Aum

Saturday, October 11, 2008

DIFFERENT THINGS MOTIVATE DIFFERENT PEOPLE

DIFFERENT THINGS MOTIVATE DIFFERENT PEOPLE
Internal motivation comes from within, such as pride, a sense of
achievement, responsibility and belief.

There was a young boy who used to come for regular practice but always
played in the reserves and never made it to the soccer eleven. While he
was practicing, his father used to sit at the far end, waiting for him.
The matches had started and for four days, he didn't show up for
practice or the quarter or semifinals. All of a sudden he showed up for
the finals, went to the coach and said, "Coach, you have always kept me
in the reserves and never let me play in the finals. But today, please
let me play."

The coach said, "Son, I'm sorry, I can't let you. There are better
players than you and besides, it is the finals, the reputation of the
school is at stake and I cannot take a chance." The boy pleaded, "Coach,
I promise I will not let you down. I beg of you, please let me play."
The coach had never seen the boy plead like this before. He said, "OK,
son, go, play. But remember, I am going against my better judgment and
the reputation of the school is at stake. Don't let me down." The game
started and the boy played like a house on fire. Every time he got the
ball, he Shot a goal. Needless to say, he was the best player and the
star of the game. His team had a spectacular win. When the game
finished, the coach went up to him and said, "Son, how could I have been
so wrong in my life. I have never seen you play like this before. What
happened?

How did you play so well?" The boy replied, "Coach, my father is
watching me today."

The coach turned around and looked at the place where the boy's father
used to sit. There was no one there. He said, "Son, your father used to
sit there when you came for practice, but I don't see anyone there
today." The boy replied, "Coach, there is something I never told you. My
father was blind. Just four days ago, he died. Today is the first day he
is watching me from above."

Internal Motivation

Internal motivation is the inner gratification, not for success or
winning, but for the Fulfillment that comes from having done it. It is a
feeling of accomplishment, rather than just achieving a goal.

Terrorist

What are you doing?" I asked Anwar.

"What do you mean?" he said.

"Abe ye Jamia me ye rally karne ki kya zaroorat hai? Kyon?" I said. (What is the need for organising a rally in Jamia Milia Islamia?) "You don't understand. This sends very wrong signal, please for God's sake don't do this."

Anwar lost his cool and shouted back. "What do you mean?" He said providing legal aid was a fundamental right, how could I object to that.

"Look no sane person can object to that but these are not times to expect sanity from any one when nobody knows where bomb will explode and if we all will return home safe," I said.

The argument went on and on and it got heated to a point that I thought maybe I would lose a friend. Anwar and I were together in JNU in late 80s and since then we have been like family. We have had very strong and sometimes very diverse views but arguments and debate between us have never threatened to undermine our time-tested relationship.

During the argument I realised that we were not mentioning the real reason for both of us getting irritated. I probably wanted to say that there is something wrong with Muslims, you always explode bombs and he probably wanted to say that the state apparatus and media is dominated by the Hindus, who always think Muslims are terrorists and they should be taught a lesson, and that is why innocent Muslims are always targeted in the name of terrorism.

This was strange, as we both have a history of fighting all kinds of fanaticism and fundamentalism together. We both have been very vocal and explicit in our attack on these forces. So what was this? It was beyond my comprehension. I got an answer this morning when I read an article by senior journalist and legendry editor M J Akbar.

He said very subtly what Anwar wanted to say but could not. Let me clarify I have always had great respect for M J, and still do. He is one of the most modern and understanding editors India has produced. But today while reading his piece in TOI I had a feeling that there is lot of similarity in his written words and Shah Imam Bukhari's verbal outburst?

I was really at loss. I was looking for answers. Is there anything wrong with my thought process? Have I changed? Am I the same person who had opposed Hindu communalism and their anti-Muslim ideology? Why am I doubting the credentials of my dear friend Anwar and learned scholar like M J?

During my thought I was reminded of noted poet and film writer Javed Akhtar, who during a TV debate rebuked one of my very competent anchors Sandeep Choudhary, that his question is communal in nature. I don't exactly remember the question but it was related to Muslims and their identity. Then I wrote a strong piece in a Hindi magazine and raised the question why Arif Mohammad Khan had to lose a battle to Sayed Shahabuddin in late 80s and early 90s? Why does it happen that V P Singh asks Arif Mohammad Khan not to visit Allahabad from where he was contesting Lok Sabha election in 1988, but Shahabuddin was welcome?

