Coca-Cola, Pepsi pull out ads from news channels (ET)
NEW DELHI: Two of the biggest Indian advertisers, Coca-Cola and Pepsi, have pulled out their ads of all news channels around the world, including India. These two mega-advertisers are not willing to associate their brands with something as sensitive as a war.
Australia declareds Waugh on India (Forward)
Saturday, March 22, 2003
"Let those who have no weapons suffer sorrow."
(R'cha Veda 4:5:14.)
yachchhatu indra vajrantava sanghaaya shva bhaaratasya
naashyatu varun'a sarvaashaa asmaakam anaaryavairiin'aam
gatisantum kaapi vipadasu sarvadevaa sanghasya sarvadaa
pratixan'am pratinimesham pratilavam prativedham pratitrutim.
do not ask for translations.
ps: I guess you can get away with murder if you write it in sanskrit. ^_!
(R'cha Veda 4:5:14.)
yachchhatu indra vajrantava sanghaaya shva bhaaratasya
naashyatu varun'a sarvaashaa asmaakam anaaryavairiin'aam
gatisantum kaapi vipadasu sarvadevaa sanghasya sarvadaa
pratixan'am pratinimesham pratilavam prativedham pratitrutim.
do not ask for translations.
ps: I guess you can get away with murder if you write it in sanskrit. ^_!
Friday, March 21, 2003
Thursday, March 20, 2003
how human are soldiers?
Sukanya sent me this nice article that took the focus totally off the war ahead and concentrated on the minute worries that the soldiers try to think about so that the impending war doesn't psyche them. Regiment rivalries, camaraderie, a sense of family and belonging in the armed forces, competing with allied forces, and so on.
These make the soldiers almost look like they are having fun on the beach, playing volleyball in the sand. Makes people forget the grim reality of war and look at other things that the army brings. It's an opiate, really. In stark contrast, Japanese Samurai meditated on the thought of death in battle everyday, accepting it as an eventuality, so that when it came, they would be prepared for it.
Now, I know it sounds stupid, but I think the Japanese had a point there. Saddam is fighting with children as young as 10 years old on his side, reminiscent of the Hitlerjugend, when 14 year old children manned anti-air guns in Berlin. The allies at that time did not know that they were shooting at children. Today, pictures of tots with Kalashnikovs are splashed over the papers in Singapore.
Will the GIs kill children? i don't know. They will have to, because the poor little kid has had his childhood fantasy come terrifyingly true. He has the chance to be a hero, though unsung. People, the war has begun. Scenes of unprecedented human suffering are bound to appear on media, after all, that's how these people make their living. Watch Discovery instead. Advaita advices taking matters of great importance that you have no control over as lightly as possible.
Thanks, Suku. It made me reflect on a while on our own jawans in the valley. Now I imagine them enjoying a joke, teasing a newly married comrade about his wife, telling stories from their villages. Maybe it isn't all that bad for them. [sigh...who am i kidding?]
Sukanya sent me this nice article that took the focus totally off the war ahead and concentrated on the minute worries that the soldiers try to think about so that the impending war doesn't psyche them. Regiment rivalries, camaraderie, a sense of family and belonging in the armed forces, competing with allied forces, and so on.
These make the soldiers almost look like they are having fun on the beach, playing volleyball in the sand. Makes people forget the grim reality of war and look at other things that the army brings. It's an opiate, really. In stark contrast, Japanese Samurai meditated on the thought of death in battle everyday, accepting it as an eventuality, so that when it came, they would be prepared for it.
Now, I know it sounds stupid, but I think the Japanese had a point there. Saddam is fighting with children as young as 10 years old on his side, reminiscent of the Hitlerjugend, when 14 year old children manned anti-air guns in Berlin. The allies at that time did not know that they were shooting at children. Today, pictures of tots with Kalashnikovs are splashed over the papers in Singapore.
Will the GIs kill children? i don't know. They will have to, because the poor little kid has had his childhood fantasy come terrifyingly true. He has the chance to be a hero, though unsung. People, the war has begun. Scenes of unprecedented human suffering are bound to appear on media, after all, that's how these people make their living. Watch Discovery instead. Advaita advices taking matters of great importance that you have no control over as lightly as possible.
Thanks, Suku. It made me reflect on a while on our own jawans in the valley. Now I imagine them enjoying a joke, teasing a newly married comrade about his wife, telling stories from their villages. Maybe it isn't all that bad for them. [sigh...who am i kidding?]
Wednesday, March 19, 2003
I had this conversation with the Dude two days back, and I decided to post it then but hadn't found time. Anyway, it was Tarang, and NTU was taking on NUS in a cultural. Now this cultural is a purely Chennai funda wherein different different institutions compete for honour in creative, artistic fields. NTU thrashed NUS in all but the Western Music event where Levee lead singer Rajesh, formerly Taklya, stole the show with 'Highway to Hell', quite well deserved.
NTU had won both the Dance competition and the Indian Music competition, but a considerable number of Indians in the audience were ruffled, disgruntled. The dance was performed for a Tamil song, and all the three songs in the Indian music section were Tamil. Nevertheless, I was happy that NTU had won and NUS folks with their "We are so cool and sexy" attitudes had been put down. It's that tribal. Last year there was almost a catfight after NUS won the Dance competition and the NUS lead dancer went onstage and mocked the NTU dance. It was later that the Dude told me that someone had passed some comment to the effect, "Mein yahan Indian cultural programme dekhne aya tha. Ye kya bakwas baja rahen hain yeh log?"
