The Darker Side

Owing to concerns, I would like to add a few facts that weren't dealt with in my previous post. Firstly i clarify that the previous one was a tribute to the LTTE administration and has nothing to do with standing beside their violent methods of fighting its cause. And just because i am reframing my points please don't have me related with the old man ruling from his wheel chair(I am nowhere near his political asylum).

Coming to the point, the cause of the Tigers demanding equal rights for the Tamils is acceptable but that doesn't mean that taking arms is the only solution. It was not the cause but their style of demand that lead to their fall. In fact the LTTE had huge support from India and other nations until it plotted the death of our former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi who sent peace keeping forces to Lanka. It was after this assassination that the LTTE was banned in over 32 countries which was initiated by India. The FBI has described the LTTE as "amongst the most dangerous and deadly extremist outfit in the world".

They are also strongly condemned for recruiting children as militants and for instilling a thirst for blood and vengeance in the little minds. The LTTE also had a notable share of women cadets who were used as police forces and for suicide attacks. It is to be noted that LTTE were the ones who pioneered the use of concealed suicide bomb vests and indulged in guerilla warfare. In a span of 20 years between 1980 and 2000 they are accused to have carried out more than 160 suicide attacks which caused a heavy damage to life and property. The victims include Rajiv Gandhi(1991),former Sri Lankan President Ranasinghe Premadasa (1993) and a considerable number of civilians.

Yesterday’s press statement from the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, in which he has stated that their enemies were the Tigers and not the Tamils and that he would take all possible measures to ensure their rights has come down as an welcome note. To conclude, I would like to stress strongly on the point that terrorism is no possible solution be it for any cause. And terrorism of any form is not to be tolerated and is to be put down with an iron hand by the global community.

War ends, Pressure mounts

The 18^th of May 2008 has to be remembered for a couple of reasons. The first is something that had a part of the mighty Indian population cheer as the digital boards of both the BSE and NSE hit the upper circuit for the first time in history with just a mere 2 minutes of exchange. And the second reason is a thing of cheer to a few and a misery to many others when Selvarasa Pathmanathan stated on a webpage with its source code reading,

"The battle has reached a bitter end ... We have decided to silence our guns. Our only regrets are for the lives lost and that we could not hold out for longer"

While this was the statement released by the chief of international relations of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam conceeding defeat which made the global tamil community tear , the man of the moment President Mahinda Rajapaksa set foot on the Eelam land declaring the military victory and the death of the LTTE Chief Velupillai Prabhakaran which resulted in celebrations all across the lankan island.

Where did all this begin and has it really come to an end are questions that are hard to answer at present without surfing the pages of history and the path that is to be taken from this juncture. We’ve heard enough reports about the cat and rat ritraff that has taken place between the two entities for over two decades now but what is unknown to most of the outside world is the administrative finesse of the Tigers. They are the only such rebel group that had all the three wings of defence. The Northern and Eastern province of Srilanka which is claimed to be the Jaffna Peninsula comes under the Tigers and is what that stakes demand to be the Eelam.

Operating the Jaffna with Kilinochchi as its administrative capital, the Tigers had their own military, legislative and judicial systems. It also had a police squad of it’s own to put down internal crimes. They had framed a set of laws and have had a judicial hierarchy with the supreme court at its helm. The laws were reframed at regular intervals which dealt with criminal cases such as rape, murder, treason and arson. The crime rate in this region is said to be very low due to the authoritarian laws of the LTTE. And the Tamils people preferred these courts rather than the Sri Lankan courts.

The Tigers had a planning commission that went on to provide the tamils with education, health and other services. It is said that most of the civil servants who worked in this region were directed by the Tigers though they were paid by the Sri Lankan Government. They even had a separate Human Rights organization which is not approved by the International community but still was effective. They broadcasted their own television and radio channels which ran in the name Voice of Tigers. A Separate bank named Bank of Tamileelam provided Lankan money with high interest rates and operated in almost all parts of the Eelam.