Surprisingly I got strong support from Javed Akhtar's one-time good friend Salim Khan. He wrote a piece in Dainik Bhaskar quoting me and my article and very carefully agreeing with some of my arguments. I have no problem in admitting that for some time I have been thinking that time has come when the Muslim as a community need to introspect and analyse and try to ask themselves - has something gone wrong somewhere? Why is it that from Nairoi to Dar-a-salaam, from Indonesia to Sudan, from Madrid to Manhattan, from Kabul to Kashmir, from Chechnya to China their identity is being perceived as somebody who explodes bombs? I know what risk I am running by writing these lines. I know a few will immediately jump up and will say, "look wasn't I was saying Ashutosh practises communalism in the garb of secularism? Now his true message is out." But I don't care.

The bigger question is does the community care why one of the most gifted minds of the 20th century Salman Rushdie can't breathe in fresh air and Tasleema Nasreen can't live in peace even under one of the most secular regimes this country has seen? Why do Lalu Prasad Yadav and Mulayam Singh Yadav have to rationalise the lifting of ban on SIMI? Why does it happen that when Maulana Madni of Deoband organises an anti-terrorism rally at Ramleela Maidan and openly condemns terrorism, Urdu press is out to tear him apart?

One can raise the question that fanatics are in every religion. I do agree but there is a difference. If there is a strong fanatic Hindu voice, there is an equal or may be more forceful anti-fanatic and liberal voice. Christianity has long back lost a critical battle that religion is good only in the private sphere, it has no business to get into political domain. There is nobody in Hinduism and in Christianity called Abul Ala Maududi who claims that Islam is a revolutionary doctrine and system that overthrows governments.

It is this so-called radical Islam or political Islam which is creating problems for their own community and society at large. But irony is there is no VOCAL forceful anti-radical Islam or anti political-Islam voice, neither in India nor outside. Majority of sane and liberal voice is keeping quiet, or if not so, then not making enough noise to be heard by its own community.

Fareed Zakaria writes in his latest book Post American World, "Muslim World is also modernising, though more slowly than the rest, and there are those who try to become leaders in rebellion against it. Reactionaries in the world of Islam are more numerous and extreme than those in other cultures - that world does have its dysfunctions. But they remain a tiny minority of the world's billion-plus Muslims."

I agree that people like Maududi are a tiny minority otherwise I would not have friends like Anwar and Sazid and Arfin etc but unfortunately they let these tiny minority to rule the rest. It is the silence of the overwhelming majority which is a worrying factor and now this silence has started developing into a very complicated complex. It is the result of this complex that a police encounter in Jamia Nagar becomes a rallying point for the Muslim intelligentsia to assert their Muslim identity. My question is why an encounter is construed as an attack on Muslim community? Police encounter is nothing new, be it real, fake or staged. It happens every day. Why when somebody called Atif Ameen is killed it becomes an issue why not when Keval Nandu is killed there is rally in Jamia and at Jantar Mantar?

Do I need to tell M J Akbar that police do shoot themselves to make a fake encounter look real? Rajbeer, Daya Nayak and Pradeep Sharma did not become hero by doing real shootings they became hero by killing captive ones. Mohan Chandra Sharma was also no saint. But why M J needs to indicate that M C Sharma might be a victim of a "friendly fire" when encounter happens in Jamia Nagar? My question is - Is he reacting as Muslim or as a responsible citizen of this country? And the same question is to my dear friend Anwar too?

It is not my assumption but firm belief that both the gentlemen are not reacting like citizens. And their words have lot of resonance in what common Muslim is saying on the streets of Jamia Nagar and also in Sarai Meer, Azamgarh. Probably there it is more clearly articulated. It is openly said that in the name of countering terrorism, innocent Muslims are butchered. Earlier this resonance was not there. The line is blurring.

Does it mean that in Indian context, liberal space within Muslims is shrinking? My answer is a big NO. Then why such reactions? I call it little-boy-syndrome - a boy who is repeatedly being accused of something which he has not done, then out of sheer frustration he develops a kind of stubbornness and readily admits, "Yes I did that. What will you do?"

