Bollywood’s passive-aggressive attitude towards Hinduism

My daughter was insisting that we watch “funny videos” on YouTube (casting on TV) while she had her scrambled egg breakfast and waited for her math teacher to show up. When I started the YouTube app, I came across the trailer of the upcoming Amitabh Bachchan-Rishi Kapoor flick, 102 Not Out. I like both the actors, so I insisted that before we proceeded to funny videos, we should watch the trailer.

They show lots of stuff in the trailer and eventually, they show that Rishi Kapoor’s character is going through some existential dilemma and he ends up sitting in a church. Something in the scene put me off and without making it apparent to my daughter, I changed the video quickly and loaded one of the funny videos she was insisting on watching.

After reading what I’m writing, you may think that I am raking up some conspiracy theory or, I’m one of those “Right Wing” Sanghis constantly demonizing minorities and claiming that Hinduism is being targeted.

My grandmother often used to say that before my birth, she had never seen a disabled person. After my birth, she could spot people with disabilities everywhere (because I was born with a disability). My disability sensitized her towards a part of worldly reality she was totally oblivious to simply because she hadn’t experienced it herself.

Something of the same sort happens when you have been sensitized towards a particular issue: you begin to recognize patterns that others can’t. Of course, sometimes you begin to see patterns where none exist because you are too eager to find those patterns. But sometimes these patterns are too obvious.

In the above-mentioned movie, why did Rishi Kapoor’s character sit inside a church? Why not in a temple? Is he a Christian? If yes, why does the theme have to be about Christian characters? Would the characters look uncool had they been temple-going Hindus? Do the makers of the movie think the urban audience won’t be able to relate to temple-going characters?

Merchants cant charge 2% extra on Debit Card Payments – Says RBI

Have you ever faced this situation, when you were making payment through your debit card or credit card?

“Sir How are you making payment ?

Debit Card or Cash ?”

“Card”

“Sir, There will be 2% extra charges if you pay by Debit Card ? ”

“Why extra charges ? I use it at every place and no one charges any thing extra ? ”

“Sorry Sir, this is our Policy. You can take out the CASH from the nearby ATM if you want to save that extra charges”

“Huh ! .. &^#$^&*J#^&&#%$&*N”

You often face the above situation, when you buy things like jewelry, Laptops, Mobile phones etc. I faced this 2-3 times myself, but could argue well with the shopkeeper, because I knew this is just a tactic used by shopkeepers to save on the charges they need to pay from their own pocket. Hence I never paid that extra 2% or just left the shop.

Merchants cant charge any extra charges on Debit Card Payment – say RBI

Now yesterday, RBI has openly cracked down on this unfair trade practice and issued a notification saying that Shop Merchants can not charge any extra charges from customers, if payment is done through Debit Card. Below is the exact wordings from RBI Notification

4. Levying fees on debit card transactions by merchants – There are instances where merchant establishments levy fee as a percentage of the transaction value as charges on customers who are making payments for purchase of goods and services through debit cards. Such fee are not justifiable and are not permissible as per the bilateral agreement between the acquiring bank and the merchants and therefore calls for termination of the relationship of the bank with such establishments.

Why Shopkeepers Charge extra 2% on Debit Card payments ?

When you swipe your debit/credit card  for purchasing some item, the merchant has to pay some fees (1%-2%) to the Bank or the rental fees for the swipe machine. The charges goes out of their own pocket, as the cost of running the business and convenience of taking the payments (more customers will come, if card payment is there). If its a small payment like Rs 500 or Rs 1000, then its a charge of Rs 10 or Rs 20, which is fine. But when it becomes a payment of lets say Rs 30,000 (imagine buying laptop or iPad), then its around Rs 300-600 and to save that big charges, they discourage debit/credit card payment.

They often ask customers to pay by CASH and point them to nearby ATM. Almost always, customers could not refuse, because they have already made the buying decision, and dont want to argue for the small charge, and a lot of times, they finally believe that may be its not illegal, and finally give the CASH even if they do not want, or just allow the merchants to charge additional 2% charges.

But, as per RBI, its not a fair practice, because merchants already have agreed in the agreement with the card swiping machine bank that they will not charge anything extra from the customers. Here is one example of asking for 2% extra fees by some Geeta Ramani on rediff website

My worst experience was when I intended to purchase a Tata Sky card worth Rs 1000. The shopkeeper said 2.5% = 25 rupees extra. I told him — you give 10, I will give 15 rupees. He spoke quite roughly — hum kyon den? I told him it was because he was supposed to pay the bank, not I, and that I was doing him a favour and not the other way round. He said he did not earn anything from the transaction. Anyway, I did not give in. I didn’t purchase from him and purchased the same from Indiaplaza instead online without any transaction fee

What you should do, if Shopkeeper does not agree ?

