Ides of August for Pakistan

August, one of the longest months of the dog days of summer finally comes to sn end. This month of  has seen a new political turn in Pakistan with the ex-Cricketer and ultimate Alpha male Imran Khan becoming the Prime Minister of Pakistan, backed by its all powerful Army suspected of playing a major role behind the scene. The new Prime Minister's coronation coincided with the 30th Anniversary of the death of another all powerful Army man and President of Pakistan who once successfully persuaded the charismatic, cricket captain to reverse his decision to retire from cricket. Imran's comeback resulted in him leading Pakistan to win cricket world cup only time in history. The President was General Zia Ul Haq.

For the country it is probably " The Ides Of August". It reminds me of the August many monsoons ago when BBC broke the news ( No Breaking News, the concept was absent then) of the death of Pakistani President General Zia Ul Haq in a plane crash. A diminutive soldier but a shrewd strategist his regime would shape the politics of the subcontinent for a long time. He set the stepping stone to keep its bette noire India in check by getting his country nuclear and bleeding India in Kashmir (Punjab to some extent). He once reportedly said referring to his support to Sikh terrorism - "Keep the water boiling just enough to the right temperature, so that it doesn't spill over but simmers enough to give our enemy, aka India hard time". Hard time he did gave - So much so that he set the trend to embolden ISI to subsequently stage spectacular attack after attack, successfully protraying India over time as a weak state in the international arena.

Born in India, studied in St. Stephens, Delhi he migrated to Pakistan where he rose his way up in the Army. He was frail with a short frame, but a master strategist. He was lucky to be recruited by the British Indian Army as Officers were is shortage towards the end of the 2nd World War. 

Promotions were hard to come by. But fortune favored him after Bhutto became the PM of Pakistan. He trusted Zia whom he thought as harmless and malleable, as the later was obsequious to the Prime minister. Bhutto promoted him over others by making him the Army chief.

He used to make fun of Zia by calling him our "Monkey General" in front of foreign dignitaries alluding to the later's looks. Zia would always respond with his typical inscrutable smile, baring his teeth But these innocuous teeth would become fang with a venomous bite as soon the monkey general had his last laugh by dislodging Bhutto in a military coup and hanging him less than couple of years later.

It's said that Zia was a champion conversationalist. He would call his contemporary Indian Prime minister Morarjee Desai and flatter him by asking the formers view on benefits of drinking urine (Desai used to drink his own urine first thing in morning). Soon our first PM from Gujarat was conferred "Nishan-e- Pakistan", their highest civilian award. God knows what transpired between them but I am sure the cunning Zia didn't give Pakistan's highest award to the Prime Minister of their sworn enemy for the Desai's sermon on Urine therapy.

An alumni of St. Stephens College Delhi he once invited a delegation of its ex-students, fed them well and gave them free luxury rides across the scenic and historic sites of Pakistan. The entire team, a member of which was K Natwar Singh would heap paeans of praise about Zia's hospitality. At the same time he pushed terrorists into Punjab and Kashmir. This Pakistani general proved himself a master Jekyll and Hyde personality.

Zia was a staunch Mullah who permanently veered Pakistan towards fundamentalism. In the movie CHARLIE WILSON's WAR based on the Soviets involvement in Afghanistan actor Tom Hanks who plays the role of the Texan Congressman arrives in Pakistan and immediately proceeds to meet Zia. After meeting he asks for "Scotch on rocks", eager to unwind a long travel from United States. 

He was bluntly told that alcohol is not served in the Presidential palace and he has to shift to a hotel to have his desire fulfilled. In another scene when the Congressman asks Zia (played by Om Puri) if any legislative approval is needed to supply weapons to the Mujahideens Zia retorted " I am the Constitution and my words are the Law of the land". He sure was. Had he survived his assassination he could have hung all of Pakistan military 's top brass if he suspected them of involvement.

He allowed Pakistan as a conduit for the Americans to supply shoulder fired missiles (ironically one of the experts in firing them was Osama Bin Laden). Those weapons each costing $50000 brought down Soviet military air crafts which cost millions. The financial loss was devastating on the Soviets already toiling under a bad drought and down spiraling economy. The mighty USSR was brought to its knees so much so that during Breznev's funeral they approached Zia for a face saver. But the shrewd Zia knew on which side the tide was and kept quite. Rest we know is history.

