Remembering Ashok Kamte

Amidst Independence Day celebrations, the country also remembered one of its heroes of 26/11, late additional commissioner of Mumbai Police, Ashok Kamte.

A road was named after the braveheart in Saturday in South Mumbai, a place where he once lived.

"He was gallant, he was brave and his courage was beyond words," said Additional Commissioner, South Mumbai, Himanshu Rai while paying his tribute to Kamte.

"In front of him all of us pale. I don't think most of us could emulate him. He was a class apart. It was in his DNA," said Mumbai Police Commissioner D Sivanandan.

The Ashok Chakra awardee and martyr Ashok Kamte's contemporaries remember him with respect but fall short of words to describe his brilliance.

After the road was named in Kamte's memory his wife Vinita Kamte thanked the people of Mumbai.

Kamte laid down his life on November 26, 2008, fighting Ajmail Amir Kasab and Ismail Khan in the lane next to Cama Hospital.

A gold medallist in weightlifting, the multi-talented giant as people called him was perhaps the only man in Khaki to have had a massive fan following in all the places he served.

His acquaintances still remember his love for his uniform and his pride for the service and the nation too salutes its braveheart.CNN-IBN Report..

Internal Security Boost With Human Chain

Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leaders Saturday formed a human chain in Kolkata to observe India's 63rd Independence Day.

'We decided to take up this noble initiative of forming a long human wall on this occasion with a view to strengthening our democratic environment and also to save our individual democratic rights,' state CPI-M secretary Biman Bose told reporters here.

The event was held on the A.J.C. Bose Road, considered one of the city's busiest arteries, in the afternoon.

'This programme is also targeted to protect our sovereignty and improve the internal security system of our nation,' Bose said.

Internal security,democracy,sovereignty etc and so forth got a huge boost....
Reason?
THE HUMAN CHAIN..
CPI-M Brains@work.

PM's failure to mention pak

Bharatiya Janata Party leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, L K Advani on Saturday criticised Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for failing to mention the Sharm-e-Sheikh Indo-Pak joint statement in his Independence Day address.

Question to Mr.Advani is:
Is it necessary to crow the word pakistan on every Indian independence day??

May be Mr.Advani can again make a trip to pak and revist the Jinnah tomb.This time perhaps he should take the Kandhahar fame Mr.Jaswant Singh with him.After-all Mr.Jaswant is the latest admirer of Jinnah.

As for the BJP,RSS,VHP etc.,it's going to be fun time.Because Mr.Mohammed Ali Jaswant Singh is releasing a new 'fantasy Jinnah Biography'.Hope they all read it and start admiring the one person whom Advani and Jaswant Singh admires the most-Mohammed Ali Jinnah..!!

Also hope Jaswant Singh achieves what he really wants.He wants more people to buy his book and thereby earn more money.What else explains the unwanted,unsubstantiated preposterous claims he is making in his book...!!

May be Mr.Advani could ask the PM about his opinion on Jinnah..!!

20 Suicides in 40 Days

The Andhra Pradesh Government has admitted that 20 farmers committed suicide in the state over the last 40 days.

The State Government, however, maintained that the actual reasons for the suicide were yet to be ascertained.

This is a stunning news..
20 suicides in 40 days is alarming.Hope the state government and the Central government will find some way to prevent any more suicide..
Giving compensation and all is fine.

But PREVENTION is the need of the hour..

Daddy Cool

Few words:

Went and watched film 'Daddy Cool',starring Malayalam Super star Mammotty,last Thursday with 6 of my other friends.It's an eminently watchable movie.An entertaining one.Film revolves around father-son relationship.The kid is in awe of his father,sort of Hero worship..!

Mammotty looks very stylish.In-fact the film's USP is 'Brand Mammotty'.He looks remarkably younger,fitter.There are a few jokes at the expense of Indian cricketer from Kerala,Sreesanth.Suraj Venjaramoodan,even though only in 2 scenes,is really funny..

All in all,an enjoyable,out and out commercial film..

