My son told me about this test which is a measure of women’s equivalent participation in anything, especially performing arts such as motion pictures. Bechdel test states 3 basic rules ( this is from Google) :
at least two women are featured, (2) that these women talk to each other, and (3) that they discuss something other than a man.
Unless these 3 basic rules feature in pictures, they cannot be hyped as fair productions. Although this is about pictures, we can use the ground rule for works of fictions/books as well. I used to have this problem about Indian pictures or even fictions I read. Its the male mind that is imagining the scenarios, penning the dialogues, directing the screenplay, editing and finishing and turning out the sum total output. What is the woman’s role in all this? Mere acting skills? Who can imagine the woman’s mind with its complexities. But in Tamil cinema, the thespian screenplay-dialogue writer and director K Balachander had done such a fabulous job. I have done a blog post on him in Tamil. In particular I am in amazement still of the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationship in the picture ‘Avargal’ produced in the late ’70s. KB was way ahead of his times especially given the plot setting in India. Those were the times we were ultra conservative. Divorces were unheard of. The heroine Sujatha is a divorcee. The mother-in-law comes to her door disguised as a maid servant, cook, and nanny all rolled into one to take care of her infant. That mother-in-law character is one in a million. You have to watch the picture for full import. I can quote more instances from KB.
So very few pictures from India can pass the Bechdel test. Avargal, the black & white Tamil picture from the 70s passes the Bechdel test with flying colours.
She is no more but she will always remain iconic to those like me and millions of women in Tamil Nadu and around India. The ex CM of Tamil Nadu was that kind of rare breed. Bold, fierce, intelligent, dynamic, well accomplished in academics and performing arts, winning in the all men’s world, and at the same time caring, she defined the epitome of women power. I miss you Amma. JJ is the face of the Indian Nari. Like typical Indian woman, JJ neglected her health. She could have easily lived another 20 more years. JJ’s last few lonely and mysterious years also underscore the significance of family in everyone’s life. HEALTH AND FAMILY: these are our real wealth.
Many Indian parents are in a fix when their children migrate to the US. Real estate in India is expensive. They would want to transfer dollars/ savings/ investments/ insurances and also terminal benefits to their kids in the US. But they face double taxation that will drain their finances. 35% of capital gains taxes in India, followed by equal taxes by the US may not leave much for the kids, in case the parents want to dispose of their real estate in India and want to transfer funds to the US to their children. Its hopeless trying to get the Indian govt to lower the taxes. But the investments are going to go the US permanently. The US can consider waiver of taxes on investment capital from Indian parents to their kids in the US. We have this scenario prevalent in the case of most of the parents based in India with their children working/living in the US. Presently, the Indian govt allows tuition fees in dollars with nominal charges, to be paid by Indian parents to the US universities when the kids enrol in varsities abroad, but even this has a ceiling.
What shall happen if the taxes are waived off by the US for investment transfers from Indian parents to their grandchildren either for education fund or for assisting in housing for their children? There can be much more inflows than happening now. The US can also allow transfer in kind such as gold and diamond jewelry that are left back in India by migrating children as they are highly taxable in the US. A ceiling can be fixed for the quantum of transfer. Many Indian immigrants opt for OCI card in India (equivalent of the green card) on acquiring US citizenship that can help retain their inheritances in India. (India does not permit dual citizenship for security reasons). But after a generation or two, they may lose touch with the base. They can benefit from repatriation of funds. Just a thought!
The Golden Mahalakshmi Temple, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India: No I haven’t been here. So close to home. A temple made of solid gold.
We are aware Modi govt got back part of our gold with UK sometime back in 2 installments for security reasons. That’s only a portion. To quote from Google,
Other than the Bank of England, which is known for its stringent security provisions, India also stores its gold reserves at the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) in Basel, Switzerland, as well as the Federal Reserve Bank of New York in the United States.
Now I am shocked to watch this video:
Indian women unofficially own and hold in their possession maximum gold in the world to the tune of approximately 25,000 tonnes exceeding gold reserves of all world nations put together.
Hindu temples may hold many more times that kind of gold and precious antique and diamond and other jewelry. Golden vimanas or golden towers thousands of temples raise to the sky. Most old golden chariots for deities. These are just the popular two:
Its high time India got back her gold from the US. Its our gold and I can’t understand how they can refuse to give us back our gold if that is true. That is why I don”t trust investments made by India in foreign countries.
After the losses India had to bear at Lehman bros, this comes as a big shock.
British looted most of our wealth after the Islamic invaders. Yet after 1500 years of onslaught we are here. Our top scientists starting from Homi Bhabha, father of our nuke programme, got assassinated (died under mysterious circumstances) – this nation of mine reportedly has lost over 5000 scientists in last 5 decades to mysterious deaths/assassinations. Otherwise we would have been in space and in nuke front and in research must earlier and as much advanced. India continues to pay a heavy price for minding her own business which is sad.