Nothing lasts forever. The all powerful Zia's more than a decade of power came to an end as he died in a mysterious plane crash. It's rumores that KGB took him out, as a revenge on him for openly siding with America in Afghanistan imbroglio, bringing the Soviets to their knees. The truth only Allah knows. Imran should learn something from the Ides of August as he governs his turbulent nation.

Sala Katki

My uncle who just got transferred from Solapur, Maharashtra is having a hard time settling down in a small city named Jharsuguda in Western Odisha. He was complaining about the shoddy job by the plumbers, electricians and other handy men when he needed to fix something at his new residence. This wasn't so during his stint in the city in central India where the service was prompt & professional. After all, Solapur is in Maharashtra and Jharsuguda is in Odisha says it all.

He also mentioned something else - for a first timer in Western Odisha he felt some undercurrent of the feeling of being slighted and a lack of cooperation as an arrival from the coastal belt of Odisha. This is not a new phenomenon unheard of. Though I have spent sometime in Sundargarh, very much part of western Odisha, I have never felt an iota of marginalization or mistreatment by the locals. 

From my childhood I have been hearing horrendous stories of coastal Odia migrants harangued as SALA KATKIA (Sala means wife's brother, but is used in a deregatory sense as seducer of the sister of the person the slang is directed at). KATKIA is the term reserved from any one from coastal Odisha - ranging from Baliapal in Balasore district to Gajapati in old Ganjam though it derives its name from the undivided Cuttack district, the heartland of coastal Odisha.

Western Odisha folks pride themselves as broad minded, open hearted simpletons versus the crafty, cunning and calculating KATKIA BHAINAs (Bhaina, a common form of calling a brother in coastal region is used in a derogatory sense to ascribe them by the Odias from western dustricts who address their brothers as Dada).

They resent the presence of arguably the better educated Odias from coast on their land, edging the locals out of their plum, coveted jobs. A particular way the Western Odisha folks describe the migrant Coastals - BAHIR BHASA KAHICHHAN (Speak the language of Odia books which is predominantly written in Odia spoken in coastal belt vis a vis the natives who speak Sambalpuri, the prevalent local dialect), UDHAARI KHAICHAN (Champion freebie munchers when someone else pays for it). 

They won't stop ridiculing there and go on - When KATKIAs working outside get news of becoming a father they rejoice by saying - PRABHU JAGANNATHE DELE (my child is Lord Jagannath's offering), though the statement alludes to the kid being fathered by the youthful neighbor somewhere in distant costal Odisha when the husband is away working in the western part of the state.

I have a good number of SAMBALPURI friends who happen to be great guys (similar to KATKI a SAMBALPURI can be from districts ranging from Sundargarh to Kalahandi). An average western Odia Rama, Dama, Shyama (Tom, Dick, Harry) I have come across has less guile and manipulative than their average coastal counterpart, usual exceptions apply. Unscrupulous backstabbers abound in vast number and roam rampant in coast, ready to cut your nuts from your back - that's just me saying based upon my observation and experience. Some say - those coastal guys who have settled for generations in western Odisha imported characteristics of foxy cunningness brought upon the gullible natives. They may have a point.

Many Sambapuri folks are known to boast - "No Katkia Kabi (poet) can be ever be close to Gangadhar Meher", a poet of distinction from Western Odisha. Some even buy this stupid logic of Mahanadi water from Hirakud dam after churning out electricity turns less virile and contribues to the lower fertility of the agricultural land which surrounds Sambalpur, whereas the expoliting Katkias enjoy electricity at their expense.

The so called Katkias are not blameless either. They poke fun at the Sambalpuri dialect widely spoken in Western Odisha though the dialect varies, ranging its variant forms from Kalahandi to Sundargarh. (Sambalpuri is to Odia, as Bhojpuri to Hindi which can vary from Up to Bihar). They equate them to Adivasis (tribals) associated with backwardness. The region is often neglected, poverty is rampant and it is engulfed by malnutrition as most of the money sanctioned towards development is hijacked to coastal Odisha, especially the capital city of Bhubaneswar and its surrounding to be later pocketed by the Netas and Babus - again predominantly from the coastal region.

It is ironic that when there is a distinct lack of Odia identity outside the state, so much so that Odias have developed an inferiority complex of talking in Hindi and reluctant to identity themselves as Odias in Public, such linguistic laced regionalism and factional divide rules the roost. Even the soft spoken ex PM Manmohan Singh was hard on the Odia MPs who approached him for money - "Money does not grow on trees", literally uttering a transliterated Odia phrase TANKA KANA GACHHA RE PHALUCHI. I doubt he would have done same to their counterparts from Kerala, a state which sends almost the number of MPs to the Parliament. But who cares for a race with so many faultlines !!!