RBI has clearly asked all the banks to break their relationship with those merchants who are practicing this. So, when any merchant asks you for extra 2% charges and even after the debate they do not agree, you can complain to the RBI about this and also complain to the bank. Each Bank has a “Merchant Services” section on their website and when you mail them or complain in personal to their branch, mention that you want to complain about Merchant Services. Example for ICICI bank is hereand Axis Bank is here. But

When you take this step, at-least some merchants might fear the consequences and oblige!, but now the problem is how many people will go to this extra mile . It would require some time and effort from your end.

So next time you are asked to pay extra 2% on debit card payment, you can clearly tell them about this RBI notification. If required better take the print out of the notification and keep it with you in your wallet or as an image in your smartphone.

Have you ever faced a situation where you were asked to pay extra 2% charges on debit card payments and were pointed to a near by ATM, and what did you do in that situation, please share !

Source: http://www.jagoinvestor.com/2013/09/merchants-cant-charge-2-extra-on-debit-card-payments-says-rbi.html

How 275 years ago an Indian prince defeated the Dutch East India Company

It happened when the biggest and the most valuable company in the history of the world was brought down (among other things) by a Malayali from India.

There was a moment in history when the Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie (VOC) or simply the Dutch East India Company was the most well funded and powerful Business, military and naval force in the world.

Established in 1602, it had a virtual monopoly of the global spice trade for most of the 17th century and was the first truly multinational corporation in history.

It had a great run and was the Apple or Google of its day - only more successful, profitable[1]- paying on average, an 18% dividend for almost 200 years.

Adjusted to inflation, it had the market capitalisation of over 7 Trillion[2]Dollars (in today’s money) - making it perhaps the most valuable company in the history of companies.

The Dutch made most of their money from India - By the early 18th century, the Dutch economic and political power in southern India was at its peak. The Dutch had thrown the Portuguese out, Defeated the Mighty Zamorins of Calicut and even turned the powerful kingdom of Kochi into a Vassal State where the crown even bore the Dutch emblem of VOC.

The Dutch East India Company is dead today - in large parts, thanks to this Indian from Kerala.

Among the many mistakes that ultimately lead to their downfall, perhaps the biggest was committed by Dutch Governor Gustaaf Willem Van Imhoff in 1739.

During the ensuing negotiations between Governor Imhoff and Marthanda Varma, the ruler of Travancore, regarding the Dutch interests in Kochi, when Governor Imhoff threatened Marthanda Varma, that his forces will rake Travancore down to dust.

In his reply - Varma quipped and I quote:

With all due respect to you sir, then I will invade Holland[3].

Obviously miffed, the Governor of the Mighty Dutch empire walked off from the meeting, determined to teach this local king of a small Indian kingdom a lesson.

Soon, a large contingent of Dutch artillery forces landed in Colachel, lead by Captain Eustachius De Lannoy. Their intention was to make a quick dash and capture the capital of Travancore - Padmanabhapuram[4].

On the 10th of August, 1741, both Armies met in the now famous Battle of Colachel.

Within no time, the Dutch faced a crushing and decisive defeat - most of their soldiers fled and their commander, Eustace De Lannoy was captured along with his deputy.

Marthanda Varma made the Dutch sign a peace treaty, taking over most of the Dutch forts in the Malabar region of India and bringing to an end, the Dutch monopoly in the Spice Trade with India.

What’s more, Marthanda Varma even made Eustachius De Lannoy join his forces as a trainer and used him to modernise the Army of Travancore - which later became the Madras Regiment[5]of Independent India[6].

The Dutch Black Pepper trade monopoly was taken over by the State of Travancore - which made them rich.

In case you wonder how rich - Marthanda Varma re-consecrated an old Temple of Lord Padmanabhaswamy (Lord Vishnu) and regularly donated to it in his lifetime.

Recently, 5 of the 8 sealed chamber Vaults of this temple were opened by the authorities[7]- which yielded a smallish treasure in Gold and Jewels, estimated to be worth a little over USD 22 Billion[8](making it the richest institution and place of worship in the world). Experts believe that the remaining sealed vaults hold treasures worth a Trillion dollars[9].

While Marthanda Varma, an Indian, had his thuglife moment in world history - the Indian Historians didn’t think of his achievements as important enough to even deserve a mention in our school textbooks.

At this point and in protest, I would like to dedicate two words to them for this grave oversight - in Malayalam of course - Poda Maire (Respectful Translation: Attend acceleration, oh you thick specimen of human hair)

Thank you for reading. Cheers and peace.

A special note to people like Anmol Jadhav - Marthanda Varma was born in 1705.

Footnotes

[1] Apple's $700 billion market cap is nothing compared to Dutch East India Company at its peak

[2] This was the most valuable company in history (Worth 10 times as much as Apple) | Sovereign Man

[3] By Sweat and Sword

[4] Rajeev Sreenivasan recalls the Battle of Colachel

[5] Selfless service

[6] How 275 years ago an Indian prince defeated the Dutch East India Company

[7] Slideshow : Treasure hunt - The treasure trove of Padmanabhaswamy temple will make you feel so poor

[8] Marthanda Varma and the temple of gold

[9] A One Trillion Dollar Hidden Treasure Chamber is Discovered at India's Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple

Corruption in Indian Defence Procurements​

This is the Arjun Main Battle Tank (MBT) of India. Made exactly as per Indian Army (IA) requirements, it was ready for induction in late 1990’s, but IA suddenly changed its requirements and back to the drawing board it went. The IA wanted more heavy armor and much wider chassis, so the Indian defense research arm (Defense Research and Development Organization or DRDO) redesigned it and after several years gave it to the army to test. However, the army objected again, saying the tank was too wide and too heavy to be carried on railway wagons, despite the fact that the original requirements had come from the army itself.

