Surgical Strikes , Peace and the Layman

The title may find really interesting. How are strikes related to peace? Questions of such sort have been grooving around many minds in the country. Infact what are actually surgical strikes? Someone asked. Wikipedia tells a surgical strike is a military attack which results in, was intended to result in, or is claimed to have resulted in only damage to the intended legitimate military target, and no or minimal collateral damage to surrounding structures, vehicles, buildings, or the general public infrastructure and utilities.
It is a huge momentum shift as far as Indo-Pak relations are concerned. Even after the Pathankot attack, India had opted for peace talks over any military response. But the Uri attacks have just rang the bell of almost every Indians. The Jaish-e-Mohammad thanseer have indulged in the cowardest of attacks, attacking our sleeping and unarmed brothers in the army base. 19 of them martyred and many injured. Thus the Indian commandos had conducted a very successful surgical operation in PoK crossing the LoC. More than 35-40 terrorists killed and not even single commando injured. They had also accomplished to destroy 8-10 terrorists launch pads. The surgical strike is the greatest accomplishments by the Indian Army in its three and a half decade deliberation with Pakistan. As the Huffington Post put it 'The surgical strike is a giant leap from our spineless past'. Even the greatest of political rivals have come together to praise the government and the army. As this news went viral from platoons to batallions to companies the army men were the most happiest men in the world. It was just like electricity touching their souls. It was the most befitting response in retaliation to the militants. It was the first time the lives of our soldiers were given so much importance.
I had told about this incident to a friend and her first response was really interesting. People are simply fighting against each other, she said. Let me give a simple analogy. There is a robber who robs your house almost on a daily basis, despite complaining to the police plenty of times nothing much has been done to ensure peace in your house. You even contact the highest possible authorities and nothing changes. What would you have done in such a situation is just what India did, but the only difference is that unlike robbery the enemy claimed lives. After the incident some Pak diplomats have said what have Modi done to previously non violent India. Let me very clear it is not India who have faltered in the peace treaty or it is not India who have tried to keep peace. We have had plenty of peace talks and deliberations in the past but nothing have pulled Pakistan back from the state sponsored terrorism. Even after diplomatic isolations in the SAARC and UNGA there had been ceasefire in LoC. But Modi abiding by his speech in Kozhikode, Kerala had shown how important the lives of our jawans were by ordering the surgical strikes.
All political parties had turned matured suddenly , the days after the sutgical strikes saw one of the greatest days of national interest going above vote bank politics. But just when everything was going on the right note some of them have come out asking the govt of India to give proof inorder to disprove the false propoganda being spread by Pakistan. Now that is something really thought provoking. You can have two sides of the story, you can consider Kejriwal and company as being very lovin of the nation and really wanting to disprove Pak propoganda by giving them proofs. Or the other side Kejriwal doubting the army , infact he too like Pak people believe there has been no surgical strikes. Definitely, politicians have the right to ask for proof but the time he asked it for is wrong. Politicians unlike other people have what is called mass mobility. They have the ability to influence the masses, you cant expect the govt of India to release footages of our commandos killing terrorists, even America have still not released footages of Operation Black tornado for the assasination of Osama Bin Laden. Definitely you can have other material evidences but it would take time to reach public as they may be going through examinations for more detailed operations. There had been surgical strikes in the past as well but no one asked for proofs. Simply because there was immense political pressure on the govt of India to take action against Pak, once they did it the DGMO had gone with the information publicly to settle down all rumours. Even lieutenant general of Pak army Asim Saleem Bajwa had said that India might have casualties during the Surgical strikes. So even he agrees that surgical strikes took place even though they dont agree to the UN.
To all the people reasing this I would like to appeal ,from Kanyakumari to Kargil there are soldiers fighting fronts. In borders ?as we speak soldiers are fighting the front of a very determined enemy. How conflicting would be his mind if he hears this chaos going in the country. He had fought a battle risking everything for his countrymen and still they dont believe him. Let me make it very clear, Soldiers don't go to fight because they hate their enemy in the front but because they love their countrymen in the back.
JAI HIND
Disclaimer: The facts given in the blog above are accurate and to the best of the author's knowledge. The views given here are the views of the author alone and is totally under his discretion.

