DIRECT... DIL SE

Its been quite a long time since I wrote an article here. I am restarting proceedings here with a short blog on matters of the heart. Come Sunday, a lot of emotions are going to be up in the air. Valentine's day is celebrated all over the world, as a day to express love to your beloved.

Valentine's day is celebrated to commemorate Valentine of Rome, or Valentine of Terni who were both persecuted and martyred. Their remains lie in state on the Via Flaminia (road). A third saint Valentine who was martyred in Africa is also a specious contention for the celebration of this day... however, there was no reference to love and sentiment during the times of these people (circa 300 AD). A story goes about how a certain saint Valentine performed "illegal" marriages against the king's decree forbidding marriage as it would make his soldiers weak. He was caught and executed, and his apparent last letter was to the hangman's daughter (whom he had miraculously cured of her blindness and fell in love), and it read: "From your Valentine".

The chivalrous knights and courtly love in the medieval era transformed this day completely into a lovers' day. In the late 19th century, greeting cards for "Valentine's day" took the country by storm and proved to be a harbinger of times to come.

Today, Valentine's day is extensively celebrated among intimate couples. Roses, chocolates and other gifts are exchanged on this day, and couples go on dates. This is also a day when the marriage proposal is made, usually by a man to his woman. So women and men, express love in all possible ways you know!

A pun-ny joke goes around in India thus:

Question: Why is November 14th celebrated as childrens' day?
Answer: Because February 14th is Valentine's day.

Photo copyright: aussiegall (from FLICKR)

REDRAWING INDIA'S MAPS

The cunning strategy by the British to sow discord among Indians and divide them on communal and linguistic lines has far-reaching offshoots. True, in all its history, India was never one united country. Paradoxically enough, perhaps the only time when the whole of Bharat was united was during the height of the British Raj, when the current day India, Pakistan, Burma, Aden, Singapore, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh were seen as one entity called BRITISH INDIA.

After Independence and the schism of Pakistan, the princely states and British-governed territories amalgamated into the Indian union. Between 1947 and 1950, due to the untiring efforts of two stalwarts, Sardar Vallabhai Patel and V. P. Menon, the mammoth process of unification of India took place. However, managing the British-era borders proved more than a handful as various factions dissented due to the lack of a common unifying factor within a region. This led to the States Reorganization Act of 1956, which was a major event in classification of India based on linguistic lines. Though many new regions came into Indian governance after 1956, the single largest changing of borders was done on 1st November 1956. The following table gives a chronological order of events leading to shaping up of India's map that is seen today.

