Air India and the Nation's mood

Mr. Amitabh Singh seems to be missing the point. Shutting down Air India may in fact be the greatest service to the nation.

Jai Hind!

Mob Raaj Made in India and Our Dear PM

The Pulwama attack on CRPF jawans was exploited by self-proclaimed nationalists to show once again that the rule-of-the-mob is king in India.

The links below are for a listing of all what I came across soon after Pulwama. First the mobs, followed by the anti-nationals, and our dear prime minister.

https://indianexpress.com/article/india/pulwama-attack-kashmiri-students-asked-to-leave-mob-wanted-it-so-dean-was-suspended-says-head-of-dehradun-college-5590191/

https://thewire.in/security/jammu-curfew-violence-pulwama-attack

https://www.news18.com/news/india/whatever-happens-we-face-brunt-of-it-say-anguished-kashmiri-traders-as-vhp-shuts-shops-down-in-up-2042117.html

This is from one who is paid by the Indian tax payer. They must be referring to him as the honourable: https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/editorials/meghalaya-governor-tathagata-roys-boycott-kashmir-and-kashmiri-pulwama-attack-5593557/

https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/karachi-bakery-says-absolutely-indian-by-heart-day-after-protest-in-bengaluru-1998289?pfrom=home-topscroll

https://www.ndtv.com/entertainment/after-kapil-sharma-says-sacking-navjot-singh-sidhu-not-a-solution-twitter-calls-for-boycottkapilshar-1995852?pfrom=home-lateststories


The anti-nationals in Pakistan:

https://livewire.thewire.in/politics/young-pakistanis-say-no-to-war-and-condemn-pulwama-attack/

https://livewire.thewire.in/politics/pakistanis-share-pictures-of-eateries-named-after-indian-places/


Modi's Mann ki Baat took a long time to come out of his Mann. He most certainly processes information a lot slower than the mobs of this country. This seems to be becoming one of his legacies.

https://indianexpress.com/article/india/narendra-modi-in-rajasthan-pulwama-attack-kashmiri-students-attacked-terrorism-5597868/

https://thewire.in/rights/as-hate-incidents-pile-up-modi-finally-breaks-silence-on-attacks-on-kashmiris

Of course, he can't get over himself. Anything to get a vote and/or keep his audience entertained.

https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/vande-bharat-express-pm-narendra-modi-says-people-mocking-train-18-should-be-punished-1995879?pfrom=home-topscroll

I wonder if people mocking a train should be punished what should be done to the architects of demonetisation for its clearly measured short term impact of people succumbing to ATM queues. At the least, there is a case of criminal negligence.

The man can't get over himself: https://indianexpress.com/article/india/pm-modi-nitish-kumar-iaf-airstrike-balakot-pakistan-5609023/

More here: See his background. This at a political rally. Had he gotten permissions from these rather unfortunate jawans before their lives were abruptly ended by a terrorist? What is this if not shameless arrogance?

State of the nation: Yuva sena's coward-in-chief and his sena's rights

The coward-in-chief Aaditya Thackeray has unlimited freedoms in this country while the mango men (aam aadmi) can hardly raise their voices without the state paying them a visit.

Every Kashmiri Muslim is a Terrorist Or Goons Are Out to Make the Most of a Horrible Tragedy

One of the above two has to be true. This given calls by Vikas Verma, who is the convenor of the Bajrang Dal.

From the report here.

The horrible tragedy being the attack.

Of course, the response of the DG is notable too. One could argue that a society that values the rule of law would be worried by such a response. Also, what is this about "there is bound to be a reaction"? Any reaction including intimidating others is within bounds? Inciting violence too? Also, the response by Bajrang Dal seems like a campaign and not so much of a sudden reaction.

Lastly, going by all what the Bajrang Dal can say and get away with, the Dal most certainly enjoys freedom of speech that lesser Indian mortals don't.

Here is another reaction that no civil society would find acceptable. I guess it is par for the course as long as your sentiments justify it.

While I think this should be protected by the tenet of freedom of expression, the fact is speech with much less vitriol (in fact, even good satire) has gotten ordinary citizens into big trouble with law enforcement.