The Indian Cultural Retroactivity

We here in Kerala are passing by one of the greatest days in a year, Onam. It is more auspicious simply because it is keralites who take part in it, not any religion not any political party etc. But as always there has been some people who are constantly in the pursuit of etching disparities to this great occasion. As usual I too would have taken a deaf ear to all this but this time I have decided not to. My discussion going forward would be not only on Onam but on a larger Indian perspective.
Ours is the oldest of civilisations in the world-- The Indus Valley Civilisation. But we had many thinkers and travellers calling us uncivilised. We had some inferiority in portraying our own culture, which was the reason. Indian cultural legacy is the richest in the world. We also had many people who patronised and still now patronises our culture. Hinduism as we call it today wasn't at all a religion, (as I had mentioned in my earlier blog). It uses to accommodate everyone's voice and thus hinduism have thousands of holy books rather than one. There wasn't any problem of following any of those books or following any custom made of your own, but still based on the very cornerstone of faith and some fundamentals in those religious texts. It uses to accept challenges and debates to decision. Thus it was more on a lifestyle kind of note. In fact hin in lduism was the lifestyle (not a religion) followed by the people then in India.
Now coming back to the cultural aspect there is a book by Gene D Matlock titled 'Indians Once Ruled the Americas!'. Interesting, isn't it? Many countries especially Indonesia (country with the largest Islamic population) have lord Ganesha on their currency. Their official airlines is called the Garuda Indonesia. Even their emblem has got the Garuda in it. They have festivals reciting the Ramayana and they consider Lord Rama as the leader of India. What they is that by birth they are Muslims and by culture they are Indians. See they never call it a stuff of Hindu religion. Back in India here we have connotated all this with a religious view. The past of our country it's culture all belongs to the very own people of its soil. We seldom realise this. We also have people in different religions also falsifying our past where they say Rama and Ravana were 2 village heads in Uttarakhand , whereas the Sri Lankan government is offering 'Ramayana tourist Packages'. Whereas in Thailand they have the monument of churning of the Milk Ocean including the shank- chakra- gadha- pushpa- haari Mahavishnu atop. Even the description written there don't give religious connotation to it.
Now coming to Islam. In Kerala we have one of the oldest communities of Muslims. The history says that Cheraman Perumaal, last of the Chera kings, embracing the beautiful culture of Islam ( I will never use the word 'converting') had intimated with prophet Muhammad and wanted to make one of his residnces into a mosque in kodungallur. Which still prevails and is older than Mecca itself. Also we had one of the oldest communities of Christians when St. Thomas arrived in Kerala. These all have added to the cultural lineage we Indians have inherited. All those who talk ill of our nation and its culture in their deepest of thoughts have always been jealous of such a beautiful nation with all its cultural grandeur.
Many a times we speak and even our constitution speaks of secularism, which is a very rare thought in many countries. But in India our past says that mere secularism like if you are a Hindu tolerate other religions was not part of India instead even the word tolerate was out of context we lived under one label Indians. Even later kings like Akbar had tried to place this thought intact through his policies. Akbar who was not part of an Indian cultural lineage but still born in India understood it, but our leaders now pretend not to have understood it. It's not that in the past we didn't have internal issues in our country but we have very much less compared to those so called leading nations. In the present scenario we have two kinds --- extreme rightist and extreme leftist. Former which say each culture belongs to a particular religion only and the latter which says atheism is the way to nationalism. Both are equally disastrous. Remember all these people only have that one thought political advantages over their contemporaries. A few days back the day of canonisation of St.Teresa I checked Twitter in the morning and was taken aback to see #Fraudteresa trending in first place throughout India, it happened because of a the so called political veteran Lalu Prasad Yadav who accused St.Teresa for conversion of people to Christianity, which I don't believe. Even if she did what was wrong in it, it has only enriched our culture and the way she treated the leprosy affected patients and the needy , if you dare bring it under any religious connections it is the narrowness of your minds that cause it. St.Teresa couldn't have done anything better I guess.
Look how people like Lalu are dividing us by walls of religious and causing disparities among us. Shame on them!!
Also many of our people are blindly into internationalism. We people here find offended when a person from the same religion struggles rather than a struggling Indian from a different religion. Definitely this is good remember even if internationalism has to survive India has to survive. It's Indian culture which says 'Loka Samastha sukhino bavandhu'. Other countries even the US which at times speak of internationalism change cards to nationalism when their interests are affected. But we seldom do this and we find ourselves belonging to a religion rather than this great nation. That is when you talk ill of our nation and support some other countries' interests in divisive issues.
Thus the cultural retroactivity of the so called religious cultural lineages actually belongs to the people of India and adds to its rich heritage and legacy.
' Mein Hindu hoon
Musalman be hoon
Sikh, isai aur ek insan be hoon
Mein ek nahi anek hoon
Har mitti ke anu hoon
Aur saare Hindustan be hoon'

