Category: India

I am Mohan Bhargava

Every little kid is often asked – who is your hero. Answer vary from their dads to Supermans to Shaktimaans to Sachin Tendulkars to Mahatama Gandhis to Bhagat Singhs and what nots. If someone asked me when I was a kid, I wouldnt have known the right answer. I dont know what a hero is. And definately not what “my hero” is.

Ask me now. I know who my hero is. I know what “my hero” means. My hero is Mohan Bhargava. And yet not many would have heard about him. He is the protagonist in the movie Swades (website, wiki, imdb, movie on youtube).


Right now I am sad. For more than one reasons. One of them being my inability to do anything for my country. One might argue why such and alieginece to the land where I was born. And why just a country? Not a continent? Or not a state. I wish I had answers. All I have right now are pangs. Guilty pangs.

I want to be “foolishly romantic”.

Mood: Depresed.
Listening to: A R Rahman’s Vande Mataram and Yeh Jo Des Hai Tera (youtube)

Update: After I posted this, I have had three people telling me that they want to do the same and they have no clue how to go about it. Now the question is, what can we do about this.

Maula Mere Lele Meri Jaan

Yet another song that I recently discovered on my iTunes and fell in love with.

This is from the movie Chak De India and if you put this in context of the movie, song is as apt as Yeh Jo Des Hai Tera from Swades.

Title: Maula Mere Lele Meri Jaan
Lyrics: Jaideep Sahni
Music: Salim-Sulaiman

(Bhiga/Tija Tera Rang Tha Main Toh – 2
Jiyaan Tere Dhang Se Main Toh, Tu Hi Tha Maula Tu Hi Aan
Maula Mere Le Le Meri Jaan – 2) – 2

Tere Sang Kheli Holi, Tere Sang Ki Diwaali
Tere Angano Ki Chhaaya, Tere Sang Saawan Aaya
Pher Le Tu Chaahe Nazarein, Chaahe Chura Lein
Laut Ke Tu Aayega Re Shart Laga Le
Bhiga/Tija Tera Rang Tha Main Toh – 2
Jiyaan Tere Dhang Se Main Toh, Tu Hi Tha Maula Tu Hi Aan
Maula Mere Le Le Meri Jaan – 2

Mitti Meri Thi Bhuri, Wahi Mere Ghi Aur Churi
Wahi Raanjhe Mere Woh Heer, Wahi Sevaiya, Wahi Khir
Tujhse Hi Ruthana Re, Tujhe Hi Manaana
Tera Mera Naata Koi Duja Na Jaana
Bhiga/Tija Tera Rang Tha Main Toh – 2
Jiyaan Tere Dhang Se Main Toh, Tu Hi Tha Maula Tu Hi Aan
Maula Mere Le Le Meri Jaan – 4

Took lyrics from HindiLyrix.com.

Elections 09 – Reults

Results of elections 09 are out. Thankfully Congress led UPA has got a clear mandate. Though no one expected this outcome but now that its the writing on the wall, this effectively means …

  1. We would have a stable govt for next five years. Unless a Black Swan happens.
  2. Left, Fourth front and other such frivolous concepts and ideologies would find no place in governance or decision making of the govt. And this means more development and investments in becoming efficient.
  3. Stage is set for Rahul Gandhi to get some much required experience in governance and policy making. He has been just talking all this while. Now is the time, over these next five years, he would hone his skills as a public servant. Obviously not at the cost of the nation.
  4. Other young parliamentarians (Sachin Pilots, Sandeep Dixits, Jyothiraditya Schindhias, Naveen Jindals of the world) would also test waters and the cabinet for the future (Elections 2014) can be groomed. Of course assuming that BJP with all their “mature” leaders would not be in reckoning in 2014.

I am glad better sense prevailed and people chose stability over regionalism. Hope UPA now performs well enough to justify our trust in them.

P.S.: I hope to play a significant role in 2014 Elections. From looks of it, I am going to support Congress. But again, let time show us the what it has kept in store.

Shaheed Bhagat Singh – 23rd Mar 1931


I have seen this video at least 100 times in last few days. What started as a joke with a colleague has turned into an obsession. Safaroshi ki tammana ab humare dil main hai, dekhna hai zor kitna baazu-e-quatil main hai. This poem, by Ram Prasad ‘Bismil’, became a clarion call during the Indian independence movement. So much so that it is still used at any anti-establishment or even anti-anti-establishment “agitation”.