Don't want to say more and kill all the fun,if you are a Malayali and is planning to watch the film..

Highlights of every Independence Day ..

Prime Minister makes hollow promises from the Red Fort..
Chief Ministers,other VIPs make their own hollow promises to the people..
Patriotic Songs/films played in channels..
Vehicles flying National Flag..
People makes Independence Day wishes in mails,social networks..

Now,one scene which I hate seeing the days after the independence day is ,'Torn National Tri-color made of paper/plastic/cloth or what ever, strewn all over the place on roads and by-lanes and some people walking over it with not a care in the world..!!'.

hmm...

Any way hope every body had some special,nice,pleasant patriotic thoughts and feelings on our Nation's 63rd INDEPENDENCE DAY..

American Lessons On Religious Tolerance And Human Rights

America,it seems is very particular about one thing.

'SETTING DOUBLE-STANDARDS'...

It thinks it is a world police.Sets up laws.Wants every other nation to follow those laws.But America itself does not follow those laws.

In this blog,I want to talk about only one aspect of this behavior.

'AMERICA AND RELIGIOUS TOLERANCE'...

America setups some junk panels to sit on judgment on so-called religious freedom throughout the world.

And that funny panel puts India in a list of countries in a 'watch-list' where India is in the same bracket as countries like Afghanistan..!!

India is a multi-cultured,multi-religious,multi-lingual pluralistic society.India is a big Country.Of-course it's true that there are some religious tensions in one or two parts of India created by some demagogues.But those are one off incidents.And India and Indian people knows how to handle such minor irritants.America and it's rulers and dump panels or the so-called 'independent bodies ' should mind its own business and not try to push in it's ugly head into unwanted areas and screw up things..!!

What is America's record on human rights and religious tolerance??
Pathetic,isn't it??

If things are analyzed and tracked back to proper historical facts,it's very obvious that almost all human sufferings,at least the present ones,be it in Afghanistan or Iraq or any other part of the world,are mainly due to faulty American policies.

America created monsters like Osama and pak terror groups.American people themselves suffered on 9/11,because of the foolish Afgan-pak policies of the nineties .

After 9/11 what ever America did,was anti-Muslim to say the least.Mere suspects were kept in cages in Guantanamo bay,as if those humans were some monkeys kept in zoos...!
Against most of them kept in those cages,America was not able to furnish even an iota of evidence..

Why is the American panel on religious panel mum on these facts??

America frisks any person bearing a semblance of being a Muslim,be it in name or appearance.What ever American officials say,it's absolutely clear that the treatment to former Indian president APJ Abdul Kalam,Shah Rukh Khan and other ordinary people are not mere routine security frills.It was mere harassment in the name of religion..!!
What else explains a 2 hour long detainment at airports?
May be it is America's way of making America secure..!!
OK,fine.
If that is the case,America should not complaint,if the same sort of treatment is meted out to American citizens and VIPs through out the world.Yardsticks applied should be same.

I wind up with the following 2 block of statements and leave the readers to decide on the irony of what America preaches and what it practices..!!

The Obama Administration on Friday said freedom of expression and religion is important for the United States, but refrained from making any comment on the a US body putting India on "watch list" for religious intolerance.

"You know, freedom of expression and religious freedom we think are hallmarks of stable, progressive societies in the 21st century. It is obviously important to us," Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs P J Crowley said at the daily State Department press briefing.

When asked what impression Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had during her visit to India last month, Crowley said: "I can't say to what degree it came up during the Secretary's conversations last month, but clearly this is an area which we think it obviously is across the globe a source of potential stability."

The Obama Administration believes that those societies that practice significant tolerance will be those that advance most significantly in the coming years.

"I was really hassled at the American Airport because of my name being Khan...The couple of hours of interrogation wanting to know if I know anyone in America while all around people were vouching for me from India and Pakistan (sic)," the Bollywood superstar said in a statement.

"Only these guys just would not let me through. Finally they allowed me to make a call, which I did and the Indian Consulate helped me through.

