Why Advani was not expelled for praising Jinnah?

Advani praised Jinnah when he visited his tomb in June 2005 and described the founder of Pakistan as "secular" and an "ambassador of Hindu-Muslim unity". It is not my words, but from the link - http://www.telegraphindia.com/1050605/asp/nation/story_4828954.asp

So, why Advani wasn't expelled for praising Jinnah and poor Jaswant was done in? It will be one of the mysteries. Advani has shamelessly agreed to take this decision of expelling such a senior person like Jaswant whereas his praising of Jinnah was left untouched.

BJP - Bharatiya Jokers' Party. How else one can describe this national party which was considered as the best opposition for the Congress party and only alternative for a stable govt. at the centre? After Vajpayee, the only other person who was capable of holding this party's future was Pramod Mahajan. After his unfortunate death, the party started deteriorating (or decaying) and lost its way. The loss in general election was yet another step in the melt down. Unlike the Congress party, BJP totally lost it plot to stage a comeback even though it has a good mandate.

Dr.Kalam scores over SRK

So much of fuss Shah Rukh Khan is making for getting detained. Yes, he may be an icon, but he is expected to go through checking process like any other citizen. What is the problem in it? Let him know the difficulty of thousands of others who undergo such experience. Being an icon may be of help in India where our people go to the extent of sacrificing their life, but it can't be the case everywhere. After all, I don't need to believe SRK is going to wear a Gandhi cap, hoist a flag and render the anthem at Chicago. Most likely, it will be just another "party", some felicitation and loads of fun!!

How decent Dr. Abdul Kalam had been when he was done the same by Continental Airline. SRK speaks as though he hates America and feel humiliated, but can't he take a leaf out of how Dr.Kalam reacted and be matured on his reaction? If SRK had just told "if this can happen to the most talented scientific pioneer of this country, why my case has to make so much news"

The bloody TV news channels have their tongues out - they got news for another one week - from how SRK packed his suitcase to what happened after he was cleared.

This country can never change until it stops treating cine people like larger-than-life heroes

Is India free of Racism?‏

The recent attacks on Indians at Australia have brought the issue again with both the countries heavily involved in solving this.

Our news channels line up and flash pictures and videos of whatever they could get and repeat them, until they grew tired of it and get a fresh one. But honestly, does anyone think racism is happening only in Australia and not in India? It happens, in our country albeit in a different tone and manner. Let me cite few instances.

Whenever water sharing problem arises between TN and Karnataka, the same “friendly Indians” clash against each other, abuse public property and cause huge loss of time and money to everyone. Rajinikanth apologizes on what he thinks as a mild remark after his pictures are burnt and movies are stopped from being screened.

The North-East student / people were beaten and driven away at Mumbai, because Raj Thackarey and Co thinks they don’t deserve a place there.

Last, but the giant comes in the form of Government offices. The list of people seeking help after submitting forms at government offices are tested to their limit of their patience until the “officer” himself grew tired of this and “clears” the file or the well-to-do applicant “smartly” treats the officer and gets his work done. Not even one department is untouched. If you achieve what you wanted to do in one single day, in any of these below, it is a miracle

1. Property tax, water tax, Electricity Boards – Bribes are well-defined if you make a “smart” approach and still, they will make you visit their offices more than once to get your files “through”. By that time, apart from bribe amount, you would have also spent few hundreds to treat them with snacks and coffee at their canteen
2. RTO offices – Without a driving school, it is next to impossible to get a license on your own.
3. Ration shops – You need to bunk office for at least 2 full days to get some thing done. One for submitting the form and another time to collect. They will make mistakes (spelling, wrong address being printed) and ask you shamelessly to come again to correct it. And they don’t work on Saturdays!
4. Passport offices
5. Police station – At the Pazhavanthangal police station, my neighbour had a servant maid who was staying and working at their house. When she passed away due to health reasons and when the hospital declared it as an accident by mistake, we had to go to the police station to certify that her death was due to natural ailment. The police babu asked us to come one morning at 7 AM with 5 witnesses. We were asked to buy 20 A4 sized papers (because that bloody station didn’t have papers). Luckily, I had some A4 sheets at home which they used to type out the content.

