The Indo-Pak war of 1971 resulted in creation of a new nation Bangladesh. India bifurcated Pakistan into two, carving Bangladesh out of East Pakistan. In the Bangladesh war of liberation from Pakistan, over 3 lakh women in Bangladesh (then East Pakistan) were raped. Lakhs of men lost their lives. It was India’s foray into the war that changed the scenario and Pakistan lost the war with their military commander Gen Niazi surrendering to India. A record 93,000 Pakistani soldiers surrendered to India on defeat.
Smt. Indira Gandhi was India’s prime minister then who was mocked by Henry Kissinger and Nixon. India cut Pakistan neatly into 2 pieces as America watched. India has still not forgotten 1971 Indo-Pak war in which America was siding with Pakistan and was ready to wage a war against India. It was Russia’s warnings that dissuaded America from attacking India on behalf of Pakistan, where our American brothers later on found a hiding Laden! Since then the world has come a long way. America now knows who is who and India too knows who is who. Things have since cooled down and there is a lot of goodwill today between India and the US. But strangely the equation with the US is of equal strategic importance to India today as with Russia. We live in an age where its in the best interests of India to have the goodwill of every nation on earth and no adversaries. We want peace.
Well, we have this adage that goes like, ‘if you live long enough, you will see even your monumental success turn into abject failure.’ In case of India-Bangladesh relationship, this is what has happened for India. Just see the plight of the Bangladeshi Hindus today. If the world media is going to suppress or bypass the Hindu genocide news, then be ready to live the same brutal reality when it happens to you someday.
Bhagavad Gita is misquoted in Oppenheimer. Well I haven’t yet watched the picture. But in an English fiction (by Ken Follet?) I recall reading about the developments leading to the atom bomb that stopped the World War II.Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan were bombed and until this date, there has been no other parallel act of violence and bloody mass murder to this scale in written history. The award goes to America always and the Caucasians to be specific. No other race in the world is capable of this kind of mindless destruction. In fact this was the reason I stopped reading Ken Follet. He kind of justified whatever Americans did and never elaborated the Japanese point of view. The word ‘terrorism’ wasn’t yet invented, lucky for Americans. Lucky for the Germans too is it not? Lucky for South Africans. For neither the holocaust nor apartheid got labeled as terrorism! Lucky for colonists from Europe as well even if they wiped out to extinction numerous aboriginal races in Australia, Latin America, Northern American and Africa. Look who is preaching.
If you read Arthashastra from 3rd century BCE penned by Chanakya which is a standard textbook across the globe and reference book until now on politics, administration, governance and diplomacy, you will learn that Hindus follow(ed) a four fold method when it came to waging war. First of all wars needed to be avoided at all costs. We followed the ‘Sama, Dhana, Bedha, Dhanda’ the four steps that helped in preventing wars between nations. First method was Sama which meant coming to truce with dialogues and understanding. Negotiations may be made to resolve issues. Trade pacts and treaties may be signed. Even marriage alliances may be forged to have peace at any cost, to bring hostilities between two warring nations to an end. This was a widely adopted practice throughout world history including in India. This was why the very religious and pious Hindu Rajput kings from Rajasthan entered into marriage alliances with the Mugals. Jodha Akbar precisely.
When the first method failed, we went to the next step. This was Dhana – and this meant gifting or giving up something to appease your adversary which meant a sacrifice on your part. You would have to sometimes cough up a big price. You do it anyway to maintain peace. It may mean among other things, giving up territory. The smaller princely states may agree to become vassals paying taxes and excise duties to a larger kingdom with dominant king or emperor. This may they do, unwilling to take on powerful adversaries. Indian princely states of Mysore, Trivandram etc., became vassals to the British raj paying a handsome sums to the British periodically. When first two ways failed, the third one came to rescue. Bedha means to differentiate or give differential or even preferential treatment to different parties and tactfully secure peace. Bedha is therefore NO level playing field. This is nothing but the knack of diplomacy. For instance, the ‘divide and rule’ method practised by the British during the British Raj days by having different sets of rules or laws for the Hindus and Muslims to maintain stability can be said to be the effective ‘Bedha’ diplomacy that helped them deal with two volatile and sensitive communities. In some cases, the Bedha can be stretched to playing up two parties against each other for the benefit and peace of the mediator. This is how traditionally hostile nations or arch rivals/adversaries are created in colonies: by pitting friendly communities living together in harmony for centuries, against each other. Erstwhile neighbours become deadly enemies overnight.