The golden temple, Amritsar, Punjab is the first golden temple of India. About 100,000 guests are fed FREE wholesome satwik nutritious yummy food in the temple every single day. Temples of India feed millions free everyday. This is why we can never be as ruthless or single minded like China or the US. Some cultures have lived well for MILLENNIA. Been prosperous for thousands of years straight. In Tamil we say, Nirai Kudam Thalumbaadhu.
Tesla anyday because its EV and it can give good competition to Mahindra and Tata in the same segment that are local manufactures. India does need foreign investment and participation to optimal level. Whether Tesla is necessary I am not sure. But we do have some foreign brands, that adding Tesla to the list cannot hurt. In fact it can give good value for money for the Indian consumers by forcing others to update themselves. Yesterday there was news that Tesla was looking for plant locations in Maharashtra. Its better than selling 100% imported cars in India. No worries about tariffs. High end customers in India do not bother. Voting for Tesla only because it is environment friendly. It may not fit the middle class budget but there is a huge market in India for this kind of premium automobiles. If they have long term plans, they must come to India, not otherwise. As someone put it, India is not a car country – rather motorbike country. But I have relatives and friends who will lap up Tesla from Chennai whatever the price. Business community people. We the regular salaried class just can’t afford the luxury.
Presently carless, we are looking for a hybrid though for our next. Prefer Tata or Mahindra because they are easily serviceable in the country. For highways in India, Mahindra and Tata are the best with proven track record. Use local steel. Honda, Hyundai, MG etc., have carved their own space in Indian car market. I am sure, Tesla too will. I don’t have the car fetish. Just something comfy and parkable in our street will do for me! We of all things look at the turning radial! Just watched a Tesla in Doha for the first time on our way to airport. Did not even imagine in my dreams even then that Tesla would make a foray into India. It looked huge on Doha roads like a boat! Its just 2 weeks back! Never in Indian history foreign investments happened so fast, to my knowledge! Tesla is win-win for both America and India, in case they are to enter India.
Pollution in India is mainly due to stubble burning. Stubble burning by farmers in neighbouring states of Haryana and Punjab is the reason for Delhi air pollution. 2030 is our deadline to go electric or hybrid totally I guess. So its a wise move to have Tesla EV in India. Water pollution is a different thing already.
Hyundai made in India have an export market. In the long run, this is a distinct possibility for Tesla. May be they will be in India forever like Suzuki and Honda. While at it, is it even possible for Mahindra or Tata or Tesla to make an EV within 15 lac rupees budget? I know its asking for too much! Hopefully Tata can make it for us. I am saying this because this is our maximum budget ceiling for our next car! If they can, they will be runaway success even with the burgeoning middle class. Even in Chennai, we have the 2 or 3 car owning middle class families mostly.
I got this from Google:
* In 2022, India exported $6.68B in Cars. The main destinations of India exports on Cars were South Africa ($1.24B), Mexico ($941M), Saudi Arabia ($579M), United Arab Emirates ($400M), and Chile ($355M).
*Leading the Made-in-India export vehicle charge is the PV market leader Maruti Suzuki India. Between April and December 2024, the company has shipped 245,642 vehicles, up 21% YoY (April-December 2023: 202,786).
*Indian car export to the US: Mahindra, the only brand.
They say India is not a car country. Our highway network is good but in-city roads are pretty bad. Luxury cars have scope only outside city limits. Yet look at what stats reveal: This stat is from the link from below. This is November 2024 figure alone which is festival season in India. A total of 351,592 cars got sold last November in India. Festival season in India peaks with Ganesh Chaturti, Navratri and Diwali – the three grandest Hindu festivals. Car sales are maximum at this time.
F35 not advisable. Or India must take her time to study the pros and cons. The next US govt if it is to be Democratic, won’t cooperate with intelligence. Won’t even deliver on time and would go back on the agreement. I don’t know specifics but is it true that you need a daily password for F35. I am also aware that never will a Democratic govt offer F series to India. This is rarest of rare chance. Its also expensive and may burn a hole in India’s pocket. May India take her time to decide on that.
I welcome anything that is green energy into India. We want less pollution, less damage to environment and least usage of fossil fuels.
That’s the best news for India coming out of America. That much was funded for affecting voter turnout in the last year’s Lok Sabha elections. BJP still won the elections but not as a single huge majority. Its highly disturbing to note how much the ‘breaking India’ forces are at work. Rahul Gandhi of Congress reportedly has had links with George Soros and even China.
USAID also must publish the list of NGO recipients of the fund.