Aren’t we ashamed having this and criticize another country? As long as our country is with the white clad, un-educated, rowdies in the name of political netas, it will never change. Yes, I do vote, but do I have an option to Say ‘No’ during voting? There is a form which can be filled and given. But it is not kept confidential and my life is dear to me as they will come to know with full details of the person who have said ‘No’ If the number of such ‘No’ reaches a certain number, will that politician be disqualified as he is not fit to contest?

Who will change these? The legislation has to be passed in the parliament to make this happen. But it is the same group of rowdies who are sitting there and deciding; how can we expect them to pass this legislation which will put them into difficulty?

"Aham Brahmasmi" - Better than "Jai Ho"

After so much of news about 'SM' at the global stage combined with statistics of earnings in theatres across US and the recognition for Indians (AR Rahman, Russel Pookutty and Gulzar), it is natural for every Indian to feel proud and the urge to watch the movie. But SlumDog turns out to be a Damp Squib - a simple normal logical movie with so many glitches and a background music which was a kind of normal AR music and the characterisation just on par with some of the good Hollywood / Bollywood movies. First, the marketing arm of 'SM' has to be credited for lobbying such a below par movie to be recognised at BAFTA and Oscar level. Exposing the reality about slum life is okay, but would the same director dare to show NY's downtown (or) poverty stricken African's lives with the same amount of liberty he has done in this movie?

We have to accept that AR has been recognised for some good scores he has done for movies such as Lagaan or Swades. I don't think AR / Gulzar / Rusel would have got their names mentioned if the same movies had been made by an Indian production company and an Indian director. The Pathetic state is that, well made movie like Lagaan fail to win an Oscar whereas ordinary movie like SM made the win look so easy.

Naan Kadavul - a strong script and a daring one is well made. There is no flirting by the director to project the reality; expect the worst when you sit for the movie and you will like it. Maestro has come out on the top with the background score and memorable songs; the tunes ideally suited for the situations.

Raju (Caught and Bowled) 7000 cr. But what about the obvious others?

Ramalinga Raju got into headlines and would be there till another breaking news gets caught with the media.

Yes, we do all agree that 7000 crore is a big money, worthy of investigation and need to find out the root cause of this scam. This should not certainly end up questioning the credibility of the entire Indian IT sector and must be an one-off case.

But, the puzzle here is that, there are so many other criminals in the name of corrupt politicians who are still out there with big scams against their name. They shamelessly go about like displaying a Param Vir Chakra. Their exploits in accepting bribe and getting their name mentioned is obvious to the entire India, but still, has anyone been treated like how Ramalinga Raju is being treated now?

The political scoundrels are still out at large and they would continue to do so because Indian law and order system is IMPOTENT when it comes to punishing politicians.

Human Chain in Tamilnadu (or) Children Torture?

School children who don't have any information about LTTE, proper geography of Srilanka or Tamil Eelam were made to stand hours in heavy rain. The reason for forcing them to wait since the morning - The CM was scheduled to pass by 5 PM and wave at them by sitting in his comfortable cozy vehicle without a drop of water falling on him.

Bloody hell!! The behaviour of this idiotic & irresponsible government is becoming worse day by day.

We are talking about eradicating child labour, improving child education, reducing female infanticide and providing better food at government schools; but this is the height of torture. Will the CM and his "clowns" (read Ministers) take responsibility if many of the school children took ill because of continuous standing in the rain? Grrr ...they might give 1000 Rs to each of the "affected families" (truth is even that 1000 will not reach many of the families and goes into pockets of ward counsellors, municipality)

Shame on leading newspaper like 'The Hindu' who indirectly supported this human chain with the headline 'Thousands participate despite rain'

Will the stopping of alleged killing going to stop by this human chain? How long these kind of Great Indian Political Tamasha is going to be witnessed? God can only help the Indian public from the clutches of these rotten political system.

