Obama's Inauguration

1. Speech:
Bottom Line: Not inspiring enough to meet the high expectations set by his acceptance speech. The “Yes We CAN” flavour was missing.

2. Oath Taking:
Unimpressive because of the fumble - for which the oath giver is to be blamed. He spoke long string of words which were not easy to repeat.

3. Overall Ceremony:
WOW! Americans do have a sense of drama. Good entertainment. Kept us glued to the TV. I wonder if even Pakistanis & Sri Lankans would have watched their 1st daynight ODI of this series!!!

Indian Woman Taken To US Without Mumbai Police Knowledge?

PTI has reported that Uddaiya, the woman who saw the 26/11 Mumbai terrorists arrive in city was whisked away to US without apparent knowledge of Mumbai police! I say apparent because the news item of Gulf News (January 16 2009, page 29) implies the same - when Uddaiya is reported to have said that she lied to Mumbai police after she returned from US about her whereabouts for last few days.

This news item begs a few questions. Can a key witness to India's biggest terror attack ever, be taken away by some people (US agents or not) and Indian police (Mumbai police in this case) is unaware of it?

Common sense says that it is much much difficult to whisk away a well known person without the knowledge of security people than for an unknown face to merge into mainstream of Mumbai's teaming population.

So if Mumbai police could really let it's key witness be whisked away to a foreign land without it's knowledge, then how prepared is it to catch the next terrorist in the city?

Somehow it is difficult to digest that Uddaiya was taken to US without full knowledge of Mumbai police. For one thing, when was her passport made?

When things don't make sense, my first instinct is to go back and question the premises themselves.

I feel this whole story is a made up one, it is made of some truths, some half truths and some falsehoods.

I refuse to believe that Mumbai police could be this incompetent. I have more respect for it.

War Does Not Solve Problems?

It's a common saying these days that 'war does not solve any problem'. It's a politically correct thing to say.

However, history is witness to Mahabharat, World War I, World War II and many other battles and wars that did solve problems. If dialog, not war is supposed to solve all problems, then why did UK, US, France not insist on having a dialog with Hitler?

Dialog can succeed only when both sides are reasonable. If one side refuses to listen to reason and wants to change the other side's views by force or terror, then war is the only last option. And there is a good possibility that it may solve the problem.

Dialog is preferred, but one can't make a sweeping statement that war does not solve any problem. Because it does, many a times.

Will 180 Days Custody Help In Prevention of Mumbai Like Terror Attacks?

I am not sure that such laws can PREVENT such terrors. To me it seems like a knee jerk reaction of politicians to pacify us, average Indian citizen. They know we are angry that such an attack could take place and these politicians are trying to show us that they are taking action as result.

If the concerned authorities had acted on observations made by fishermen (about dubious characters coming ashore), in all likelihood such carnage would not have taken place at all. And this would have happened without a law where you can be locked up for 180 days without being produced in front of a magistrate because you are a suspect!

Ours is unfortunately quite a corrupt society and it is just a matter of months before we see the authorities misusing this dangerous tool in their hands. History is witness to it.

I think before such a law is passed in the Parliament, the law makers should tell us - the average Indian citizen - why such a law is necessary. They should come out with some very solid reasons, not some flimsy excuses as eyewash.

The average Indian would like to know why such a law would have prevented the Mumbai carnage. At this point of time the average Indian thinks that such laws do not prevent terror attacks. What prevents such terror attacks is non-interference of politicians in police and security matters; and following the rule of law.

If a constable fines a wrongly parked car belonging to a minister he should not be suspended!

If an honest officer becomes a problem link in the chain of passing bribes from
bottom to top, he should not be transferred to a remote area to 'teach him a lesson'.

If some men notice and report 'funny movements' on Kargil hill, such reports are investigated properly.

The municipality sweepers should clean the roads daily and improve the chances of detecting bombs kept in public areas.

It is such mundane, routine things that all in public and private life should be doing that will reduce terror incidents.

In other words, in my opinion, we need better governance and discharging of our duties faithfully rather than draconian laws. Laws don't change mindset.

Insult To Indian Constitution Should Not Be Tolerated

People who are threatening lawyers who are bound by Indian constitution to represent the Pakistani terrorist should also be tried in the court of law for insulting Indian constitution because Indian Constitution is above all.

Indian Cricket, Miandad And Dawood Ibrahim

Indian government has again and again claimed that Dawood Ibrahim is a prime suspect in Bombay blasts. He is also known to be living on Pakistan.

Now Javed Miandad has gone ahead and established a relationship with Dawood Ibrahim.

So far, as an Indian's perspective, one can perceive it as a private issue between a proclaimed absconder (I am assuming Indian government has declared Dawood Ibrahim as one) and a cricketer who does not mind having links with a foreigner who is wanted for links to bombing in his own country.

However now that Pakistan has made Javed Miandad part of it's cricketing establishment, should the government of India allow the two countries to play cricket together?

Also, should BCCI not refuse to play with a country which has a board official which is pro-actively creating family relationship with a person who India claims to be responsible for death of hundreds of it's citizens?

Some Jealous Pakistanis?

The terrorist attack on Mumbai on 26th November 2008 is the handiwork of some Pakistanis, as per Zee TV. But why? What did they want? What did they set out to achieve when they left the shores of Karachi, if Zee TV is to be believed? What have they got by doing what they did?

Could it be an extreme case of jelousy and hatred?

While Pakistani president is going about the gulf region with a begging bowl, India is being talked about as next super economic power!

While India's satelite is circling the moon, Pakistan does not even have sufficient wheat to feed it's people!

While India is accepted as a responsible nuclear power by the world, Pakistan's nulclear hero, a crook who stole engineering drawings from his employer, is rotting in his own country!

While cricket playing countries are so eager to come to India to play cricket, they refuse to travel to Pakistan because of security reason!

Could all these and many other humiliations faced by Pakistanis, when they try to compare themselves with India in other matters rile a few of them so much that they would take the extreme step of attacking Mumbai in the manner that they did?

So far I have not been able to understand why did these terrorists do what they did.

The only thing they might have achieved is to scare some people into believing that India is not a safe place to go to. But this would be a temporary phase. India will ride over it. Unless ofcourse, these people are planning to repeat such acts all over India!

And I would not be surprised if they are planning to do exactly that.

But I have a gut feeling that this time these terrorists have bitten more than they can chew. India will not let them go this time. I have a feeling that this time Indian agencies will go after these groups like never before.

It is not a question of loss of life and material alone this time.

This time they have challenged the very being of India. This I feel, will not go unanswered. And the reply would be such, they would never have dreamt in their life.

I am sure next few months will prove my gut feelings right.