The fourth and the last resort would be Dhanda or the punishment of taking up the wand (or arms) to strike a blow: which meant waging war on your adversary. Only when all other channels of diplomacy failed and the demands of the adversaries were unjust, the fourth method was resorted to. So that is how ancient India treated adversaries and waged wars. Which was why Hindu kings lost to the Islamists and the British who were never bred on the kind of ethics or codes of conduct when it came to war, like our far advanced,literate, civilized and progressive societies of those times.
India never annexed foreign territory. Hindu kings were also pioneer ship builders and seafarers. The Hindu Chola Kings reached upto Indonesia (Bali is still Hindu) and even China, with the world’s largest Hindu temple being Angkorwat in Cambodia (which was later converted to Buddhist) but spread Hindu Dharam by peaceful means not by bribe (as Christians do) or by sword (as Islamists do). King Vikramaditya reached upto today’s Saudi. Merchants from south (Tamil Nadu) sailed upto Rome even before the birth of Christ trading goods and merchandise.
In Mahabharatha war that cannot be dated (anywhere from 6000 to 10000 years ago BCE), the Kauravs refuse to give Pandavs even five houses, leave alone five villages or provinces. When all means of negotiations fail, the Mahabharatha war, the greatest war of all times, ensues. Interestingly, an array of supersonic missiles find a mention in the Mahabharatha. Very casual reference to surface to surface, surface to air, air to air missiles with descriptions on speed and distance and accuracy! They are called Astras in Sanskrit. Astrology and Astronomy could have had sanskrit root words for names.
The Pandavs are unable to overcome hesitation because, who they are taking on war for territory, were their own blood, their first cousins. It is at that time Lord Krishna who is the charioteer for Arjuna explains that sometimes, ADHARMA HAS TO BE TAKEN DOWN WITH EQUAL ADHARMA. :Like how a thorn must be pulled out with a thorn. Dharma is the way forward but sometimes, Adharma also must be practised for the sake of establishing Dharma. It is in this context Krishna says that, He himself is death. After Krishna’s ‘upadesh’ Arjun is ready to fight the Mahabharat war and takes up arms to wage war against his cousins. The Pandavs go on to win the Mahabharat war killing all their cousins. But in the process none of the children of the Pandav survive either. So this is the bitter end of a war.
By deliberate misinterpretation of our sacred texts and by out of context quoting, some forces and especially world media want to create a wrong impression on Bhagavad Gita, which is much older than the Bible or Koran. Its exact date of writing is unknown. We believe it to be over 6000 years old – as ancient HINDU DHARMA THAT HAS NO FOUNDER, NO VATICAN OR MECCA, NO BIBLE OR KORAN AND NO FOUNDING DATE but that which continues to be the one and only continuous and unbroken civilization on planet Earth until now.
Are we staring at a third world war? Irresponsible on part of any nation that abets wars. The costs are too high and the collateral damage will have to be borne by the rest of the whole world. Russia has a moral highground in the matter no doubt. Its none of the business either for America or Europe. War mongering is no more small mischief. It can be a big, big irreversible mistake.
Swastika is Hindu symbol. The set of inverted triangles too is a Hindu symbol. All that is now associated with wrong parties.
What a moment for BJP ! Total sweep literally in Maharashtra state assembly elections. What a comeback in Maharashtra! Hopefully this is runup for the 2029 all India Lok Sabha (parliamentary ) elections. Well done BJP and PM Shri Narendra Modi ji! Much deserved win, a reward for good administration.
