Bunch of Thoughts

I must admit , I have no respect left for our former prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh. Here are 3 reasons why I doubt his honesty, integrity and character as well.... 1) Large scale loot - A loot is something taken away from its rightful owner by force to be enjoyed by a few. De-monetization has not taken anything away from honest people. Any honest person can deposit or exchange money. The benefits of monetisation are not be enjoyed by a few but will benefit society in the long term. 2G and Coal scam are two examples of large scale loot wherein rules were made and changed so that a few people would get to own strategic national resources for a pittance. Dr Manmohan Singh who presided over the largest loot in the history of mankind should have known what large scale loot means. He clearly is not being honest with the people of India. 2) Monumental Mis-Management - Management means the organisation and co-ordination of teams, people and processes. De-monetiations was one of the ...

The strength of a nation is seldom determined based on its military and/or economic might. The strength of a nation can be estimated by the ability of its people and society to organize itself to achieve a shared goal. A nation can only be as strong as its citizens allow her to be. I can remember of 3 occasions when the citizens of India and our society was truly tested.. 1) Food crisis under Lal Bahadur Shastri - India faced an unprecedented food crisis under Lal Bahadur Shastri. With rising demand and prices and lower production, India was at the mercy of US for food. A prime minister before Shastri agreed to de-value India's currency by 30% for the sake of food. Lal Bahadur instead asked the people of India to fast on Mondays. A national rallied to his appeal and every citizen did their bit. 2) Wars with Pakistan - Living in Mumbai at the times of war is tough. With a few hours from Karachi, Bombay was the #1 target. Citizens were asked to go 'lights out' i.e. no ...

Death is an inevitable part of life. Most of us must have lost a near and dear one at some time. As we struggle to come in terms with our loss, an eco-system of vultures appears to the make most out of our misery. It begins with the mortuary staff which needs to be tipped to make sure you get the body on time, then the ward boys to help you carry the body to the ambulance, the ambulance driver who will charge thousands for a few kilometres, the priest who will deliver moksha, the babu who needs to be bribed to get the death certificate... This eco-system of vultures cares little about your grief and pain. They are good at spotting someone in a vulnerable state and are happy to exploit them for the own benefits. Some years ago, our media also joined this eco-system of vultures. This media would shove a mike to  face of a parent of gang rape victim's family and ask if they had a message to give. Media would shamelessly intrude into the life of a grieving family looking for a sou...

Bengaluru is not known for its historians. Yet in this beautiful city lives an 'award' winning historian who once authored a book called the 'Makers of Modern India'. This historian identified 19 individuals who in his opinion shaped our modern day India. The list of leaders who shaped modern India include Rajaramohan Roy, Gokhale, Tilak, Gandhi, M S Golwalkar, Rammanohar Lohia , Jayprakash Narayan etc. As I finished reading the book of this Padma Bhushan awardee, I felt something was wrong. I re-read the book to find that this historian had little idea of the role Sardar Patel played in shaping the geopolitical landscape of India . What made it even worse was that there was a chapter dedicated to Jinnah !! It surprised me how this international award winning historian missed Sardar Patel completely. Last month, the same historian published an article full of hate to malign M S Golwalkar and his book 'Bunch of Thoughts'. You can read his article here Whil...