JAI HIND!!

Disclaimer: This blog includes excerpts from a Tedx talk by a famous personality. Religious ideas are ordered on basis of chronology and not on importance. Facts given here are accurate and to the best of my knowledge. And ideas and thoughts are those of the author's alone and is totally under his discretion.

This Independence Day , Let's Revamp

India turns 70 this monday. What's so much about this? How do we perceive this day? How do we define it? Certainly thinking deep it's difficult to answer. I remember one of my teachers saying 'Its the day when the British handed over their empire to the people of India'. Is this the only definition? Definitely a lot depends on ones attitude. 'Attitude determines the altitude'. I won't go to those utopian concepts of are we really independent or things like that. I know in a country where political parties and religions define colours it's not easy.
For students it's a day when you go to school hoists the tricolour ,hears the principal's address. I have been hearing it for quite long how many of it have made us to rethink something we have done previously. Sorry to say any speech which doesn't do this is worth the worthless. To students talking of facts that happened 70 years ago is not on the right note. They are bound to learn it someday or the other. Take any mishap in our country root cause is the lack of love for our country. I refused to use the word patriotism because this word has been frequently identified by many in the pseudo sense. How many speeches have instilled patriotism in us? I had come across an incident where a 6th grade student was asked not to take part in a dance  by her parents during their annual day simply because she belonged to a non-hindu religion and the song for the dance was on lord Ganesha. How disastrous and narrow minded! (Both of the parents are well educated, worth mentioning). I mentioned this because what use is education when you can't decipher your own religion and preach it. What use is education when you can't find how showing off your own religion didn't help in your forefathers existence in the past. What use is education when you don't find Indians rather than followers of a religion with your own eyes. I had heard from a 4th standard student who cheered for Australia during India vs Aussie cricket match. I asked him why? He said every now and then his father used to blame our country every time a mishap occurred to him or reading of the same in the newspaper. Just like ,you get stuck on the road due to a dharna by some political party and he utters this happens only in this country, I'm fed up here. 'Why should I support a country my father hates? Genuine question indeed. That was a blow on my head. For many people not supporting the Indian cricket team might not find it too grave. It's on a smaller canvas but for a 4th grade student it's definitely on a large canvas. These parents and children have been caught in a vicious cycle who pass this on to the future. But what is going wrong? The problem is the same thing attitude, the way you perceive this nation, we have bad roads in our country because people like them rule who do not respect the needs of the people (A country is it's citizens), we have people spreading violence in our country and we fail to stop them because people like them think the country owes a lot to us than we to the country, we have people boycotting our national anthem in schools because people like them find themselves branded religion wise rather than belonging to India. India in our country is mistaken by many as being the government of India, India is it's people (I repeat).
I came across a letter written by an IITian Abhinav Das on Maj Gen G D Bakshi's address in a program at IIT M. His letter was against Bakshi's points against Pakistan. I just want to ask him how does this bother you when the people in Pakistan talk ill of our country when they try to tear our country apart, who will you send a letter to then or where were you when these occurred? You empathise for a country which does not show any kind of respect for us. The problem with Abhinav might be the same explained earlier, Parenting. When children are not guidlined properly they will be taken use of by anti social thoughts, they start talking ill of their own country. How does it feel when a son questions his mother on her credibility? The same is the case when people don't find the soul of India then leave alone the concept of mother India. But let me ask why didn't our leading journalists report the 2nd half of the story where a large number of people took his talk to heart and even silenced Abhinav 's protest during his talk?