With the former head of DRDO (Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam) as the President of India, IA was forced to test it and not reject it outright. However, quite cleverly, the bureaucrats managing the procurement of IA, forced the IA to modify the test and created a checklist to compare it with Russian T-90, that India was considering purchasing at that time. T-90 is a much lighter tank and served a different purpose. The checklist was clearly manipulated to favor the T90, and did not include features that were Arjun’s core strength like highly effective Kanchan armor, crew protection features including air-conditioned compartment and it’s highly accurate Fire Control System (FCS).

Obviously the Arjun did not look as good like the T-90 and deliberate news stories were planted in Indian media that Arjun tank is worthless and Indians are not capable of developing any weapons system. The news media was funded by several middlemen (Indian politicians, weapons dealers and Indian bureaucrats) who had a stake in IA purchasing the T-90 tanks. Arjun’s initial flaws, as with any newly introduced system, were overly exaggerated, in spite of DRDOs excellent work in quick turnaround with issues reported by IA.

The propaganda of the middlemen was so effective that even today well-meaning Indians and military enthusiasts believe Arjun is a crap tank. Needless to say, the IA went ahead and ordered 2000+ T-90s (a phased order totaling $3+ billion). Some percentage of this order, guessed around $350-500 million, went to several middlemen who brokered the deal. To compensate and console the ‘Made in India’ crowd a small order of 124 Arjun MBTs was made.

Then there is this:

The Indian New Small Arms System or INSAS rifle.

This much maligned weapons system is the backbone of IA, Navy and Air force as well all para-militaries serving in India. Since INSAS is made in India, by the government, it implies a loss of $100-200 million dollars to middlemen as no order is made for a foreign weapons system.

The middlemen with IA’s help tried their best to discredit the rifle initially, but IA and others were forced to buy it due to obsolesce of its FN-FAL rifles. After successive tries, the middlemen launched a massive media campaign with planted stories of how barrels cracked in Siachen (a common problem with any new high end rifle - later fixed by Ordinance Factory Board (OFB) by change in metallurgy), and how rifles jammed when firing. The news item did not contain information that even the most modern field rifles jam if not properly maintained. Even some ex-IA officers were roped in to discredit this weapons system.

Another problem cited for INSAS was that it performs badly in Close Quarter Battles (CQBs) for which the forces preferred AK47. However, INSAS was a field weapon and its 5.56mm ammo (designed to injure, not kill) was not suited for CQB, very much like the any 5.56mm weapon with NATO ( e.g. M16) ,is not suited for CQB. However, the media kept on harping this to the naïve Indian public who did not know any better.

Fortunately, orders kept coming. OFB even released a LMG version of INSAS which was loved by the infantry. INSAS also became the favorite rifle of Maoists and Islamic terrorists who will steal the weapons from police and para-militaries they ambushed. Lately all major ambushes on Indian para-militaries (mainly CRPF) by maoists have been carried with stolen INSAS rifles and some AK-47s. No one asked the question, that if INSAS was so bad why do Maoists prefer it in spite of AK47s and other weapons being more readily available in the black market ?

The same stories and negative media stories were planted for the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) and other weapons. It is likely that the Indian Air Force (IAF) will send the LCA Tejas, to the same death spiral as it did to the HAL Marut (after ordering a few token squadrons, of course).

And here is a catch, that no one in the public asked:

Why are there no negative stories on India’s nuclear weapons, its ballistic missiles and its SSBN’s (nuclear ballistic) submarines. For example, any coverage on LCA starts with:

“The LCA project which has been going on for over 30 years and has sucked more than $2 billion over budget, is still far from deployment…”.

However, a story on the Agni IRBM/ICBM does not start with:

“The Agni missile which has been under development for over 35 years and has failed multiple times (in the past)… “.

The story for Agni starts with:

“The Agni V missile which can reach all parts of China was successively tested…”. No negativity, only pride and positive feelings.

Ever wondered why this is the case?

This is because no other country will ever sell strategic weapons like nuclear weapons, ballistic missiles and SSBN’s to India. The middlemen will never ever get to make a single penny from selling these weapons system to India, hence they never spend money on influencing the media on these weapons. Reporters have a free hand on reporting these news, unlike news for Arjun,INSAS etc where they are instructed by their bosses to report everything negatively, as the news media owners have been well paid to do that.

No one asks another question: if India can developed ballistic missiles, nuclear weapons and SSBNs why can’t it develop a tank or a simple rifle. Is development of a tank more complex than an ICBM ? Only a fool will think it takes more research & development and manufacturing ability to build a tank than an ICBM. The answer lies is in the deep rooted corruption in defense procurement of India.