Imagine the country going into the Indi gang hands. One day it can actually happen, I am not ruling that out. God save India then. Even some protests in Tamil Nadu etc, got funded. We don’t hold proofs but we were dumbstruck when protesters turned out in thousands and would not stop until Vedanta closed their copper plant (Sterlite Industries) in our state. This part of the state Tirunelveli is under church mafia influence with conversion missionary working at full throttle targeting the poorest and the tribals. In fact there were nuns in uniform (!) who were spearheading the protests. Where did the economic incentives come from? In India, every single mass protest such as farmers’ rallies, etc., receives funding to raise banners against Modi government. The timing would be so perfect to peak during our general election times. The Times of India etc., are church owned and have Malayali christians, the most toxic communists in their payroll for journalists, who spew venom on Hindus in general. MOST TOXIC COMBO: MALLU CHRISTIANS AND MALLU MUSLIMS HIDING UNDER THE GUISE OF INDIAN MEDIA AND MIXING VENOM AMONG MASS MENTALITY. They can totally change the narrative and present you with completely wrong picture. We Tamils can call out their bluff anywhere and everywhere. Look at their screeching bylines trying to misinterpret the fundings with attempt to generalize the illegal resources. TOI etc., should give credit to exact journalist who is planting the story. You will know who exactly is behind the misinformation: INDIAN MALLU CHRISTIAN/MUSLIM OR INDIAN MUSLIM. Cancer of India. Anything out of communist Kerala is suspect. Remember Krishna Menon who kept Nehru under the dark about China posted there that led to the surprise Indo-China war that India lost in 1961. These same communists from Bengal and Kerala have lobbies in the US to receive funds to sponsor anti-national activities in India. The USAID funding IS NOT FOR INDIA. It was for anti-national Indian activities.
How many fronts should a Hindu fight. We have to fight the violent muslims funded from the middle east and also through agencies from the US. We have to fight the christian missionary mafia aiming at destroying our Hindu roots. We have to fight Pakistan, China, Bangladesh everyone. And we have to fight the economic wars. What a great work Modi ji is doing in tandem with Shri Jaishankar ji literally and still seeing to that we tick at a nation. Its a tremendous job really.
During last year’s Lok Sabha elections, I knew my househelp hid something from me. Some people came door to door distributing cash. She took it but refused to admit it to me. For years this is happening in India. The poorest people do that. For them that sudden cash gift matters so much. Its marvellous this very dangerous funding is now put to a stop.
BJP’s Annamalai must have won from Coimbatore. But DMK, the state govt and anti Hindu party, saw to that, many thousands of Hindus did not figure in voters’ list inspite of holding voter ID issued by central govt. It is only through rigging that DMK won the seat, not by fair means.
India has chance only until the muslim population of India hits 35-40%. After that, Hindus be ready to commit mass suicide. That will be the end of Dharma. Regarding this, I wanted to write something, I thought about it last week and went to sleep. Normally when I wake up in between I go back to sleep muttering Lalitha sahasranama or ‘raam raam.’ I wake up with Lalitha in my lips.That day when I was to fly out in the late night, I woke up with ‘masha allah’ at 4 am that completely stunned me. From where did I get it? Its something middle easterners utter like a greeting. Like a hello. It crossed my mind that probably Allah was assuring me that my fears were baseless and India, my Bharat, will have Hindu soul to eternity. That is how I take it.
I am from Chennai where everyday I see how the poorest and weakest are approached by the christian lobbies with cash incentives to convert. Suppose you give a street hawker 1 lac rupees, it is still a big amount for him. He can never repay but he has to attend church as new born christian instead. This is how they convert vulnerable Hindus in India. Shame on church. For them quantity matters over quality. The funding is from America and we Hindus have no means to fight this system. We have nothing to offer our poor except free meals in our temples.
Ayurveda is the ancient school of medicine in India practised by Hindus for millennia. Siddha is also an ancient school of medicine practised in Tamil Nadu. Both these schools of medicine are recognized by govt of India and have advanced medical universities with full capacity enrolment. Yet both these branches are not as developed as allopathy because of poor research facilities and no testing on animals. There are many restrictions if we are to follow Ayurvedic medication. Same applies for Siddha. I see Ayurvedic produce on display in the US, Middle east etc., where their locals don’t do thorough research on the Ayurvedic products and gulp them down without a second thought. For instance, the Siddha medication can be taken only if you forgo caffeine completely. Similarly Ayurvedic medicine is based on our Vayu, Pitha, Kabha (our body’s gas, heat and cold) each of which is contradictory to the other. There may be contraindications when you use ayurveda without doctor’s advice. The ayur products use plants and seeds that are extremely potent and can damage our liver and kidneys if used indiscriminately. Ayur sugar prescription is just a leaf powdered. Its extremely powerful prescription. Unless you give up the allopathic diabetic pill or insulin, you are not supposed to swallow this. I got a siddha sugar preventive seed. No way one can take this on empty stomach or with borderline diabetes. You chew this dried seed, you can sense your sugar going down dramatically within minutes. Both Ayur and Siddha are nature based but work very efficiently. Without guidance, one should not be taking them. Some ayur products may contain residual metals not harmful for human consumption. But if you already have a high metal content in body and are taking other mineral supplements, you must not take Ashwagandha etc. Should ashwagandha work for you, you need no further supplement in life. Even when you buy ashwagandha in India over the counter, they give you the caution to space it out and not gulp it every day. Same for Pankaja Kasturi, the ayur medication for wheezing. It totally stops for children but again long term use of pankaja kasturi is not advised. Like any branch of medicine, Ayur needs consultation.
