tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495541911214457034.comments2024-03-16T15:24:39.586+08:00Roger's PlainspeakUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495541911214457034.post-55400654733979634902012-04-17T19:41:41.279+08:002012-04-17T19:41:41.279+08:00The Lady is most probably having Narcissistic pers...The Lady is most probably having Narcissistic personality disorder that has stream from her inflated ego and her surroundings . She was created by media and business houses knowing fully of the consequence .It was expected and I am not surprised by this turn of events . Some one has rightly or wrongly said " People get the government they deserve"...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495541911214457034.post-30510293167993859622012-04-16T19:04:11.175+08:002012-04-16T19:04:11.175+08:00Brilliant. Thanks for this article. The fact is th...Brilliant. Thanks for this article. The fact is that, like another state in the South, the Bengali race has not much of options left between the two--either one set of powermongers or another of powercrazy! All this tells very badly on the character and state of the mindset of the people at large. No one has noticed that, unlike so far, with the advent of "poribartan" in Bengal, cutouts of the CM and leaders have started appearing, as is common mostly in the Southern States, notably, Tamilnadu. Even govt. ads are now appearing with photos of these people! Real "poribartan"!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495541911214457034.post-89910078512874272532010-12-27T12:35:50.616+08:002010-12-27T12:35:50.616+08:00http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Court-ove...http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Court-overlooks-weak-links-in-Binayak-Sen-case-/articleshow/7169580.cmsPrabirnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495541911214457034.post-83080886144953858712010-12-26T15:59:55.781+08:002010-12-26T15:59:55.781+08:00I have nothing against this guy. I also refuse to ...I have nothing against this guy. I also refuse to hold a candle for him. As mentioned I just don't know enough authenticated facts about the whole case and the larger issues involved.<br /><br />The rant by the groups I have alluded to in cyberspace, ever since the judgment was delivered, as well as the rather long discussions led me to check out some facts re: the case, shorn of the loud opinions, condemnations etc., Here are some:<br /><br />1. The case went on for over two years, 97 witnesses took the stand and the judgement delivered is a long and detailed one.<br />2. Sen's bail application was initially turned down by the highest court in the land and later, granted on appeal.<br /><br />3. A constant stream of fiery writings, condemnations, appeals from international celebrities and media hype has been kept up right throughout the 2 years since he was first incarcerated. I would look at some of that with a good deal of suspicion since it would clearly appear to be an ongoing blatant attempt to influence the judgment.<br /><br />4. Whether he has indeed colluded with or abetted terrorism by the Naxalites / Maoists is something I can't just comment on. I refuse to go along with pinkos, civil right activists, faux liberals etc., who are jumping around condemning the judgment. Just because they keep up a media blitz of sorts against it doesn't mean much to me. The whole matter is now before the law of the land. Sen and his camp have stated explicitly they will be appealing against it. It is possible that the judgment is correct in the main, though an appeals court might change the sentence handed out. It is possible that there has been miscarriage of justice in which case, at some stage, a higher court would overturn the verdict. It would be downright presumptuous of me to dole out summary opinions about it all, like some of these special interest groups are doing constantly.<br /><br />5. From the facts that I have come across ever since this started it seems quite clear that Sen was a long-time sympathizer of the Naxalites and possibly given his background, at least an informal ideologue of sorts. So was Narayan Sanyal possibly in a more formal way. If Sen's case is to appealed against, why can't Sanyal's be similarly reviewed?<br /><br />6. Charu Majumdar & Kanu Sanyal were ideologues of the Naxalite movement in the 60s. They had often argued subsequently that they were mere ideologues and had never condoned the violence, mayhem and murders let loose by their supporters and followers. While that issue may never ever be resolved, the resultant mayhem was all too real, visible and frightening and it is my belief that at least there was an indirect abetment if not a direct one.<br /><br />7. Social work, activism and helping the cause often become indistinguishable & blurred at some stage. Refer the 95%; 5% example in Le Carre's novel. However the 5% or 10% at times could be devastating or bad enough.Raja Mitrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08124898924586911475noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495541911214457034.post-21793336457959928712010-12-26T15:55:26.568+08:002010-12-26T15:55:26.568+08:00Arin Basu (in FB)