India builds its own cars, trucks, two wheelers, heavy vehicles, ICBM’s, nuclear weapons and SSBN’s but somehow, magically, India can’t build a tank and a rifle ? When you ask this question only then one realizes the deep rooted and massive degree of systematic corruption in defense procurement of India. Several generations of politicians, IAS officers and some military officers have become millionaires and even billionaires through defense deals done by India with foreign companies.

Defense procurement in India is the goose that lays multiple golden eggs a year, and the stakeholders who get the golden egg will never let their goose being killed. Hence Indian developed and manufactured weapons will never be accepted and will always be viewed negatively.

Later Edit:

Thank you all for the good feedback. Based on some of the excellent points raised by others here are some additions:

1. It is indeed a sad fact that several labs of DRDO are gradually becoming defunct. It wont be far stretched to say that 50% of the DRDO employees are deadbeats, who are unemployable outside DRDO. These deadbeats are only interested in a secure government job. However, rather than being the source of the problem, this is another manifestation of the corruption in defense procurement. DRDO's research labs working on strategic projects (Ballistic missiles, rocket propulsion, MIRVs etc) are well funded , well managed and have highly capable people. Rest of the labs working on armored vehicles, explosives etc are rotting away, with very incapable management and high attrition. However, in spite of such adverse environments, these labs still posses some 5–10% high caliber and motivated people who carry forward all the work and are responsible for all notable achievements.

The government is not doing anything to make the labs more potent fix the problems, but remember that inaction is another form of deliberate action. These labs, which are allowed to rot, produce weapons systems that directly compete with weapons peddled by the arms suppliers. If these labs become effective, several $$$s lining the pockets of politicians and bureaucrats will go away. If the government wants, it can fix the issue in these labs by appointing a solid leadership team (like government has done in several PSU's, ISRO and other high performing government organizations), but that will kill the goose that lays the golden eggs. The only hope for DRDO to become even better than ISRO, is if all countries sanction India and refuse to sell it any weapons for at least 10 years, which is unlikely to happen (even in 1998 sanctions, after India’s nuclear tests, there was no major ban on weapons sales - subtly other countries also know that it is better to feed the fish, else Indians will learn how to fish)

2. The arrival of private sector in defense production is good news, and the only hope for ramping up defense capability in India. The thirst of Indian politicians, IAS officers and military leadership for easy $$$s and other perks will not go away. However, the Indian private companies can also provide the $$s and assorted perks like call girls, foreign trips etc to the people involved in defense procurement. These $$s and perks will of course be less than those provided by international arm suppliers, which implies that expensive weapons systems like fighter aircraft, submarines, tanks etc will still go to foreign companies. However, lesser expensive weapons system like heavy vehicles, towed artillery, helicopters may go to Indian companies, if they play the game right.

3. (Updated based on inputs from Pratesh Gandhi) The final say in procurement of defense system rests with Defense Minister (Raksha Mantri or RM) and finance ministry. The military leadership recommends which systems to evaluate and then buy. IAS and politicians (apart from RM) still have a huge say in deciding which companies are in running for selecting the defense system, by indirect influence and control over the defense setup. Importantly, the final price negotiations, for purchase and spare parts, is done by the bureaucracy. Across the world, it is usual practice to ‘bump’ the price in government contracts to allow for kickbacks.

4. As per new NATO doctrine in the late 80s it was analyzed that injuring a soldier is more lethal to the enemy than killing one, as you have to expend other soldiers to carry the injured soldier. As per this doctrine, NATO moved to 5.56mm ammo, which have higher chances of injuring someone than killing. Indian Army, wanted to follow the same doctrine hence it asked INSAS to be a 5.56mm weapon, unlike AK 47 or FN FAL which are 7.62 mm weapons. Chances of survival from a 7.62mm ammo, especially at close range are low or nil.

Credits:

[1] All Image Credits, Wikipedia

[2] Indian military information: The Consortium of Indian Military and Defence Websites :

[3] Information on past defense scams: Various archives in the web, including india-today.com, timesofindia.com,

Indian history books are grave injustice to India's rich Heritage

I am an avid reader of history and have answered a few questions on this topic to the best of my ability. Recently, I wrote about why the British rule wasn’t all that good for India - I thought, a few Britishers might come and show their disagreement, but I was up for an unpleasant surprise.

While a few Britishers messaged me about their support - it was actually a few Indians who came forth to justify and defend the British Empire and explain how they were just doing what was right and how we Indians deserved it.

Every society reserves the right to interpret its history in a way that helps instill pride in the hearts of its young and impressionable.

The Greeks wrote the history of Alexander, 300 years after his death, on the basis of the thinnest of evidence, most of which consisted of indirect accounts and unreliable hearsay, and still managed to convince the world that he was great.

Americans spawned the story of George Washington and the Cherry tree, conveniently whitewashing the fact that he was a famous Slave Owner of his time. who didn’t believe in giving voting rights to the women.

