A few fruits of the tree they planted and nurtured also fall on their soil too. Why would that become rubbish on their soil and genuine grievance when it falls on Indian soil? Vijaya Kumar
I remember the one and only article I read a long time ago by this writer was when Mr Srinivasan experienced a goddess alighting on a tree. (If my memory doesn't fail me, it was in Times of India) This was at the height of the hoary Hindutva days of the BJP in ascendance. I have not been able to trust his judgement since. Now that the Briton's have woken up, I wish he would wake up too....
Though not a supporter of Pakistan or ISI, I tend to diagree with the logic (or rather complete absence of it) in Mr. Srinivasan's thoughts. If just for the sake of arguments we believe that ISI got hold of a couple of naive 'sleepers' (Eritrean, a Somalian and an Ethiopian) suffused with Islamic angst and engineered a copycat suicide bomber attack, but gave them explosives that would not explode, just the presence of these non-Pakistani sleeper cells in UK proves Mr. Srinivasans logic wrong. What for example will happen if Al Qaida operators get hold of these sleepers and give them real explosives. So, in a way Pakistan's ambassador is right when she says "It's much more mixed up than people think. What you're seeing is something very lethal and it has nothing to do with ethnicity." It's a totally different matter that it seems that this Islamic angst is much more amongst youths with Pakistani origin that makes them more prone to end up being the grass root level workers who does the dirty job on behalf of Al Qaida leaders.
One has to admire the well orchestrated way that the entire Pakistani nation responds to such events. How cleverly they are able to flatly deny any involvement and claim innocence and claim leadership in the fight against terror, extremism, fundamentalism, etc etc. It is really amazing. And they keep on going ahead with their madrassas, cruise missiles, kashmiri militancy and all their other activities as before.
I read Shree Rajeev's article with great keen interest. I am moved by his knowledge on international affairs, especially, the way he has given out reference from different news pieces. However, may be because of my incompetency of understanding international politics or may be because of the Indian's ISI trauma, I could not understand what point Rajeev jee was trying to make. Till the last full stop I kept on reading that may be he would pass a solid evidence of Pakistani involvement in 7/7 attacks but he kept on changing the coarse his article and ended up with Ayodha and Americans. Sorry, but a confusing piece.
Once again we have RS at his very best at Mussie bashing. These articles for good measure are incomplete without including the Christians too on some other frivolous and imagined hurt but he was frothing at the mouth elsewhere this time.
I cannot imagine what your problem in life has been maybe as a youngster. Maybe you were traumatised and have still not come out of the hurt. I find it totally offensive that any 'sane' person could go on attacking a total community as bad from top to the bottom. It is like saying that all of us Hindus are crazy judging by your state of mind as portrayed in your articles. There are sane voices everywhere RS. Even at the height of passion on 9/11 George Bush made a separation of those loonies who profaned a great religion vis a vis the regular Muslims. That I believe is the secular mind-set. From London two there were two notable comments if you cared to report it one the mayor who said something like this is not about a perverted religious belief or a ideology but Mass Murder or another Lawyer injured in the blast who said he Pitied (like all fundamentalist out to be pitied) those misguided people who were doing this.
RE:A Leopard cannot change its spots!
by Srinivas on Sep 01, 2005 11:42 PM Permalink
I seriously need to understand where the majotiry Hindu "extremists" are targeting not only muslims but also Sikha and Christians!!! Gujarat was unfortunate but all the guys who wrote on the Sangh parivar about terrorism can you please tell me where they are going around killing people? Let us talk facts.
On Christians, they retaliate due to focred conversions. On the muslims they resent the populist and hypcritical standards by politicians.
I am amazed how you talk about Hindu extremists just as you hear the communists and Congress speaking without any foundations...
A Leopard cannot change its spots!
by Ruxak on Aug 19, 2005 04:42 PM Permalink
It takes two to tango Varun! That is why for what is happening in India I blame more our Hindu misguided Sangh Parivarites for the needless and unfounded provocative acts against not only the Muslims but also the other minorities like the Christians and Sikhs who are not as troublesome. While it may be expected of the Muslim extremists it is not so with Hindus who are expected to be sober and civilised.
On deeper thoughts I'd say the Fundamentalists of all religions be they the Klu Klux Klan or the Taliban or the Sangh Parivar will only operate and behave in one blood-thirsty way. God help us from all these Fundamentalists who hate humans on flimsy grounds and blame it on religion.
RE:A Leopard cannot change its spots!
by Varun Shekhar on Aug 17, 2005 07:17 PM Permalink
Ruxak, India has faced infinitely more terror than the US or UK, but it has not received coverage! And considering Pakistan is a major source of that terror, columinists like Rajeev are right to bring up the connection, and point out the breathtaking hypocrisy of the UK and its media. You are making a very false comparison between the pronouncements of George Bush and/or Tony Blair and Rajeev. It's easy for them to say what they are saying because they haven't expereinced one-one hundredth of the terror India has. The equivalent would be day-to-day killings in the US and UK by terrorists, not something one-shot like "9/11" or "7/7".
RE:A Leopard cannot change its spots!
by Varun Shekhar on Aug 23, 2005 09:09 PM Permalink
What does "two to tango" have to do with anything? Is the RSS or VHP responsible for provoking terrorists in Kashmir? You evaded my point about unequivalent environments. Let the US or UK face a severe Kashmir-like insurgency on their own soil, then watch the response of their governments. media and citenzry.
RE:A Leopard cannot change its spots!
by Vijai on Aug 23, 2005 10:11 PM Permalink
Well Ruxak, I do agree with you on Sangh Parivar. But, when it comes to your view on 'Rajeev' I believe we need some like him.Guyz like 'Rajeev' give you a different perspective than what we think.I don't know if you are an Indian or not, but if you aren't, then let me say that whether you agree or not, the fact is that the hands of Westerns' are smeared with blood of innocent people.Once you were the terrorists of World.& no matter what you do now, that history will not change.Can you disagree that there still exists racists in West?The current generation of India(once including me) was/is all blind thinking that US & UK is all that 'goodie goodie' thing that your media picturizes the West.It was not until 9/11 & articles such as these we come to know the fact.& we doesn't believe in them blindly.We have our own common sense to figure it out. Coming back to Sanghparivar, such kinds of groups exists in every kind of community.Infact in our country, I believe that they are needed(though I myself don't like them).Our Hindu(s) from ages has become too liberal, that today there exists only Hindus who holds the true identity of Hinduism.The fact how are festivals are celebrated show it