Watching Amaran, felt my blood boil as Indian armed forces were denied the basics such as bulletproof vests and bulletproof vehicles even as they guarded the Line of Control securing our borders. Something as fundamental as a bulletproof jacket could have saved the life of Major Mukund Varadarajan. Our armed forces faced the worst and most hostile adversaries: the Pakistanis and the Chinese armed to their teeth. Our services are poorest paymasters. Only in recent times, ever since PM Shri Narendra Modi ji took over as our prime minister, our armed forces are getting their due.
For decades, the Indian jawan fought our enemies without proper security backup such as bulletproof vests or bulletproof vehicles. Its only since 2018, they have access to these lifesaving basics. PM Modi also implemented the long pending OROP, the One rank one pension scheme irrespective of the cadre a defence personnel serves as and his retirement date from services. This is a massive reform aimed at benefiting the veterans.
Why should the head of an Islamic state seek asylum in India, the Hindu country. Why couldn’t Sheikh Hasina flee to Pakistan or Saudi. What made Dalai Lama seek asylum in India. What made the Jews and Zoroastrians feel safe in India. That is the beauty of Sanathana Dharma, Hinduism, that eschews violence and adharma. Bharat is a sanctuary to all those repressed and on the run.
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How to push back the waves and waves of immigrants battering down the border. The spillover to India is going to have an immediate impact on our border states. Hindus are turning into minority in the seven sister eastern states of India with illegal Bangladeshi immigrants legalizing their residency and taking over villages. Its against the natural setting of predominantly Hindu India. The Rohingya muslims have made Kashmir their home. These disturbing factors are going to work against the majority Hindu state very soon as the muslim population in India thanks to unchecked refugee inflow is going to tip the already precariously balanced apple cart. In the state of Kerala we may be having a situation. Hindus have been reduced to mere 33% or even less and without family planning, the Kerala muslim population seems to have exploded. Wherever the native population has to dip, it is not going to bring in good news. The democracy of India in incumbent upon the demography of India. Hindus continue to have one or two kids maximum. Funny I don’t think that the idea of installation of Bhairava temples in the borders of India is strange at all, as suggested by a renowned Tantrik. With age you believe 100% in holistic ways to find remedy for situations including political and defence matters. With the Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina in India seeking asylum (hopefully on her way to UK), expect some 1.3 crore Bangladeshi Hindus to be hunted down by violent mobs. Any trigger in their political system, the Bangladeshi Hindus face instant backlash – with the women raped and the men murdered in the cold blood. Even temples get demolished and the temple priests hacked to death. The priests are the chief targets. All this for what? India investing heavily in Bangladesh. Bangladeshis given medical visas to get subsidized cataract surgery to cancer treatment in India. Our hospitals are teeming with their patients.
What kind of a state is that the head of the state must flee for life. This is not how masses in mature democracies conduct their affairs. Mass public looting looks scary. Most Islamic countries are societies where jungle laws prevail and the mob unrest is allowed to progress to extreme levels of even ousting the head of the state. Protests may be viewed legal so far as they remain peaceful and don’t turn violent causing damage to lives and public property. Arson is simply inadmissible. There seems to be a collapse of law and order in Bangladesh.
Had this conversation with a Zara shop girl. I said the quality of Zara is not what it used to be. The Filipino girl who was billing, whose face I don’t remember, said that is because the denim is now from Bangladesh NOT India and even the t shirts and tops were. To cut costs Zara moved factory to Bangladesh as India is expensive. Result: quality compromise. This is very much apparent in last few years. For a fact I shop for brands only when there is a sale. Even Zara fittings have gone haywire.