Since Taliban took over Afghanistan and emergence of al-Qaeda and Osama Bin Laden, the identity of a liberal Muslim is seriously under threat. They are constantly being watched. Their name evokes a very demeaning stare, be it New York or New Delhi. They all know they are not part of this madness; they don't approve either the bomb mentality or the conspiracy theories that Hindu, Jews, Christians or India, Israel, America are out to finish Islam. But what can they do? They are helpless. And out of this helplessness is born the involuntary reaction which is more of a reflex in nature, raising question on an encounter which would have been praised otherwise.

Anwar, my dear, as a very fine mind you need to get out of this little-boy-syndrome because if you become prisoner of this siege mentality of Maududi and Sayed Qutb and Osama and Jawahiri there is no future for a religion which always teaches peace and forgiveness. Time has come to make sane majority voice powerful and loud enough to frighten tiny minority. And if it does not happen then you, M J and I too will be villains of history and forces like Hindu fundamentalists will be ruling this country.

How Unity

This is very interesting. You know the Latin Catholic will not enter to Syrian catholic church, these two will not enter to Marthoma church, these three will not enter to penthacost church, these four will not enter to Salvation army church, these five will not enter to 7th day Adventist church, these six will not enter to orthodox church, these seven will not enter to Jacobite church, …..like this there are 146 castes in Kerala alone for Christianity, each will never share their churches for Christians ! Wonderful One Christ, One Bible, One Jehova….What a unity !

Among Muslims, Shia and Sunni kill each other in all the Muslim countries. The religious riot in Muslim countries is always between these two. The Shia will not go to Sunni mosque, these two will not go to Ahamadiya mosque, these three will not go to Sufi mosque, these four will not go to Mujahiddin mosque….like this it appears there are 13 castes in among Muslims, Killing / bombing/conquering/ massacring/… each other ! The American attack to the Muslim land of Iraq is fully supported by all the Muslim countries surrounding Iraq ! One Allah, One Quran, One Nebi….! Great unity !

For Hindus 1280 books, 10,000 commentaries, more than one lakh sub commentaries for these foundation books, 330 million gods, variety of aacharas, thousands of Rishies, hundreds of languages,…still everyone goes to the SAME TEMPLE…whether unity is for Hindus or in others and never quarreled each other for the last ten thousand years in the name of religion

Marxists and the Missionaries

Marxists and the Missionaries

The relationship between the Church and the CPI(M) in Kerala has reached an all-time low, with the Christian leadership reaching out to the Sangh for help. VR Jayaraj reports--

The Marxists and the Christian church in Kerala have never been good friends. They have forged transient friendships at times, when the situation suited them both, as had happened in 2006, leading to an arrangement which helped the CPI(M) take the Left Democratic Front (LDF) to a stunning victory in the Assembly elections. But on most other occasions, the two have remained foes.

This hostility has now reached a flashpoint, with the Church formally declaring its programme to isolate Leftists from even the smallest parish committees. Meanwhile, a 'shameless' CPI(M) is carrying out a pathetic effort to win Christian support with the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections in mind.

An unenthused Church, on the other hand, seems to prefer talking to the Sangh Parivar and Hindu sanyasis to re-establish religious bonhomie, to trusting Marxist promises. This has served as a huge setback to the poll plans devised by CPI(M)'s Kerala secretary Pinarayi Vijayan.

Vijayan had seen the anti-Christian violence in Orissa and southern Karnataka as an excellent opportunity to woo the Church in Kerala by raising pro-minority slogans. Naturally, the Marxist slogans were directed against the Sangh Parivar. Vijayan declared that the Communists alone had stood for minority rights. But the Christian clergy was not convinced. Former Archbishop Mar Joseph Powathil made this amply clear when he said that the indirect attacks (by the Marxists) in Kerala were far more dangerous than the direct attacks in Orissa.

Immediately after that, the Church took the initiative to hold a meeting between Christian heads and Sangh Parivar delegates and Hindu sanyasis to search for ways to re-establish religious harmony in Kerala and elsewhere in the backdrop of the Orissa-Karnataka incidents and the recent attacks on two churches near the Kochi international airport. Shaken by this, CPI(M) State secretary Vijayan confined his dismay to just one sentence: "Some priests are trying to whitewash the Sangh Parivar."

The Church and Marxists have had a love-hate relationship for more than 50 years. Almost always, the bone of contention has been the role of Christians in the education sector. The clergy has always claimed that Kerala "would not have been where it is now" if the Christians had not taken the pains to impart education to the Malayalees. And while for superficial purposes, the Communists agree with this point of view, Prof Joseph Mundassery, the Education Minister of the Namboodiripad Government, had other ideas in 1957. His Education Reforms Bill took away many of the powers of the Church over the educational institutions it ran. The reforms were "sweeping", and there was no way the Church could agree to this.