Mera matha thanka.
The Dude was trying to justify the remark by saying that cultural demographics in NTU were quite different from those in Delhi or elsewhere in North India, and hence some people did not feel at home. In my opinion, however, people from South India have to face a different cultural demographic in NTU than they are used to in Chennai or most other places in South India. The fact was that no one wanted to go and practice singing a Hindi or a Punjabi song and hence there weren't any Hindi songs sung. I mean, NUS had a Tamil song and a lovely Hindi jugalbandi which was quite enjoyed by the crowd but was not very popular with the judges. So the question to be raised is, is the adoption of North Indian culture as the (un)official culture of India causing an aversion in North Indians towards other cultures, even cultures from other parts of India?
An interesting thought experiment came about as a result of the discussion. There are many Scandinavian students in NTU. Norwegians mostly. I wagered the Dude that one of the people who had passed the comment was more likely to go to a Norwegian cultural programme than go to an Indian cultural programme which would be dominated by non-Hindi songs. The Dude agreed with me.
Do you agree with me? Are there people around you too who are like this?
NTU had won both the Dance competition and the Indian Music competition, but a considerable number of Indians in the audience were ruffled, disgruntled. The dance was performed for a Tamil song, and all the three songs in the Indian music section were Tamil. Nevertheless, I was happy that NTU had won and NUS folks with their "We are so cool and sexy" attitudes had been put down. It's that tribal. Last year there was almost a catfight after NUS won the Dance competition and the NUS lead dancer went onstage and mocked the NTU dance. It was later that the Dude told me that someone had passed some comment to the effect, "Mein yahan Indian cultural programme dekhne aya tha. Ye kya bakwas baja rahen hain yeh log?"
Mera matha thanka.
The Dude was trying to justify the remark by saying that cultural demographics in NTU were quite different from those in Delhi or elsewhere in North India, and hence some people did not feel at home. In my opinion, however, people from South India have to face a different cultural demographic in NTU than they are used to in Chennai or most other places in South India. The fact was that no one wanted to go and practice singing a Hindi or a Punjabi song and hence there weren't any Hindi songs sung. I mean, NUS had a Tamil song and a lovely Hindi jugalbandi which was quite enjoyed by the crowd but was not very popular with the judges. So the question to be raised is, is the adoption of North Indian culture as the (un)official culture of India causing an aversion in North Indians towards other cultures, even cultures from other parts of India?
An interesting thought experiment came about as a result of the discussion. There are many Scandinavian students in NTU. Norwegians mostly. I wagered the Dude that one of the people who had passed the comment was more likely to go to a Norwegian cultural programme than go to an Indian cultural programme which would be dominated by non-Hindi songs. The Dude agreed with me.
Do you agree with me? Are there people around you too who are like this?
Sunday, March 16, 2003
O Lotus eyed one, I wish to drink some water.
If you will give it, I do not want it from you;
But if you will not, then I shall drink it.
This modified haiku is what you could call an Indian koan. It also has a casteist undertone when translated into Sanskrit. Somethings are both ugly and beautiful. It just depends on how you look at it, or in this case, how you break the sandhi.
For Yazad, the Sanskr't version.
paan'iyam paatumichchhaami tvatta: kamalalochane.
yadi daasyasi nechchhaami na daasyasi pibaamyaham..
Glossary:
paan'iyam: water
paatum: to drink
ichchhaami: i wish
tvat: from you
kamala: lotus
lochana: eye
yadi: if
daasyasi: (you) will give
daasi: servant woman
asi: is/are
na: no
pibaami: drink
aham: I
If you will give it, I do not want it from you;
But if you will not, then I shall drink it.
This modified haiku is what you could call an Indian koan. It also has a casteist undertone when translated into Sanskrit. Somethings are both ugly and beautiful. It just depends on how you look at it, or in this case, how you break the sandhi.
For Yazad, the Sanskr't version.
paan'iyam paatumichchhaami tvatta: kamalalochane.
yadi daasyasi nechchhaami na daasyasi pibaamyaham..
Glossary:
paan'iyam: water
paatum: to drink
ichchhaami: i wish
tvat: from you
kamala: lotus
lochana: eye
yadi: if
daasyasi: (you) will give
daasi: servant woman
asi: is/are
na: no
pibaami: drink
aham: I
'... I want you to fight Nazism without arms. I would like you to lay down the arms you have as being useless for saving you or humanity. You will invite Herr Hitler and Signor Mussolini to take what they want of the countries you call your possessions. Let them take possession of your beautiful island, with your many beautiful buildings. You will give all these but neither your souls, nor your minds. If these gentlemen choose to occupy your homes, you will vacate them. If they do not give you free passage out, you will allow yourself, man, woman and child, to be slaughtered, but you will refuse to owe allegiance to them... I am telling His Excellency the Viceroy that my services are at the disposal of His Majesty's Government, should they consider them of any practical use in advancing the object of my appeal.'
(Stanley Wolpert's Jinnah of Pakistan, pp. 187-188 as cited on page 144 of Chapter I of Constitutional Law of India, Supplement to Third Edition, 1988, written and published by H M Seervai, a giant in the field of constitutional history.)
What a bastard.
(Stanley Wolpert's Jinnah of Pakistan, pp. 187-188 as cited on page 144 of Chapter I of Constitutional Law of India, Supplement to Third Edition, 1988, written and published by H M Seervai, a giant in the field of constitutional history.)
What a bastard.
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