About the turmeric misuse, I have this to say: We grow up consuming turmeric in our food from the times we are infants. Our metabolism has evolved in such a way that we Hindus/Indians can digest all spices without hickups. But I see the turmeric latte, etc., sold indiscriminately in the west. In our food, we don’t use turmeric beyond a pinch everyday. Its a very sensitive spice. If misused, it can give you jaundice. I am vegetarian from birth. What will happen to me if I am to become meat eater suddenly. My metabolism won’t accept that. My liver is incapable of ingesting meat protein. If god forbid I have to eat meat, I have to start slow. Its the same with exotic spices. You cannot rush.
Until I was upto to 12 years or so, I don’t remember usage of chemicals in our domestic everyday life. I used only besan (gramflour) for bathe after a mild daily rubbing of coconut oil in the body every morning. NO shampoo almost until my 30th year = only shikakhai. I used shampoo for the first time during our residence in Malaysia where I had no access to shikakhai. For cough, we were given hot milk with turmeric and peppercorn powdered into it with a pinch of saffron. There is this ayur thing called ‘athi mathuram’ which is extremely sweet. We added this too. Instant stop to cough and cold. No paracetamol. Only ‘kashayam’ made at home for temperature with herbs. My grandma grounded some spices and made this tonic like hot stew that we had to swallow. The toxic chemical doctor prescriptions I started following very late in life. Even today a friend of mine is taking only ayur medicine for very high bp.
I use mostly ayur skin care and minimal chemical skin care produced in France or wherever. I have used Bodyshop for a while in the middle east because they claimed to be organic. But I found them to be the contrary. I use ayur skin care that actually can decay within months. The lipsticks made of cow ghee cannot last for over 2 to 3 hours. But we have the western makeup materials lasting through the day. Same for chemical hairdyes that work well. We use mostly henna-indigo in India that may be totally organic without side effects. That won’t give you the chemical hair dye effect. Now I use minimum western skin care along with maximum ayur skin care. Works fine for me. Even the shampoos I try to use organic. If I am in India, ONLY AYUR SHAMPOOS. We get that now in middle east as everyone wants it. In total demand over the much sophisticated Loreal etc. Fastest sellout. That is why I am not bothered about international tariffs. A simple ayur shampoo wins hands down over international brands such as Loreal so effortlessly.
So much my parents made sure that there was least chemical usage in our broughtup. Yet I enjoy very poor health. That is because my constitution is weak from birth. Today I gulp maximum pills just to stay alive. Allopathic. I wonder what my parents would have to say upon this should they be around today.
Remember this from my 4th or 5th year. Got measles. NO medication. Made to sleep on a mattress made of neem leaves only. Drank neem water that was bitter. Buttermilk. Extreme food restrictions. Got well in a few days and returned to school. Even today in rural India, we don’t treat measles, poxes etc., with allopathic medication. Same for jaundice or yellow fever. Only a green called ‘keazhanelli’ used to be given the patient and oil had to be avoided. That centuries old natural medicine is now patented as their discovery by Europeans!
Even today millions of Indians are using only Ayur medication for even lifestyle conditions such as diabetes, hypertension and others such as thyroid, kidney stones, arthritis, asthma, skin diseases etc. For external applications, ayur is best. Ayur medication if used with caution can be the most natural way to treat ailments without side effects associated with allopathy. End stage cancer patients return to ayur because that can lessen their pain and extend their life by a few months. Even allopathic doctors in India advise that for them.
In miraculous cases, there have been complete cancer remission for patients on taking ayurvedic medication. For that one has to completely put the trust in ayur and quit allopathic treatment. Very few come forward to do that. For stage 1 to 3 of cancer, ayur works best but has to be practised with patience and perseverance, adhering strictly to doctor’s advice, giving up consumption of many comfort foods such as caffeine etc. No food intake with even mildest preservatives. Siddha medication can be taken only if you cook and eat food from clay pots. In the west, people buy ayur but don’t follow the rules underlined. Without following the basics, you cannot expect for results. Besides the medication can backfire and actually harm you in that case.
Someone known to me followed Siddha for conception. She had had many miscarriages. For 3 months being working woman, she even cooked her meals and ate from clayware without polishing (not using gas stove but woodfires). Gave up all her comfort foods. Its very tough practising siddha. Finally she did have a successful pregnancy delivering a health baby.
I got supplements for the first time in my life last year but yet to pop a single pill. Its vegan collagen. I thought I needed something extra for my bones and joints. Lost the nerve. Expiry date is next year. Lets see.