TIME	EVENT
1757	Nawab of Bengal loses the battle of Plassey to the British East India company- BEI Company officially starts to control and govern India
1857	Large scale rebellion by the sepoys against the British East India Company; last Indian emperor (Mughal king, Bahadur Shah Zafar captured by the British)
1858	East India company dissolved as a result of the 1857 mutiny, complete power transferred over to the British crown, to the queen
1858	Policy of annexation of princely states formally announced. Several kingdoms were under the suzerainty of British crown; British protected them as allies, each with individual sovereignty to administer
1858	Aden, lower Burma and Singapore comes under British India,
1867	Singapore detached from Indian empire
1884	Somaliland comes under British India
1886	Upper Burma comes into British India
1898	Somaliland separated from India
1905	Bengal partitioned along communal lines into East and West Bengal
1935	Government of India act came into existence; Sindh province separated from Bombay
1937	Aden and Burma separated from India
14-15 August 1947	British India split into India, Pakistan and 568 princely states; British reneged on their support to the princely states, and ask them to join either India or Pakistan, or remain independent
27 October 1947	Kashmir accedes to India, hostilities erupt between India and Pakistan
January 1 1948	Numerous princes sign a merger to join India, into the state of Orissa, Bihar and Central provinces
1948	66 states included Baroda and Kohlapur merge into India, into Bombay. Numerous smaller states merge into Madras, East Punjab, West Bengal, Assam and United provinces. 30 princely states merge into Himachal Pradesh. 35 princely states join India and form Vindhya Pradesh
February 1948	Junagadh acceded to India after being acceded to Pakistan initially
17 September 1948	Hyderabad joins India after a hostile skirmish
28 May 1948	Madhya Bharat created from 25 princely states which acceded to India
15 July 1948	Patiala and East Punjab States Union was formed when 8 princely states join India
12 October 1948	Bilaspur joins India
31 December 1948	Hostilities end between India and Pakistan, 2/5 of Kashmir under Pakistan control, the rest comes under Indian rule. The border became known as “cease-fire line”, and later termed as “line of control”
30 March 1949	Several princely states join India in Rajputana
May 1 1949	Bhopal joins India
July 1 1949	Cochin and Travancore join India and form the state of Travancore-Cochin
9 September 1949	Tripura joins India
October 1949	Manipur joins India
1947-1950	Vast majority of princely states joins India
26 January 1950	India becomes a republic, constitution drafted
2 May 1950	Chandranagore changes hands from France to India
1 November 1954	de facto control of Yanam, Pondicherry, Karaikal and Mahe conceded by France to India
July 1954	Uprising in Dadra and Nagar Haveli throws off Portuguese rule
1 November 1956	Madhya Pradesh formed from the states of Vindhya Pradesh, Bhopal and Madhya Bharat
1 November 1956	Kutch, Vidarbha, Marathwada, Saurashtra joins Bombay state
1 November 1956	State of Mysore created from Coorg, Mysore and the kannada speaking regions of Hyderabad state; renamed Karnataka in 1973
1 November 1956	Telugu speaking areas of Andhra state, and Telengana region of Hyderabad state merges to form Andhra Pradesh
1 November 1956	Ajmer-Merwara joins Rajaputna, renamed into Rajasthan
1 November 1956	Formation of Assam, Jammu & Kashmir, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar
1 November 1956	Punjab formed by the merger of the Patiala and East Punjab States Union
1 November 1956	Malabar splits from Madras state, and southern Travancore joins Madras state; Madras renamed into Tamil Nadu in 1969
1 November 1956	7 union territories (Manipur, Tripura, Pondicherry, Lakshadweep, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi and Andaman & Nicobar islands) formed
1 November 1956	Kerala formed from Malabar, and Travancore-Cochin state
1 May 1960	Bombay state partitioned into Maharashtra and Gujarat
19 December 1961	Portuguese surrender to Indian army; Goa, Daman and Diu merge with India
21 November 1962	Sino-Indian war ends, Aksar Chin region of Kashmir comes under Chinese control, with a de facto line of actual control separating Indian and Chinese rule
1 December 1963	Nagaland made into a separate state
1 November 1966	Haryana formed; northern districts of Punjab transferred to Himachal Pradesh
25 January 1971	Statehood conferred upon Himachal Pradesh
21 January 1972	Manipur, Meghalaya and Tripura become states of India
16 May 1975	Sikkim merges with India; becomes a separate state
20 February 1987	Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram gains statehood
30 May 1987	Goa becomes a state of India, Daman and Diu become union territories
1 November 2000	16 districts of Madhya Pradesh form a separate state, Chhattisgarh
9 November 2000	Uttaranchal formed out of Uttar Pradesh, renamed Uttarakhand in January 2007
15 November 2000	Jharkhand formed out of Bihar

Following this, new divisions are in the offing. On 9th December 2009, the Indian Home Minister Mr. P. Chidambaram, set the idea of a separate statehood for Telengana in motion. Though Telugu speaking, it is common knowledge that this region is generally backward compared to the other regions in Andhra Pradesh. Even when the states were being reorganized in 1956, a separate statehood for Telengana was proposed- but ultimately rejected. Ever since, the movement has been active, and finally borne some results now.

