Maintaining cricketing ties with pakistan in the wake of terror attacks ?

A question that has always popped in my mind whenever we play pakistan in any sport (which is mostly cricket) is why we feel obligated to maintain sporting ties with an adversary whose heart is filled with hatred towards our country and our religion; tangible manifestations of which are provided in the form of the regular and brazen terror attacks that we face.


The question was bothering me yet again after yesterdays terror attacks in Gurdaspur, where our brave soldiers braved the bullets of cowardly terrorists and risked their lives for the safety of Indian citizens (that a lot of these citizens are ungrateful enough to watch and appreciate a movie like 'Haider' is a different matter).


Casting my mind back at the previous occasions when this question had been debated in our newspapers and tv channels in the aftermath of every terror attack, I remembered that while a lot of people do oppose playing cricket or any other sport with pakistan (in a show of solidarity and sympathy towards our soldiers), there is a very vocal section of the populace who drown out all other voices by shrilly shouting that sports and politics shouldn't be mixed and that we need to continue playing cricket with pakistan to maintain the sporting contact and encourage people to people ties, in the forlorn hope that this will cause an diminution of Pakistani antipathy and make them love us like brothers.


These shrill protestors are mostly pseudo secular, self proclaimed intellectuals, left leaning loonies and the minorities, who overlook the simple fact that we are not just talking of some sabre rattling between two opponents over some trivial matter; but face a situation where a country much smaller and weaker than our own is hell bent on bleeding us (death by a thousand cuts) by launching cowardly covert attacks (remember Kargil where these dastardly rats were so shit scared of the international reaction that their government not only denied all knowledge and responsibility of the attack but also refused to take back the bodies of their soldiers who were killed in action).
Therefore, to accept these poisonous views would be to completely overlook the deaths of our armed forces and render their supreme sacrifice futile.


Another source of support for sporting ties is from the sponsors and perpetrators of terror themselves i.e. the pakistan government, their cricketers and a lot of their common people.
Their standard argument is that sports and politics shouldn't be mixed and that both countries should play each other inspite of terror attacks.
The question that begs to be asked of these two faced, duplicitous terrorist supporters is that if they believe that politics and sports should be kept separate, why don't they maintain sporting ties with Israel.
Here India is facing terror attacks sponsored by them and they still want us to play sports, while Israel has never harmed pakistan ever (and the only reason pakistan has is that Palestinians are their fellow muslims), so how on earth can pakistan ask us to continue playing sports and themselves boycott Israel at all levels!!
Pakistan should first set an example and recognise Israel and start playing sport with them before advising India to not mix sports and politics (as an aside, this isn't mixing sports and politics, its mixing sports and war).


We all need to continue opposing sporting relations with pakistan and even lead their boycott in the international arena (to the extent that our limited international influence will allow us to do), if only to send a symbolic message to them that we are not fools and can see through their fake gestures of friendship.

Homeless Boy Uses Light From McDonald’s To Do Homework

I recently read an inspirational story about a homeless boy in the Philippines completing his homework in the light outside a Macdonalds outlet i.e where others go to Macdonalds to eat and enjoy themselves, this poor boy sat outside the outlet just to use the light to study.

The link is - https://uk.news.yahoo.com/inspirational-homeless-boy-uses-light-090938579.html#1IptR7T


The boy is homeless because his house was burnt down in a fire, and his father also died in the fire, leaving the boy destitute and at the mercy of a few benevolent souls, who took it upon themselves to feed the boy and arrange his basic necessities and education.

The boys determination in overcoming the odds and not letting overwhelmingly adverse circumstances stand in the path of his education is truly humbling and inspiring for all of us who take for granted things like a cosy home, trips to Macdonalds and a good education.

What i found even more heartwarmning was that a number of good samaritans had come together to crowd fund the boys education.

I really hope that the boy achieves all the success that such determination and hard work deserves.

Best of luck my little friend. 

Countering China's String of Pearls policy - a small step in the right direction

A article in TOI let's 13th July, 2015 edition covered a peice of news which afforded an excellent example of how the BJP governement has been showing some spine in keeping national interests paramount and not cowing down to pressure from international bullies like China.

The link to the article is - http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/India-shuns-China-allows-Japan-in-Malabar-naval-drill/articleshow/48047379.cms


The gist of the article is that India will include Japan in a naval exercise soon to be conducted in the Bay of Bengal, after receiving approval from the BJP governement (this exercise was previously conducted jointly between India and the USA).