People don’t realize that whatever has more preservative chemicals and longlasting like lipstick for 24 hours, may contain arsenic, lead etc. The anti-ageing formula is actually addictive. You stop that for a couple of months: you will see your skin drooping badly. A mild moisturizer is all we need. Ayur fits my bill perfectly with its most natural ingredients. Cannot use it for over 10 months or you can see a moss forming in the lotion or cream. Whereas the western skin care lasts for years. Ayur skincare actually ROTS within months!! That’s what makes it organic. Now based on this, some countries actually rule that ayur is toxic or has high mineral content. Even the US etc., have banned some ayur prescriptions/medications/supplements. What is needed is strict advice on their consumption. They are most natural and least harmful to human body to be taken with utmost care. You have to drop every other thing for ayur to work for you. Everyday lipstick and shampoo used by women around the world contain most hazardous chemicals including cancer causing formaldehyde, don’t they. But these are all available freely everywhere. Only Ayur needs to be victimized because of its growing popularity in world market. Ayur supplements to be taken with extreme care and definitely not as an everyday dose for newbies.
Herbal medicine, herbal skincare etc., require enormous patience. They don’t work overnight. They are a lifestyle practice. If you are to follow the underlying rule, you have to change your everyday routine to make place for them. But with time, they can work wonders for your skin and health. Someone taking insulin for type 1 diabetes can completely give up the daily shots switching over to ayur/siddha. But you have to give up so many other things for that. I do see many in India making that sacrifice and switching over to healthier natural medicine. The insulin dependency is completely avoided. But how can you expect the allopathics to accept that? Unfortunately even the allopathic hospitals in India won’t admit you if you are on ayur medication. You need to follow allopathy for an admit and this is where we have the stumbling block. There are ayur hospitals too in India and even siddha hospitals. Some ayur treatments require extended stay of months in resort like settings that can completely cure the patient of illness. No outside food and strictly sticking to ayur procedures that include medication, food and massages. Its a complete package really. Many retired citizens choose such packages for overall health.
For me personally, I adopt ayur for skincare routine and mild cold, cough etc. Others require constant monitoring and strict adherence to their prescribed lifestyle that I cannot afford to. So I follow allopathy.
I am a Hindu nationalist who aspires for a Hindu Rashtra. I never mix words about that. I equate nationalism with loyalty and gratitude.
We in India have 10 million plus illegal muslim Bangladeshi immigrants, Rohingya muslim immigrants from Myanmar added to that. Hindu population is increasing at a decreasing rate. Muslims still have large families with upto a dozen kids. At least one state in India, Kerala, has already gone Hindu minority. This is where Bhagwad Pada Adi Shankara was born. Now whether this is Arab state or Indian state is a big question mark. Once Hindus become minority anywhere, their very security is endangered.
With poor literacy rates and fed thoughts from their madarasas, imagine the damage the increasing muslim population can wreck upon Indian union. Already this is happening. If we are not 1.4 billion, India can take immigrants. We already have millions of Nepalis working in our country, some of them illegal. India too wants to get rid of especially the muslim immigrants from Bangladesh who are nothing but trouble. These illegals have already taken over villages hoisting the islamic flags there. India too needs to flush out the illegal immigrants. They have the potential to disturb the precious equilibrium we have in our society for keeping peace. India’s democracy is incumbent upon India’s demography. So how do you flush the illegal immigrants out? The problem in India is that, the illegals can easily acquire fake documents and Indian muslims are hand in glove with them in this covert operation to legalize the Bangladeshis. This is because we have corruption prevalent in our country given our poverty conditions. Its a very tough job to rout out illegal muslim immigrants but not something that BJP at the center cannot handle. After seeing the American model, we can do something about the illegal immigrants but in our own way.
I will say:
India can give a timeframe of 1 month for the illegal Bangladeshi muslim immigrants with or without fake documentation to leave India on their own. Give the amnesty of surrender to nearest police station.
India can extend the deadline by 1 or 2 months after that
India can finance their travel back to Bangladesh and even fund them for a restart in their home country that we can afford.
India has to seal the border with Bangladesh completely. NOT A SINGLE EXTRA MUSLIM IN INDIA PLEASE. WE HAVE ENOUGH TROUBLE ALREADY IN OUR MIDST.
No more medical/education visas to Bangladeshi. No tourist visas to Bangladeshis.
I am someone with open mind but I still WILL NEVER trust ann Indian muslim sorry. Only a muslim will want to harm the mother country – NO HINDU SHALL EVER. For us Hindus, our mother and mother land and God are one and the same. Our Bharatha is such a punya bhoomi to me. Our bloody Hindu history leaves no hope in me to trust either the muslims or the west.
India can give the option of leaving India for Indian muslims too and help them settle down in Pakistan or Saudi or wherever they may choose to migrate to. The Khans of Bollywood can lead the pack and leave with their billions!
India has to seal the border with Nepal. Even if Nepal is majority Hindu, they are hostile with their connect to China. We have millions of Nepali servants in India already. We don’t need more. Its time to send back the illegal Nepalis as well.
Delink the rail routes/bus routes to Nepal and Bangladesh. Allow only air routes. With Nepal, this can be tough as Nepal is a landlocked nation with access from very few countries such as India. The Himalayan kingdom however needs to be disciplined and taught some life lessons.
I wonder what stops Modi from dealing with muslim illegal immigrants from Bangladesh with an iron hand. Its because, the border state Bengal is communist that want illegals so that they can counter BJP.
