JINNAH or SARDAR PATEL

There is a popular saying "If your enemy is hell bent upon jumping off a cliff, do not bother to push him over the edge". Congress party is sticking to this piece of advice by keeping mum on the current show of self-destruction going on within the BJP.

Most of us are aware of the chronology of the events in this entire mess, but this is really a bunch of losers trying to find a scapegoat. After the loss in the recent parliamentary elections, they are enacting a headless chicken perfectly.

They needed an excuse to start the post-election massacre and Jaswant Singh's book gave them a much-needed trigger. I am not the best person to validate the authenticity of the excerpts from the book, but I, for sure, do not care whether it is true or not.

I thoroughly respect Sardar Patel. He is the reason why we see India as a nation and not a collection of Kashmirs. Nehru was the one who handled Kashmir - the only state not handled by Sardar Patel - and look what a mess it is. The sole reason why India is what it is today - an unified nation - is Sardar Patel. Infact, the very reason why India is a part of Kashmir today - the Instrument of Accession signed by Raja Hari Singh - is Sardar Patel. He arm twisted the king into signing it, else Kashmir would have been taken over by Pakistan in 1948.

But, if Jaswant Singh's book is true, I respect Sardar Patel even more. If he is the reason behind the partition, may he reign in heaven.

Who wants a unified India-Pakistan-Bangladesh. I can not even imagine a country bordering Afghanistan and Taliban neighbours. Terrorists from Pakistan and Bangladesh are already wrecking havoc in our country even when they are not allowed in our contry. Can you imagine what they would have done if they were legally a part of our soil.

Bomb-blasts every day in every city... No way to identify who is a terrorist or not, because everyone would be a citizen of "unified" India... Western nations threatening to bomb us to stone age... Proving to the world that we are not bad and the trouble makers are "non-state-elements"... Phew!!!

Thank You Sardar Patel for saving our country, one more time!!!

CALM AFTER THE STORM?

Last Friday, I took my project to completion. I was working on this project since November 2008. Thats 10 long months.

In the 10 months before November 2008, I executed 2 big and 5-6 small projects. But the latest project was the only one that I worked on in the last 10 months. Nothing else, absolutely nothing. Every single day, I was working only on this project. From 8 am to 9 pm, sometimes even later. Add to it, up to 4 hours per day every weekend. I was not a part of any other initiative, any other activity during these 10 months.

It took a toll on my health, personal agenda and family life. The India vacation not withstanding, I did not take even 1 day off during the entire 10 months.

As the project neared completion, the heat kept on increasing (duh!!!), tempers flared and verbal volleys ranged. For once, I was always in the clear and the only thing I received was praises and cheerios. But all other teams had a bad time.

Eventually, the project reached a logical conclusion and then arrived the calm after the storm. From last Friday, there has been a void in the schedule. It seems like there is no urgency for anything anymore. There is no one baying for your blood. Life is a routine 8.30 to 5 vanilla flavor.

Actually, one incident touched me, I had a print out of an important design document which was like my bible in the last 6 months. I carried it around with me like I carried my wallet or like my cell phone. I used to refer to it like I used to check my email. On Friday evening, after I finished my project, I cleaned up my desk and picked that document to be shredded. Putting that document through the shredder actually touched me.

Why does this happen? Why does someone miss the most hectic phase even when it takes a big toll on life? Why does someone miss the storm in the calm?

WHAT THE HECK!!!

Two high profile Indians go through a similar bad experience. I would not call the experience a shocker or a trauma etc. It is something that any one of us might have to go through.

APJ and SRK are two people who are in two professions which are as different as chalk and cheese. Both of them have raised the bar and have set such high standards for themselves in their own way that a sizeable chunk of Indian population regard them in high esteem. The fan following is pretty much similar across gender / age / profession.

Both of them go through a similar experience -- APJ was frisked in India and SRK in US. Both of them are Muslims, one is a nuclear scientist and other is in a profession where bad elements of the society invest a lot of their black money.

But, the gracious way in which APJ handled it probably showed how dignified he is. I do not think SRK is creating an issue here, it could be the hyperactive media. But SRK can keep his mouth shut and let this whole thing die away instead of giving media bytes and adding fuel to fire.

Just amazed how the same situation can be handled smartly and how it can be messed up as well.

NICE QUOTE

Was reading an article about a journalist meeting his idol, an Indian legend of royal descent. The journo was worried that the legend might not live up to the idolized image he had envisioned in his mind.

Ironically, the last line of the article read -- "There is one thing worse than being disappointed by your heroes and that is to let them down yourself."