New steps to tackle power shortage in Tamilnadu

Will the present chief minister, his cabinet minsters and past CMs, minister have the literacy to first save power at their offices and homes rather than charging the public for domestic consumption? It is agreed that the public need to be educated and disciplined for excess usage, but why not the same rule apply for politicians?

1. Why can't politicians be charged for wasting power for any political rally? (and additional charge for holding up traffic in many parts of Chennai).
2. Electricity is free for the ministers. Ok, they "govern" the state and have the "privilege" to get free electricity. But why can't a maximum consumption be levied and ask them to pay like public?

It is always public who have to pay out of their pocket while ______________ politicians (any bad adjective for the blank can be prefixed and would suit aptly) sit in their cozy couch and enjoy everything in life in the name of being "government servants" when they actually do nothing for which they get salary as well as bribe (the later much more in magnitude)

Thank God - Phelps was not born in India!

After an Indian won the first gold for the country breaking its 124 year old record (of not claiming an Olympic Gold following the principle of "Secular stand" in allowing other countries to win), a flurry of offers made. The governments of various states came out with unheard cash prize amount. Sadly, this happens every time. But none of the useless politicians think about putting the amount to better use through the champion by setting up good infrastructure for producing more winners

Good that Phelps was not born in India. He may not have won so many gold medals if he had been born here which is a different topic altogether because we never allow anyone to achieve so much fame.

I am trying to imagine what our state governments would have done if Phelps indeed won so many gold medals being an Indian. Probably,
1. Donate the entire state to his name
2. Bring the entire nation to a halt by doing a hartal that the centre rename the state to sound something like 'Phelps'

Getting to see Jeffrey Archer

Just midway through a gruelling cricket match at Pachaiappa's College (not because of the opponent, but courtesy heat), I got a call from my wife that there is a book reading session at 7 PM at landmark stores, Nungambakkam by none other than Jeffrey Archer on his latest book 'The prisoner of birth'.

We decided to somehow make it even though my limbs were slightly aching after playing in the hot sun for little over 2 hours.

We parked at a safe place and walked to the venue and true to the personality of the author, it was crowded. If we had gone by 5 PM, we would have got a comfortable seat and got to him much closer. Anyway, we cramped ourselves in the middle of two book shelves and got to see and hear him.

I had just finished his 'False impressions' and my favourite is 'Kane and Abel'. But I never knew he had such witty one-liners and amazing sense of humour. He kept the audience delighted through out his speech.

The best part according to me was when one of the audience asked about whether he follows Indian newspapers and how much he is up to date with what is happening. He said that the first 6 pages are about Bollywood and next 6 pages is about 20-20. What followed next was unexpected, but very true. He said "20-20 is not cricket. Cricket is VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid playing and defeating Australia in Australia" which received a thunderous applause.

Veerapan - Hero with Wikipedia

He may be the most notorious gangster, smuggler, kidnapper and ruthless killer, but he is not considered such a bad guy among the vanniyar klans. In fact, he has been mentioned in a very dignified way. No, No ... It is not me who is making the claim; but the interesting link of "List of Prominent Vanniyars" in Wikipedia which I came across accidentally @ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_prominent_Vanniars

Before someone picks this (definitely has to be a politician or qualifies to be one) as a controversial entry and seeks justice at Supreme court to take Veerappan's name of the "prominent" list, I captured the screen shot to preserve it. Here it is for everyone to take a look.

World's best cricketer in "Mentally Disturbed" category

Cricket is one of sports where one is bound to show emotions. It can be a batsman who is ecstatic after scoring a century, bowler who is frustrated for not getting a wicket or a fielder with a sense of joy after taking a difficult catch.

But there are exceptions. How can you describe a person who always swears at a batsman irrespective of playing the ball according to merit / hit a boundary / get beaten? There has to be some basic behavioural problem with the bowler who is not enjoying the game, but rather hell bent on abusing the batsman however well he plays.