Khan, who was on his way to Chicago to attend an Independence Day function was detained at the New York Airport and questioned for about two hours before the Indian mission intervened and secured his release.

"It was absolutely was uncalled for I think, me having just finished working there for more than a month...just a couple of weeks ago. They said I have a common name which is causing the delay...checked my bags...I felt angry and humiliated,"

"I appreciated my independence a million times more today, I wish I was in India on Independence Day," Khan told a news channel.

The Indian Consulate in New York is in touch with Khan, and the Indian government has taken up the issue with the United States administration.

I am not blaming the American people here,I am just talking about the sheer double standards practiced and perfected by each and every American governments from time immemorial.American people seems to be nice,after-all they elected a person bearing the name Barack Hussein Obama as their President.I have read/heard some people saying that it's the American people to be blamed for electing people like George Bush,who led the world into an unwanted invasion of Iraq.The answer to them is,American people does not seem to have a choice,who ever they elect,it seems there are some base 'double standard' policies every American president is supposed to follow..!!

Gallantry Awards For Brave Soldiers

Major Mohit Sharma from 1 Para (Special Forces), killed in a battle with terrorists in the Hafruda forest in Jammu and Kashmir this March, has been honoured with Ashok Chakra, the country’s highest peace time gallantry award on the occasion of Independence Day.

Major D. Sreeram Kumar, who killed 12 terrorists in counter-insurgency operations in the northeast, will also be honoured with Ashok Chakra.

Apart from the two Ashok Chakras, President Pratibha Patil has approved 146 gallantry medals, including four Kirti Chakras, 26 Shaurya Chakras, two Bar to Sena Medals, 100 Sena Medals, four Nao Sena Medals, five Vayu Sena Medals and three Tatrakshak Medals, a Defence Ministry release said here on Friday.

Major Mohit Sharma was born in Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh and was commissioned into 90 Medium Regiment (Artillery) in March 2004. His family is now settled in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh.

Major Sreeram Kumar is serving with 30 Assam Rifles, to which he was deputed in March 2007 in Arunachal Pradesh during ‘Operation Orchid’.

He receives the medal for creating an effective and vibrant intelligence network, delivering hard blows to activities of terrorists and making it difficult for them to operate in his area of responsibility during ‘Operation Hifazat’ in Manipur.

Among the four Kirti Chakra awardees is Major Amit Oscar Fernandes of 7 Maratha Light Infantry, at present posted in Kashmir for counter-insurgency operations. He has served with 27 Rashtriya Rifles there.

In an operation in Baramulla district in November last, Major Fernandes overpowered one of the terrorists, snatched his weapon which was directing fire at the Army, and shot him dead.

Joining him in the Kirti Chakra awardees’ list is Major Deepak Tewari of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers Corps serving with 14 Rashtriya Rifles in Kashmir.

Major Tewari came under fire from five Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists during a night operation in Jammu and Kashmir in November last. Braving the bullets, the Army officer eliminated three terrorists in a close-range battle and critically injured the fourth. The operation led to the killing of all five terrorists.

Paratrooper Shabir Ahmed Malik is being awarded Kirti Chakra posthumously, for rescuing an injured team member during an operation in Jammu and Kashmir.

The fourth Kirti Chakra awardee is Naik Rishikesh Gurjar of 10 Rashtriya Rifles (Rajput), who is now the Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) in charge of a ghatak platoon in the unit. He made two LeT terrorists surrender before him in ‘Operation Rakshak’ in Jammu and Kashmir.

Of the 26 personnel named for Shaurya Chakra medal, 12 will receive it posthumously. They include Havaldar Rakesh Kumar of 1 Para (SF); Havaldar Vipan Thakur of 9 Para (SF); Naik Chandrabhan Bhikan Pawar of 7 Maratha LI; Naik Manoj Singh of 1 Para (SF); Lance Naik Sujith Babu V of Corps of Engineers; Sepoy Rupom Gogoi of Assam Regiment; Rifleman Mohammed Amin Bhatt of the Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry; Sergeant Mustafa Ali from the Indian Air Force; inspector Manoj Kumar Singh and constable Desha Singh from the Indo-Tibetan Border police; and Lance Naik David Kerketta of the Orissa Special Armed Police.