Rahul Gandhi whose only achievement in life is having been born with a Gandhi surname reportedly was linked to George Soros funded by USAID as the president of US himself suggested at fundings aimed at disturbing the Lok Sabha elections in India in 2024. This is a serious anti-national offence that can be equated to waging war on India. This is how it must be dealt. Rahul also reportedly traveled to China, India’s major adversary. What for? These are very grave allegations that must be thoroughly investigated. ‘Breaking India’ forces are at work here.
I want to know how many Palestinians have been given Saudi citizenship or UAE citizenship. Dubai gives golden citizenship to Indian celebrities. Numerous Bollywood actors have been offered the gold citizenship that made them invest in real estate in Dubai. Many Indians own palatial villas in Dubai. But there is no place for displaced Palestinians and Syrians in Dubai? No citizenship for fellow muslims?
There are 190+ countries in the world today. We have over 50 Islamic countries, 100 Christian countries. But you all want India, the cradle of Hindu civilization that is the only continuous existing culture for 10000 years to become Islamic/Christian and CEASE TO BE HINDU? Why should India remain secular at all.
I am for changing Indian constitution to ‘Hindu Nationalist Republic’ where Christians and Muslims too can live in peace but where the Hindu interests will be safeguarded. After all we have nowhere to go. A Hindurashtra is every Hindu’s dream and you can’t blame me for wanting to have at least ONE HINDU NATION BY CONSTITUTION ON EARTH. Its sick on the part of world media and foreign governments to want us to be secular.
I cannot talk about illegal immigrants because, I see this issue in my own country that is eating into our social fabric. We have very violent muslim immigrants who are illegal in our midst and their numbers exceed 10 million. 10 million is just a ballpark figure.
As for tariffs, India does HIGH QUALITY EXPORT be it manpower or material. At the same time we get back stuff like Mcdonalds, Coke, Pepsi, cosmetics from America that we can do without, can’t we? We do have their I phones and electronics as well. We are paying through our nose already for the imports, being a third world nation. If they become a tad cheaper with lowered tariffs, the masses won’t be going for them.
Even in Indian budget, this category of consumerist items of local manufacture are taxed heavily. Are you aware of the GST applied to local produce sold in Indian markets. Its very steep. Our manufacturers face tough local competition first. We are happy with our Indian local production of cars Mahindra and Tata that are world class with highest safety ratings over many renowned international car makers. Why do we need American cars in our roads? Our highways are not American standards. American cars will look out of place in my country. If I am booking my next, it shall be the Tata Nexon NOT A FOREIGN BRAND CAR. It fits my budget and the Indian road perfectly. The fastest selling cars in India are India-made by Indian manufacturers, not foreign. Next to that I trust only the modest Japanese make.
Why do we need more fighter jets for a war that we are not going to fight. Book the Rafales from France instead. Didn’t Indian air force pilots shoot down Pakistan’s F16 supplied by America ?? From what? An aged Russian MIG over 20 years old !! See ITS THE SKILLS THAT MATTER NOT THE MACHINERY. Truth can be as simple as that. How do you expect both those governments to admit to such a grand failure.
Who got to Mars orbit in the first attempt? ISRO. Who landed first in the dark side of the moon? India. On what? On the third world shoe string budget, a fraction of what NASA or SpaceX may be spending. Our budget is less than that of a Hollywood picture. Where did our engineers and scientists graduate from? From 3rd tier engineering colleges of India in rural towns with no proper lab facilities. Who are the world’s best physicians? Our Indian doctors. I am someone perfectly happy with India’s slow pace of INCLUSIVE GROWTH. I don’t like some toxic elements in our society, that’s all. If we are not such a small country, only one seventh of American geographical territory, with burgeoning population of 1.4 billion already, I would never want the illegal immigrants out of India. Turning down someone who comes to our door with hunger – it is unimaginable for me personally. Its because the security of my motherland is threatened that I want them out.
Indian mangoes are the best in the world and if you cannot pay the price, go without it America. I am only highlighting one produce from India which is the king of the international market: mangoes. Indian visas in the middle east get exhausted quickest. Indian produce are known for quality unlike the Chinese manufacture of low quality. The world at large will be more than happy to pay India the asking price. Indian mutton wins hands down over Australian mutton. Indian electronics and Indian cars and motor bikes are gaining inroads into international markets only by quality. Domestic consumption in India is healthy and it will benefit India a lot to have more of export quality produce being sold right in Indian markets instead of being exported. India must diversify the export market. We in India are 1.4 billion. You want the finest silks, cottons. You go to India. You want the best of diamonds? You go to India. Even the best cuisine is ours. You simply cannot obliterate India. We export only after WE CONSUME FIRST. America can never replace Indian produce or Indian manpower with an equivalent and economic option. Whereas I have NEVER in my life seen Russian products in Indian market. No Russian car in our roads. There is only defence cooperation and oil & gas deal with Russia. Its a big relief to note that our relationship is not dictated by business deals. This is why Russia matters to India.