Why can’t nations take care of themselves and not disturb other societies. India needs to seal her borders and if possible install a barbed wire fence. This is where I can appreciate Trump! It is also time to check the sops offered to Bangladeshi citizens in India while our own are poor. Modi government must remember: whatever you do to this kind of society is WASTED. It will be naive of India to expect gratitude or understanding from Bangladesh or Maldives because they are not Hindus. At the end of the day they will belong with the Umma. In Tamil we say ‘vizhalukku iraitha neer.’ If Tamil nadu once upon a time had Srilankan refugees, they were all Hindus and they were very eager to get back to the island nation once things cooled down. Every single one of them has left the Indian soil. That is it about Hindus. While we can empathize with Bangladeshi Hindus whose ancestors have faced worst and violent brutality of the masses, India cannot take on 1.3 crore of them. Plus in the garb of the Hindus it will be mostly the Bangladeshi muslims who will be sneaking in.
This is just the first acid test. SEcond test will be when Pakistan may break up (eventually). That is going to be the defining moment for India. The breakup of Pakistan with refugees knocking at our doors could threaten us with a breakup as well. Guess in one of my posts I have expressed this concern of just not me but most Indians. India is sandwiched between two very violent and bloody and poor and backward Islamic nations. Its going to consume every single ounce of our nerves to plan and be ready for such a situation. I hope the country will be then in good hands like Modi’s. If a rat like Rahul Gandhi must be in charge, then forget Bharat Matha. What the mugals could not do, what the British could not do – this maniac will do ushering in the death of India and extinction of Hindus with his cunning and ulteriorly motivated stewardship.
Who can change destiny. I believe even nations have destiny. From since I read the book ‘Sapiens’ by Yuvah Noah Harari, the best way out of Hindus is to go extinct like the Parsis than live in a world run by ….
Kamala Harris and Usha Vance both have their roots in my hometown Chennai, India. I can give this to them being a south Indian woman myself 😀 : They must have substance! Its American politics so its alien subject for me. Another Indian origin man with roots in south India Vivek Ramaswamy was also in the fray but bowed out. The three have not reached this level in the US without merit. Kudos to the Indian American community! Recently Elon Musk heaped praise on Indian origin engineer Ashok Elluswamy for being the reason behind auto pilot innovations in Tesla. Way to go! Another Indian origin NASA astronomer Sunita Williams is caught up in trouble in the space. Let us hope and pray she lands safe.
Wokeism is the rage of the day. Overhyped. I can’t look at it in one dimension. Those who have suffered persecution for centuries/generations will know. But taking it to extremes is a reason for worry. As Rajiv Malhotra discusses in his channel, this issue of taking wokeism too far like for instance when it comes to gender identity and therefore rendering the sexual orientation irrelevant, we may be treading into very dangerous territory. In fact, we may be going right against nature and in particular biology. Chemotherapy destroys the good and the bad cells in cancer patients. Wokeism is something like that. However with the bad, we cannot afford the good to be swiped down in real world we live in. You cannot nullify all that has happened up until today. That can only take us back to square one. However the racial and religious grounds remain tense global matters. In India we have lefties with radical views. Everything must have an anti theory for them. We are looking at a ‘free for all’ scenario – dope, booze and sex without censorship. To an extent we all are for equitable social justice. But history cannot be undone. Transgenders are recognized as third sex even in India and every application form for university or employment or banking or even train/flight booking gives the third sex option for choice. But parents do have a legal hold and say on their children until they turn 21. Losing an adult child can be painful. I am not a big fan of Elon Musk but in this one case, my sympathies are with him. May be someday there will be truce. For a brief phase, estrangement between parents and kids can happen. This is not unusual, rather part of the growth process for the teens. And this is not a permanent status in one’s life. Its my reckoning that Musk takes it as a personal affront that his son should choose to become a woman. America seems to be trendsetter in every field: from silicon breast implants and egg donations to surrogacy, sex change surgeries and all, and once you go down this lane, there can be no end in sight.
