one day at Mysore

I woke up to the bustling and the lush and their promise of a great day . The sight of the passing lands and the unstained gusto on my face, hastened by the hurrying train running delayed, got me uncontrollably excited and charged to shoot blurry pics that conveyed my frantic enthusiasm, aka madness.

Within half an hour by 8'o' clock, I was in Mysore junction and strolled towards the city bus stand where I had my break-fast in the hotel attached to it. Very soon after Masala Dosa and Medhu Vada, a chance glance at the station timetable moved me to look for platform 23 and bus #201 that will take me to my destination-Chamundi hills- a good 13 km away.

The hill kept rising until the city of Mysore below fit into my sight's breadth.

Soon enough i was at the temple very reminiscent of Tirupathi, with a queue that is proportional to its moderate size.
I took my place behind the last man on the Rs30 queue, after buying a ticket from a counter to the left of the main entrance above a short flight of stairs. Many take the queue mistaking it to be the sarva darshan(free sighting, queue) and realize only when stopped by the guard well ahead on the line, at the left entrance to the temple. So if you don't find boards designating the queues (free, Rs30 and Rs100), as they aren't obvious, ask someone. Be watchful of monkeys around when you are in the queue to make sure you don't miss the fun. The monkeys are gently menacing picking flowers and fruits from the pooja baskets and tetra packs and bottles from pilgrims and tourists without posing aggressively- they simply seem to know too well to camouflage their aggression and make it seem like assertive pleading. They are as mischievous as funny, and will happily spare you, if you spare something in the bargain. Well they spared me because I had nothing to bargain.
The two temples just around the Chamundeshwari temple (aka Mahisasura mardhini) were even more serene, perhaps because they don't attract even a fraction of the visitors that swarm the main temple.

After my temple visits I spent time clicking pics from the vantage point behind the temple which offers a panoramic view of the city below. Without the heart for it, I descended Chamundi by the stairway, clicking pics along the way. The giant and imposing statue of the bull(Nandhi), that's along the way, looks like the work of someone who wished to contest the natural forces that created the hill itself.

There were a thousand steps to descend, but no heart to depart. The journey from Bangalore to Chamundi hills rejuvenated my spirit and further affirmed my commitment to explore through traveling. And thus I choose to move on to my next destination- the fort town, Srirangapatinam!!

Central Bureau of Investigation director's cure for rape is to enjoy it. . .

The idea of hierarchy in an organization, apart from control and direction, is the hope that someone in a higher position would posses greater wisdom and serve thoughtfully. This is all the more desired of public institutions like the CBI and Police that play a large facilitation role redressing the aggrieved by faithful and sincere application of law and mind. An error in judgement here only further abuses the victim the extent of which is greater, greater the position of the erring authority.
The CBI director's casual remark on advising to 'enjoy rape if it cannot be prevented', should be viewed as nothing less than him setting his callous attitude as the direction to the agency in dealing with such crimes. Clearly, this doesn't help our law enforcement agencies already mired under patriarchal insensitivities.
The director's negligence to the matter could be sensed from his regret statement that apparently came out of a paper, probably drafted by someone else, which was visibly in contrast to his temperament at the time of making the remark about 'rape'. If you heard or watched the video whereby Mr.Sinha makes the remark, you will know that it neither fitted into the context nor was humorous. By his own logic, if he cannot address issues facing his office he should learn to celebrate his failures!!!! (Is this what he tells himself). . .
The director has revealed not merely his insensitivity to gender issues but also his formula for managing incompetence neither of which is acceptable to rightly thinking Indians.
As an ordinary citizens I'm alarmed by the presence of such a banal director who, to me, represents the risk of vitiating the conscience of the agency from top to bottom through his vicious influence; because now we know that we cannot expect wisdom and judgement to flow down from the director to clear the apathy at the lower rungs.
It is only right to sack Mr.Ranjit Sinha from the office of CBI director for admitting his misgivings about rape, in particular, and shortcomings in his perceptual ability of social problems, in general.

Media myth on PMs CHOGM visit

I'm compelled to write this article to clarify misconceptions created by popular English media about the Tamils' sentiments in the affairs of our neighbouring Srilanka. The issue has once again come to the forefront of national television debate and seen as an instance of regional polity arm twisting national foreign policy, in the wake PMs decision to not attend CHOGM in Colombo. The sentiments are often articulated in news rooms and debates as sympathy for the, now defunct, terrorist outfit LTTE. Here I argue that it is not the case.

First of all, yes there may be a few sympathisers in TN for LTTE, its cadre and founder, but most Tamils regard the organization much the same as LeT or Al Qaeda and have no sympathy for it whatsoever.

That stated, secondly the Tamils feel a sense of closeness to the ones across the Palk strait with whom they share their language, being a society closely connected to its language. Come as hypocritically as it may sound, it is true that we feel all the more affected when human rights violations are directed against Tamils; especially ones so close at hand. We believe we have a moral duty to protect their human rights as much we would guard ours. And our failure to fulfil this assumed duty frustrates us; only compounded by regional political parties playing to the vote banks doing precious little to placate the plight of the Srilankan Tamils.