We do require US investments in the IT sector. In technology, world follows American standards. But we in India can do without battery factories, car factories, Coke & Pepsi plants etc., that will drain our ground water table completely. China may look good on surface. But the air, land and the water in China must already be beyond redemption, worse than India. China must be toxic beyond imagination. Remember their infant formula was found containing melamine. AI consumes massive massive energy. Its a reason California fires happened at all. Sometimes, it will benefit us in the long run to grow slowly. Solar is viral in India for years now. I get 50% subsidy if I install the panel. But since we are NRIs I am delaying the installation until after our retirement. Most of my friends have gone solar already. India is going big on solar energy for a decade now.
About going solar, I have blogged on this. I have to look it up. You can only transfer/transform energy not create something new. How do we do with hydel power. How do we create power from burning coal. Same about desalination. On this too I have blogged. You desalinate, you increase salinity in the ocean/territorial waters that will completely kill the marine eco system within a few years. Managing the limited scare natural resources will be the only ultimate solution that will work forever.
I have American water heater and washing machine in India. But we have great Indian equals/replacements as well. Many of us opt for local manufacture mostly because replacing spare parts is easier. How can tariff wars be fair between mangoes and air conditioners. This is an uneven game, the Americans must know. Our PM Modi ji must prepare India to fight the tariff war and its okay if we lose out to the US. That shall force us to boost local production and not keep all our eggs in one basket.
1.4 billion in my country still leave LEAST CARBON FOOT PRINT in the world compared to Americans or Europeans. I don’t care if we are polluted or sluggish in growth in India. At least we are not expediting Planet Earth’s death.
Chinese products of many categories got banned in India. Soon we lost access to duplicate remote controls, lightings etc. But we adjusted well with that. India exports vital life saving medications to foreign countries. If the tariffs are raised, just imagine who will be the most affected. I see chinese plumbing materials in middle east that don’t last more than a couple of months. I am using plumbing in India that is over 12 years old. The metal lost its lustre but I am retaining it as middle class families do typically. Made-in-India, it still works perfect. Chinese iron & steel is low quality but is flooding India and our local manufactures stand to lose out. Sometimes its better we DON’T have international trade agreements at all.
Who needs the red carpet. Our prime minister is shaking hands with both Russia and Iran at the same time. He must be applauded for how skillfully he is maneuvering these troubled waters. Shame on the Indian media which is bought over/owned by the Christian church with fixed agenda against BJP government. India needs everyone’s friendship. In International scene, there are no friendly countries, only business partners. Kudos to PM Shri Narendra Modi ji and our external affairs minister Shri Jaishankar for walking this tightrope with the best interests of the country in the mind. Modi ji is in politics lifelong. He has seen every single disrespect and dishonour and ups and downs. If he is going to take everything personally, he wouldn’t be our prime minister for 15 years now you bloody fools.
Nobody is going to be there forever. Governments change. Heads of states change. Policies change. India can bide the time. Modi haters in India must remember that, especially the church sponsored media in India (Times of India included). So who was funding the Congress before BJP? The same business communities switch loyalties with change in governments. Are these guys implying that Sonia Gandhi or Indira Gandhi had no Swiss accounts? Or that the Gandhi family was ‘clean?’ Why can’t the TOI group talk about Bangladeshi muslim immigrant security threat to India?
I have all respects for America and Middle east. They take care of their own interests. I want India to do the same as well than cow down to superpowers. We are not here in last 300 years. We are here for over 10000 years not without a reason. We are not the flash in the pan. We are THE PRESENCE, CONSISTENCY AND HOPE.
ANYDAY I WILL CHOOSE TRUMP OVER OBAMA. Some people are brash but we can deal with their honesty. If we don’t like their tariffs, we can deal with that. I am wary of smooth talkers whose actions inflict us with huge irreversible damage to our national security. We know how middle east got disciplined in a single DAY on republicans winning the election and their president wasn’t even sworn in. Unfortunately I can’t openly talk about what transpired! We have to look at the long term interest of nations. Democrats are a threat to Indian national security because they fund separatists and movements to break India. All rogue elements get encouraged under them. You can break India when you are ready to break your own country to pieces, that’s all. You dare not try to influence the general elections in my country. You cannot be sponsoring our anti national rallies and protests and movements. You cannot create a Khalistan out of India. But you are welcome to create a Khalistan as a full fledged country within the boundaries of Canada or UK. I welcome the present US administration’s ‘no interference’ policy in our internal matters. These matter to India more than the tariffs or H1Bs understood?
I am following Beerbiceps for 2 years now in You tube. I like this young guy Ranveer Allahabadi. He may be only 2-3 years older than my son. But his level of spiritual maturity always amazes me. The way he conducts his interviews, his deep knowledge and understanding of the intense subject matter the guests speak of, and how he lets the guests speak not trying to impose his will – all that make Ranveer a great you tube success story. Self made millionaire, Ranveer covers a range of topics on spirituality and psychic/tantra traditions which are a hit with his followers. Its rare to see someone with this kind of spiritual flair at such a young age. In one of his shows Ranveer admitted to taking to Mantra Japa himself. Nowhere in his podcasts have I watched him slip or sync out of tune. He has always maintained his respectful approach coming across as a thorough gentleman.
