Friday, March 03, 2006

What a Shame

What a site it was – Communists and Muslims holding rallies and mass protests – complete with Osama posters and claims that Osama is our leader – and more dear to us than our parents. Who says India does not have al-qaeda. Seems like a claim 5 years ago that said India does not have people with HIV or AIDS.

What were they demonstrating for? Agreed – that the US (and its leaders) have done a plethora of bad stuff around the world – and in their own country as well. So – what should India say – thank you all – we don’t need any power to light our homes and roads and factories? Lord Palmerston, the famous 19th century British Foreign Minister once said, nations have no permanent friends or allies (or permanent enemies). They only have permanent interests.

That is the problem in India. All kinds of people live together. Every kind vying for complete control over the other kinds. No kind wants to give any ground to the other kind. People of 10 different religions, communists, socialists, capitalists, rich, poor eat in the same thaali, each trying to get a larger piece of the chapati, and while one is engaged in breaking of a larger chunk of the bread – the other tries to gobble all the Daal. Then there are also people who are trying to drill a hole in the thaali as well. In the end – some go to sleep with their stomachs bursting – while the others sleep hungry.

Excuse me for this poor analogy – but this is what India is.

But maybe – this is what a bottom up, free society is like. Had Bush been in China – all the protestors would have been locked up 100 days before his visit – and never freed again.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

As per our telephone conversation yesterday ;-) we should not be calling Indian Muslims as part of Mr. Laden's organization. There is a difference between moral support and actively supporting by taking up arms against the organization's enemies.

akv said...

After
today's
attacks,
I guess, there goes your theory of 'moral support only'
- or are you waiting for a better proof that almost 10
percent India is not just a moral supporter of the
b(m)ad man O-s-a-m-a.