Want to do something for a soldier, be an Indian who is worth fighting for

For the past few days I've been grappling with my emotions stemming from the brutal #PulwamaAttack that has irreversibly destroyed at least 44 families. Families that have brought up their children in a way that made those young adults chose to defend this country and not a seemingly safe job anywhere else.

I have always wanted to travel to Kashmir, now a holiday is planned with my friends, yet there is much trepidation over the politics of violence due to the impending elections. In the next few weeks, it will be a toss-up between the apparent risk of travelling there, against the apparent safety of travelling elsewhere. The safety, our security forces allow us to take us for granted. The safety for which these brave young men died.

When a calamity like this strikes us, how should I react? How should we the people of this country react? How should India react?

Should we strike back to cause equal hurt? Should we strike back to cause greater pain? What then about the pain caused by our actions? What then about the collateral damage? Won’t our reactions then perpetuate a never-ending cycle of violence? As Gandhi said, “an eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind”. Should we then decimate our enemies from the face of the earth so that there is no pain or hurt anymore?

Or should we choose to follow Gandhi’s footsteps and embrace our enemies with the message of ahimsa, peace and non-violence? Does that bring lasting peace? Is it still relevant in this day and age? Is peace possible without a dialogue?

In our current political scenario, India stops dialogue, sports, and even business with Pakistan whenever there is an attack. In any dialogue there will have to be some give and take. As a society, do we have the vision of what peace can do, or the maturity to accept any resolution that may seem like we have given up something? How then will the politicians resolve this issue? How then will there be lasting peace?

I am struggling with these questions in a constant state of Rage & Placidity #CalmVolcano but here’s a thought that came out of this befuddlement and pain.

When there is such a mind numbingly painful attack on our country and our people. there is an out pouring of offers to support. But, even in apparent lack of war, India loses soldiers every other day. I feel most families may get some sort of support, yet, there could be some families which may struggle to educate their children. Also, do the children of such brave men need our support only when they lose someone? I am looking for Bhumians, collaborators who would like to join a team
- do some ground research and understand reality, and the need for such a programme
- identify and shortlist children for scholarships
- conduct fundraising campaigns to raise money for these children
- mentor/support these children until they graduate

Want to do something for a soldier, be an #Indian who is worth fighting for #Volunteer

Srilankan Tamils being excuted naked and blindfolded by Srilankan Army

Video released by Journalists for Democracy, Srilanka and shown by Channel 4 News, UK. Be warned the contents are shocking to say the least. Srilankan Tamils being stripped naked, blindfolded and shot dead from behind



Does any one deserve to die like this without any dignity? Much less, killed by their own army? How can any two communities live in peace after people are executed like this? This isn't rooting out Terrorism but planting more seeds for acrimony and more violence!

Why aren't any of the war crimes charges against the Srilankan government being investigated?
Why is India providing tacit support for such barbaric acts?
What is the Srilankan governement still doing in those alleged 'concentration camps' where independent media is yet to be allowed free access?

Spare a thought for the innocent Tamils in Sri Lanka

So Prabhakaran the Terrorist has been killed. Happy? Rejoicing?

Ever thought of the thousands of innocent Tamils who were slaughtered by the indiscriminate use of artillery and chemical weapons by the Sri Lankan army during the Genocidal war?

If not spare a thought, they’re Humans like you too…

Which government that cares about it’s people, would drop bombs over hospitals and crowded places, just because it suspects terrorists are in their midst? You wouldn't shoot at the passengers and bomb the whole bus, if you had to rescue the hostages!

Ever thought why the western nations which went running to Kosovo and Israel ignored Sri Lanka? Is it because it was battle between the Sinhalese Buddhist majority and Tamil Hindu minority?

If you didn’t spare a thought for them as a human, maybe you can as a Hindu!

Ever thought why Pakistan which spawns terrorism worldwide and China which has ignored terrorism elsewhere are helping Sri Lanka? The Sri Lankans who slept with the Americans to give them Trincomalee port to combat India during the Cold War have now given Hambantota to the Chinese who are building a billion dollar port for the Chinese Navy! So China forestalls all discussions about the genocide at the UN and supplies weapons to the army.

Chinese weapons,  Indian intelligence, Sinhala Armed personals and racist Sri Lankan leaders came together to perform one of the most cruel war that has cost the lives of many thousands innocents – LINK: The Telegraph, UK

Yes, the people who are supposed to protect us are sleeping though this hostile development… If you didn’t spare a thought before, maybe now you can as an Indian!

Everyone who are responsible for slaughtering an estimated 70,000 innocent Tamils over the last 25 years and another 7,000 over the last 4 months alone and the continuing ‘white van abductions’ of Tamils in the ‘liberated’ areas will pay for it someday, whether it’s the racist Rajapakse brothers and their political cohorts, the murderous Gen. Fonseka or the traitorous Col.Karuna…

So what if LTTE’s leader who was terrorist to many and a freedom fighter to those who mattered was killed today? Even if the LTTE is finished with him, LTTE was not the only militant organisation that fought for the rights of Sri Lankan Tamils. If naxalism and armed struggles can exist in a pluralistic democracy like India, how long would it take for the FREEDOM struggle to begin again from the smoking embers in Sri Lanka?

Five years after 9/11 - The Xenophobic world we live in

It just took two towers (9/11), a few trains (7/7) and a foiled plane bombing. Now the western world considers anything that walks on two legs, having a beard, as a terrorist! Call it bigotry, call it Islamaphobia, call it whatever, it's sad and troubling how broad minded our human race has become!

Only last month a flight was forced to return to the Amsterdam airport escorted by fighter jets when travellers got Xenophobic and suspected their co-passengers of being terrorists. The pitiable suspects turned out to be Indian businessmen, who happened to be Muslims. (Link)

Now Scotland Yard has admitted it is profiling thousands of UK Muslims and is carrying out a close surveillance of the activities of these potential 'terrorists' (Link)

While the West continues it's obsession with it's flawed 'War on Terror' program, that ignores the root cause of the problem. The terrorists continue to indulge in arbitrary slaughter in the name of jihad. Thousands of human lives have been lost, mostly innocent, yet the Vicious cycle continues with no end in sight.

Last month, I too became a terrorist inadvertently...!!! Read more about it on www.Chennaiist.com, a new group Blog where I contribute. Chennaiist, is all about Chennai, the City I live in and love the most!