That was when the Church launched the famous Liberation Struggle with the help of upper caste Hindu Nairs with alleged "American funding". The Congress's young generation then found an opportunity, and the students jumped into the political whirlpool. That Liberation Struggle helped groom people like Defence Minister AK Antony, Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi and former Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy. The struggle ended in violence, deaths and churned out a lot of historical lessons, but the Church lost absolute control over its educational institutions. That marked the start of the enmity between the Communists and Church.

The present round of battle between the CPI(M) and the Church has its roots in the LDF Government's -- more specifically CPI(M) Central Committee member and State Education Minister MA Baby's -- move to rein in the self-financing professional colleges, where the Church is a big player. A 2006 act to this effect found its way to various courts and Baby, a loyal follower of Vijayan in his neo-liberalist Marxist perspectives, faced a series of setbacks on the matter since then. Baby, who reportedly likes to be called "Second Mundassery", has made the situation so bad that other CPI(M) leaders have decided to leave the education sector alone.

Baby did not stop with the 2006 Act. He and Local Administration Minister Paloli Muhammad Kutty, another CPI(M) Central Committee member, joined hands to bring all Government-aided management schools under the control of local administration bodies which led to a stiff and immediate resistance from the Church. To complicate matters, the upper caste Hindu Nairs and Muslims -- both of whom had interests in the school sector -- formed an alliance against the move saying this was intended at "atheistisation" of the education sector. The Government tried to offer several explanations, but nothing worked. The clergy called for a holy war against the atheists, and individual Christian dioceses and parishes decided to keep the Communists away from all Church bodies. Thrissur Archbishop Mar Andrews Thazhath, known for his acid tongue and compelling oratory, even threatened a second Liberation Struggle.

Still, Baby would not stop. He refashioned the Social Science textbook for Class VII on the pedagogic model devised by Brazilian Paulo Freire. This invited further religious wrath even as the Christians, Muslims, Hindus and the CPI(M)'s political opponents found signs of Communist propaganda and atheism in the textbook. The struggle launched to demand the textbook's withdrawal is yet to end.

Perhaps the first major embarrassment the Church faced from the current bunch of Marxists came not from Baby, but from Pinarayi Vijayan himself, who made a controversial statement in an unguarded moment. The statement pertained to a dispute about whether the (late) party MLA Mathai Chacko, a "settler-Christian" who represented the Thiruvambady constituency, had received Anointment of the Sick, a religious rite, before he died of cancer. Chacko was not given a Christian funeral at a church cemetery: the Marxist party bought some land and buried him there in a clever move to develop it into a vote-churning memorial amid the colonies of Christian settlers of Thiruvamady.

Almost a year after Chacko's death, Mar Paul Chittilappally, Bishop of the Thamarassery diocese, under which Thiruvambady came, exploded a political bomb saying that the MLA had died after receiving Anointment of the Sick. The Marxist party took this as an affront, an effort to throw mud over the memory of the soul of a puritan Marxist -- a sworn materialist all through his life. Pinarayi Vijayan, at a public function, said that Mar Chittilappally, who had tried to spread "lies" about Mathai Chacko, was a "disgusting creature".Naturally, the Church was offended. This harmed Vijayan's reputation among the prelates, with whom he had stood in very difficult times when the Church-run Divine Retreat Centre at Thrissur was facing several criminal cases, including charges of murder and rape.

Vijayan had several occasions to recant, but his ego would not allow that. The CPI(M), as a disciplined party, stood behind him even as the different Christian dioceses of Kerala held Faith Protection Rallies against the party. Vijayan continued to justify what he had said about Mar Chittilappally, smug in the knowledge that an election was more than two years away. Now, with parliamentary elections coming, Vijayan is trying to woo back the Church.

These developments helped the Church heads consolidate their position among the believers, who had in the beginning been a little suspicious of the ways of the priests. For, there was a time when the laity had complaints against the priests, who were allegedly enjoying the high life with the money of the poor. There were even suspicions that the clergy was holding protests against the Government just to protect their financial interests. Now, the anti-Church actions of the Marxists have led to a situation where the faithful have lost their suspicions to a great extent.