Blame it on Gandhi and Nehru

I have noticed it has become quite fashionable to blame all the ills plaguing India on Nehru and Mahatma Gandhi, both migrated to heavenly aboad more than 50 years ago. Some even fantasize of India being a Superpower if were not there at the helm of affairs. Hindsight is always 20/20. So blaming both is not only preposterous, often hovers at the edge of being delusional.

Let's take look at Mahatma Gandhi who was the senior of the duo and died soon after India's independence. Many from the current generation question his non violent struggle against the British, rather than leading a violent uprising. For their kind information - India was not a Nuclear power when Gandhi arrived in India from South Africa, it was an English Colony. We were not Germany or Japan - we did not have a trained military force to take on British (in fact British ruled us with the support the majority of Indians, an overwhelming majority serving the British Army were Indian recruits).

Except a few patriots like Saheed Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, Chandrasekhar Azad and Khudiram Bose who sporadically threw bombs, ambushed and killed some Englishmen, there was hardly any organized resistance to oust the British from our homeland. The Sepoy Mutiny was more of a surprise attack on the unprepared English which had some temporary and limited success. But the shrewed British successfully pitted the Punjabi Muslims against the Hindu Sepoys from the Cowbelt and Sikh mercenaries against the Muslims of Delhi whom they considered as children of the Mughals. 

The Sardars harbored hatred against the Muslims as Mughal emperors killed the Sikh Gurus after torturing them. They were also motivated by a desire to enjoy Muslims women as victory prizes of pleasure from the spoils of war. (There was this unfounded rumor amongst the Sikhs that the Muslim women were extra hot. It fueled their desire to fight for the British who nodded their approval when Sikh soldiers who like hungry, bearded lions going for a kill of hapless deers were seen taking away Muslim women as the British recaptured Delhi from the rebels in 1857).

Even it won't have been easy for Netaji Subash Bose, no doubt a great patriot to take on the might of British Army with his band of POW (Prisoners of War), especially when both Germany and Japan who backed him were on a losing wicket. So, in this context the decision taken by Mahatma Gandhi to fight for freedom was pragmatic - the right decision at the right time. (A Note to our RSS fans - the organization existed prior to our independence, but it then hardly put any dent on the British rule, via violence or otherwise).

Now lets talk about Jawaharlal Nehru, who is also dead more than half a century ago, before most of his critics were born. I am now reminded of Satyajit Ray's classic Bengali movie "AKAALER SANDHANE" (In Search of Famine) which aptly depicts the milieu during the famous Bengal famine which coincided with the World War II, close to when India got its freedom. In this scene as war planes criss crossed the blue Bengal sky a famished woman runs across the dusty, parched fields shouting at top of her voice - "UDOJAHAAJ, UDOJAHAAJ" (Airplane, Airplane).

When British and Germans were flying airplanes we were clapping and chasing those objects like mirage, ecstatic at the mere sight of them. This was when Jawaharlal Nehru became India's first Prime minister. 

Whatever flaws he had, Nehru was a free thinker with civilized views, a modern approach towards education, hated superstitions and stereotype dogmas. He was the architect of building dams, IITs and Steel plants which was much needed then to boost employment and a sagging economy. India whom British left in penury needed a dosage of socialism (post war Britain preferred Labor Party instead of their war hero Churchill for the same reason). 

An open and free market economy at that juncture arguably could have been suicidal, taking us in the path of some Latin American Banana republics now plauged with 1000% inflation. (However we should have jettisoned socialism a la the Chinese in 1970s but Nehru wasn't there at that time and his insecure daughter lacked vision to liberalize when many Asian nations did).

In this context, both Bapu Gandhi and Nehru did the right thing at the right juncture. Both had their shortcomings, but who doesn't. The current leadership could have done pretty much the same in 1947, and Gandhi and Nehru might have done it different in the year 2018 if they were alive today. History is a function of time, with an empirical formula History = function (time).  Let's move on and let both Gandhi and Nehru alone to rest in peace.

Trump plan for military parade doesn't make sense

Donald Trump dream of staging a Military Parade in Washington DC to showcase America's weapons and its military prowess only enhances my contempt for him. Glad his desire is facing some roadblocks as the DC Mayor presented a multi million dollar budget negating the veracity of such avoidable jamboree.