Nationalized Cows

Here we go. Destroy markets that worked for ages and have the Govt. take over. What does the cow get? Death by starvation!

https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/jaipur/jaipur-councillors-allege-500-cow-deaths-at-hingonia-centre-seek-action-5586692/

National Security Act

The police detains three under the NSA. So cow slaughter can threaten national security. This nation is threatened by everything and anything barring our mai-baap politicians. I guess a corollary would be that verbally abusing a cow amounts to sedition. You have to wonder why the self-proclaimed desh bhakts have not gotten rid of the NSA, given this was just a way by which our colonial masters shut us up.

An apt summary of the last five years

The great Indian government at work https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/e-shopping-to-cost-more-no-quick-deliveries/articleshow/67802658.cms.

Happy New Year, India!

Wishing you more freedom this year.

For now, we must not wear black. The PM is coming!

Don't wear black!

Oriya Pride Hurt By Satire

The committee also recommended to the House to direct the state government to provide material to Mitra to educate him about the art, culture, history and the people of Odisha.

From: https://indianexpress.com/article/india/odisha-asembly-abhijit-mitra-konark-sun-temple-police5451583/

One can't see how a cultured people with a rich history that they know of and are proud of can be so easily offended. If you treat your history so sacrosanct you probably have very little to be proud of. May be most of it is just false pride, either out of not much of a great history or simply an ignorance about it, which likely implies a terrible present. I would expect all this to correlate highly with an inability to digest satire and a tendency to get easily offended.

Brand Thackeray

Enough can't be said about the Thackeray brand. First the Madrasis, then the Biharis, and now crusaders for the Ram mandir for crores of (many starving) Hindus.

Ram certainly enjoys devotees that must be his neighbors' envy.

https://indianexpress.com/article/india/uddhav-thackeray-ayodhya-live-updates-shiv-sena-ram-temple-adityanath-5462333/

Ram Ram!

Now that we have done our bit by giving the world zero, we must eat sleep and repeat Ram.

https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/ayodhya-ram-statue-to-be-taller-than-statue-of-unity-says-uttar-pradesh-government-1952923?pfrom=home-livetv

Religious man's God lacks a sense of humor and so does he

Turns out that a really funny post (I had read it but am too lazy to look for a link to it) is supposed to have hurt religious feelings. So a person can't get anticipatory bail.

https://thewire.in/law/sc-bail-plea-analyst-konark-temple

Religious people have clearly little sense of humor and are way too sensitive. They are also the most easily offended by funny takes on godly abodes and their Gods. I guess for that they must blame God. Once their sentiments are hurt, their acts are all acts of (their own) God. I hear that the buildings are relieved that this time the hurt didn't resort to karseva.

Oh, and thank you CJI, for destroying the possibility of any humor other than the one in which a hairy man dresses like a woman.

The patriotic termites

That is how the patriotic president of the BJP speaks. Such speech must be a part of Amit Shah's patriotic duty. This is in fact he displaying good behavior and therefore not fulfilling his patriotic duty to the best of his ability. Of course, his patriotic duty is to stay in power at all costs.

In other news our defense minister Sitharaman is proud that the Indian army is decapitating enemies. An ordinary sane person may think that shooting and killing would suffice to protect the nation and the soldier's own self and his mates. One would also hope that soldiers would be put in such life threatening situations only very rarely and hopefully never at all.

Turns out that the defense minister knows better and that we must go further and be barbaric and cut heads off. Else, we wouldn't be doing enough. I pity the poor soldier, if any, who has been driven to such a state where in he/she has no compunction of decapitating the enemy soldier or terrorist. Such a soldier would need help.

Of course, our minister is sad that such cut heads are not being put on display for evidence. Cut heads and surgical strikes must be milked for votes and TV appearances after all.

I just can't understand how our ministers go back to their families after a typical day of disgraceful and detestable conduct.

Matter of faith!

Call your own self patriotic, abuse the rule of law, act like the most barbaric of kings whose acts you claim to be undoing, say it is all about faith and for the hundreds of crores (many starving), and keep celebrating since. What a shame. Dec 6 must have been a sad day for the Indian flag and anyone who cared any bit for the rule of law and therefore the nation.