While it is not a great example, even Pakistan teaches its kids that they have ruled over India for 600 years (in a way teaching the kids that they actually belong to the Turk, Persian, Arab and Afghan cultures and have nothing in common with the Subcontinent).

The Indian historians on the other hand have interpreted the History of India as the History of Delhi and have primarily focussed on how invaders came in and took our pants down.

Now I as a layman, have a question - If we were such a bunch of non-manly nincompoops and disjoint sissies, how come we are still here? - Still intact? - While all these invaders, their empires, their history and their cultures have no trace left whatsoever - except off course for a mention in our own text books?

We’ve got full chapters dedicated to smaller and insignificant dynasties of Delhi like Lodhis and Mamluks (Razia Sultana) but are not taught more than a few lines about the Ahoms, The Odiyas-Kalingans, the Nagas, the Chalukyas, The Cholas, The Cheras, the Vangas, The Khasis, Pandyas, Pallavas, Marathas, The Vijaynagar Empire, The Sikh Empire, The Karkotas of Kashmir, Kanishka, Suhaldev and many others.

Even the proven and internationally acclaimed achievements of our forefathers are looked down upon as something of a right wing propaganda which we should be ashamed about.

We are not even told properly about our ancient achievements in Medicine, Philosophy, Astronomy, Mathematics, Clothing, Metallurgy and Chemistry, just to name a few.

Shouldn’t our children deserve to know about the Ujjain and the Kerala school of Mathematics - something which often finds a mention even in the acceptance speeches of Nobel laureates?

Shouldn’t our children atleast learn about the Indian Nobel laureate Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, on who’s name, NASA launched the world only X Ray telescope, ‘Chandra’ in space?

Our children today, call Chanakya, the author of Arthashastra, as the Machiavelli of East, and Kalidasa, the author of Abhigyanam Shakuntalam, as the Shakespeare of India. Some of them say that Kashmir was never a part of India - some say, the North Eastern states have no historic connection to the rest of the country - They may as well call our former president Dr. Kalam, the Abdul Qadeer Khan of India.

And to top it over - we are also taught the British propagandas like the Aryan Invasion theory which not just has no evidence to support its claim - but is detrimental to the Idea of India itself.

We Indians are in a desperate need to rewrite our history - a history which is factual - a history which represents the whole of our country - a history that inspires pride.

We are not ashamed of our past at all - we want our future generations and the world to take pride in it.

https://www.quora.com/Are-Indians-ashamed-of-their-history/answer/Naman-Chakraborty-1?share=98caa126&srid=ndBp

Jawaharlal Nehru - the Brown Britisher

Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru.

A law student who returned from London after completing his studies to India. After struggling for couple of year as he was not offered a single legal case, his father Motilal Nehru pushed him into politics and made him a member of Congress.

His birthday is celebrated every year as Children's day but no such evidence had been recorded where his affection was shown towards children except his own. Once in a party meeting when he was about to retire, he proposed the name of his only daughter, Indira as his nominee, who had very​ less experience, despite presence of few veterans in the meeting. Such a decision was criticized by other members. On which he said, “Indu is more capable than any of us”.

Another event, when Cripps Mission came to India to check the scenario of India after the second world war. On a report submitted to British Parliament there was statement which roughly confirmed that Mr. Nehru was a brown britisher and pursued similar thoughts and policies like them.

When we got independence, once he proposed and asked to give the defence authority and power to Britain. When he was asked for a valid reason he said it must be implemented as India had no experience regarding defence force. On which a commander named Nathu Singh said, “yes you're right our country has no experience to lead a defence force and also running any government so why should not we make a Britisher as our Prime Minister ”. Then Nehru took back his proposal.

On another event, in the Indian Parliament during dispute with China, he stood and said we should let them take our occupied land because they were barren and unfit for any cultivation and make friendship with China. Then a MP present there condemn his idea and said that his bald head was also barren and couldn't grow hair anymore, so why shouldn't​ he give his head to China.

He was a mediocre leader and one of few who promoted partition of India. He wanted to rule the nation by hook or crook. During independence during vote cast, he stood against Sardar Vallabhai Patel and could get only single vote over 13 favouring Sardarji for the post of prime minister.

Is Hafiz Saeed's popularity growing in Pakistan? by Sohail Khurianwala

As a Pakistani who wants COURSE CORRECTION to happen very quickly in my country,

Hafiz Saeed’s popularity may be growing among the violent and Jihad minded sections of our society and country but it does not bode well for our country and society.

I hate both Hafiz Saeed and Maulana Masood Azhar as well as their financiers and backers - certain politicians and high ranking officers in the ISI and Pak Army.

I do not want to play the Kashmir-Card anymore since it is only causing Kashmiris to lose their lives fighting a formidable war machine which is the fourth largest in the world, backed by the second largest population in the world and an economy which is ten times the size of our economy.

Just like the Chechens could not wrest their country free from Russia, or the Tibetans and Uighurs cannot think of breaking away from China, the same holds true for Kashmiris whose interests are best served if they make peace with India and discourage Pakistani authorities from meddling in their affairs.