Surrogacy must be reserved for those who cannot medically conceive a fetus: not for those who are physically capable. You see even the Bollywood stars like SRK, Aamir Khan etc., going for surrogacy to have not their first but third, fourth kids. Tamil actress Nayanthara in perfect physical shape and fertile age BYPASSED LAWS and had twin boys by surrogacy. Meanwhile, govt of India preferred to look else where. When values are trodden upon for material/business reasons, when a mother would not even want to carry her biological children in her womb so as to sell her body without disfigurement to make more money, then what is there left in that society to hope for? I wouldn’t say India is any better than Europe of US. My autowala used to say, ‘amma you don’t look for these things. you keep searching for any hidden temple on the way! that is why you are missing what is going on all around you!’ He pointed to me a young guy sprawled face down on footpath with drug overdose. My heart skipped a beat. We have blatant misuse of surrogacy concept in India. Drugs are available in kirana shops. Modi govt has lost total control. Is ineffective when it comes to dealing with dope issues. Under DMK, Tamil Nadu is witnessing a hitherto unseen spike in use of spurious drugs. What is the law enforcement doing. Taking commissions from ganja dealers? Laws must also be spruced up to allow surrogacy only for a first child to medically unfit couple incapable of conceiving on their own. Recently there was a case of a young man expiring on surgery table on careless administration of anesthesia for hair grafting. In productive years, why are our youth pre-occupied with frivolous superficial matters? A friend told me that a girl from Delhi or Punjab (not sure) who was attending a deemed university in the city sold her eggs to buy an I phone. I couldn’t believe this happened in Chennai.
However, there is a tendency among the Musk-Trump tent to brush everything under the carpet in the name of ‘wokeism.’ One only has to recall the suffragettes, Martin Luther King etc., to be reminded why it is at all necessary. The coinage may be new but the concept is not. We live in a fairly decent era in the present thanks to the rebellions and coups of our ancestors: bloody or bloodless.
Wokeism for just purposes in a peaceful manner must be okay. You cannot put a blanket ban on every protest, every banner, every social cause. Some of the issues may be sensitive and may warrant action. Things will work out fine in the long run. The younger generation has no patience left to wait for such a day. Injustices are balanced by nature in course of time. Time alone can bring justice. We have reservations in India to compensate for centuries of caste discriminations. Every tilt to one side will correct itself given some time gap. America too has done a lot for restoring social justice and equality among genders and races. Human rights SUPPOSEDLY matter more over there!
Sometimes I am glad and relieved I am 55, and we grew up in a nice sweet innocent and warfree world. Chennai was good old Madras then, resembling a huge village. So green, unpolluted. We never knew the meaning for the word ‘violence.’ Not even biriyani was there! Never happened to watch a street fight. Dance, music, academics, art, temples – this was what life was about. Sometimes I wish I could return to the 80s when my peers all had rosy teen years. It was the last of safe times we were seeing perhaps, little did we know then. Our world was insulated from the harsh world reality of bloodshed and material greed. Our parents led a simple but satisfying and happy life.
I always factor in the variance – the standard deviation which accounts for a small percentage of noncompliance – the nonconforming. We need these odd balls to practise our tolerance. Variety after all is the spice of life. The diversity is what is the beauty of our existence than the boring monotony/familiarity. Once upon a time, Hindu women had to throw themselves into the funeral pyres of their husbands who passed away. Burnt alive. Probably a woke mind virus afflicted Raja Ram Mohan Roy to take up the social cause and correct the situation, right Malhotra ji? WAs India’s freedom struggle wokeism? The women and the shudras of my country had to fight legal battles to enrol in schools and universities. Nobody called it ‘woke’ but it was the need of the hour. When we skip or postpone righting the wrongs, we are inviting civil wars. However we can attempt to improve the situation than call for dismantling the establishment. Therein lies the difference.
SEx change in Hindu history Mahabharatha: SHIKANDI. Fifteen to ten thousand years back, India/Hindus recognized transgenders who even changed sexes supposedly. Both Malhotraji and Musk must note.