Velupillai Prabhakaran is a name of mixed response. As a saviour to the tamils, as a devil to the Sinhalese, as one of the world’s most wanted terrorists and both as a tyrant and a pacifier but this man was the one who operated as the first, last and only chief of these brave cadres. And now that he is dead and the tigers are finished after the worlds biggest civilian hostage rescue the war has come to an end. But for the tamils, their only hope is lost.

Will they be given equal importance as the Sinhalese by the Sri Lankan Government or will they once again be denied their rights is something for us to sit and watch as the days will answer. But one thing is for sure, if the same attitude of the Sinhalese domination prevails then there will for sure be a lot more of cubs walking back to claim it’s den.

IPL II - Let the games begin

After creating a revolution in the field of cricket with the inaugural season of the IPL T20 that marked crispness, fun, entertainment, bollywood fantasy, thrill and excitement which ended up as cricket’s answer to the EPL and other football leagues, the time has now begun to recreate the genre. This time around it’s even bigger and grander with the debutant Englishmen claiming the highest bid of 1.5 m $.

The teams are thoroughly refreshed and it’s a million dollar question to answer as who would be lucky to lift the trophy this time around. Expectations are high from the new ones in, that inc Flintoff, Pieterson, Jesse Ryder, Duminy and Mortaza. Perhaps there are always obstacles on the way to any big event. And so did the IPL suffer without knowing whether it would be able to stage the tournament in India after the Mumbai attacks that questioned security and the ongoing election of the biggest democracy in the world. But it was one man of optimism who was able to manage the crises and take quick decisions in moving the extravagant event to South Africa in a span of just three weeks. He is as u all know Lalit Modi, the Commissioner IPL who never left heart in staging his brain child for the second time as scheduled.

All the teams shifting to Cape Town two days before the battle can begin and moving on a promotional parade for over two miles on open roof buses waving hands to the people of South Africa certainly awoke a new era of cricketing. It was not just for the players but also for the star studded franchise owners who made it even interesting. And back home in India, ppl putting the election run on a slowdown and looking out for their new interest though not being staged live , the media has promised to broadcast every single happening at Cape Town. Debates aplenty taking place on the news portals and promo videos being aired deriving support for their franchise, is this what we’ve all been waiting for!!! Certainly yes, with Lalit Modi declaring , “ Let the games begin”.

The opening day of IPL II witnessed Mumbai Indians bt Chennai Super Kings by 19 runs and Royal Challengers marking an emphatic win of 75 runs over the defending champions Rajasthan Royals at the Newlands Stadium, Cape Town, SA. It was a great upset for the defending champions who were bowled out for the lowest total in IPL ( 58 runs) . And after which, the opening ceremony commenced in the presence of the South African Premier, setting the skies to glitter adding to the performances of the South African spice. It was indeed a pleasure to sit back at home and keep watching, forgetting food and sleep. And day one was cherished by the match winners being Sachin( 59*), Dravid(66) and Kumble, picking up five for five.

Lot more of excitement are in store for the next 36 days. Keep watching SET MAX every evening to know who would eventually emerge victorious on the 24th May, 2009( Don’t have to say but anyways). And a kind request , amidst all the fun please don’t miss out in exhibiting ur right to vote and to be a part of the world’s biggest democratic exercise.

My Love

Well, my first blog. I’ve always wondered how to start and about what to start. At one such case was when I heard someone beside me whisper that love is where creativity begins and so does mine.

Once upon a time ( this is how I’m used to begin since childhood, so can’t help it ) when in my late teens , was when I used to fall for and have a crush on almost every beautiful gal that I get to see. But believe me, it was not many at a time but one after another. The worst thing is that every crush ended just with mere gaping and nothing to yield in return. My life was moving like a run on the mill type when it was time for a so called educational trip in my eleventh standard.