All in the name of the great Lord Rama. Not sure if Rama was such a great leader, how he could be in favor of such a flagrant abuse of the rule of law.

His human followers, often the self-proclaimed patriots, clearly have no qualms.

The latest example of how we still talk of building the temple when what we must talk about is the abuse of the law: https://indianexpress.com/article/india/ayodhya-issue-supreme-court-is-ours-says-up-minister-ram-temple-5348897/

I suggest that instead of a temple, we make a monument that records in detail how the rule of law was abused on the day. Just the actual events. We should allow access to all the speeches that preceded the event, recordings of the event itself, all those who got killed for no rhyme or reason, and all those who have celebrated since and/or can't still stop celebrating. At least that way the future generations can judge for themselves. Hopefully, more of them than us will stand up for the rule of law.

Lynching is injurious to health

Given the key role lynching has played in taking lives in this country for at least a century and given the sudden spurt in lynching, I suggest that the Govt. of India set up a committee that comes up advisories educating us the sheeple on the harms of lynching. We could start with crappy resolution audio and video public advisories that flash "Lynching is Injurious to Health" may be with a bovine in the background.

We should mandate that cinema theaters show these soon after sheeple are done standing for the national anthem. This looks like a good time to educate them on the harms of lynching, notwithstanding, for example, the often stated benefits of bovines saved as a result of humans being lynched.

Of course, given the awe inspiring talent at the top, GoI we will be able to come up with lines more interesting than "Lynching is Injurious to Health".

In the mean time, we should invest in bovine biometrics. Just like Aadhaar can find a lost child, so can BB find a lost bovine.

Childish Interventions By The Justices

The ruling (pasted below) by the court makes one wonder why the justices don't just stick to doing an honest day's work, which in their case would involve upholding the constititution. May be this is all that is needed. Many I know, on whose fulfilling their commitments to me I depend on, do exactly this.

Do we really need to fake respect or force others to show their respect via childish interventions that can only instill disgust in one? How can playing the anthem increase love or respect? It is like saying that playing the song "Jab tak hain aakash mein chand aur sitare, salamat rahe maa baap hamre" will increase love and respect for parents. Worse, it will increase the longevity of parents. In light of their ruling, may be the justices should review their play list.

Finally, will the justices face the law if their judgement leads to ordinary folks being harassed by the self-proclaimed protectors of patriotism and nationalism that will result from this ruling (as has resulted earlier from such requirements)? Or may be the real gain in fake patriotism is worth the real pain and a more fractured and a less trusting society?

Over to the justices:

TO INSTILL “committed patriotism and nationalism”, the Supreme Court Wednesday ordered that “all the cinema halls in India shall play the national anthem before the feature film starts and all present in the hall are obliged to stand up to show respect to the national anthem” as a part of their “sacred obligation”. Discarding notions of “any different notion or the perception of individual rights”, a bench of Justices Dipak Misra and Amitava Roy added that the movie screen shall have the image of the national flag when the anthem is being played and that doors of the halls will remain shut during the anthem so that no disturbance is caused.
“The directions are issued, for love and respect for the motherland is reflected when one shows respect to the National Anthem as well as to the National Flag. That apart, it would instil the feeling within one, a sense committed patriotism and nationalism,” said the bench, giving 10 days for compliance with its direction.

Now the Supreme Court Takes On the Burden of Changing Behavior

Now that the courts have set their house in order, they have voluntarily taken up the burden of making the sheep live the right life.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Play-national-anthem-in-all-cinemas-before-film-screening-Supreme-Court/articleshow/55701366.cms

"People now-a-days don't know how to sing national anthem and people must be taught. We must respect national anthem," says the court.  

We the sheep need to be taught how to live the good life by the Modis, the Kejris, and now the courts.


Also, I suggest, that we play the names of all the great men that infest our legislature, judiciary, and the executive. Oh and do play the constitution, party manifestos, and such like. All things sacrosanct.

BTW, they must play all the above in restrooms too. That is where I spend a lot of my time.