While politicians and the common man are divided in their views over Telengana, it did create the impetus for other dissenting factions to raise their voices. For instance, several other groups have called for separate statehood. After Telengana's successful struggle, people have been calling for the separate states of Purvanchal (from Uttar Pradesh), Mithilanchal (from Bihar), Gorkhaland (from Assam and West Bengal), Vidarbha (From Maharashtra), and Tulu Nadu (from coastal Karnataka).

Recently, Mr. Chidambaram also had talks with Hurriyat leaders in Kashmir to negotiate with the separatists. If Mr. Chidambaram is following a policy of appeasement to pacify factions to avoid conflicts, he better have a strategy in place for other similar proposed schisms. Not everybody can be entertained, can they?

26/11 - LEST WE FORGET

Ten brainwashed zealots from Pakistan stormed Mumbai exactly an year ago and the carnage and horror that followed was unprecedented. 60 hours, live on the screen- all our senses numbed. One year later today, many valiant martyrs are remembered for their courageous acts. This article will be a tribute to a relatively unknown gem, Shri Tukaram Gopal Ombale, the brave ASI who caught the lone surviving gunman, Mohammed Ajmal Kasab.

Ombale was a true hero in all sense of the word. On the night of Nov 26/27 2008, 20 policemen from the DB Marg police station had set up a "naka bandi" (barricade) on Girgaum Chowpatti. They had received the message that terrorists had just wrecked havoc in CST, and are on their way towards Marine Drive, driving a hijacked Skoda car. Of the policemen, just two had Self Loading Rifles (SLR) and the same two men had bullet-proof vests. The rest were just armed with a lathi (baton), and some of them were in plainclothes. What follows next is right out of a heroic bollywood movie script.

Tukaram Ombale was giving chase to the car on his motorbike after he saw the Skoda car whiz past him. At around 12:45 AM, the skoda car sped towards the barricades and screeched to a halt some 50 feet away. Ombale with his motorbike tried to block the car from the left. On the front of the car were the barricades. Suddenly the lights and wipers were turned on and the car tried to make a U-turn from the right, but instead hit the road divider. All the while, two terrorists were firing heavily from the car (nearly 100 spent shells were recovered from the site). The police responded and gunned down Ismail Khan who was driving the car. On the other side, the door opened and Ajmal Kasab came out as if to surrender. Tukaram Ombale rushed towards him when suddenly Kasab fired his Kalashnikov gun at Ombale. Various reports say that Ombale took 30 to 39 bullets from Kasab while trying to capture him alive. Like a true hero, he lunged at Kasab and snatched his AK-47 assault rifle, held on to it, and collapsed over Kasab which effectively cramped him for space. "When we saw that Ombale was not letting go of the terrorist's gun, we knew we could not let his sacrifice go in vain. He held on and we completed his unfinished task," says his colleague Sanjay Govilkar.

In a way, he acted as a shield thus protecting the other officers present there- what's more, he fell across Kasab, thus immobilizing him. These valuable moments were enough for the other police men to come forward and catch Kasab alive. Just with the help of lathis, Mumbai policemen have done which nobody else in the world have ever done: catch a hard-core Fidayeen terrorist alive. Intelligence agencies and security forces from all over the world (FBI, CIA, Mossad, MI6, Shin Bet, KGB etc.) descended down to India to understand the nuances of the tactics used by terrorists and the counter measures taken by India; but to actually have information - that is priceless. And that is made available to the world today by Tukaram Ombale.

His heroic deed resulted in clinching the crucial evidence against Lashkar-e-Toiba and the Pakistani establishment. The whole investigation proceeds largely from Kasab, and that is because he was caught alive. An avalanche of diplomatic, political and international pressures were heaped upon the Pakistani establishment, just because of Ombale. In keeping Kasab alive, we are able to know priceless information about the network of Jihadis, their training, logistics, idealogy, functioning, etc. which would be invaluable to prevent future strikes. The importance of Tukaram Ombale's martyrdom can never be overemphasized.