He can be a good topic for

Psychology - study of Human behaviour

An idiot's guide to loose respect

Funny character for cartoons & caricatures

You might have guessed - it's Andrew Nel

Lee - Hesh face-off: The best and worst for Indian Tennis

Indian tennis seemed void after Ramesh Krishnan hang up his boots. Though there wasn't any olympic or grand slam propects, Ramesh Krishnan tried his best and brought few cheers whenever he played Davis Cup. The gap was plugged by Leander, who looked lot rustic and brought in a sense of patriotism to all those watched, by pumping his fist and waving the Indian flag. He looked so attached to the country.

It became more stronger when Mahesh Bhupathi also joined and the two started looking promising on the circuit. Perhaps, after Mark Woodford and Todd Woodbridge of Australia, these two seem to be the next best doubles pair in the making. Leander winning Olympic Bronze in 1996 Atlanta was a sweet surprise and it further enhanced his arsenal.

Just when these two started peaking, the dreaded ego clash came in. It is not sure who made the first wrong move, but certainly it started to affect these two as well as Indian tennis. Now, after the Asian games, it is confirmed.

At the Doha Asian games, Leander questioned Bhupathi's commitment after the first match. There wasn't any reaction from Bhupathi. After the finals, which was a thriller of sorts where Bhupathi held on to seven match points and eventually won, he remarked "I have lived with these comments and soap opera for 12 years and it's enough". Both seem to admit that they don't want to pair up again even for Beijing Olympics.

Why can't these two put their country on top and get over their ego? Everytime, when these two talk, they say that its great to play for India, et cetera. But the moment they talk about each other, one can see a visible shift in their emotion and kind of distanced feeling. The problem may not be that great as it looks from outside. It could be due to few difference of opinion. Both are matured players and have come through various ranks since they started playing tennis from their early ages. Why can't they bloody sit, talk and sort out when they have their inner soul wanting to play for India? They still have 2-3 years of active tennis left and they can achieve a lot for Indian tennis if they stick together.

Whatever they have achieved for India looked meaningless. If they think that playing for country is the top priority, then what the hell prevents them from sorting out their ego problems.

"Men in Blue" - Beaten Black & Blue

This is about the set of gifted, privileged and grossly overpaid Indian cricket team who are fast loosing their honour as well as reputation after the thrashing at South Africa.

This is not the first instance of the team comprehensively beaten. It has happened in Australia and SA before, but I have never come across such kind of repeated humiliation. I still vividly remember the Indian team touring SA for the first time (after their ban was lifted) under Azhar's captaincy in 1992. In the first test match, we got all out for 66 and 100 in the first and second innings respy. In the second and third test matches, we improved and showed some amount of resilience even though we lost the series 0-3. Following that, in the 7 ODI games, we won two and showed some character in the other 5 which we lost.

This is the first time I am seeing the team getting badly beaten; failing in all departments repeatedly. Usually, there will be one or two who will be out of form; but this time, the playing 11 always seem to be out of form.

After Ganguly's exit, when the team regrouped against ODI series Vs SL and won 6-1, emotions ran high. Dravid was praised, Chappel was hailed, Sachin was touted as 'returned to form' and all three seem to have teamed up and created the magic formula. But all that remained till England toured India. With an inexperienced side, Flintoff men drew the test series. India lost the match in one of their favourite venue - Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai when the great Sachin scored just 6 runs and got out to a nothing delivery.

The team, with highly over-rated non-performing seniors and in-experienced juniors have to get their basics right instead of advertisement contracts and look forward to 2011 world cup than building hopes

Chappel made sure Ganguly is not part of the team; but has he used the same yardstick for the so-called 'Master blaster'? With the current form of batsmen, Ganguly and Laxman certainly deserve a place and rightly recalled

Dhoom-2: Different actors, Different sentiments

Just when the movie was being released, the Coke ad starring Hrithik was telecasted during the Ind-SA ODI series. Coke has associated itself with the movie (with surrogate promotions in the movie itself) and thus hopes to increase its consumer base.