I have interacted with Indians in Dubai and I can tell you this - Indian Muslims and Hindus are both very angry with this blinkered attitude we demonstrate, where they accuse us Pakistanis of thinking about ourselves to be the sole custodians of Muslims in the entire subcontinent and being more Muslim than the Muslims in India or Bangladesh.

We Muslims in Pakistan are not the model or template for all Muslims in South Asia. We need to recognize this fact. There are Muslims in India and Bangladesh who are doing well or perhaps even better than us.

We Pakistanis have not done anything substantial in humanitarian terms to call ourselves the custodians of all Muslims South Asia - We have not raised the standards of living of either our countrymen in our country now or in the past and nor did we help improve the lives of our former countrymen - The East Pakistanis and keep them with us.

The one thing that has happened consistently since 1947 is this fact:

Pakistan and the Two Nation Theory has led to the marginalization and KILLING of more Muslims in the entire subcontinent in the name of Islam, in the last 70 years than we can ever think of - beginning with the partition riots of 1947 in both Bengal and West Punjab, where the Muslim League supporters first carried out religion-motivated attacks against minorities in both Bengal (Calcutta and Noakhali) and Western Punjab and the Frontier Areas - inviting - massive retaliatory attacks and massacres against Muslims in both Bihar and East Punjab.

Pakistani authorities were responsible for the genocide of Bengali speaking Muslims in East Pakistan in 1971, the killing of many Pashtuns in the blow-back of the Afghan Jihad against the Soviets in both Afghanistan and Pakistan, the killing of thousands of Kashmiris in their futile Jihad against India since the lates 1980s and finally the murder of many Muslim minorities like Shias, Ismailis, Ahmedis and Bahai in our own country.

When will all these killings stop in the name of religion ?

When will we stop financing terrorists who want to cause mayhem in South Asia ?

That is the big question… which all upright and conscientious Pakistanis… each one of us need to address.

It can only be tackled if sane, secular minded and liberal folks like me in Pakistan stand up, shake our fists vigorously at the Pakistan Army, Intelligence Agencies and Political establishment who support this carnage and cry out once and for all.

ENOUGH is ENOUGH ! Stop sponsoring Jihads in our neighboring countries … if we do not want our country to be in the world- news daily dues to terror-attacks like these:

Senior police officers among 13 killed as suicide bomber strikes Lahore

If not for Mahatma Gandhi, would India still be under British rule? by Sahith S Tiger

Gandhi did not play any significant role in India’s Independence. In fact, he hindered it for decades.

This may sound astonishing and false to Gandhi-worshipers, who are multitude even today, but it is the truth. The Congress led by Gandhi was so ineffective that, until 1929, they did not even ask for self-governance, and were willing to settle for “partial independence” with British Rule. Exactly what they meant I do not know - I mean, either you are free, or you’re not. If they had had their way, this would have continued, and likely come into effect.

But then this guy came along:

Bhagat Singh was an anarchist, atheist, revolutionary, and believed firmly in a human being’s right to defend themselves. He began the movement that became the Poorna Swaraj declaration - “total independence, nothing less”. The British were quick to paint him as a “terrorist” because he believed in fighting back (throughout India’s freedom struggle, the British vocally supported and respected Gandhi’s non-violence movement, while continuing to safely ignore his demands since they had no fear of retribution). Singh quickly realized that the only way to garner support was to create a national incident - he and a comrade attacked the Legislative Assembly with low-yield, non-lethal grenades, and, instead of escaping, waited for the police and handed over their weapons in surrender. Singh (who was wanted for the murder of a British officer at the time) knew full well that the British would make a showcase of his trial and execution, and it would effectively reach more people across India than he ever could by himself. Once in jail, seeing the discrimination in how Indian prisoners were treated much worse than European prisoners, Singh went into a hunger strike, going without food for 116 days (no, that wasn’t a typo). The British were so terrified of his popularity that they moved his execution forward by 24 hours, secretly removed the body in pieces, cremated it and threw the ashes into the Sutlej river. At the time of his death, Singh was 23 years old.

Gandhi, who had some so-called noble ideas, I’m sorry, was simply idealistic to the point of being foolishly naive. This is a man who advised that the jews

“should have offered themselves to the butcher's knife. They should have thrown themselves into the sea from cliffs... It would have aroused the world and the people of Germany... As it is they succumbed anyway in their millions." (link)

(Ref: Fischer, Louis (1950). The life of Mahatma Gandhi. Harper. p. 348.)

That’s an exact quote, by the way - his idea of fighting genocide was mass suicide. Oh, and he also used to sleep naked with little girlsto test the strength of his vow of celibacy.