With the elections round the corner, the CPI(M) finds itself trapped in one of the worst situations in its history. The upper caste Hindu votes, which the party had always won through carefully designed strategies, are not assured this time thanks to the administrative confusion the Government has created in the case of all big temples. There is no guarantee that the Muslims would vote for the LDF en masse as they had done in the 2006 Assembly polls, despite efforts to woo them through gimmicks like the move to implement the Sachar Committee recommendations.

The farmers are a disillusioned lot due to the inefficiency of the Government in the sector. The opposition from Dalits and backward classes is immense due to the Government's anti-poor stand on land issues.

The common people, who do not attach much importance to the Cross, the Trident or the Crescent Moon, are totally opposed to the Government for hiking the price of every essential commodity and service: power, bus, taxi/ auto, water, rice and milk, to name a few.

There is also much discontent and concern among the working classes due to the CPI(M)'s pro-liberal stand on issues like Special Economic Zones. In such a situation, the compulsion is huge on the CPI(M) to somehow bring the Church back to its fold.

It was in this context that Vijayan had begun to play the anti-Sangh Parivar card and condemn the attacks against Christians in Orissa and Karnataka. The attack on two churches near Kochi international airport on the night of September 20 had come as a 'godsend' for the CPI(M) in such a situation. Vijayan was quick to accuse the Sangh Parivar of having a role in the attack. But before a week was out, the Church let it be known that it was not interested in being friends with the Marxists. Instead, it sent an invite to the Sangh Parivar and the heads of Hindu ashrams to sit together to discuss ways to re-establish religious harmony.

They all agreed on the most important point: that religious conversions through force and temptation were the basic reason for the current hatred between the communities.

There ended the Marxist dream of cashing on the Hindu-Christian conflicts.

Our Women

Our Women

There is no chance for the welfare of the world unless the condition of women is improved. It is not possible for a bird to fly on only one wing.

To me Mother's grace is a hundred thousand times more valuable than Father's. Mother's grace, Mother's blessings are all paramount to me.

I know that the race that produced Sita - even if it only dreamt of her - has a reverence for woman that is unmatched on earth. Sita is the name in India for everything that is good, pure and holy - everything that in women we call womanly. Sita never returned injury. Try to be Sita.

Our woman are not learned, but they are more pure. To every woman every man, save her husband, should be her son. To every man every woman, save his own wife, should be as his mother.

Just as centres have to be started for men, so also centres have to be started for teaching women. The uplift of the women, the awakening of the massess, must come first, and then only can any real good about for the country, for India.
Women must be put in a position to solve their problems in their own way. No one can or ought to do this for them. And our Indian women are as capable of doing it as any in the world.

Along with other things, our women should acquire the spirit of valour and heroism. In the present day, it has become necessary for them also to learn self defence. See, how grand was the Queen of Jhansi!

Who are you to solve women's problems? Are you the Lord God, that you should rule over every widow and every woman? Hands off! They will solve their own problems.

__._,_.___

Dhule riots: 1 Hindu burnt alive, 4 Hindu women gang raped!

October 8, 2008

Ashwin Shudha Navami

Police ask unarmed citizens to fight against armed Muslims!

Police who could not bring riots under control even after 2 days, were going round in Hindu dominated areas in the morning and advising them to sit at home, later in the afternoon, they advised them to gather in the chowks so that they would be able to give a fight as Muslims were likely to attack again. (Police shirking from their responsibility and leaving Hindus to die – Editor)

Dear Hindus, In the rule of Congress Hindus, Hindu Saints and Hindu leaders are attacked. Hindus sentiments are hurt on the issues like Amarnath Pilgrim, Ram Setu etc. For these we should start praying and chanting for 10 minutes not only for the defeat of Congress in the coming election but also to destroy anti-Hindu and anti-nation Congress, Communist, anti-Hindus and pseudo Hindus.

Updates

Dhule riots: 1 Hindu burnt alive, 4 Hindu women gang raped!

October 8, 2008

Ashwin Shuddha Navami

Dhule: Peace is yet to be established in Dhule even after 48 hours. Most of the Hindus are still under terror and staying awake in the night to protect themselves from attacks by fanatic Muslims. In ‘Veet-bhatti’ area, ‘jihadi’ Muslims burnt alive a Hindu leading to increasing tension in the area. (Hindus! You have to see members of your brethren burnt alive by jihadi Muslims only because of impotent Government. How long are you going to tolerate such oppression? Muslim cruelty did not spare even policemen in Bhiwandi. Therefore, time has now come to repeat valiant history of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and squash such jihadi attacks – editor).