Reports have now emerged about his dedication to duty before 26/11. It is said that he once painstakingly worked with dedication to inform people of the dangers of jellyfish lurking in the beaches near Girgaum Chowpatty- to the extent that he researched on Jellyfish and came with lots of lemons the next day (he just studied till class IX). He learnt that squeezing lemon juice on Jellyfish wounds have a calming effect.

He stood a perfect example for "Do your duty, and don't reap for the rewards", as said in the Gita. Once he is said to have seen some policemen chase a thief. He set his pet dog on the crook, and the thief was nabbed by Ombale and his dog, by surprising him from the other end of the street. Though he nabbed him- he politely handed him over to the other pursuing officers and he went his way. Those officers were recognized and awarded for their "efforts". But Ombale never cared for these recognitions. He believed in his duty and he wanted to be an example for others. "If I am right, the others will be right too". Never late for duty, he never missed a day even if he was unable to work. Once during the Ganesh chaturthi celebrations, he went for work inspite of being very, very sick. "I had to be there, I had to... it was my duty", so he said. His daughter Vaishali also showed a great example to honour her father by refusing donations of about 3 lakh rupees collected by students after 26/11. She had previously too, refused such charities or gave it back to them. She says that her dad loved children and he would not approve of donations. Though the whole nation is grateful to him today, his family still feels the void left by him.

His valiant efforts did not go unnoticed. He was awarded the Ashok Chakra by the Indian government, the highest civilian/military award for valour, courage and sacrifice in peacetime. CNN IBN also awarded him with the "Indian of the year" award in the category of "extraordinary service to the nation". His is a tale of sacrifice and duty, he has left behind a legacy which is worthy of emulation- an example to follow.

With people like Tukaram Ombale, the whole nation is illuminated. We bow to you, sir.

Picture copyright: Rediff.com; notw.co.uk

TWENTY YEARS & COUNTING

Every once a while, a great soul will emerge and sweep humanity off its feet, so Hindus believe. It was a balmy November morning in Karachi twenty years ago (1989), that a great soul had come to light. Chandu Borde, the then manager of the Indian cricket team had handed the India test cap to a little shy boy, Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar. Borde recalls being awoken at night by the noise of Tendulkar tapping the ball in his hotel room, practicing his strokes. A precocious young talent, he was just waiting to explode. When this was happening in Pakistan, Berlin wall divided Federal Republic of Germany (FRG or West Germany) and German Democratic Republic (GDR or East Germany), USSR was not yet split into Russia and 14 other different nations, and many college going kids of today were not born!

In his first test series, in spite of being hit in the nose by the speedster Waqar Younis, the young teen showed tremendous character to continue playing with a blood soaked face and shirt. I still remember watching this series as a little boy, seeing those grainy feed from Doordarshan- my earliest recollection of watching cricket. From that series, I remembered nothing later on but a few hazy pictures and one name- Sachin Tendulkar. It is no wonder that it was his majesty who inspired me (and millions others subsequently), not just in cricket or sports, but in various aspects of life in general. And very soon, Tendulkar-mania swept across the nation.

He was everywhere. He cemented his place in the Indian team, and very soon it just became routine that he scores lots of runs all the time. Occasional rare failures are catastrophic for the average Indian fan. For most audience, it didn't matter if India won or lost: as long as Sachin hit a fifty or a hundred, they're very happy. People didn't come to watch a match; they came to watch Tendulkar unfold his effulgence. Special pujas and other services were made to ensure that he plays well. It is said that when Tendulkar comes out to bat, the TV viewing population of India exceeds the population of Europe. Note that it is only to watch Sachin, not for team India. This bizzare phenomenon was observed over the past twenty years- people switch off their TVs and go about their work, or leave the stadium once Tendulkar gets out. In an effect, Tendulkar had created a monster. He was guilty of dazzling the masses with his presence which transcended national, linguistic, racial, and cultural loyalties. Revered all over the world, it is sheer madness in India when he is out in the open. He sometimes goes out on drives at 4:00 AM to avoid the public, or in disguise. In spite of all this attention, he has carried himself exceeding well. Success has never gotten to his head, and he remaines devoted to his trade, firm as ever.