Hrithik, with cool looks and style, utters the punch line 'Coke utale, Dhoom machale'

On the other extreme, Abhishek and Aish were found worshipping at Sankat Vimochan temple amidst media news that they might get married soon.

They seem to be telling 'Dhoom macha liya, ab chup rahen'

Casino Royale - Movie with the new Bond is worth watching

I am not usually of the type to watch new movie in its first week of release. But I got some free tickets to watch the night show of the the new movie on its second day and it wasn't disappointing. Having seen quite a number of Bond movies, I was keen to know how this movie has been made. If you wish to watch, please don't miss the first 20 minute of action - stunt thought in a different way, well planned and executed.

This movie was fresh and I saw a Bond next to Sean Connery who had a good physique compared to other Bond heroes - Roger Moore who was bit old looking and Timothy / Brosnan who were soft. The stunts Craig does seem to fit his age and body physique.

The little unusual thing about the new Bond was that he was always serious and little stiff; one can see a mischevious smile - a kind of cool and casual attitude reflected in all Bond movies. Probably the story line / Ian Fleming drew his character that way. So if you get time or ticket, don't miss watching this.

Trivia I observed:

Richard Branson of Virgin Airlines is appearing in a scene as a passenger being checked at airport security. I read that the scene was cut, but I did see him in the movie although it just appears as a shot taken when the camera sweeps over the place

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The signature Bond music doesn't appear at the start, but only during the credits

On a personal note: I have just broken the shackles of keeping my blog idle for a long time and I hope to update it atleast once a week from now on :-)

Trip to one of the highest point in India - Rohtang Pass, July 2006

Note: Click on the pictures to get a bigger and better view
Short Intro …

I went for a vacation with few of my family members during the mid of July covering Delhi, Shimla, Manali, Jaipur and Agra. Our first part of the trip was to Shimla & Manali and it all went according to the plan. We didn’t have enough time in our second part i.e. to cover Jaipur & Agra extensively. We had to be satisfied to have had a glimpse of couple of palaces at Jaipur and the seeing the great Taj Mahal at Agra. We missed the Bharatpur National Sanctuary and Fatehpur Sikri. Our trip to one of India’s highest point – Rohtang Pass was unforgettable. My advice to those who wish to make a visit to these kind of places is that to visit before age catches up (before 40 is an ideal period to visit) from the perspective of energy level and enthusiasm.

We went in the middle of July and it was an off-peak season. We had booked our accommodation at Snow valley Resorts, which is located at 3 Kms uphill from Manali bus stand area. We drove from Shimla (engaging a Qualis with a knowledgeable driver) to Manali starting around 9 AM and by the time we reached the hotel, stopping in the way for lunch, snacks, tea and photo sessions, it was 9 PM in the night when we checked in. The hotel was good and little expensive, but the good part was the food. It reduced lot of effort on our side to find out a place to have our choice of food (being pure vegetarians) and we also need to be careful on the quality. The hotel served as breakfast and dinner as part of our package and the food quality and service was more than our expectation.

Day at Rohtang …

Rohtang pass is located at 14000 feet above sea level. It can be reached from Manali by 2 and half hours drive through beautiful, breath taking and some times frightening mountain curves. The mountain road has been laid well and it goes all the way up to Leh a.k.a Ladakh. The roads are maintained by BRO (Border Road Organisation) and on the way, one can see so many cautions against rash driving and they were very enjoyable to read. The intention is convey the message in a lighter way. One such example - "if you are married, divorce speed".

