I did not bother to vote in the US Presidential elections this time even though I did receive my absentee ballot. I am registered in California which is guaranteed to not go to Bush. My anti-Bush vote would not matter,… Read More ›
Month: October 2004
Oh To Be in Kolkata For Puja
The city formerly known in English as Calcutta (now known in all languages as “Kolkata” which is its Bengali name) is an unfortunate city. Its misfortune derives from two major sources primarily. Two of the world’s most destructive ideologies —… Read More ›
The Unbearable Silliness of Loving One’s Enemy
Anant in a recent comment on this blog concluded with the seemingly wise statement “to revenge is pleasure, to forgive divine.” I say seemingly wise because it does not withstand any level of scrutiny. Forgiving an enemy may or may… Read More ›
India’s Development and the Terrorist State of Pakistan
Economic development is a complex matter which touches every aspect of a society, public as well as private, domestic as well as foreign. One cannot seek to understand (and subsequently act to change) the existing order by narrowly focusing on… Read More ›
You might be a third world country if …
Today’s edition of The Free Press Journal carries on its front page an interesting item, “Carry out attacks in India or perish: ISI to Dawood”. Dawood Ibrahim has the distinction of being labeled by the US as a “Specially Designated… Read More ›
The Military-Industrial Complex
Over fourty-three years ago in January 1961, US President Dwight D. Eisenhower in his farewell address warned of the dangers of the “military-industrial complex”. In view of the upcoming US presidential elections and the global conflict that the US is… Read More ›
The True Weapons of Mass Destruction
A report by Josey Joseph in the Oct 14th Times of India warmed the cockles of my heart. The story is about the supply of military equipment from the US to Pakistan. Quote: … On the pipeline are more than… Read More ›
Whom the Gods wish to Destroy they first make mad
Ever wondered why exactly India is an astoundingly poor overpopulated illiterate starving nation of a billion people? I do. It need not be one specific reason of course. It could be a combination of several factors. For instance, it could… Read More ›
You might be a third world country if …
To me, one of the hazards of delayed flights is that I tend to read whatever I find lying around. A few days ago I found myself reading a discarded newspaper at an airport. I should not have but morbid… Read More ›
A Modest Proposal — Part 5
For the past few weeks, I have been exploring what I call a modest proposal for making India 100% literate (parts 1, 2, 3, and 4). Here I will explore some aspects of my proposal. I had proposed that for… Read More ›