Also, for all those in one of the three pillars of the Govt. the only song that must play 24x7 is the national anthem. Only then can we ensure that they will serve the nation and take pride in the same.

Keep reminding me of how I am the problem, lest I be reminded of how really inept you are!

Blessed are we to have Narendra Modi as our prime minister

How lucky we are to have Mr. Naidu to help us billion see our blessings.

Read him at http://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/demonetisation-effect-rbi-economy-gdp-4400464/.

The grand reasons for demonetization, unbeknownst to me up to now, leave me in great awe of my leader. I, sheep, have now found my shepherd.

Venkaiah Naidu and the outrageous hubris of our democratically elected:

But the long-term consequences and gains include ushering in a behavioural change at all levels of society. It is a part of the grand “cultural revolution” that the PM is working on. The entrenched old order needs to make way for a new normal. This cultural revolution, impinging on all walks of public and private life amounts to shaking up the system. It ranges from attending office on time, keeping working and living environments clean, accountability, transparency, technology adoption, innovation, etc.

I wonder what grand accomplishments of Naidu and his leader give them the nerve to even dream of orchestrating the said revolution. The first step of the so called revolution being an unprecedented heist of legit private property by the Govt.

So now the Modis and Kejris (odd-even) want to orchestrate behavioral change. Roads, water, electricity, and garibi hatao are passe.

You have been warned

http://profit.ndtv.com/news/your-money/article-tax-on-cash-deposits-if-someone-gives-you-money-to-put-in-your-account-1629106?pfrom=home-topstories

Our honest tax authorities are working hard.

Demonetization

Forget the hubris of Narendra Modi, and his coterie, who came up with the plan to make a majority of cash held by the citizens of this country worthless. Forget the vicious insinuations that followed from the sacrificer-in-chief who declared, and continues to do so in spite of overwhelming evidence to the contrary, that everyone who voiced disapproval was naturally one who had lots of wealth that was earned in a wrong manner (not having given it to the corrupt governments and bureaucracies that have kept many of us in misery and poverty for way too long; The finance minister in fact said, and I am paraphrasing, that people have gotten crazy rich as a result. I can't see how not paying taxes can give one riches not in accordance with the value the person was adding. May be the minister was talking about the ministries and the bureaucracies that routinely harass the common man. May be he thinks that the only way to get rich is by conning people.)

Forget the vacillating leader and his ministers who gave reasons (none that point to impending doom) including national security, black money, and to top them all, the need to push a billion to a cashless world. Forget the indignity of being forced to stand in queues to deposit and withdraw one's own monies. Forget the ensuing vigilantism, of citizens reporting other citizens carrying bags of their own cash. Forget the fact that one of the most corrupt departments in this country is now going to track our deposits and decide how much of our wealth is legal.

Forget the disruptions in the lives of millions of ordinary people minding their own honest business, making ends meet, taking care of themselves and their families. Forget the baptists who see in the leader the god who will show them the shortcut to heaven. Forget the shameless bootleggers (the dude at PayTm keeps coming to mind who sees the urgent national need to move to a cashless economy) who will benefit greatly from the misery of most and can barely hide their joy behind the veil of nationalism.

Do we also forget those who died because of the criminal negligence of those who forced this upon us? How many deaths that can be directly attributed to the negligence of the democratically elected before they serve some time? How long before we keep them in check? How long before the law applies to them as it must?

Btw, if you want to go cashless do so. Do so voluntarily. That would be the bottom up way. The way anyone who believes in good governance and small government will see as the only way. If all are okay with demonetization of such scale, then our great leader could have simply used his oratory to convince people to put their cash in the banks. He could have extolled to them the merits of doing so. Note that none of this would have needed facts in support. Having done so, he could have allowed them to make their choice. Instead, he shocks the masses and declares that those not okay with it are the crooks who did not get enough notice to use their notes.

That leaves us with the problem of black money. For one, not much is in cash form. Also, for once, can the state give me a good reason to part with my income? All evidence points to the contrary. Can we have a smaller state as our rather emotional leader had promised when begging for votes?