Anyways, coming back to what I started ranting on, 23rd March (in 1931) is when Bhagat Singh was hanged to death (along with Sukhdev and Rajguru for murder of one J.P. Saunders*). And I, Saurabh Garg, dint even know this till I saw an update from a friend on FB. So much for my patriotism and Bhagat Singh fandom.

Bhagat Singh died at the young age of 24. If he would have lived on, he would have change the course of history. His ideas, radical they may sound, were far ahead of his times and I completely subscribe to the same. He was a very well read man even at that young age. From russian revolutionaries to poets to world leaders, he had read them all. His sense of logic was impeccable. Some of the thing he said (wrote) are just brilliant. Few got very famous (like Why I Am An Atheist and his views on marriage) but most were ignored. Both by common man and celebrated historians alike. I am in process of reading more about him and his ideas. Its a slow and a painful process.

When I was 24, I was using MBA as an excuse to waste my time and my parents hard earned money. And there was this guy who was 24 and he could think like that and he died for his country. What purpose does my life solve? Why am I even alive?

Links

BTW I write while I was reading a philosophical debate between the use of a pixel or a point while designing webpages with CSS. I still havent been able to figure out which to use. Any recommendations?

*Pity that I had to look up on wikipedia to know why Bhagat Singh was hanged to death. Sucks again !

Happy Republic Day

India became a republic on 26th January, 1950. Many congratulations to everyone on anniversary of the momentous day.

I still remember the times when I was in school and Republic day meant a holiday – spent playing cricket, a grand parade with lots of pomp and show, mandatory screening of Karma on cable TV and kite flying competitions.

BTW, NIC is doing a live webcast over at Republic Day website. And they have archives from previous years’ parades too. More on our Republic day on Wikipedia.

SRK on Mumbai Terror Attacks

IBN got this exclusive interview with SRK post attacks on Mumbai

Few highlights

1.

When I think of my loved ones now, that circle is increasing. It has not got to do with only my wife, my children and couple of friends. It is now increasing, I want to spend time with all the people I thought that I can like or love and slowly I believe this is going to make everyone in the country do the same. We are going to spread this circle of love. I think tragedy has strange sense of uniting people, so it is making me feel that I need to spend every living hour of my life with people who matter a lot.

2.

Absolutely, if you can take away any positive thing from this tragedy and have some kind of peace in your heart to be able to look at that. I think the very thing that the terrorists try to destroy is unity, secularism, the economy and just the dignity of the country. I think for the first time, we all have come to realise that that very thing has actually strengthened. The unity has got strengthened and I cannot say I am glad but I can say that if you can take away anything positive, that in itself is biggest positive. They have now given us the biggest weapon against them and we need to utilise that in the best way possible.

3.

At this point of time we are finding various areas to vent out, whether they are politicians, whether they are some services which failed, we will do all that but I just want to tell the youngsters not to let go of this frustration, anger and cynicism. Use it as a constructive, aggressive move towards bringing a change. This is a historical turning point for us which is going to bring the young people together. Ask questions and listen to the answers and if the answers are not right, ask the questions again or change the people who are giving those answers.

4.

Jihad was supposed to be propagated by the Prophet himself but unfortunately now two versions of Islam exist. There is an Islam from Allah and – I am not being anti – very unfortunately, there is an Islam from the Mullahs. I appeal to all of them to please give the youngsters, the right reading of the Quran

5.

I think fanatics have no ground stand, it is very easy to debate with fanatics because I think they are misinformed, illinformed and they have no ground stand. Any normal, educated, well brought up Indian or Pakistani can debate with a fanatic from either sides and win the debate very easily. They have no answers after a while, I am again and again saying that if you are following Allah’s words, even if you are following Gita’s words or Biblical words, there is no place anywhere which will say this.

Terror Attacks on Mumbai – Analysis

This website probably has the best unbiased analysis and implications of the terror attacks. An excerpt …

Now, step back and consider the situation the Mumbai attackers have created. First, the Indian government faces an internal political crisis driving it toward a confrontation it didn’t plan on. Second, the minimum Pakistani response to a renewed Indo-Pakistani crisis will be withdrawing forces from western Pakistan, thereby strengthening the Taliban and securing al Qaeda. Third, sufficient pressure on Pakistan’s civilian government could cause it to collapse, opening the door to a military-Islamist government — or it could see Pakistan collapse into chaos, giving Islamists security in various regions and an opportunity to reshape Pakistan. Finally, the United States’ situation in Afghanistan has now become enormously more complex.

Please read. Kudos to George Friedman over at Stratfor for wonderful analysis.