And I am not alone. A veteran Navy Seal who participated has dismissed this outlandish idea as a third worldish propaganda. But Mr. Trump who has a fascination for dictators fantasizes about taking a military salute a la his crush Vladimir Putin who enjoys such absurd display of tanks and missiles in Red Square of Moscow. It is sad and ironic that a US President idolizes a Russian leader and wishes to fulfil his dream before he is impeached or might as well end up as a one term President.

Such preposterous sounding farcical marches and display of military might is a regular feature in Communist countries like erstwhile Soviet Union, North Korea, unfortunately so in India and Pakistan - though unusual in US but not entirely unheard of. Last time I think George Bush senior presided over a military parade in 1991.

There is a saying in Hindi - MUCHHE WOHI RAKHTE HAI (Moustache is kept by those who have doubt about there masculinity). People with inferiority complex tend to so off. Same is applicable to persons and nation. Every one is aware of American military might. It need not be paraded on street.

Sad to say this, Trump is fast turning into a clown and America's shame. He must focus on economy which is going pretty steady, keeping its momentum. Because, like Pendulum or Georgia weather the economy can swing and vascillate take a different turn America's might stems from its economic and technical prowess. This vulgar display is just avoidable wastage of time and tax dollars.

RIP Atal jee

In early 1977 the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi suddenly called for fresh elections after her widely unpopular and controversial stint of emergency. She was ill advised by her advisors that the sudden announcement will catch the fragmented opposition unaware and ensure her win.

But it was not going happen. She was to be toppled by Janata Party, a conglomeration of Socialists and right wing Jan Sangh under an umbrella led by the legendary Jaiprakash Narayan (JP). One of the leading campaigners was a young, charismatic man who kept his audience spellbound with his rhetorics. His utterance - SINGHASAN KHALI KARO KI JANATA A RAHI HAI (Leave your seat of power, as Public is coming) drove a chord with the general public, raising goosebumps. The man was Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The Janata wave that followed swept the North of Vindyas (a mountain range) bringing the party to the power, though the South stood solidly behind AMMA (Mother) Indiramma.

Vajpayee was rewarded with the foreign ministry and did a fine job in the short lived Janata government which collapsed due to its inner contradictions. A highlight of his tenure was the initiative taken by him to normalize India's relationship with China which was in the cold storage since 1962 when the Middle Kingdom backstabbed India. However, Vajpayee's attempt ended in a fiasco as China attacked Vietnam in 1978 when he was visiting Beijing, making him to rush back cut shorting his trip.

It was a lesson Vajpayee never forgot as a pragmatic politician - that the cold and calculating Chinese should never be trusted and are a long term threat to India. The Pokhran Nuclear test in 1999 under his auspices was primarily directed to China as a deterrent against India's northern neighbor who has the advantage of having a super conventional military force.

Vajpayee almost lost in New Delhi in 1980, scraping through by a slim margin of 5000 votes as Indira Gandhi came back in power. But he failed to get elected to Lok Sabha in 1984, losing in Gwalior to the local prince Madhavrao Scindhia due to the Indira wave that followed, virtually wiping off opposition. BJP was left with two seats in Lok Sabha, its two MPs ridiculed as HUM DO, HAMARE DO (We two, ours two) - the popular family planning slogan of that time.

But under his leadership, along with L K Advani, his party BJP won 90 odd seats in 1989 - the real gainer in that election. BJP continued to rise, but the Prime Ministership eluded him until a decade in 1999 (Vajpayee was PM for a few days in 1996). He continued the economic reforms where his predecessor Narasimha Rao left off.

Under Vajpayee's leadership India's economic growth gained traction. He focused on the development of modern roads, airports etc as he realized that infrastructure development is key to India's economic growth. India was really shining. But alas, the people did not think so as they denied him a well deserved 2nd term in 2004. It yet vindicated that we are champions of rewarding mediocrity while ignoring achievers.

It was rumored (may be deliberately by Congress party) that Vajpayee ate Beef. In one of the election campaign Congress came with a slogan -

GAYA HAMARI MATA HAI
ATAL BIHARI KHATA HAI, meaning

Cow is our mother
Which Atal Bihar devours.

Congress party is known to practice soft Hindutva when it suits them. It hardly had effect as Congress was soundly defeated.

Though a Brahmin, Atal Jee loved the Waters of Scotland and non-vegetarian food of meat and fish. It created havoc in his health with high BP and cholesterol, but the recalcitrant dad won't listen to the advice of his adopted daughter (Vajapayee was a bachelor) who regularly checked on him. Yet he lived his full till 93. He was revered by Muslims for being a moderate which is difficult to imagine any modern day BJP leaders to command such respect from the minority. RIP the great poet leader.