Thirdly, and quite significant to the context of CHOGM, is the fact that the sentiment espoused by the regional parties and members of other national parties are pressed on the parties by the people of TN and is not the usual political sensitization of a community.

Fourthly, citizens voice finds legitimate expression in public policies in a democracy and rightly so, so long as it's reasonable. And the operating concern (not just sentiments) of the Tamils (Indian) are not only reasonable as explained, but also the only right course. Justice is two prong in a situation like this- rehabilitation of the victims and punishment to the perpetrators. While progress along rehabilitating is real however tardy, efforts to bring to book the violators is completely absent. It is in this wake that the Tamils are pressing for the PM to act, for once, in some way that will posture us as a nation genuinely concerned about the fate of human right abuses; something that we should have done even without the Tamils insistence.

Having articulated the three important facts I genuinely think that the question of PMs attendance has gained so much controversy due to the PMs refusal to deal with the demands of the Tamils (Indian) decisively, for once.The PMO should have pro actively engaged with the Tamils over their demands explaining his stance in the clearest of terms without compromising the Tamils' sentiments.
Ideally he should have done one of the two things, below :
1) Cancel his attendance and inform Colombo that India will not tolerate rights violations against Tamils and that demonstrated progress on the issue is expedient to sustaining healthy ties between the two nations.
 or
2) Confirm his attendance to the meet, while assuring Indians that he will impress the weight of the Tamil sentiments on the Colombo establishment. And work for an peaceful resolution.

But, the PM has done neither. He's avoided the meeting, sent his delegation and a letter best construed as one of apology; in effect adding to the confusion abounding the initial question, "should/shouldn't he go to Colombo".

The Tamils or regional parties can hardly be blamed for the spineless approach of the government that starves the real problem; which to re-emphasize again is the abuses to the human rights of Srlankan Tamils and not any body's sympathy for the cadres of former LTTE.

quotes

#if you're serious about beauty you won't decide it with your eyes
#the only thing  nobler than giving is seeking

India's dilemma in 2014

India will go for the ballot in 2014 yet again to choose the lesser evil. Except this time the electorate is more puzzled than ever on which is the next ruling coalition leader. Ministers and former ministers of the ruling Congress coalition are disastrously tainted by reports of massive scams to the tunes of several lakhs of crores from the commonwealth games scam, 2G spectrum scam, coal gate scandal to the more recent solar scam involving state Congress leadership in Kerala. While the present cabinet is certainly the most corrupt since independence it is also one of the weakest since the same time. The poor performance of the economy, is for most and largely, a consequence of UPA II's mismanagement led by an shortsighted finance minister, whom Subramanium Swamy- leader of the Janata Dal party- claims to be a co-conspirator in the 2G scam. The steep rise in price of essential commodities, reduction of fuel subsidies and blatant disregard for public office have been the major achievements of the government.
The most serious failure however was that of its foreign policy, first marked by its inability to impress its concerns on human rights violations on neighboring Sri Lanka during the latter's war against the LTTE which took a heavy toll of needless civilian casualty of ethnic Tamils. Apart from failing to reflect the genuine concerns of the Indian Tamils the government waited till the very end of the war only to finally support a US sponsored UN resolution on Sri Lanka demanding a UN headed probe to investigate violations, after it was hacked by regional parties and student protests. India's management of the issue ran counter to its  leadership position in the region as the island nation asserted its aggression heedless to the Indian voices.
Incursions by the PLA of China into Indian territory, its openly aggressive poise in the region and naval build up in the surrounding seas starkly reveals the gaps in our foreign policy leaving the Congress in no favorable position in the upcoming elections.
The alternative camp headed by the BJP is already threatening to unleash a Hindu Rashtra much to the discomfort of the peace loving tolerant Hindus themselves. The assertive and unrestrained Narendra Modi fashioning himself as the prime ministerial candidate has already cost the party an ally- Janata Dal- in the process; who could have presumably tilted the coalition slightly towards being secular. The party has since been flaunting its Hindutva agenda, staunchly supported by the ranks of the party and close ally- the fearsome RSS. With his opposition to the setting up of a lokayuktha in Gujarat and remorselessness to the Godhra tragedy orchestrated under his nose,  renders Modi a leader to be feared by the minorities at election time and everyone soon, thereafter, if he ever becomes the prime minister. What is more terrifying than Modi's assertiveness is the unity of the voices than stand by his sectarian stance. If made the PM he may well end being surrounded by an belligerent entourage with no one to counsel him wisely, even if he was prepared to listen.
Such is the choice blaring before us next year with no able third front in sight to offer real succor. Coalition however may provide reprieve by keeping checked the power of the ruling in important internal affairs while supporting it decisive foreign relations and economy. The supreme court and other public institutions have a  greater role to play along with the civil society in the coming years.