Now this ‘India got latent’ is something I have not watched. The name Samay Raina rings a bell. May be I have watched him too, not sure. I didn’t exactly see this controversial episode, but our media made sure that we were all well educated on the matter. Looks like all the vultures of Indian media have swooped down on the hapless fellow for one slight slip wanting to draw blood. All said, Ranveer is not even 35. A kid, no more. When he became this self-made millionaire bypassing even mass media TRP rating tv new channels with his curated podcasts, when he hardly into his 30s at that, he must have forever made enemies. Yes, mistakes happen. Given his age and station in life, this is hardly surprising. What Ranveer joked about is hardly inconsistent given the kind of reality/dance shows that plague our entertainment scene now.
Why the same Arnab can’t go and poke his nose into mysterious deaths of Sri Devi or Sunanda Pushkar or Sushant Singh Rajput. Why is there no censorship for Netflix where even last week I watched nude/sex scenes in ‘One hundred years of solitude.’ What happened to the Kolkata rape case? If Beerbiceps must be discussed in parliament, then it means we have no better job to do in India and that explains our backwardness. To what mean extent our media can stoop and how utterly jealous they can get to the level of completely wrecking someone to tatters – we can see now happening in reality. What is there to summon someone to police station, for his views whether dirty or crass. FIR filed for what nonsense?Who asked you idiots to listen to him in the first place. This Arnab Goswami who I used to watch once upon a time even if he has been big b*llsh*t right from the start is retirement material now.
All in the day. Young Ranveer probably is learning life lessons finally, out of his studios. I shall stay subscribed to him and I shall continue to watch his interesting and out-of-box thinking podcasts. Who I have NEVER subscribed to are Wion and Republic among others. Big loud mouths full of bullsh*t nothing more. Its not sensationalization that gets you views dear Indian media. If you have REAL substance, there won’t be a need to go after TRP ratings. For now, Beerbiceps is the king. Just gulp that down and go to sleep you sore losers.
Karnataka becomes the first Indian state to implement the Supreme Court’s “Right to Die with Dignity” order, allowing terminally ill patients to refuse life-sustaining treatment.
On March 9th 2018, a five-Judge Bench comprising Dipak Misra CJI, A K Sikri, A. M. Khanvilkar, D Y Chandrachud and Ashok Bhushan JJ held that the right to die with dignity is a fundamental right. “An individual’s right to execute advance medical directives is an assertion of the right to bodily integrity and self-determination and does not depend on any recognition or legislation by a State,” as quoted by Supreme Court Observer.
Passive euthanasia is legal in India. On 7 March 2018 the Supreme Court of India legalised passive euthanasia by means of the withdrawal of life support to patients in a permanent vegetative state. Forms of active euthanasia, including the administration of lethal compounds, are illegal.
(Inputs from Google/Mint)
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I am truly undecided on this. Earlier I was all support for assisted passive euthanasia for terminally ill patients. Now I am not sure about it for entirely different reasons.
The normal/regular questions that perk up in this case are:
Who gets to decide about ending a patient’s life. Patient’s consent when in clear consciousness, or the physician’s will when the patient is unconscious and undecided or the family.
What timeframe to heed by when it comes to pull the switch off the life support when it comes to terminally ill patients.
What is the legal status of death in this case. Do we have to invent new terminology.
Besides ruling out any ground for foul play, is there a foolproof way to conclude that the patient’s condition cannot be reversed in a one-in-a-million off-chance.
To die with dignity is noble no doubt. We put down dying pets all the time to give them quick relief. But humankind is a different story.
I have my reservations about euthanasia after my interests in spirituality started gaining momentum. Also in the past I have always seen unnatural death as something that cannot allow an ‘atma’ to pass on. The soul will be stuck in the earth. Now I am even more convinced that a natural death is the one and only way to pass over quickly to the other side. When we refuse to suffer our karma in this birth, our soul will suffer many more times in afterlife for embracing unnatural death. There is also the question of Karma attribution to different parties in the case of euthanasia. Who will bear the karma of ending the life. The patient or the physician or the attending nurse or the family that decides for the patient on the evidence of apre-drawn will. Of course this is my Hindu philosophical view.
Personal choice: BIG NO TO EUTHANASIA. Earlier I have somewhere in the blog expressed my will to be put down if at all I would be in vegetative state. For a while I was an active supporter of passive euthanasia. Now as I learn more about Dharma and Karma, I don’t want to die a micro second earlier! I would fight tooth and nail to retain my life be it in vegetative or active state! Mortgage my house to keep me hooked to the machine if it needs to be! I don’t want to be hanging out there in the infinite space after all! Would rather be tied to the hospital bed with IV tubes running all over till my time is out !
Faiths of the world disapprove of assisted death/euthanasia not without a reason.
Why, there are so many many million other ways that India can show progress and development. A dharmic nation going against the law of nature is surprising.
vijiravindran's 