There were a few things which only he can achieve: He was probably the only person to do an advertisement on shaving razors (Gillette) when he himself was not ready to shave! He will be the only cricketer to move the great mass of humanity that is India, in unison. At 36, he has lapped every award there is, and is just within striking distance of rightfully deserving the Bharat Ratna.

It has been two decades since we first saw the little master, and even after twenty years people still associate him with the innocent looking teenaged kid. And that image is impossible to disassociate from him- he is still a 36 year old baby, and gets all the fond attention from every grown-up, aged 3 and above.

His wax statue at Madame Tussauds, accolades from Don Bradman himself, the unprecedented love and fan following in India and elsewhere, two decades of being en epitome of all good values to emulate... to detail his life and the effect on others is a ginormous undertaking. With such an impact on the masses, it is impossible not to associate him with the divine. Many of Sachin's supporters refer to him just as "god". As cricinfo puts it, "...Tendulkar remains, by a distance, the most worshipped cricketer in the world".

We wish Sachin Tendulkar all the very best to continue the magic show for ever.

Picture copyright: www.cyberspirits.net

COPING WITH FLU

Its all around you. When somebody sneezed near you, you no longer say "Bless You". You'd scream, "Stay away from me!" and move away from the place. You can run but you cannot hide. Much of this paranoia is because of the dreaded novel influenza A (H1N1) or more commonly known as Swine Flu which is now spread all over the world, and regarded as a pandemic.

When the disease first broke out in the spring of 2009, thousands of pigs were slaughtered all over the world to "prevent" the disease outbreak. Swine flu, as it was initially named, made people to link the flu to pigs which resulted in the massacre. Then the medical experts and other governing agencies became more careful and adopted the term A (H1N1) influenza, just to protect the pigs. The human toll of this flu strain is really phenomenal. Nearly 7800 people have died in little over 6 months. Its flu season in many countries, and you find the whole place infested with sick people. Masks were frantically used by every person out in the open, and it can reach insane heights, like this picture I got by email (Although I believe it is a fake one). In spite of preventive measures for flu and cold being recommended by doctors and other health professionals, they still spread. Keeping up with the flu season, this article is with a view to dispel some myths about flu and catching a cold, in general.

Myth: Bathing in cold water causes pneumonia/flu (or) eating ice, ice cold water causes pneumonia.

Fact: Catching a cold in the rain, in ice, by getting under the cold water etc. are all old wives' tales. The "cold" in the cold water/ice etc. should not be confused with catching a cold, which is caused by a virus. However, if you stay out in the cold for too long, your body's immune system may become weakened, and the virus causing the cold/flu will attack it. That being said, the body's immune system can be weakened by a variety of factors, not just ice/cold water/cool air. Even in the peak of summer at a hot country, you can catch a flu. It is also to be noted that the Rhino virus (which causes common cold) morphs continuously and every time we get a cold it is because of a new strain of virus which our body's immune system has not seen. And the whole process of our "suffering" is part of our body's natural immune system to fight the virus, so that the next time it comes to our body we will be immune to it. So, catching a cold by playing in the cold water, or ice is a big fat lie.

Myth: Washing hands regularly prevents flu/cold.

Fact: Washing them regularly is a recommended method to keep the viruses at bay, but they are not foolproof. In a recent study at the University of Maryland, it was found that alcohol based hand sanitizers worked far better than any other hand cleaners. Yet, they don't prevent flu- they just aid in minimizing the chances of getting yourself affected.