I'm sure taking a survey of how many proud Indians are there in our country adults, most of the people belonging to the complement of this set would belong to the working class. Naturally they are the ones who get affected daily. And all mishaps are blamed on the country. It's still the same attitude problem they are due to people like you and me. We have chosen our government, may be you might have voted against them but still the majority opinion that they rule. Yes you really have the right to blame the government but growing hatred for the country is too grave an issue than many of us think. This attitude problem makes you speak bad of your own country. You might receive ears of many who may even applaud to hear do this but remember you are destroying a generation. Patriotism is what an athlete feels when he is competing for his country, what a Jawan feels when he us fighting for the country. Look back 15 years from now and point out something you have done to make India a better place. It might be even too small a thing like  planting a tree. And then take something you have done against your country like evading taxes or something of the same sort. And check out whether this balances. India is the final tally on the balance sheet of deeds of its people.
We mock Indian athletes participating in the Olympics. Let me ask when is the last time you have motivated a classmate who plays a sport well to take it up as a career. I come from Kerala who have been champions in the national school athletic meet for the past 18 or 19 years but how of those have reached the Olympics. The reason is simply because they participate in an event earn a medal get a government and they don't even turn back to it. The reluctance to hard work for the nation they want everything in their comfort zones. This definitely has to change.
Now this Independence day what is so special? We have reached the 70 mark surely somethings have to change. At least how we see the Independence day. It's a day which we must celebrate more than what we do in the New Year's eve or any other day. I think all firms including private firms have to do something in order to memorise it. What we consistently manage to do is nothing and keep doubting our Army keep saying our country is not developing, we are underdeveloped. Actually that is the typical underdeveloped mentality. The only person who had the righteous approach to this (in my knowledge) was and is Dr.Kalam. He was an engineer, he never said asked why does India doesn't have a silicon to electronic board manufacturing factory? But being a engineering student I'm fed up hearing these from my teachers. He knew that wasn't the right way he urged the youth to indulge in more research programmes to enable our country do these. He had never even complained on the government he felt people had to change for a better government, that is the best way to do it.
In my place (I don't know whether it's there in other parts of India as well) there are special prayers in churches in Independence day which are attended by all. I just said this to someone and his first response was it is an attempt by Christians to ascertain their importance in our country's Independence. This is typical underdeveloped mentality. Most people consider India's secularist approach as its greatest weakness. That needs to be actually India's greatest strength. India used to be known as Hindustan in history, because Hinduism was more on a subtle note then, were people from other religions also had a place it was more of a lifestyle than a religion. And what happens now is that we fail to appreciate good deeds because we are biased even in our thoughts by religion and politics.
Therefore this Independence let's take some resolution in at least the way in which we picturise our country, our national flag, our compassion to fellow Indians and the deeds to our country because it's now well within our range imagine a foreigner pointing out these, we should not allow our heads to lie low when this happens we must counter it with love for our country.
Saare Jahan se accha Hindustan hamara

JAI HIND...
Tailpiece: You may consider this as a plea from an Indian rather than weighing my eligibility. I say this because we live around people who take educational qualification in account for people representation!!