Poor Vivian/Xavier. We can all speak from the lectern. Post comments in social media. But what to say to a kid who is all confused about sexual orientation. It can be baffling. If this is not suicidal then what is. Someone is born a transgender not by genetic disposition or any disease. It is just a single chromosome going freak when the sperm breaches the egg. It can happen to anyone. Any normal healthy couple can beget a transgender kid irrespective of their race or religion or caste. Nobody to blame: not the genes or the family tree, not the community. Just one of those unpredictable accidents of nature. If Musk cannot understand even now, then its better that, that child of his is lost to him. Denial will someday hopefully lead to acceptance and understanding. All of it does not boil up to wokeism. Seriously we observe that there is a lot of mind related problems in the US. People care more for dogs and cats over fellow humans. We are all for wildlife and domestic pets – and in fact our forefathers did not bring any species whether human or flora or fauna to extinction like the Brits and other Europeans did. But if you have enough love to show for humans, the mind will be free on that one monumental expansion touching so many lives. There can be fewer counselling sessions and less medication. Regrettably India is walking down the same road.
Have all the freedom on earth – subject to limits. Your freedom ends when you stamp on your neighbour’s foot. EVerthing in moderation. Never take law into your hands. Go by the law. Play by the rules. Pieces will fall into their places with time. This is my final word for wokeism.
Missed the Indian onions in Doha in last few months. Never settle for the Chinese. Sudan onion was there along with a few more. But there is simply no substitute to the great Indian onion! Spicy with its natural pungent odour, for garam masala gravies and for hot, simmering Indian curry, there can be no better alternative. Others come sweetish. Even as I was wondering why the famous fiery Indian onion was conspicuous by its absence, it registered in me that the Indian Lok Sabha elections were scheduled for April-May! Onion price rise turns masses against ruling government! Onion is emotion for India! Smart move by the Modi govt stopping onion export so foreign countries including the GCC nations had to switch over to other secondary options. Not only the Indian onion, a few more specifically Indian things sought out by international shoppers went missing from the supermarket shelves since the year beginning. Finally as phase by phase the elections are on, the onion is released by the Indian govt for supply in the overseas markets.
Extremely relieved after the release of the eight Indian navy personnel from Qatar prison. I don’t want to go into the politics. I know my prime minister Shri Narendra Modi ji can move mountains, if he has to. Plus, India has enjoyed such a warm and trustworthy partnership/friendship with all the middle eastern nations so far. This one-off incident was like a thorn in the flesh that finally got removed. Strangely it is during the times of the Hindu nationalist party BJP that friendship and business deals with the OPEC nations got consolidated for India! UAE recently invited dignitaries from 42 nations to the first magnificent Hindu temple coming up in Abu Dhabi. The personal rapport shared by our prime minister with the world leaders and also with the support of Shri Ajit Doval and external affairs minister Shri Jaishankar, India shares excellent diplomatic relations with countries around the world. Resident of Qatar for over 15 years now. Its home away from home for us where we feel secure, wanted, respected and celebrated. Indians are prized possessions. Assets for gulf countries. Sheikhs are aware that without the Indian labour/engineers/medicos/teachers and schools and art and craft, their economies can come to a grand standstill. Most expats also spend a good percentage of the dirhams or riyals right in the host countries. Qatar changed my perceptions on Islam frankly. I respect their muted and understated success story. They are never splashy. There is a lot to learn from Qatar. I liked the way they handled the tensions with Saudi taking all the beating until things normalized. Small almost island country but with very sensible leadership with a vision of great future. Qatar helped us and millions lift up our standard of living. India for her part will always be a quiet but strong and dependable companion. I again admire the diplomatic tightrope that Modi government walked when things were not going right for Qatar and Saudi/Kuwait/UAE. India never antagonized the Saudi block but also was there for Qatar at the same time. Both nations are equally important to me. May god bless both countries! God bless UAE for giving Hindu expats our temples. UAE ensured that Shiva and Raam will always be there for them from here on.