I do see the points you make an...Arin Basu (in FB)<br /><br />I do see the points you make and indeed they merit discussion. While we are on this, I think from what i have read consistently, Binayak Sen cannot be called a Maoist guerilla or a theorist, he has not profited from any business that has depleted forest resources or has something that may be seen as destructive to the nation or abetting terrorism in any way. He is a doctor, has been a civil liberties champion and that role brought him in touch with people who were denied their right one way or another, and he has been quite a vocal critic of the Chattisgarh government. I think his and the cases of the other two are not comparable as far as the position of the Government in this case is concerned.<br /><br />I think that the Maoist situation needs to be addressed efficiently, in a planned way, with determinism, using approaches across disciplines, much more creatively. On the other hand, punishing/silencing/marginalizing people like Binayak Sen to challenge Maoism, if that is the state's ulterior objective, is a sure recipe for disaster! And Not just for the state but for the entire nation. There is a need to think clear headed and a case to stand up for justice and reason.<br /><br />I have read comments where people remarked that he was given a chance to defend himself and there are rooms for further appeal as if that's some form of privilege as opposed to a right. I think one needs to be mindful that at the end of the day, with all it's shortcomings and problems, India is still an open democratic country, and therefore these are norms, and there will be hope for better senses to prevail. One hopes that it all ends in justice.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495541911214457034.post-53294466296359952132010-11-05T16:00:49.989+08:002010-11-05T16:00:49.989+08:00Somehow, I guess it's not right for me to talk...Somehow, I guess it's not right for me to talk about Amitabh Bachchan & SRK and not talk at all about Rajinikanth. To remedy that shortcoming, here's a little link you may want to browse.<br /><br />https://docs.google.com/document/pub?id=1KMg1qNws_I16WU05_YGQ1sfX3fZKJViGdIXwg6uskV8Raja Mitrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08124898924586911475noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495541911214457034.post-22431112260662640272010-11-03T12:48:20.577+08:002010-11-03T12:48:20.577+08:00My comments, copied & pasted from Facebook, as...My comments, copied & pasted from Facebook, as part of a thread there:<br /><br />I have never quite figured out the prime causes for the age-old trait, specially in Tamil Nadu, of elevating film personalities to leading political figures and office-bearers. Whenever I have checked with any of my Tamil friends, whether in India or outside, they have expressed complete scorn & disgust with the political process in Tamil Nadu. My best guess is that large-sections of the urban and the educated middle-class have just decided that they are not even interested in voting, leaving the path clear for those who vote in large numbers to elevate their screen icons & idols to political luminaries, heading the state and initiating all kinds of populist measures to keep their primary electorate happy. (e.g. rice & idli giveaways etc.,). Had it not been for his continuing overwhelming popularity & the megabucks he still would be raking in every time a movie of his is released, Rajinikanth in all probability would have become the C.M. of the state by now, sweeping aside the Jayalalithas & the Karunanidhis at least initially.<br /><br />Barring the period with NTR, Andhraites seem to have steered clear of that path and the Kannadigas & Mallus have never quite fallen for it. In fact the Mallus are a real pragmatic lot and have alternated the Communists and the Congress over the years, keeping both parties on their toes to an extent. Meanwhile, the Mallus have spread out all over India and all over the world in fact in their pursuit of basic economic goals and the good life. The number of Mallus who have gone to the 'gelf' over the years is now widely talked about. In fact, though I don't have ready figures, the no. of Mallus in N. America & Europe will be significant and certainly among the top 3 ethnic Indian communities resident in any one country in these regions.<br /><br />Getting back to Bollywood, it closely rivals Indian politics in many ways. Sleazy money from dubious origins, lack of standards and organizations, family connections and links with certain powerful figures and financiers predominating over intrinsic merit or talent, deep-seated ethnic and communal divides (which everyone keeps denying in public) and the classic casting couch route to fame and stardom still rule the roost.