The previous Congress led dispensation had showed their usual lack of courage on matters affecting national interest and soverignity by excluding Japan from the exercise, simply because of China's objections in 2007 (because China viewed it as a step towards building a security axis to contain Chinese influence in the Asia-Pacific).
I seriously doubt if the congress thought of asking China to reciprocate in like manner and similarly keep at bay state and non-state anti-India elements (pakistan, various terrorist groups etc).

Capitulating to threats by other countries and refraining from taking steps which are necessary to ensure our national security is, in effect, an affront to our soverignity and shows that the congress was / always has been more interested in retaining power through votebank politics rather than  developing the nation and ensuring national well being.

It took a truly nationalistic leader like Narendra Modi who took the right decision, in view of national security and interests, by inviting Japan and taking the initiative to form a broad coalition to counter China's expansionist tendencies(which are also aimed at encircling India through its String of Pearls policy).

Apart from the Congress, our home grown communist parties also have protested against this because of their idelogical affinity to communist China; without bothering about Indian interests and introspecting about why India should accommodate China on international issues when China has shown scant regard for India's security and foreign policy concerns (China has always backed pakistan's claim to kashmir, supplied the pakistani army with arms and training, used their veto power to block sanctions aimed at pakistan/ other terror exporting countries while India has always gone out of its way to support China, be it supporting China's entry to the UN as a permanent member of the Security Council - another of nehru's countless follies which plague India to this day - or not formally recognising Taiwan or suppressing Tibeteans living in India).

It is therefore a refreshing (and much needed) change to see a leader who puts Indian interests ahead of other petty considerations, and who is taking all possible action, at the local and international level, to counter all threats to Indian soverignity.

We need to ensure that we arent carried away by the negative and malacious propoganda, mostly based on lies and falsehood, conducted by the minority appeasing so-called psedo-secular political parties and media and self-proclaimed intellectuals, whose sole motive is to defame the BJP and Narendra Modi, and split majority votes (which in conjunction with the consolidation of minority votes in favour of the congress), to ensure that the minority vote bank appeasing congress is back to power.

Lets stay united and continue supporting a visionary government which is sincerely working for the overall national progess, without resorting to votebank or appeasement politics, to ensure that India achieves the heights of greatness and prosperity that it enjoyed in ancient times.

Why India urgently needs a uniform civil code

A lot of sensible, progressive and educated people in India have for a long time now been demanding the implementation of a uniform civil code - a law equally applicable to all communities and religions; based not on regressive religious scriptures and dogma's but on the principles of equitable justice).

However the minority appeasement policies and the compulsion to pander to traditional votebanks (rendered necessary due to the lack of social and economic development) has ensured that the congress, which ruled India for over for 90% of the time since independence, never even tried to implement one. 
Forget implementing a uniform civil code, the congress' blatantly discriminatory and appeasement oriented policies reached their nadir when rajiv gandhi even went to the extent of tweaking the law to overturn a balanced and progressive judgement delivered by the Supreme Court in the Shah Bano case.
 
I read an article in today’s Times of India which once again highlights how the lack of a uniform civil code is used to deny due rights to women.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/nri/other-news/Family-court-stops-Muslim-man-from-marrying-second-time/articleshow/47561393.cms
 
In this case, a 45 year old US based NRI paediatrician, Dr Akbar Khan, who had originally married a lady 11 years younger than himself, advertised for a second wife (looking for an unmarried young girl in the age group of 18-25 years). All this after producing 4 children in 14 years of marriage.
The perversion apart (looking for a 'unmarried' girl less than half his age and only 4 years older than his eldest son), the legal bone of contention was the utter disregard to his duties and responsibilities towards his first wife and his unwillingness to pay alimony / any kind of maintenance to his first wife under the guise of religious laws and refusing to allow his wife custody of the 4 children, in spite of court orders directing him to do so; all the while conveniently missing court hearings on the mater (so he could later feign ignorance).
In this case, the judge (an eminently sensible lady named Swati Chauhan) displayed Solomon-like wisdom and stopped the man from marrying a second time without first settling all the dues owed to his first wife.
 
This case highlights how certain regressive laws, which are contrary to the modern spirit of enlightenment and violate the basics tenets of gender equality, are used in a misogynistic society to enable perverts to act as they please without fulfilling their moral and legal obligations; while also denying the protection of law to one of the most vulnerable sections of the society.


This case is just one more in a long running series of such unfortunate cases, which demonstrate why a uniform civil code couldn't be enforced too soon.


Therefore, the next time our government initiates a discussion on implementing the uniform civil code, please do not be swayed by unfounded and illogical arguments by minorities who claim that a law equally applicable to all citizens of India is aimed at targeting them and their long standing religious practices.
The need of the hour is to ensure that all discriminatory practices in all religions are discarded and replaced by a single legal framework, which is applicable to all without fear and favour (much like how caste based discrimination in Hinduism was abolished).