Muslims were pelting stones at Hindus by climbing on the mosque in Gawalipada. Police had to fire rounds in air to bring them down. Police have confiscated one Indica car, full of weapons/ ammunition, from Malegaon Road whereas they have captured a truck carrying swords on Sakhali Road. (There is no need to explain the ownership of the vehicles. Police should find out the source of this supply and take stringent action against the concerned – Editor). Rumours are spread in city and people are scared. Administration has appealed to ignore such rumours.

Work related to taking stock of loss incurred in the riots has been started by the Administration. (It won’t be a surprise if Administartion favours Muslims as usual – Editor). In Ner village, although there are only 11 houses of Muslims, curfew has been imposed for their protection. Shri. Kadambande, NCP MLA, accompanying Shri. R R Patil, the Home Minister in his flying visit, did not later visited riot affected areas even once. (Hindus should not elect such MLAs in the next election, who do not have time to even visit affected areas. Getting help in difficult times from such elected representatives is impossible – Editor).

4 Hindu women raped by fanatic Muslims!

3 young women from Gajanan Society and another woman were raped by fanatic Muslims. (Before independence, Mughal invaders had oppressed Hindu women in similar way. Now after independence, history is repeated in the regime of Congress. It is the outcome of pro-Muslim policies of the Government. Hindus must realise that such Government will never protect them and should get together to defend themselves – Editor). In Shantinagar area, Hindus have started collective ‘aarati’ on the occasion of Navaratri.

Source: Daily Sanatan Prabhat

Dhule Riots continue from last 2 days

October 7, 2008

Ashwin Shudha Ashtami

Helpless police Police could not control riots for 2 days;

Indicates sorry state of law and order situation in the State!

Such fires were set up at many places in Dhule

Police fire tear-gas

Road after stone throwing incidents

Dhule (Maharashtra): Riots, started by Muslims on 5th October in Dhule, first with pelting of stones at the banner put up by Hindu Rakshak Samiti, were pre-planned and were still going on even on the following day. Curfew has been imposed in the city and additional police force has been called for; however, due to lack of planning and management, police have failed to control the riots even on the second day. The situation was ok during the night; but riots spread to neighbouring small villages like Nagaon, Vani, Amboli etc. Muslims also attacked houses of Hindus in Ambikanagar in the city.

Despite curfew, Muslims set on fire ‘Bhadak Chawl’ and ‘Pinjari Chawl’ occupied by Hindus. The Muslims spreading riots were behaving like terrorists and they were dressed in attire, worn by them in madarassas. Police reached the scene after 5 hours. Muslims attacked Hindu colony in Gajanan Nagar with stones brought by them in handcarts. They carried out explosions with gas cylinders in about 50 Hindu houses and set the houses on fire. The above information was given by Shri. Kailash Mistry from Navanath Nagar. As the news about Muslim attacks spread, Hindus from Santoshimata Colony went back home and locked their doors. (This means that Hindus do not feel safe. Has the Government deserted Hindus? – Editor). During the riots, enraged Hindus demolished one durgah and overnight, constructed a temple of Lord Shiva.

Responses

Shri. Sunil Mahale, NCP Corporator: Muslims have never attacked Hindus with such malice. This was a pre-planned attack.

Shri. Sunil Mistry, Gajanan Nagar: Our colony was destroyed by Muslims. Police came at 6.00 in the evening. Even the Police Superintendent was scared to visit our area. Santosh Ghiradkar, one of the residents of the colony was caught in the house. He had closed the door. Muslims came and tried to open the door but they could not open it; so they moved on. They were talking about killing every Hindu sighted by them. They were carrying sharp swords. Santosh said that only with God’s grace, he survived. No help was coming fom anyone till dawn.

Shri. Prakash Patil, a riot-stricken citizen: Muslims carried two two-wheelers owned by my uncle to his house and set them on fire. Due to the explosion, the house was caught with fire. Muslims who were friendly with us and we used to invite them in celebration of our festivals, betrayed us. (Now at least Hindus will realise that Muslims are not their friends. They can’t live happily with any Muslim. This has again proved. So now at least Hindus should prepare to retaliate any attack from their enemies.)