<br /><br />What is doubly pathetic according to me is that after all this, almost everything that is churned out by Bollywood or by the numerous channels are shameless plagiarizations of movies from the N. American or European regions or of popular TV programmes, serials or reality shows. In most cases, even while attempting to do a straight lift (without giving credit in many cases), the concerned producers, directors, scriptwriters and actors manage to screw up the end product merrily.<br /><br />3 Idiots was refreshing and enjoyable indeed though I believe movies like that from the Bollywood (or Kollywood or Tollywood) stable are few and far between. What amazes me though is that a nation of 1.2 billion people, which loses no opportunity of boasting about its rich and distinctive cultural traditions, should be so bereft of ideas and creativity when it comes to churning out popular entertainment end-products for the masses so to speak.Raja Mitrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08124898924586911475noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495541911214457034.post-26650289749029464102010-11-02T18:40:13.158+08:002010-11-02T18:40:13.158+08:00This is mad. Amitabh Bachan is one of the greatest...This is mad. Amitabh Bachan is one of the greatest actors India has produced & loved by millions. King Khan has lakhs of fans all over the world. If he was such a bad actor can he be at the top for so long? You are either stupid or playing pranks by writing such crap.Bachan The Greatestnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495541911214457034.post-47807765715278959902010-11-01T01:55:34.609+08:002010-11-01T01:55:34.609+08:00General standards of Bollywood are way below those...General standards of Bollywood are way below those of Hollywood's. While the big studios of Hollywood have grown into large corporations managed the way most corporations are, Bollywood remains chaotic, unorganized and rather sleazy on many occasions. Other than the large Indian diasapora all over North America, Europe and the Middle-East, who watches most of Bollywood's movies in any case.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495541911214457034.post-79191929320349504382010-09-11T01:01:03.602+08:002010-09-11T01:01:03.602+08:00Having been ruled by the Mughals and then the Brit...Having been ruled by the Mughals and then the British for hundreds of years, feudal systems and master-slave relationships are deeply ingrained in the Indian psyche. Once the feudal systems and the rulers who enforced it went away, icons from any sphere of life, celebrities and superstars became the new masters, mistresses, kings and queens who have to be larger than life and near perfect.Dark Horsenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495541911214457034.post-59212583684927411052010-09-10T19:26:48.174+08:002010-09-10T19:26:48.174+08:00By Rakesh Yadav - from Facebook
A balanced analys...By Rakesh Yadav - from Facebook<br /><br />A balanced analysis about worshipping of icons in India in proper perspective.<br /><br />Have to add - 1)As the number of films by Ray which were below average was a minute proportion ..no big deal in lack of mention about them in biographies.<br />2)Personal dalliances (universally common features among all icons or otherwise ) do not go well with indian middle class literary mindset and would tend to overshadow the intellectual genius of Ray .So biographers can be sympathised without major loss of objectivity.<br />3)Plagiarism is omnipresent in the creative world....inspirations galore all around.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495541911214457034.post-6200687351266747942010-06-07T22:46:01.722+08:002010-06-07T22:46:01.722+08:00I agree with Sen's comments. A lot of people, ...I agree with Sen's comments. A lot of people, including you, seem to have mostly written off Mamata Banerjee and theTMC, even before they have had a chance to govern and show how good or bad they are. Since they have swept a number of elections, it is clear that most people now are willing to give them a chance and see what they can do.Commie Scourgenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495541911214457034.post-1261176215805843152010-06-07T21:39:28.914+08:002010-06-07T21:39:28.914+08:00If you believe that mumbo-jumbo about shared decis...If you believe that mumbo-jumbo about shared decision making and collective responsibility, I can't help but comment on your naivete. The CPM would have ceased to be in power long ago had it not projected Jyoti Basu, time and time again, as the C.M. And as far as the Politburo is concerned, Promode Dasgupta initially and later Jyoti Basu called the shots mostly as far as affairs of the State were concerned, with the others reduced to the status of yes-men. This isn't merely my fanciful thinking. Enough documentation exists to confirm this as a fact. Try as they might, even though inner-party democracy may be an alien concept to the Communists, the goings-on in the Politburo do leak out from time to time despite strenuous efforts to keep them hermetically sealed.