான்.

சரி...இவை மாற என்ன செய்யலாம்.! முதலில் அரசியல் மாற்றம், மக்களிடையே விழிப்புணர்வு (மாணவர்கள் உட்பட) எல்லாம் வேண்டும்.

இந்த அவலத்தை படம் பிடித்து, எழுதி மக்களுக்கு அளித்த தொலைக்காட்சி மற்றும் செய்தி நிறுவனங்களுக்கு பாராட்டுக்கள். ஜனநாயகத்தில், செய்தி நிறுவனங்களுக்கு பெரும் இடம் இருக்கிறது. பத்திரிக்கை சுதந்திரம் ஜனநாயகம் வளர ஒரு முக்கிய இயந்திரம்.

எனக்கு இந்த தலைமுறை இளைவர்களிடம் இருந்த நம்பிக்கை கொஞ்சம் கொஞ்சமாக தளர்ந்து வருகிறது. இருந்தும்...மாற்றம் வரும் என்று ஒரு சிறு நம்பிக்கை இதயத்தில் ஒளிந்துகொண்டு தான் இருக்கிறது.

விரைவில் வந்தால்..நாட்டுக்கு நல்லது. இல்லையேல்.....!!!

காலத்தின் கோலம்

அன்று

ஆடல்

பாடல்

ஒடல்

இன்று

HDL

LDL

TGL

காலத்தின் கோலம்!!

Saravana Bhavan in trouble again !

(Photo courtesy: The Web)

A few years back it was the DAD in trouble and now looks like the SON is in the same boat, though not exactly for the same reasons !

It's been a while since I ate at Saravana Bhavan (Sunny Vale), thanks to their deteriorating quality. Now there is one more reason to not go there.

Personally I don't support businesses that break the law ( If I come to know about it ).

For me, the best restaurants in town are 'Spice Hut' at Fremont and 'Viks' at Berkeley. For Pizzas I'd go to 'Cheese Board' at Berkeley.

These days though - It's mostly home food !!

மஞ்சள் துண்டெனும் மடமை!

பூணூலையும், விபூதியையும் எதற்கு என்கிறார் கருணாநிதி!

இதை பிற மதத்தினரிடம் சொல்லட்டுமே ...ஏன் ஒரு மதத்தை மட்டும் சாடுகிறார் கருணாநிதி?

அது சரி - மதங்களை விட்டுவிட்டு - பகுத்தறிவுக்கு வருவோம் !

சமத்துவம் பேசும் முதல்வர் -

தோளில்
மஞ்சள் துண்டை எடுத்து விட்டு பேசட்டுமே - பார்க்கலாம்?

ஏன் நீலத் துண்டு, பச்சை துண்டு கிடைக்கவில்லையா?

படிப்பது பகவத் கீதை இடிப்பது பெருமாள் கோவில்

கேட்க யாரும் இல்லை !! என்ன செய்ய !!

Back after a gap

Back after a gap.  Feeling fresh, happy and lighter.  Yeah, I've lost over 15 pounds the last month !!.  Big time wardrobe change !!

Some thoughts:

• Felt happy today after Obama's big win last night !  Change is on the way !
  
• Sad to read about the passing away of Michael Crichton, the famour author who wrote 'Jurassic Park'. My favorite: 'The Terminal Man'.  
• Happy that Aravind Adiga won the Booker prize.  Waiting to read the 'White tiger'.
• Currently reading 'The Man who mistook his wife for a hat' by Dr. Oliver Sacks.  Please read it if you get a chance. Wonderful book.
• Breath of fresh air in the Indian team, thanks to Vijay and Mishra.  Best wishes to both of them.
• Good to see Kumble and Ganguly retire.  Good for them, Good for Indian cricket.
• Listening to 'Ippave Ippave' from Raman Thediya Seethai.  Great song.