Miss Vaishali Shegaokar, a riot-affected citizen: Muslims forcefully entered our house and broke our TV set. They were trying to pull us out of our house but we, somehow, managed to lock us up in the house and were in such state for 5 hours.

Shri. Vishal Kanjarekar, Egg-shaped Garden, Devpur: Muslims were demonic and very cruel. They were attacking Hindus with full force. We stayed awake the whole night. There were attempts to attack our colony but we were united and saved as police reached on time.

Memorandum to CM and District Collector

‘Hindu Janajagruti Samiti’ and ‘Shraddhavardhan and Dharma-raksha Samiti’ have sent a memorandum to the State Chief Minister (CM) and District Collector. It has been mentioned in the memorandum that “Hindu Rakshak Samiti (HRS) had planned to hold a meeting in a democratic manner; but Muslims started riots by tearing the banners put up by HRS and raising slogans hailing Islam. We strongly condemn all these incidents and demand compensation from the Government. Also, stringent action may be taken against Sabir Shaikh Bhangarwala and other offenders. At Achalpur, Chopda and Raver, Muslims attack with full preparation and cause damage to Hindu people and property. Why does the Government sit tight and do nothing? When Muslims are preparing to start riots, what does the Administration and Police do? They should have control over such preparations. The Government should have a separate machinery to tackle the problem and protect Hindus. The Government should train Hindu Organization in self-defence and take help of such trained youth during riots to bring situation under control.”

Home Minister's Visit : rubbing salt on wounds of Hindus

Shri. R R Patil, Home Minister paid a flying visit to the city that resulted in soring the wounds of Hindus as he completed a formality of paying a visit to the affcted areas without even getting down from his car. He stopped in a Hindu dominated area for a very short while and immediately rushed to Muslim colonies. (Riots were started by Muslims and Hindus had to bear the brunt; even then the Home Minister could not waste an opportunity to woo Muslims. Hindus need not expect that such Home Minister would protect them – Editor). Shri. Rohidas Patil, Congress MLA and Shri. Rajvardhan Kadambande, NCP MLA paid a visit during the riots.

Source: Daily Sanatan Prabhat

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Obana on Gandhi jayanti

Date: Sun, 5 Oct 2008 23:21:21 -0400
From: president.sangam@gmail.com
Subject: Barack Obama's letter on Gandhi Jayanti

Hello,

I would like to share with you the letter sent by Barack Obama, Presidental Candidate for the upcoming elections, on Gandhi Jayanti (occasion of Mahatma Gandhi's birthday).

October 2, 2008

Gandhi Service Day

Dear Friends,

It's a pleasure for me to join today in commemorating Mahatma Gandhi's day of

birth, celebrated across America and around the world by service to our neighbors and

other good works. Gandhi's commitment to creating positive change by bringing people

together peacefully to demand it resonate as strongly today as they did during his

lifetime. Through the power of his example and his own unshakeable spirit, he inspired a

people to resist oppression, sparking a revolution that freed a nation from colonial rule.

In formulating his strategy to achieve freedom, Gandhi had a choice, and he chose

courage over fear.

America faces many choices as we work to address the challenges of our time.

We must act from a place of strength and conviction to reclaim the high road and position

of moral leadership that has defined the United States at its best.

Gandhi's significance is universal. Countless people around the world have been

touched by his spirit and example – his victory in turn inspired a generation of young

Americans to peacefully wipe out a system of overt oppression that had endured for a

century, and more recently led to velvet revolutions in Eastern Europe and extinguished

apartheid in South Africa. Nelson Mandela, the Dalai Lama and Dr. Martin Luther King,

Jr., spoke of their great debt to Gandhi. His portrait hangs in my office to remind me that

real change will not come from Washington - it will come when the people, united, bring

it to Washington.

This is a pivotal election. This is our time for change. For far too long, we've

watched as ordinary Americans work harder and harder for less and less. We've watched

our standing in the world erode as we continue to lose American lives in a war that

should've never been authorized and never been waged. I need you to stand up and work

for change. Let us all rededicate ourselves, every day from now until November 4th, and

beyond, to living Gandhi's call to be the change we wish to see in the world.

Sincerely,

Barack Obama

To see the statement: http://obama.3cdn.net/c2cb668ba7addfe9ab_xhm6b5vp3.pdf

Sincerely,

Jimit Shah
President
Sangam - Indian Students Association
(321) 460 - 2128

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