<br /><br />This post is over two years old and the second part of your comments possibly pertain to my most recent post on the topic. As I mentioned, when the state of affairs have reached their nadir, the only way is up. In a democratic set-up, despite its many shortcomings, the majority decides periodically who they want to entrust the reigns of power to. If they had expected it to be worse, possibly the people would not have even taken such a step. Since she and her party haven't had their chance to manage the affairs of the state yet, prejudging how they will fare, sounds very much like the confusion and the panic that the Communists would like to propagate to cling on to power at all costs.Raja Mitrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07546839236793154021noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495541911214457034.post-44473720862305383402010-06-07T08:48:55.373+08:002010-06-07T08:48:55.373+08:00Hi, It seems you are wrong at the basic premise it...Hi, It seems you are wrong at the basic premise itself. CPM is not a party where an individual party member decides the strategies and policies. Every decision from appointing a VC to giving a PWD contract is taken not from the Writers Building but from the Alimuddin street. It is not a party that runs on individual star power unlike most of the parties in India. The party is very disciplined in structure and aberrations are not tolerated.<br /><br />Whatever Mr Buddhadev has done earlier may not be good from an idealistic point of view (and whats your problem in that, I did not get either, you are not marrying your daughter to him) but that seemed good for him as he gained more responsibilities within his party and now he is the CM of the state.<br /><br />But alas, when he tried to do something really good for the state we are booting him out and bringing in his place a schizophrenic, whimsical lady running a party of thugs. A change is necessary in Bengal but nobody expects it to be for the worse.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06333389060896091396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495541911214457034.post-80142655365498044082010-06-05T23:45:28.261+08:002010-06-05T23:45:28.261+08:00The people of Bengal must be real fools to have le...The people of Bengal must be real fools to have let the Communists rule for so long and screw their happiness. Bengalis should admit they are among India's big idiots.Sancho Panzanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495541911214457034.post-29253341322673849382010-06-05T20:06:57.437+08:002010-06-05T20:06:57.437+08:00Max Nazareth on FB .......
Agree that growing dise...Max Nazareth on FB .......<br />Agree that growing disenchantment with the Left Front is responsible. I hold no illusions about Mamta Bannerjee - she is NOT going to surround herself with the right set of advisors and lend them her ears consistently.<br />Think you should include Congress and "Others" in your table for the sake of completeness.<br /><br />My reply..........<br />At the time I compiled these figures, major news channels (TOI, NDTV) were primarily reporting the TMC & Left Front figs. I guess they left one to arrive at the Cong, BJP & Others figs. by subtracting the TMC & LF figures from the total. The total for Kolkata Municipal Corp. I believe is 141 and the total no. of Municipalities (excl. Kol.) in W.B. for which elections were held I believe is 80.Raja Mitrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07546839236793154021noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495541911214457034.post-62928445456850423582010-06-05T20:01:42.392+08:002010-06-05T20:01:42.392+08:00I do agree that it is high time the CPM is pushed ...I do agree that it is high time the CPM is pushed out. However you are being rather too doubtful about what Didi may do once she is in power. People behave differently when in opposition compared to when in power. The CPM did the same. The TMC ran the Kolkata M.C. for one full term and did a much better job than the CPM had done for many years before that.R Sennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495541911214457034.post-7780910535535857552010-06-05T01:32:04.050+08:002010-06-05T01:32:04.050+08:00Well said. You paint the true picture which the me...Well said. You paint the true picture which the media seldom does. Bengal has been down in the dumps for too long. Hopefully it will turn around in the future.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495541911214457034.post-35801099446893114652010-06-03T08:22:54.702+08:002010-06-03T08:22:54.702+08:00A picture is worth a thousand words as they say. G...A picture is worth a thousand words as they say. Given the multifaceted personality that Shashi Tharoor undoubtedly is, I felt that that just one pic wouldn't quite do justice to his colourful persona.Raja Mitrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07546839236793154021noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495541911214457034.post-21301158608464117272010-06-02T08:45:13.888+08:002010-06-02T08:45:13.888+08:00any particular reason for publishing so many tharo...any particular reason for publishing so many tharoor pics?Mimi Senhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17382064438369055345noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495541911214457034.post-3604122864573880362010-05-31T13:10:20.644+08:002010-05-31T13:10:20.644+08:00A somewhat related topic and discussions on that t...A somewhat related topic and discussions on that topic may be viewed by visiting the link below:<br /><br />https://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0ATmAg05ZIz9TZGM1dDcyY2RfMTEwY204a2g2Zmc&hl=en<br /><br />Debashis Mukherjee said on FB ........