Coming back to the Rohtang pass visit; we started the next day morning sharp at 9 AM as advised by our driver. He seemed to be making at least 10 trips a year to Manali and so he knew the places, timing of visit and was helpful. We reached the Rohtang pass roughly after 2 and half hours drive with mini stoppage at couple of places to stretch and have some light snacks and photos. Also, we had to rent the woolen coat, hand gloves and boots to protect ourselves against the chilly conditions that will be encountering at the Rohtang pass

Horse Ride …

Even though the season was supposed to be off-peak, we saw close to at least 100 tourists when we reached the place. We then discovered that we have to travel on horseback for another 1.5 KM to see the snow clad mountain peaks and feel the glaciers. The horse ride was not very strenuous and if you are the type of person who is not comfortable doing horse riding, I have to sound a caution that there is no better option. One can walk, but the walk won’t be comfortable as the path will be slushy, rocky, little ups and downs, and only the locals would be able to. More over, as the place is located 14000 feet, tourists from tropical places will feel short of oxygen and more walking will only add to the problem (soon we will end up panting for every 20 steps). So the ideal option is to go by horse back and there should not be any worry as the horseman will accompany us and the instruction while riding the horse is simple. There are three Hindi words that one needs to listen to and follow - Hold the saddle firmly, “Seede” (sit straight), “Aage” - push your body forward when the horse is on ascent), and “Peeche” - push your body backwards when the horse goes down a slope. The horse ride costs 350 per head.

Snow and Glaciers

Once we reached the particular spot, we were thrilled to see glaciers which we can touch and feel, and at a distance, we could see the snow-clad mountain peaks (of course, it was at a distance and at much higher altitude). There was a glacier ride (a worn out tyre as converted into a seat and max of 3 can sit inside and can enjoy a ride of 100 meters at a princely sum of 25 per head). We felt on cloud 9, as the clouds kept passing through us. There are plenty of trekking options and if one has stamina to walk uphill and come back; this is a good adventurous place. But around 1 PM, the clouds started staying and sighting was becoming bit tough. I have to warn the visitors that one has to be careful not to venture too far, as it is easy to loose oneself in the clouds and there have been instances of people getting lost and never traced (as told by locals).

Conclusion …

We though we had spent enough time (close to an hour and half) and decided to return by horse back to the place we had parked our vehicle. When we started back from Rohtang pass, the driver had to use head lights as the visibility was poor. We could still see tourists coming in at that time and we felt sorry for them as they had chosen a wrong time to make their visit. The best time was to start at early morning (say even around 7 AM), reach Rohtang around 10, spend easily 3 hours and then start back. The down hill journey is again 2.5 hours and if we add the time consumed to take photos (because we wouldn’t have time during uphill), it should take 3.5 hours to reach Manali.

The only drawback is the lack of any public amenities at that place. There are so many visitors every day (we could count at least 200 by the time we came back at an off-peak season) and there is not even a toilet facility and women feel most uncomfortable. When we ask toilet, the locals said ‘Pathar ke peeche’ meaning ‘behind the rocks’ and we discovered that it was a OTS (Open Toilet System) behind those giant rocks. It was pathetic to see such a beautiful, scenic tourist spot doesn’t even have this.

Expenses

Entry Fee - 50 Rs
Horse Ride - 350
Protection Clothes – 100 per person (rent)
Basic amenities at Rohtang Pass including a first aid or rescue persons – NIL or absolute zero

Message from Himachal Lorry walas'

I had recently been on a tour of selected places in North India. On the way from Shimla to Manali, apart from the pleasant breeze throughout the drive and picteresque setting which made us frequently stop and take pictures, I came across the wonderful, universal truth written on the back of a Lorry; just above the number plate.

It was just in the nick of time I saw that and luckily I had my camera ready to shoot. If I had delayed even 2 minutes, we would have overtaken and missed this unique advice or experience.

The message is simple - "No Girlfriend, No Tension"

ICC (International Cricket Council) - Rubbish organisation filled with Racists

Sachin cannot remove the dirt in the seam of the ball, Ganguly cannot see the replay of him given out wrongly in the giant screen in Australia, Sehwag cannot appeal for a legitimate dismissal - Indian and subcontinent players have to make sure that they ask the permission of umpires, match refrees and all other delegates of ICC before doing so.