Other Shaurya Chakra awardees are Major Dinesh Singh Parmar of 2 Sikh Light Infantry, Major Manu Shukla of Regiment of Artillery, Major Saurabh Dutt Kholia of Armoured Corps, Major Ratnesh Kumar Singh of Rajput Regiment, Major Subramaniam Anand of 4 Sikh Light Infantry, Major Ankur Garg of Corps of Engineers, Squadron Leaders Tarun Kumar Chaudhari and Harkirat Singh, Lieutenant Prashant Singh Chundawat of 16 Jat, Naib Subedar Ganesh Nath of Assam Rifles, Lance Havaldar Luis Peryera Nayagam of the Madras Regiment, Satish Kumar of the Border Roads Organisation and constable Onkar Nath of the ITBP.

'The Hindu' Report.

The real Chinese intention

Quite contrary to the conclusion of the recent India-China border talks, a Chinese strategist asserted that India should be broken into 20 to 30 independent states with the help of the ‘friendly countries’ like Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan.

This was suggested in his article ‘If China takes little action the so called great Indian Federation can be broken up’, which was published on the new edition of the website of the China International Institute of Strategic studies (CIISS), an influential think tank which advices Bejing on global strategic issues.

In his article which is likely to create ripples in the masses and classes of India, the Chinese strategist Zhan Lue argues that India could only be termed a ‘Hindu religious state’ that is based on caste exploitation and which is coming in the way of modernisation.

The article recommends India's break up into many nation-states like in Europe and contends that if the consciousness of ‘nationalities’ in India could be aroused, social reforms in South Asia can be achieved, the caste system can be eradicated and the region can march towards prosperity. The author further says that with these caste cleavages in mind, China in its own interest and the progress of whole of Asia should join forces with ‘different nationalities’ like Assamese, Tamils and Kashmiris and support them in establishing independent nation states of their own.

The article calls on Beijing to support the United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA), a militant separatist group in the Indian northeast, to achieve independence for Assam from India and also assist Bangladesh to encourage ethnic Bengalis to get rid of ‘Indian control’.

Division of India would be desirable for the purpose of weakening India's expansion and threat aimed at forming a ‘unified South Asia’, the article asserts.

Although the Chinese diplomatic clan has showcased healthy relationship building between the two nuclear armed nations, its influential institutions continue to suggest policies which are meant to hamper India’s progress.

Samachar.


Whoever is this so-called tank,think-tank ,that is,hope China has many more foolish tanks like these...!!

He should have atleast remembered that the India also can do these sort of dirty tricks to china as well..

Any way,not sure what else china can do to India inaddition to all the dirty tricks it is already playing..!!

The less said about the dictatorial,authoritarian,
anti-democratic,inhuman,ugly nature of China,the better..


Indian's Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor thinks differently.Perhaps he too knows the reality and is saying what he said only for the sake of it :)

Rediff reports :

India has a 'fundamentally healthy' relationship with China that goes beyond the boundary issue, Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor stated on Tuesday.


"The relationship should not be seen only in the context of the problems, it should also be seen in the context of the opportunity," he said when asked about the India-China border talks last week.

Tharoor said, "We are very pleased to say that, by and large, even the fact of the border talks is confirmation that the relationship remains fundamentally healthy."

The special representatives of India and China, National Security Advisor M K Narayanan and Chinese State Councilor Dai Bingguo, held the 13th round of talks on the vexed boundary issue in New Delhi on August 7.

Noting that China had recently become India's single largest trade partner, the minister said looking at the export and import sector without the IT services, China has overtaken the United States.

Tharoor said there was an increase in the number of tourists coming from China to India. "A large number of tourist visas are issued to Chinese to come to India. They may be discovering India as an important tourist destination," he said.