If not for Gandhi, India likely would have adopted a more violent freedom struggle. I do not support violence but I do support self-defense. Gandhi recruited Indian soldiers to fight for the British in World War 1 - something Gandhi supporters gloss over when they talk about his non-violence. He also opposed Subhash Chandra Bose and his Free Army; actively pushing back their recruitment activities even as millions followed him into non-violence. These millions would instead have joined the struggle under the INA, and Britain would have been unable to hold on to India in the early 40s when faced with a united congress that fought back under Bose, which likely would have resulted in India becoming a free nation years earlier. This would have severely weakened Britain in the Second World War, which relied heavily on the Indian Army.What that would have meant for them and the rest of the world, who knows?

Willingly or not, Gandhi’s actions aided immensely in British oppression and control of India.

Meet modern Shravan kumar who has been carrying his blind mother on his shoulder for the past 20 years to visit different shrines across India!

Meet modern Shravan kumar who has been carrying his blind mother on his shoulder for the past 20 years to visit different shrines across India!

It’s rare to see such bonding between parents and children in modern times, where the only concern for children is caring themselves and thinking parents to be a burden. Around us, we see, read and hear stories of children abusing their aged parents, leaving them to fend for themselves, enrolling parents in old age homes and forgetting all about them. Rarely ever, we hear children actually caring for and loving their parents. But this story will completely captivate you. It is not only a child caring for his aged parent but going beyond the call of duty. In these selfish times, there are some gems, like Kailash Giri who is a blessing to his blind mother Kirti Devi.

Kailash Giri is a resident of Hanoi village in India and is completely devoted to his mother. So much so that he actually carries her on his shoulders and takes her by foot to all shrines and holy temples across India as that was his mother’s wish! And how long has he been doing this? Since the last 20 years!

How did it all start?

It all began when his mother expressed an innocent wish – of seeing the Char Dham or one of the most sacred Hindu pilgrimages of India. She wanted to visit Char Dham on foot. However, Kailash and his mother were very poor and could not afford the fares to travel and stay. it was then that Kailash decided to carry his mother on his back and fulfil her wish!

He made a contraption, not unlike a weighing scale with a basket balanced on each end (refer main image). In one end of the basket sits his mother while in the other end, he places all of their worldly belongings. This basket is then slung across his shoulders and he carries it wherever they plan to go. While he has definitely covered the destinations his mother wanted to visit, he did not stop there. he decided to take his mother to all the holy shrines across India and they have actually covered a majority of the shrines! He takes care not to over-exert himself and takes adequate rest.

Kailash’s day begins early when he gets up and begins the walk with his mother. He then takes a break early, once the sun begins to rise as it gets too difficult to walk carrying so much weight. He then rests in the afternoon and begins walking again in the evening till dusk,when he retires. As Kailash and his mother are too poor, they survive entirely on donations. They eat whatever others give them and live at night in shelters provided by others. They have nothing except a few belongings to their name. Kailash Giri is now 48 and started his journey when he was just 28 years old. His mother is now 92! So far, they have already covered temples in Kedarnath, Haridwar, Rishikesh, Kashi, Dwarka, Ayodhya, Chitrakoot, Puri, Rameshwaram, Mahabaleshwar and Tirupati! They have even been to Janakpur in Nepal on foot!

But why did Kailash leave his own life to fulfill the wish of his mother? Wouldn’t living together, earning enough and providing her a life of comfort be enough?

Not according to Kailash. When he was a little kid, he once fell from the roof and would have died if not for his mother’s constant care and love. She tended to him day and night and prayed all day for his recovery. After his recovery, Kailash feels it is only because of his mother that he is alive. His father passed away when he was barely 10 years old and he even lost his brother at a young age. His mother now did not have anyone but him. Therefore, he made it his life’s mission to keep his mother happy.

He is often compared to the character of Shravan Kumar from Ramayana who carried his blind parents on his back and took them around for pilgrimage. His love was selfless and he was his blind parent’s only solace. Kailash is called the modern Shravan Kumar, though he denies being one. For him, he is only doing his duty towards his parents and doing his best to keep them happy. Well, he is truly an inspiration to all the youngsters of today! We wish all modern children are inspired by him and if not such deeds, at least try and keep their parents happy in small ways!

Source: Meet modern Shravankumar who has been carrying his blind mother on his shoulder for the past 20 years to visit different shrines across India!

During partition why didn't Sikhs support Pakistan over India? by Ajay Kumar

Do you know what happened to the Kingdom of Amarkot? A Hindu majority region opted for Pakistan. Pakistan which was created in the name of Islam for Muslims.

Footprints: Once upon a time in Umerkot

Pakistan was only for Muslims & India was for the rest, that included everyone who was not a Muslim & also for those Muslims who did not want to be a part of a fundamentalist Islamic country.

Bollywood Playback singer - Mohd Rafi’s family returned back from Pakistan as they understood that a fundamentalist Pakistan would discourage anything that was against its interpretation of Islam.

In the 1970’s, main backers of Pakistan, the Ahmediyya Muslims too were declared as non-Muslims. So imagine the condition of non-Muslims.

In the 1971, Bangla speaking East Pakistan separated from West Pakistan, as West Pakistan considered a non-Urdu speaking Bengalis, lesser Muslims.

So, the leaders of the Sikh community clearly understood that their future lies in a India of composite culture than in a Islamic Pakistan.