Glass - the upcoming movie of M Night Shyamalan

M Knight Shyamalan is making his latest movie named GLASS - a sequel to his UNBREAKABLE he made several years ago. Known as one movie wonder after his movie THE SIXTH SENSE grossed over $600 million worldwide catapulting him into instant fame, the rest of which followed did not live upto the expectations of his fans and critics. His first movie set the bar too high, though his following makes SIGNS and THE VILLAGE did well in the box office.

Born in Pondycherry India Shyamalan was a toddler when his father decided to emigrate to America. An exceptionally talented film maker, he has his eerie visuals with creepy sounds in store for the unsuspecting audience, blending them into perfection like the blends of rarest Whiskies concocting Johny Walker Blue Label Scotch -  presenting the scenes in a natural yet thrilling way, presenting the cocktail to perfection.

Interestingly he isn't a typical Hollywood brat, for he shot most of the scenes of his movie in and around Philadelphia, his hometown. A typical feature from his movies - like Subhas Ghai of Bollywood fame, he choses a small but symbolic role for himself. His out of box imagination and out of the world (Signs) and out of the body (Sixth Sense) experience are enough to keep his audience spellbound. 

The scenes of the little boy in SIXTH SENSE who could see dead people whizzing past him prevented many from visiting bathroom in the middle of night at that time, including me. In another scene in a cemetery, the boy says hi to an woman standing in the crowd. She smiles back at the boy only to vanish into the thin air the next moment. Simple yet profound but scaringly eerie - the trade mark of M Night Shyamalan.

Thw man has carved his niche. One of the success stories of Indian immigrants in US, hope his latest venture GLASS stays unbreakable breaking his previous records. Good luck prodigy, you are an icon for generations to come.

The great train robberies of Odisha

The other day I read the news of a girl and her father found sleeping inside a train in Howrah sedated, long after the train arrived at station. They woke up to find themselves robbed off Rs.3.5 lakh ($5,000) worth of jewellery and whatever cash they had. They were swindled by a stranger who fed the gullible dad -daughter duo narcotics laced food.

When I grew up in Odisha, the first thing I did every morning is to throughly scan the vernacular newspapers for news from the nook and corner of the state. Every other month I stumbled across this on Odia dailies - TRAIN JATRI KU NISA KHUAI TANKARA TANKA PAISA LOOT (A Train Passenger looted of money and other valuables after being fed with intoxicants).

Armymen who used to come home on months long vacation used to be the typical victims of these great Train robberies. The poor military man often woke up sluggish long after the train arrived at the station only to discovered that he has been looted of all his possessions.

The usual modus operandi of the con - make friendship with their victims, flatter them with sweet talk, butter them with eulogies and accolades. Once they earn the confidence of their victims, serve them with sedative laced food and rob off their valuable possessions. Such incidents happened mostly in and around Cuttack station in Odisha.

Often these gullible, hapless victims are swindled off everything, including their cloths. It is not unusual to find the victims left completely naked, lucky to be left only to their underwear. Once our neighbor came back from Delhi in Nilachal Express. When he knocked his door early in the morning, his little neice tried to shoo him away - HE BHIKARI, JA JA (Hey Beggar, get outta here).

Apparently the girl couldn't recognize his uncle who was only in his LUNGI (loin cloth wrapped around waist) and bare chested. Long story short - the night before he went to sleep on the upper berth of his reserved compartment after changing itto his LUNGI, a ritual with the Odias from that generation. Post a good night of sound sleep, he woke up and yawned, came down looking for his sandals to visit to toilet. As he rubbed his eyes looking around, he discovered that Everything - his shirt, trousers, sandal and belongings were missing. To add salt to his discomfiture, his neice thought him as a beggar due to his forlorn look and outfit as he managed to reach his home in tatters.

I have travelled multiple times in long distant trains in India. On the way friendship developes with many unknowns, exchanges addresses and occasionally phone numbers takes place at end (such relationships are extremely temporary and invariably ends after getting off from the train).

But I religiously adhered to this cardinal rule - Never ever accept food from a stranger, how much friendly he or she might appear to be. When offered, I politely refuse and stay stubborn if  insisted upon. As Tom Hanks said in the iconic movie FORREST GUMP - Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get. The God always votes for you, the Devil against you, but the decisive vote always comes from you.