Strangely added a new word to my vocab ‘pre-poll rigging’ from foreign media. Although the terminology is new to me, the process is not, for it is more prevalent in India, the world’s largest democracy over any other nation on earth.
The Kamal Hasan party ‘ MNM’ (Makkal Needhi Maiam) in Tamil Nadu is a case in point. Floated by the actor right before last Lok sabha/Assembly elections, the very purpose of the party was to divide votes and see to that ADMK supported by BJP would not return to power in the state. Where the funds poured in for the party remained a big question mark. It was alleged that Kamal converted to Christianity so church was funding him to take on BJP. Secondly there was a theory that he was fielded by the Dravidian lobbies to split the vote bank. ADMK lost the assembly precisely thanks to Kamal’s new political party that shot up like a mushroom from the previous evening’s downpour. The party that went ballistic from day 1 of its formation, was very short lived in reality. It is almost dissolved now. When DMK emerged as the majority party to form the state government, the party bigwigs resigned one by one. Soon nobody remained in the party and the curtains came down. Last heard from the party quarters: A BIG SNORE. That MNM is dysfunctional goes without saying. With pockets full, probably the instruments of pre-poll rigging were singing and hopping their way to the Swiss bank, who knows. Mission accomplished. ADMK did well on vote count even if they lost their key constituencies. The swing in the voting pattern was because of the MNM. However marginal, the swing votes decided the poll outcome.
Now that the general elections are around the corner, another popular Tamil actor is now in the fray. Leading superstar Vijay has announced his new political party and it will be interesting to wait and watch what happens to his party once the polls are over. MNM served its purpose: of splitting the vote bank and helping DMK form the state government and at the same time ousting the ADMK from the state assembly. This is a classical illustration of how pre-poll rigging works.
However it takes much more than all these petty gimmicks to work out anything of this kind at the center. Indian elections are a mammoth exercise that have no parallels in world history. India is 1.33 billion strong with about a million adult franchises eligible to cast votes. Lok sabha or the general elections are normally held over a month’s time in seven phases every five year, for security reasons. No more paper ballots (since last 20-25 years). We have the EVM or the electronic voting machine that has an added real time vote slip for cross-check if need be. Normally the matching is done before the results are announced. VVPAT (as the paper count is called) compatibility with the electronic vote tally ensures that there is no rigging or error in EVM functioning. Any mismatch may invite a re-election or re-casting of the electronic ballots. Rigging may not be altogether ruled out because, at the end of the day, electronics are electronics. EVMs also can fail at times despite cautions. There are always backups in such events. But then it may help us to remember that the congress govt too won with the EVM machines to form the government at the center. Moreover we can guess the popularity wave from the mood of the nation. However, always expect the losers to cry over suspected foul play! When congress won, BJP alleged EVM tampering and when BJP won, congress alleged EVM manipulation! That is what politics may be all about!
Cheating in Indian elections is getting increasingly difficult if not altogether impossible. Establishing the ID by itself is a documented process that must have been carried over months before (for a first time voter). You cannot vote in Indian elections with your ID alone which is the Aadhar card. You need the Voter ID which can be procured only if you have the Aadhar ID. You cannot exercise your right to cast your electronic ballot with any of your allowable Indian IDs if you do not have the voter ID on you.The voter ID app is permissible these days on your mobile. Your mobiles are screened/frisked before you enter a polling booth. The Indian election commission app is one of the best to have on your phone when it is time to cast your vote. Double checks ensure that securing a voter ID by itself is not without establishing proofs and laying trails all over. Aadhar records your bio-metrics and residence proof. Aadhar is the basic standard Indian ID. You won’t even be cremated without your Aadhar proof! Without the Aadhar and two more supporting IDs like the driving licence (DL), passport, PAN (Income tax permanent ID linked to your Aadhar ID and bank account) card etc., you cannot procure a voter ID. (In India, whether you are income tax assessee or not, you must hold PAN card. You cannot even open a fixed deposit or trade in stocks or register a property/sell or buy jewelry without the PAN. PAN records your financial activity.) Each ID is also interdependent. So unless you are a citizen of India having lived here as a resident, no way you can establish this chain of proofs that are inter-linked even to your registered mobile and primary bank account!