But Brian Lara can snatch the ball from umpire's hands and thus making us forget who is the official, Glenn McGrath can spit on umpire's face, Damien Martyn can say F*** *** to the umpire, Michael Slater can curse any one on the field, Allan Donald can give a mouthful of abuse - but yet, these are just frustrations.

The players from subcontinent have been the bunny of ICC and don't know why the boards of respective countries don't react when their players are treated like pigs by ICC. Every bloody bugger in ICC so far have been a racist. ICC is forgetting that the four countries in Asia are the biggest revenue generators for cricket in this world and if they stop, there will be no cricket.

It was pathetic to see Brian Lara dictating the terms on field. If Dravid had done the same, he would have been fined 200% of the match fee, 50 match ban, seizure of his passport, and freezing of his bank accounts.

Hell with ICC (Idiots Cricket Council) - run by idiots and supported by idiots.

Succumbing to CAS

Yes, finally, after much of deliberation, I broke my principle of standing against the use of the idiotic set top box and bought one last week. Only one aspect made me go for it - the return of DMK to power in TN which was earlier instrumental in Chennaiites alone suffering this disease. I felt I was missing my favourite movies, sports and channels like Discovery and National Geographic and so had to force a reversal of my ideals. Just the week before I bought (May last week), every channel was swamping with news of Rahul Mahajan and his drug case that I got so fed up with no alternate channels to watch. This just pushed me further to go for STB.

God only knows why Chennaiites (including me) were so inept and not agitate like people of North do when CAS was introduced. The recent agitation against reservation policy is a classic example of difference in the way people take up issue in the North and South. The Tamil nickname 'thayir sadam' suits us just fine.

The STB is black in colour and aptly, it will a "black box" in the history of Chennai life for ever.

Reservation Policy - Castration of Merit

The UPA government, with their "Minimum Common Program" is so desperate to remain in power and secure their future in the next Lok Sabha polls by dividing the people of India on basis of merit. It is sad to see a person of stature Dr.Manmohan Singh dancing to the tunes of Sonia and sick ministers who can't even walk and talk properly (prouncing reservation as reJervaSion), but sitting at the helm and deciding about the future of the country. It is shame for a nation to go back to the dark periods after seeing unprecedented economic growth when Dr.Manmohan was the finance minsiter.

India is going to be divided on caste basis and no wonder if upper class and OBC clash on streets one day and fight like dogs. The HRD ministry may then intervene because they will fear that if they don't protect the OBCs who are fighting, they might loose their vote banks

If the Congress and its allies believe that this is done as a justice to the dalits, they are wrong. No genuine dalit is going to get benefitted by this scheme. The "rich" dalit will continue to be richer and poor dalits will continue to be poorer.

If a backward class person doesn't have facilities to study, provide him the infrastructure. Give him a place to live, food to eat, clothes and basic amenities. But please don't compensate on the marks. Our President APJ Kalam and so many innumerable stalwarts that India has produced in various fields didn't come up in life because they used OBC quota. THEY WERE SUCCESSFUL PURELY DUE TO THEIR MERIT.

The next generation will see heaps of useless idiots in top positions in all sections of the society. Imagine few places listed below where it would be interesting to see quota based system coming into force

The top software companies in India like Infosys or Wipro conduct should pick OBC candidates who scored just 10 out of 100 marks in their recruitment test whereas they may have to reject someone who would have scored 80 out of 100 because he is from an upper class and fell short. The same rule will be applicable during interviews - OBC may not take any interview whereas upper class have to go through rigorous 5 round interview

The head of premier investigation agency CBI

The head of ISRO

The Dean of IIMS, directors of IIT and heads of institutions such as AIIMS, JIPMER, XLRI

The Chief Justice of Supreme Court

The top 3 military positions - Army General, Navy Admiral and Airforce commander

WOW! India Shining ! Let the merit based selection go to hell and these kind of reservations lead India into darkness forever and let brain drain flourish pushing the country to 50 years back where it was.