golden phoenix

Israel: surrounded but defiant On June 5, 1967, Israel was surrounded by enemies on all sides. Syria, Egypt and Jordan had launched a full scale war on Israel. Israel was all alone with no world aid forthcoming. The very future of this tiny but proud nation hung in balance. It was all alone and it was a real possibility that the entire nation of Israel might be decimated.   We all know what happened. Israel emerged victorious against all odds.   Galwan: India and China Galwan valley escalation doesn’t seem to be ending anytime soon. Claims and counter claims are flying with little way of verifying either India’s or China’s claims.   While it is easy to dismiss Galwan as a one off transgression by China, it has been many years in the making. Nibbling away at Indian territory through dubious means, India has already (probably) lost a lot of territory to China through a variety of reasons.   India, China, Pakistan and Nepal It is easy today to get carried away due to the fact that Indian

Chapter 1: Unfairness of Online Education Coronavirus is one of the most racist and unfair viruses that have hit mankind. It will create fissures in society which cannot be healed in next 20 years or so. While everyone has been gung-ho about Online education, we are missing one very important point. It has so many limitations that virtually excludes the poor from its ambit. How patently unfair Coronavirus is, for the underprivileged. Cost of Online Education To put it in perspective, a single module from Byju for Math and science costs Rs. 30000. And a broadband connection will cost around 1500 per month for an unlimited data pack. Plus the associated charges for electricity for say 5 hour usage (say Rs. 20 daily or 600 per month). And of course the cost of tablet will be around 6000. Assuming a 3 month course, this is a cool Rs. 20000 per month cost per child. Average income in India is Rs. 10000 a month… And cost of Online education is 20000. How is a p

Sabarimala Issue: Administrative or Religious Quick thoughts around the Sabarimala issue. I am not sure if Supreme court can actually give a ruling on Sabarimala temple. Understanding the issue in Sabarimala vs. Supreme Court: Women between the ages of 10 and 50 cannot enter the temple because Lord Aiyyappan vowed celibacy and didn’t want to be distracted by other women. Hence Sabarimala temple remains closed for women of these ages Unnecessary Judicial Activism: Firstly, Courts are supposed to interpret laws and not make them.Their job is to provide correct interpretation and nothing more. Secondly, Whenever passing a judgement, there has to be an overarching principle which can be applied universally to all situations. For e.g. universal voting rights which means that everyone should be allowed to vote and if women are not allowed to vote then the court can pass judgement again this practice on the overarching principle of equality Thirdly, the issue should be

Audacity of dreams and capriciousness of reality Dreams and reality most of the times seem like yin and yang. For one to exist the other must be let go of. Sometimes they just seem like parallel lines. Forever destined to travel together but never to meet or cross paths. At times, things just don’t seem worth it. What I am doing here ? Why I am doing this ? Is this what my heart really wants ? At times the chaos and madness of it all just seems to defy belief and sometimes just plainly astound. The utter senselessness of it all sometimes makes one to chuck everything away and be done with it. The dreams that you had in college, in school, the times when everyone around you seemed not so self obsessed seem like a lifetime away. At times you feel cold... You just want to get into a small corner for a few days and curl up and be away from it all. Just let your thoughts run completely wild and just be disconnected from it all. Just you and your 5 feet * 5 Feet empire or kingdom that

Haider, even by Vishal Bhardwaj’s incredibly high standards is a master piece. In a topic that is extremely touchy in India, Bhardwaj manages to present an extremely balanced view of the ground situation. The delightful interplay of the various characters is riveting and the intensity never lets up always keeping the viewer on edge. At the same time it raises uncomfortable questions for the all the stakeholders concerned: the Indian army, plight of the Kashmiris and the Pakistani agenda. The most credible part of the film is that does justice to both Indian army and the Kashmiris and does not take any sides. The film’s dark shades are present throughout the film and convey the gravity through subtle nuances. Even, the scenes with laughter in them, always serve to convey something serious than to provide moments of comic relief. The epic monologue of Shahid “Hum hain ki hum nahin” beautifully puts across the existential crisis faced by the everyday Kashmiris. Caught between Paki

Balanced on a knife’s edge Not too long ago we celebrated our n th independence day. We waved a few flags, sent out customary greetings to our friends and family, enjoyed a day off and forgot all about the real issues that face our country today. Make no mistake: India is at a precipice today balancing itself at a knife’s edge. Currently, the entire social fabric that weaves India together is about to be destroyed. And nothing can be more appropriate, more illuminating than the current crop of movies that are being churned out by Bollywood and are rip-roaringly successful. Bollywood as a mirror of Indian society Traditionally, Bollywood has always reflected India’s broader sentiment at large. In the 50’s and 60’s it was Manoj Kumar singing “Mere Desh ki Dharti” and Lal Bahadur Shastri saying “Jai Jawan Jai Kisan”. The era when the farmer issues dominated the on screen cinema personified by “Mother India” In the 70’s it was the angry young man, Amitabh fighting against esta

As I was sleeping on the lower berth of the train, a voice rang out “Beta thoda side de dena jara”. As I opened my eyes and tried to adjust to the dizziness of my broken slumber, I saw the face of an uncleji with a huge grin of expectation stretched across it. “What the hell” I thought and gave him space enough to seat 2 folks. To cut a long story short, that ‘little space’ soon turned into his entire family belongings (of all generations, I think!!) coming in my compartment and eventually almost my ouster from my own seat. In the night when it was the time to sleep once again, I told him to go somewhere else. “Beta, adjust karlo. Ek raat ki hi toh baat hai. Itna toh chalta hai”, pat came back the reply. Eventually after a heated argument ‘the gentleman’ relented to move 3 of his family members so that I could sleep comfortably instead of a foetal position. An endearing phrase showing our true spirit of resilience and generosity?? But after that encounter, the phrase “Chalta hai