The Great Pak Insult ---- A verbal retaliation

Yesterday something happened that has never happened in the history of  bilateral or multilateral talks between India and Pakistan. Our honourable Home Minister Rajnath Singh's address at the SAARC summit at Islamabad was snubbed from the media! And remember it was his and only his address that was blacked out. Never ever in the history of multilateral summits in the world has this happened, the greatest of insults.
The question is clear why on earth is Pakistan afraid of an address being given by one of our ministers there in Islamabad? Nawaz Sharif has been giving  critical speeches on the Kashmir issue but still we never doctored them , we never censored them , that's not gentleman's piece of cake. Surely enough Pakistan is afraid of getting exposed, they want the world just to here one side of the story. They even did not allow PTI and ANI ,which are supposed to represent the voice of India to cover the address (some channels critical on Pakistan were not even given visa to report the SAARC summit). I would say this behaviour from our counterparts as being CHILDISH. And remember his was a very powerful address meant to point directly at Pakistan. This act from our neighbour not in anyway can be justified.
Amidst the mishaps in Kashmir we were ready for peace talks and we had trusted on your hospitality. You had demolished our trust. And not over, when Rajnath Singh arrived on Islamabad there was rallies led by UN designated terrorists Hafiz Sayed and his co terrorists from the ISI headquarters. See clearly Pakistan even compromised on security to Rajnath or else would have terrorists be seen walking down streets at the time of his arrival. It's as if they had some personal grudge on Rajnath Singh. We send him there representing India and any insults to him is the same as insulting the country as well as it's citizens.
Remember the hospitality given by India to Pak citizens. Remember the India vs Pakistan cricket match in the T20 world cup at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata how greatly were the team members welcomed. Even Shahid Afridi mentioned that they had always got greater concern and respect from India than their own country. To which there was attack against him. Also remember when a Virat Kohli fan hoisted the Indian flag at his house he was arrested. Many of us fail to realise the ironical double game by Pakistan. They speak of freedom of expression to the people at Kashmir and censor our HM's speech. You give the right for terrorists to speak openly in public and you censor our HM's speech. How disgraceful! Pakistan surely has a lot to hide.
Whenever we question their acts. They cover up with the Kashmir issue. They say because we cause atrocities in Kashmir and they caution us from calling it terrorism and they call it a genuine freedom struggle. Now let me ask them how can you call it a genuine freedom struggle when people from other religions (other than Islam) have been forced to move out from the Kashmir valley. A lot of the true inheritors of Kashmir no longer inhabit the place. Also 1/3rd of Kashmir have been illegally been occupied by Pakistan. On the rest , Indian government have given them 3 international airports, many multi specialty hospitals and plenty of schools. And what have Pak done on their 1/3rds a most required thing for the Kashmiri survival a headquarters of the LeT! Our political map might be encroached but Kashmir is still ours. You export terrorists like Burhan Wani and Hafiz Sayed to our soil brainwash our youth, threaten them and make them fight for separation of Kashmir from India. You supply them arms and ammunition. Let me ask you there was a photograph of Burhan Wani holding an AK-47 ,is there an AK-47 manufacturing factory in Kashmir? These are sent to India from the black markets in Kashmir funded by the ISI's covert operations wing. And when the Indian army retaliates you come on TV proclaim to be angels of peace and enact your age old drama of empathising for people who died in the attacks. You turn them into martyrs. You say  Nawaz Sharif is a Kashmiri simply because he was born in a Kashmiri caste (he was actually born in Pakistan's part of Punjab) and try to make him the Gandhi for Kashmir liberation. And blabber that we have forgotten Gandhiji's ways of non violence. Now let me ask was it some kind of a dharna actually happening at Kashmir? No, not at all.
In the SAARC summit too Pak was isolated, counterparts were critical on Dhaka and Kabul attacks. Even the USA (who used to have a healthy relationship with Pakistan) has denied F16 planes to Pakistan due to the Hakkani issue. Even during the Kashmir riots I had thought that some peace talks with Pakistan would revert the issue. We Indians had great respect for Pakistan but you yourselves had made us on the other side. With the Modi government assuming office there has 4 bilateral talks with them. But with yesterday's issue 4 not 40000 talks will not change your attitude towards India and Kashmir.
At the moment Pakistan is violating as much as international laws as possible. They have violated article 1 and Chapter XIV of the UN charter by allowing a UN designated terrorist like Hafiz Sayed to walk the streets of Pakistan and mobilise mass movement. And also leaving in bail Lakhvi the kingpin of 26/11. They have also violated the point 4 of the Commonwealth Harare declaration 1991 for the same reasons. Therefore these actions by Pakistan cannot be justified in any manner no matter what.
Tailpiece: Heard some of the Kashmirs speaking ill of the Indian Army. Realise you have been brainwashed and this type of stuff doesn't help with us INDIANS.
DISCLAIMER: The facts given here are accurate and to the best of the author's knowledge which may be verified with any genuine defence analyst. The views given here are solely of the author and is totally under his discretion