Our first destination was one of the coolest places in India, Goa. Beautiful beaches, mind blowing landscape, partying out at night, cruise ride , ancient landmarks left by the Portugese and many more marked our two day visit to Goa . After a rocking start , we moved on to our country’s commercial capital, Mumbai ( Slumdog Millionaire fame) on a day month ahead of Christmas. The next day I still remember , the 26th of November , 2005. I was standing in between the mighty Taj and the Gateway of India ( exactly 3 years before the venue could witness the bloodshed and cruelty of 26/11). It was a breezy morning with the waves of the Arabian Sea adding chords to the atmosphere around, when my eyes caught note of something even more admirable than the place of pride. Someone whom I knew as a schoolmate but had never spoke to her before. Never before had I felt so. Harmony of violins, blooming flower, dew drop and a lightening striking me all at a time ( Juz as in the movies , which I used to think were only to create fantasy but never possible) But to my surprise it happened to me on seeing her that fine moment. She was in a white salwar kameez with her loose black hair floating methodically as though reacting to the sound of the waves. This was when I felt that I had fallen in love for the very first time.

I went carzy since then and badly wanted to talk to her in some way or the other . The next day on the bus while moving towards Pune, I found her reading an archies comic series ( Odd for someone to read a comic at this age but nothing really seemed odd to me then). Reached her with my heart beating at a faster rate and asked her if I could get that book to read. She immediately gave me a wide smile with a cool nod for which I could derive much more equations than Mr.Einstien would have did to conclude that E=mc^2. And finally I realized that it was an affirmative reply. She extended her arms to me with the comic that I hardly wanted. I received it and said her thanks even before which she shot out asking me if I read comics. I thought for an instant and answered back , “ Yes, I’d love to, esp Archies” ( Note: 1st lie, many more to come) . And to move on she told me that she felt bored and asked me if I could get her some book to read ( How can someone expect me to carry a book along while on a tour!!!). So I had to lie again telling her that I have it in my bag and I’ll get it to her when possible. That night when we were out to shop in a mall, my legs all the way ran to the landmark book store. After surfing for half an hour I finally laid hands on Chethan Baghat’s “ Five Point Someone”. On meeting her during dinner I gave her the book receiving her smile back in return. We had a short intro about each other before we signed of that night.

The next day was when we were to board our train back home. I had a really tough time arguing and compromising to finally win a berth near her’s. I spent the whole night looking at her and imaging all sorts of things that would happen in dreamland. She woke up by around five next morning when there was hardly any light. She tried hard to sort out finding what the time was . I told her in stern voice, “ It’s five. Woke up early?”. And again her reply , a smile. As the train stopped,it was time back at hometown , bid her bye with all the expectations to meet her next, back at school.

After that, one year passed by with nothing much to tell. It was just the smile that we exchange everytime we met. To my surprise exactly after one year since love, we caught up on a social networking site and had the chance to share many more things. We got to know each other better. One fine day on a similar chat session, we were talking about men marrying women elder to them. ( Trivia: She is one week elder to me.) By now you should have guessed that I was the one who initialized the topic. After some five minutes I found my messenger asking me, “ How about Love now?”. Just imagine my state( as though Sania won a grand slam singles title). I was totally stuck up and didn’t know what to reply. To say yes, and break friendship or to say no, breaking my sweetie’s heart (mine too). I ended up typing , “ I don’t mind if u don’t mind”. And to Sania’s greatest surprise , sorry, rather to my greatest surprise I found a smiley with a text reading, “ I DON”T MIND”. I was as though at the helm of the world, on the top of Mt. Everest and I could hardly breath. That’s all about me and my damsel tying up with each other.

The next few months we were all that very close. She resembled the moon to me and she did mean everything to me and so does she even now. We have never even spoke face to face since back from tour but have always been on the net ( Thanks to the internet which made it possible) . I’ve got all our conversations saved and I carry it along with me on my pen drive almost always. But like every sentence has got a full stop, we fought at regular intervals and did reunite except once that was the last time we spoke. Today, we’ve totally no contact with each other for over a year. I dunno if she still thinks about me but I’ve never spent any day of mine without spending at least a second to think of her. I have decided that the next time when I get to meet her, might be even if she’s married or has two kids beside her, I’d go and tell her, “ I still love u sweet heart.”

I’d like to end with a short note asking you ppl to fall in love at least once. No matter whether you win or lose, “ Love makes life beautiful”