Students of the highest quality..!!

A 28-year-old teacher, on her way back from school, became the victim of an acid attack by three youths after she refused to marry one of them. Shine was returning home from Shanti Niketan school in Loni town when three youths threw acid on her face and fled the spot, Superintendent of Police Yadvendu Singh said.

She was rushed to a hospital with 25 per cent burns on her face and body, he said. According to Loni police Inspector Ashok Rana, motive behind the attack was the victim''s refusal to marry one of the accused.

However, no arrest has been made in the regard, he added.

Making advances on one's own teacher is bad enough.Throwing acid deserves stringent punishment.Infact,punishments to such dogs should be sooo severe that it should act as a deterrent to others who dare think of doing such cowardly bastardy acts..!!

Not The Way To Treat A Dead Soldier's Mortal Remains

Sabu's poor parents and the entire village was grieving, waiting for his coffin. When it arrived, the smell of putrefying flesh inside filled them with anger instead. How could the Indian Army send back one of its dead in such a manner, they are now asking.

Villagers in the small hill town of Ambalavayal near here in Wayanad district are upset over the 'disrespect' shown by the Indian Army to the body of 23-year-old Sabu Varghese, a gentleman cadet at the Indian Military Academy (IMA) Dehradun who was found dead in a swimming pool of the academy Monday.

Sabu's father is heart-broken over the condition in which the body was sent.

'My wife and I are casual labourers. On Monday morning I got a call from my son's officer saying that my son has suffered an accident. I immediately asked him what I should do and he said nothing needs to be done. I was soon told that my son has died,' said Varghese.

The family was then informed that the body would arrive soon.

'Our endless wait began. The body arrived late Wednesday evening and I was shell shocked to see the box in which it was kept. It was just a wooden box. There were a few army officials and they advised me not to open the box. I insisted on seeing the body of my son and opened the box. All I could see was his teeth and nothing else. No one was able to stand near due to the stench.

'Is this way the army treats its people?' asked Varghese, sobbing.

A neighbour and a political worker, 73-year-old K.R. Unnniry, told IANS: 'We were first told that the body would arrive on Tuesday, and we sent an ambulance to the Karipur airport (near Kozhikode). Later, we were told that the body would arrive only on Wednesday.'

He said when the body arrived on Wednesday 'it was smelling and we were shocked because we found out that the body had not been embalmed'.

'It was a horrible sight because we found the body was wrapped in a plastic sheet with a cloth placed on top of it. When we removed the cloth, to see the face, the flesh of Sabu's face was stuck on the cloth. This is an unpardonable act done by the army,' said Unnniry.

As the news spread, over 1,000 people gathered to share the family's sorrow and anger.

According to locals, Sabu was a bright student and after working in the army for nearly four years as a clerk was selected to join the IMA.

'We are poor people and I was so happy when my son would tell me about the Indian Army. Our joy knew no limits when he said that soon he would be an officer. But what I got was this... The army should never treat anyone like what they did to my son,' said a weeping Varghese.

Wayanad Lok Sabha MP M.I. Shahnawaz (Congress) said that he has taken up the issue at the highest level.

'If there is any lapse on the part of the officials it will be seriously dealt with,' said Shahnawaz.

The villagers have now placed all their hopes on Defence Minister A.K. Antony, who belongs to the state. They are hoping he will take suitable action against the erring officials who did not embalm Sabu's body.

Yahoo.

Well,this incident is not a good advertisement on the professionalism of the Indian Army.There are some reports which says the Army is woefully short of officers and that the Army is looking to have massive recruits.

The inhuman way a dead soldier's body is handled does not help the Army in any way in attracting youngsters to its fold..

Hope this is only a very very unfortunate exception and that the guilty officers will be punished.

Hope the Indian Army will do every thing possible to help and apologize to the family members for this unpardonably disrespectful act..