Yet the Bangladeshi are here illegally in large numbers to cast anti-Hindu and pro-muslim votes which makes CAA absolutely relevant. Bangladeshis with their sizeable illegal votes have already changed the destiny of Malaysia. CAA helps weeding out the illegal votes from immigrants who are supplied with fake IDs by vested interests. The immigrant votes can become influential in deciding the fates of nations.
EVMs do a fantastic job. In fact entire India polls can be done away with in a single day with the latest and updated versions of EVMs. The phasing is for security reasons. Now no more massive election rallies from months prior. No use of loudspeakers. No relentless canvassing. It is February and is there even a whisper about the elections in April? You have to walk on your own two legs the last half kilometer or so to the polling booth and cannot be dropped close to the booth. aStill, voting now is much more smooth. One wrong move and you could be handcuffed. Nothing is allowed to disturb the electoral process to facilitate seamless transfer of power. In this one agenda, our political parties stand united when it comes to holding free and fair elections. Nation comes first.The general elections always remind me why India is still ticking in spite of so much chaos. The discipline and the meticulous EVM procedures make the impossible possible.
The NOTA button in the EVM: This option can be exercised if you do not want to vote for any candidate. It ensures that your vote is not going waste. The sum-up of NOTA in every constituency and in the entire nation reflects the dissatisfaction of the Indian electorate. The mammoth Indian elections will be soon underway. Normally, not to disturb the schools and universities, elections are held in April-May months. Dates are yet to be announced for the upcoming Lok sabha elections.
BJP changed the way the voters can be reached. Social media started playing a significant role when it came to urban votes. Rural franchises are not be left behind. They are far more politically savvy than you may imagine. Even farmers and artisans from remotest Indian villages can now use smart phones and check their LPG subsidy credit in their bank accounts. They have free health insurance, other sops etc., that are banked in by the government. They matter-of-factly use the PayTM app to go cashless. They all have QR codes now! The qr code may be printed right on the coconut tree in a village where the poor villager may be selling you the fresh tender coconut from the coconut tree under which you may have parked! Pretty cool that is! Subzi vendor has the qr code printed on the onion sack! India is way too digital than most advanced western nations! To that extent our rural population can be tech savvy these days! I don’t think any gimmick can work effectively when it comes to influencing the Indian voter. Unless you perform, you perish. Even Modi haters want him because Modi is good for business. At the end of the day, we all want our country to prosper. We want inclusive growth. We want respectability in the world stage. We want a bold,strong leader who we can count on.
So rigging in Indian elections may be past history done away with paper ballot era that ended over a quarter century ago for us. But there can be no ruling out the pre-poll rigging, preparing the grounds for favourable results. My home state Tamil Nadu is a kiladi in playing that kind of manipulation game. It brings a smile to my face: that Modi is kiladi ke kiladi!!! Yaarkitta! Tamil Nadu BJP state chief Shri Annamalai is going great guns. It will take more than pre-poll rigging to diminish his growing popularity and the party’s increasing clout in the state. BJP will improve its vote bank no doubt. The party will make impressive inroads all across Tamil Nadu which is already ringing alarm bells in some quarters. So the Vijay arrival. It may take a while for the central party to form a government in Tamil Nadu, but I can foresee it happening someday in near future. No pre-poll rigging can stop us forever from achieving our long term goals. The General Janata is way too smart and intelligent. Never underestimate the power of the common man. After emergency Indira Gandhi lost from Chikmagalur and congress was routed. The Indian masses aspire for growth. Their vote is for propellers of growth and prosperity.
vijiravindran's 