Journalism ---- Bringing it outside the box

I happened  to watch yesterday's news hour debate by Arnab Goswami #ProPakDoveSilent. Just hours after it there has been a huge propaganda moving around in social media. Coincidentally or not yesterday was Kargil Vijay Diwas, a day we should have celebrated but disappointingly the same issue had somehow caught zenith agreements and disagreements on this day. Ever since the inception of riots in Kashmir (in 2016 ), media (not social) have played a pivotal role in discerning the situation to citizens away from Kashmir. And how the media had done this was the issue.
Riots are not a new issue in Kashmir but this time there was immense interference from Pakistan trying to pour fuel to fire. The protagonist is Burhan Wani an acclaimed member of Hizbul Mujahideen. There has been quite a lot swinging around him. He had actually taken centre stage just after his death. Omar Abdullah had said the same thing  public , I feel the same thing as  Arnab said yesterday he being a public figure and also having a direct influence on the people of Kashmir he has the moral responsibility not to make remarks which will harm the peace in any manner. Nevertheless to say, as people away from Kashmir we would visualise this comment from Omar as being supporting the publicity of anti national. Secondly, there has been some unnecessary and baseless hype put forward by some of the prominent print media in the country. As put yesterday by Maj Gen G D Bakshi , the media had reported something around two lakh attendance for Wani's funeral but according to defence drones sent to the area there were something around twelve to fourteen thousand people in the area. So why this mockery by the media? . This question was stumbled upon during the debate and to which Arnab had remarked that they carry the Indian passport and what kind of journalism they are doing. To this the argument of Arnab being a pseudo nationalist has grown stronger . I don't personally think so simply because he his presiding a debate in a national television what can you earn showing patriotism in it. When journalists are trying to find fault with the government and receiving applause.
I would also like to remember all those journalists that when people don't have anything to find wrong of the ruling government it's not that you try hard finding going in for educational qualification of people representatives like Kejriwal did. Pseudo nationalism or rather pretending to be loyal to the country . Why should a leading journalist be pseudo national when his contemporaries are relating the unrelatable and being applauded? . I don't think Arnab is foolish enough to do so.
Also I had come across the comment made by Barkha Dutt in her FB page on Arnab as feeling ashamed to have come from the same industry as him. And she too trying to relate it something to the ruling party. I know there has been lot going between Barkha and Arnab but this time you're mistaken Barkha. Simply because he hadn't referred it to you ,oh then you might be speaking on behalf of the journalist community but are you trying to prove the Indian Army wrong , G D Bakshi wrong. Also I had heard of arguments in the debate where one of them told I feel pity for people becoming terrorists, which I must say is pseudo liberalism simply because when you empathise for a terrorist like Wani you are questioning the credibility of the people who stay day and night for the sake of our protection, The Indian Army.
When you have people like Major Arya in the panel who are more closer than anyone into the situation and are putting in facts and you come out blaming the army for killing children and women who happen to have been deliberately placed before the Indian bunker to take advantage of the consideration the army gives to them . In our country the tragedy is this , we hear daily of Burhan Wani when we were supposed to tell our children of the great heroes of the Kargil War.

Tailpiece: Apparently Pakistan has been somehow been able to peep into our matters despite people protesting immensely in their country for constitutional rights. Acchi neighbour hai!!