Myth: There are medicines for common cold

Fact: There isn't any medicine which you can pop into your mouth and voila- the disease is cured. As far as cold is concerned, all medicines can do is to alleviate the symptoms of cold. If you are coughing and sneezing a lot- it will probably reduce it a bit. The symptoms of cold (cough, sneeze, fever, etc.) are all body's way of fighting the virus and strengthening the immune system. The medicines aid to reduce the bodily suffering a bit, but are not a cure. If you can remember those Ads, they only promise "temporary relief", and not complete cure- there cannot be a medicine to prevent or to cure cold because the virus is constantly evolving. Like my granny said, "It takes a week to cure cold with medicines, and it takes 7 days to cure cold without medicines".

Myth: If you have swine flu, you have a high chance of dying soon

Fact: People with high obesity, diabetes, asthma, heart disease, very small children or people with weak immune system, or pregnant people are generally at risk contracting diseases. If they contract swine flu (or any other infection or disease), they will be at risk and are more likely to die. Though swine flu has taken the lives of thousands, you have to put it in perspective with other diseases like malaria, normal flu, typhoid etc. and the number of people dead from other diseases are much more than swine flu.

Myth: Flu shots prevent flu and cold permanently

Fact: Flu shots makes your body immune against only a certain particular strain(s) of virus causing flu. Usually, flu shots are administered at the beginning of the flu season (Nov-April), or beginning of summer. Only those strains which are actively present at that time are being protected against. Flu vaccine is only for a particular season because different flu strains can circulate each season. Once you're given a flu shot, the virus strain which is prevalent at that time won't affect you. However, strains evolve continuously and after sometime a new strain could affect you (for which you are not immunized). Therefore flu shots are given every "flu season".

Here's a useful tip to minimize the spreading of flu. When sneezing, don't cover your face with your hands- rather sneeze into the sleeve of your hand (near the elbow). This way, your hands are less infected and hence lesser are the chances for you to spread germs.

And I will be your slave for life if you can keep your eyes open and sneeze! Achhoooooo..... "Gesundheit".

Picture copyright: www.howtoreachmygoals.com

GHOSTS ARE HERE

According to ancient Celtic and other cultures, the border separating this world and the nether world is very low around the end of this month. The departed spirits (both harmful and peaceful ones) make their presence felt more. This Halloween day on October 31st, be prepared to meet Ghouls, Vampires, Dracula, Werewolves, Goblins, Ogres, Ghosts and other sorry souls. According to Christian theology, the All Saint's day (Nov 1) commemorates all the souls who have attained heaven. All Souls day on November 2nd remembers the departed spirits and other wandering souls who have not yet reached heaven. The strong belief of the souls' movement around this time led to the observation of Halloween day where the spirits of the dead wander freely among humans, sometimes troubling them. In olden times, October 31st also marked the end of the harvest season, and people began to store stockpiles of food for the cruel winter. The bones of animals were cast into a big bonfire as a celebratory ritual and also to ward off the evil spirits which are active- and hence bonfires are a big part of Halloween. People dress up in scary costumes which is believed to scare off the departed spirits.

For children, Halloween is associated with the tradition of trick or treating. Children dress up as ghosts or fictional figures, and go from house to house to ask for treats. They should be provided with chocolates and candies or else they would threaten to caste an evil spell on the house! Pumpkin carving is also associated with this day where grotesque faces are carved on a pumpkin (much similar to the cultures of some Indian regions where faces are drawn on pumpkins to ward off the evil eye). Head hunting rituals by the Celts and the "Brazen Head" way of predicting the future (a device used by ancient wizards, which looked like a human head and could answer questions correctly in the form of a YES or a NO format) were probably the precursors of the pumpkin carving ritual which is followed today.

Horror stories are said, and all the ghastly myths about the dead people seem to come true on a Halloween day... Ghost tours, costume parties, horror movies and other ghoulish paraphernalia are everywhere. Though primarily aimed to keep the children entertained and scared, everybody should be on their toes. So beware, masquerade in a different attire and don't let the bad spirits recognize you! And don't look under your chair- there's a ghost hiding beneath you. Happy haunting!