Please do bear in mind the blatant misuse of personal religious laws; and support the government in its attempt to ensure that the protection of universally accepted principles of natural justice is extended to all sections of the society.

Acche din are here

Whilst a lot of BJP detractors and people belonging to the congress's traditional vote bank might pooh-pooh the BJP governments achievements within the span of just one year, neutral observers are all very optimistic about India's growth prospects and economy.


Refer to the below article from Forbes, as per which not only is India expected to outpace China but India has also been taken off the list of Fragile Five economies by Morgan Stanley.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/kenrapoza/2015/03/11/india-growth-will-beat-china-this-year/


This is an excellent example of how fast and tangible results can be achieved if there is strong political will to strengthen the economy and the top leadership is serious about eradicating corruption, keeping in mind the overall long term interests of the country and regardless of the short term political consequences and vote bank politics.


Lets all therefore give credit to the BJP government and our honourable Prime Minister and continue to back them.

Good deals in Singapore available at deal.com

Not quite a return to blogging but just wanted to share that a site that i just discovered a couple of months back, which in my experience offers great value for money deals. The site is deal.com.sg and in the 2 months since i came across this site, i have already brought 7 products/ services through them, which is a big deal for someone like me who usually is averse to buying anything (except air tickets) online. The site is particularly good for picking up deals to visit local tourist attractions in singapore and also for short getaways to nearby locations. One major advantage it has over groupon.com, a site used and recommended by many friends, is that the number of singapore specific deals is far higher in deal.com.sg. If any of you are aware of other similar sites which you have used and been satisfied with, pls do share with me.

Cost of Living in Singapore for a single person- H1 2011 (with comparative notes to the cost of living in the UAE/ Dubai)

I moved to Singapore in Feb this year, after 5 yrs in the Middle East (Dubai) and was astounded at how expensive this place was.

Singapore being a very popular expat destination, there is a lot of information available on the internet about the cost of living (most of which was pretty accurate at the time when it was updated). The issue however is that the cost of living has escalated so steeply over the past 3 years that most of the information gets outdated within 6 months-1 year (in the case of property rentals, in just a matter of 2-3 months).
Which is why, even though I did thorough research and also spoke to a lot of people who have been residing here for years, I still got a bit of a shock after moving here.
To prevent others from being similarly shocked, I felt I ought to give a detailed picture of the cost of living (which is of course subject to the caveat that it will be outdated in a few months).

For a single person, the costs would be as follows:
1. Accommodation – The biggest killer. Shared accommodation i.e. renting one bedroom in an apartment (which by the way is legal out here, complete with a registered room rental agreement, unlike in the UAE, where such sub-letting was usually in violation of the law), would cost between SGD 600-1,000 a month, depending on the size of the room, the location (proximity to MRT stations/ Bus stops/ shops/ malls/ food courts) and whether it is in a HDB/ condominium. The rent is payable monthly.
Electricity and Water is usually included in the rent. Internet may or may not be.
The agents commission (an unavoidable expense) and the deposit both are usually half a months rent each. The rental agreement is usually for a year. Rentals for a shorter duration would typically cost more.
2. Food – SGD 300-500 per month. Lots of options, both cheap (SGD 3-5 per meal) and expensive (SGD 7 – 10 per meal). Good quality and reasonably priced North India food not widely available.
3. Commuting – SGD 80 – 100 per month. The public transportation system is very efficient and quite reasonably priced.
4. Groceries – The cost of food above covers a single person eating out everday but in case you like to stack up on snacks/ fruits/ milk/ juices etc, the cost is unlikely to exceed SGD 100 per month (maximum)
5. Internet – SGD 30 per month for a broadband connection.
6. Entertainment/ Going out – Depends entirely on the individuals idea of entertainment/ going out, but SGD 500 should suffice.
7. Miscellaneous – Miscellaneous purchases could vary from month to month and the expenses will depend entirely on the items purchased. For eg, men’s clothing is usually quite expensive here while sundries will probably not be very expensive.
8. Medical – is usually covered by the employer and so shouldn’t be an issue. Even otherwise, the public healthcare system is excellent and so medical expenses are unlikely to be high.

A note on taxes – Income is taxed in Singapore but the tax slabs are not excessive, especially at the lower salary levels. I have not checked the details but will do a post on this soon.

Savings: All said and done, the savings potential here for a single person would be slightly lower than in the UAE, assuming the job is at the same level and that the lifestyle is the same (shared accommodation, eating out, outings in moderation etc).