<br /><br />IMHO, the quintessential resident urban Bong (born & brought up in Kol or other cities, if any, of W.B.) suffers from a Koop Manduk (frog in the well) syndrome -- having been brainwashed from infancy into believing that Bongs are cerebrally & culturally superior and Kol is the only culturally evolved city in India. Probasi Bongs know better.Raja Mitrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07546839236793154021noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495541911214457034.post-59781454626794335132010-05-31T01:17:03.848+08:002010-05-31T01:17:03.848+08:00Bengal was the capital of India during the British...Bengal was the capital of India during the British. Bengalis were more liberal and progressive than possibly any other community during the British Raj. It started going downhill steadily after the Left Front came to power. Today, after over 30 years of Left Front misrule, many other states have overtaken W. Bengal in many respects.Proud Bengalinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495541911214457034.post-16215835064796962952010-05-31T01:09:59.789+08:002010-05-31T01:09:59.789+08:00Some comments on Facebook:
Sanjiv Banerjee:actuall...Some comments on Facebook:<br />Sanjiv Banerjee:actually the bengalis are quite similar to a lot of southern european people. Lives in the past, averse to physical enterprise and politically bankrupt. take spain ruled the oceans at one point thought themselves to be very clever and polished got landed with Franco and got pushed into the dark ages. then tried to get rich on the back of a property boom and has now ended up with 20% unemployment as opposed t0 6 and 7% in the UK and Germany respectively<br /><br />Koushik Mitra:I think the biggest problem Bongs have is the "Loke ki bolbe?" syndrome. More prevalant in resident-Bongs than NRI -Bongs.<br /><br />Amitav Ghosh, outlines some typical characteristics of Bongs and Calcuttans in his delightful novel, 'The Sea of Poppies'.Raja Mitrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07546839236793154021noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495541911214457034.post-34214403214424178752010-05-28T14:35:43.009+08:002010-05-28T14:35:43.009+08:00@Sudipto - I guess the Bangal / Ghoti debate as we...@Sudipto - I guess the Bangal / Ghoti debate as well as the resident / non-resident Bong divides are like two sides of the same coin. Just goes to show I guess that people are influenced and shaped by their social and cultural environs. As long as that is distinctly different they possibly develop different traits even though their ancestral roots and native language may be the same.<br /><br />The English & Bengali medium school division is one based on material & economic lines, I would think. Barring exceptions who switched over to an English medium institution after studying in a Bengali medium school, the race to get one's son or daughter admitted to an English medium school was and even today is all about at least partially ensuring that he or she can go on to get a good education subsequently and then get on to a decent, reasonably well-paying job at least. In fact, exceptions from Bengali medium schools who switched over to an English medium institution subsequently and went on to a well-paying job merely reinforced that stereotype. The division therefore is primarily an economic one with resultant fallouts in terms of social status and standing. Hence the disdain shown generally by kids studying in English medium or 'missionary' schools towards their less-fortunate and handicapped counterparts in Bengali medium schools, triggering anger and envy in the latter group.<br /><br />@Anonymous : Perhaps it could lead to a more rational discussion if you could specify what exactly that I may have said is making you angry and why. <br />To answer your query I am happy to be an Indian and a Bengali and wouldn't quite want it any other way.Raja Mitrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07546839236793154021noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495541911214457034.post-40649900979663076862010-05-28T12:15:23.581+08:002010-05-28T12:15:23.581+08:00As a Bengali you should feel ashamed making commen...As a Bengali you should feel ashamed making comments like that about your community. Any proud sensible Bengali would feel disgusted to have you as a member of the community.<br /><br />According to you, maybe Punjabis, Gujaratis and others are superior to Bengalis. Why don't you try and see whether any of them would accept you as a member of their community?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com