Tendulkar Reply to Former Aussie Coach

Sachin Tendulkar has hit back at John Buchanan for finding faults in his batting technique against pace bowling and advised the former Australian coach to change his opinion which "doesn't have to be right all the time".

"It is only his opinion. John Buchanan doesn't have to be right all the time. If I couldn't handle short deliveries, then I wouldn't still be scoring runs," Tendulkar said in an interview to the 'Wisden'.

"Maybe he needs to change his opinion. There must be something very wrong with all the bowlers around the world that they have allowed me to score so many runs," he retorted.

Buchanan had said before India's 2007 tour of Australia that video analysis of the Tendulkar reveals his footwork has become sluggish, especially early in his innings, making him vulnerable to short-pitched deliveries followed by a fuller one.

Sachin need not respond to these silly comments.It will only give importance to a limelight seeker like Buchanan.Sachin responding is exactly what Buchanan wants.

some how Buchanan got some credit,as the accidental coach during an Australian Team performance in an era Australia had such legendary players like McGrath,Warne,Gilchrist,Hayden,Langer,Ponting playing together.

No coach was neeeded to motivate such a highly motivated,highly talented all-conquering team.

We all saw what Buchanan achieved with the Kolkota Knight Riders team.All his so-called out-of-box ideas like multi-captaincy etc either did not materialise or bombed badly or remained in the box itself...

Mr.John Buchanan is a nobody in the world of Cricket.Sachin Tendulkar is a living Legend in cricket world.

Sachin has scored runs in all countries in all sorts of pitches against all sorts of bowlers under all sorts of circumstances..

He doesn't need to get into a to-and-fro with a NOBODY..!

kicking woman not cruelty

A husband and his relatives cannot be prosecuted for 'cruelty' towards wife merely because the mother-in-law or other family members had kicked her or for that matter threatened her with divorce.
..This is a Judgement..

Sorry,if you think this is a judgement by some court in Afganistan or pakistan,you are mistaken.This is a verdict given by the supreme Court of India,yes that's right,The Supreme Court of India.A bench of Justices S B Sinha and Cyriac Joseph gave this verdict..!!


So kicking or beating or any other sort of pain can be inflicted on a woman and Mr.S B Sinha and Mr.Cyriac Joseph might stand up and applaud..!!

Horrible....
That's the one word to describe this JUDGEMENT..

Proud Mother Of A Great Hero

Losing her only son at the oxygen-sapped heights of the treacherous Batalik terrains during the Kargil war has not deterred Amirthavalli from launching a drive to motivate youth to join the armed forces.

Amirthavalli, the mother of Kargil martyr Major Mariappan Saravanan, has set up a Memorial Trust at Tiruchi in Tamil Nadu with a mission to encourage the youth to join the Indian army.

Popularly known as the 'Hero of Batalik', Major Saravanan, who braved all odds to capture point 4268- a well fortified Pakistani position at a height of 14229 feet on Jubar Hills in the Batalik sector, laid down his life as a first officer of the Indian army on May 28, 1999.

"Major Saravanan Memorial Trust has been set up by his mother in his native place-Tiruchi. The aim of the trust is to campaign for the army," an officer said here. "The trust visits schools, holds seminars and camps in colleges and universities round the year to motivate youth to join the army," he said.

"It is noble mission. In Tamil Nadu, it has become very popular among the youth. We need such people to campaign for the army, which has huge shortage of officers and jawans," he said.

The trust has also made video CDs of brave officers, including that of Major Saravanan, to impress upon young minds.

Codenamed Changiz Khan for operation, Major Saravanan led his company of Bihar Regiment in re-capturing point 4268 in Jubar ridge.

"The battle was so fierce that the army captured these positions after a month. Saravanan led from the front and died in course of the battle. His body was recovered on June 14 after 45 days," the officer said.

Amirthavalli's husband Lt Col A Mariappan, who was with the Indian Peace Keeping Forces (IPKF) in Sri Lanka, had died in a road mishap in Karnataka in 1988 when Saravanan was only 14-year-old.

Courtesy:msn.