Just as Jainism & Buddhism are results of intellectual reform movement in Hinduism in ancient era, similarly Sikhism is a result of reform & Bhakti movement in medieval era. Culturally Sikhism is an off-shoot of Hinduism.

Islam has nothing much in common with Sikhism. Moreover many Sikh Gurus lost their life in the hands of Muslim invaders, who are represented by Pakistan.

Sorry for being politically incorrect, but as the saying goes, one Muslim guy can stay with 10 Hindus / Sikhs, but one Hindu/Sikh can not live with 10 Muslims.

Edit 1: As per the law in Pakistan -

Only a Muslim can be appointed as President.Only a Muslim can be appointed as Army Chief (service Chief), this was one of the reasons for declaring Ahmediyyas, as non-Muslims, to disqualify high ranking Ahmeddiya Muslim Military officers from becoming Service Chiefs. The other reason was Saudi pressure.Only a Muslim can be appointed as District Collector / DM / DC.

In Pakistani Punjab, Muslim Punjabis are a majority, whereas in India, Sikh Punjabis outnumber Hindu Punjabis. Therefore if Sikhs had opted for Pakistan, they would have remained a minority in Pakistani Punjab, whereas in Indian Punjab, they are the majority.

Edit 2: Sikhism & Punjabi in Gurumukhi are inseparable. Punjabi in Gurumukhi is the language of Guru Granth Sahib. In Indian Punjab, Punjabi in Gurumukhi is the official language of Punjab. Punjabi is the first language of education. Punjabi in Gurumukhi is a recognised language of India.

In Pakistani Punjab - Teaching of Punjabi is not encouraged in school or college. It is against the law to speak Punjabi inside Punjab (Pak) state assembly. Whatever little Punjabi survives in Pakistan is as mother tongue (mother speaking to her children). Rest is due to unofficial promotion of Punjabi in shahmukhi (persian script).

Perhaps after a century, Punjabi will survive as a language only in India.

Edit 3: Footprints: Once upon a time in Umerkot

Edit4: For those with doubts -

Who is a Hindu? -

People living on the banks of river Indus (Sindu) & East of river Indus, are collectively called Hindustani, Hindu or Hindi.These people follow a culture, faith, tradition, rituals, costumes, festivals etc which were passed on to them by preceeding generation from the time, when their ancestors were gatherers & hunters. People worshipped snakes, spirits, ghosts, & lord of ghost (Bhootnath).Later agriculture lead to stable village life. People worshipped animal, plants, trees & lord of animal & tree (Pashupati). People worshipped special stones (Vaishnodevi etc). Black magicians were the priest & very popular.Much later, due to excess of food grains, when everyone was not required to be engaged in agriculture or allied trade, some people took part in other work, such as art, dance, teaching etc.Much later, basic literary practices led to higher education, free thinking & knowledge. People worshipped the shedding of ignorance & gaining of wisdom. People worshipped Ganesha.Much later, some of those educated knowledgable guys, questioned the beliefs in God / supertitions / rituals. Much later, this challenge & questioning led to Jainism & Vedas.Much later Vedas were challenged, which led to Srimad Bhagvatgita & later Buddhism.Much later, this led to stories & dance dramas, some inspired by real events & rest based on fiction. Much later, this led to mythological characters being worshipped as deities. People worshipped Rama & Krishna.Much later, love towards certain deities & god, led to Bhakti. During bhakti movement, Sikhism emerged, merging Hinduism with Sufism.

Those who do not consider the primitive / ancient culture, history & rituals of Hindustan as their own, are Non-Hindus. These non-believers include, but not limited to, the present generations of Jains, Buddhist, Muslims, Jews, Christians, Parsis & Sikhs.

Who is morally on the right side on the Kashmir issue between India and Pakistan?

KEY PLAYERS IN KASHMIR ISSUE:

China(Yes, it is involved in Kashmir issue)PakistanJinnah(Pakistan’s founder and it’s first Governor-general)Maharaja Hari singh(King of J&K at that time)Jawaharlal Nehru(First PM of india and of Kashmiri origin)

PRESENT DAY J&K:

HOW IT ALL STARTED?

BRITISHERS WERE LEAVING OUR COUNTRY,OUR COUNTRY WAS SUPPOSED TO GET DIVIDED INTO 2 PARTS:

1.INDIA

2.PAKISTAN

All the states of India were free to go to whichever part they wanted to go to.But here came the turning point.

JAMMU AND KASHMIR NEITHER SELECTED INDIA NOR PAKISTAN, WHY?

LETS DIG THIS MATTER:

Jammu and Kashmir is a state which consists of 3 parts.

1. Jammu-Hindu majority

2.Kashmir-Muslim majority

3.Ladakh-Buddhist majority

Overall,majority in the state was of Muslims but the ruler of J&K at that time was a Hindu ruler, HARI SINGH.

So, you can imagine that he didn’t want to go with Pak(Being Hindu) and a majority of population wanted to go with Pak(same religion) but the minority(Hindus)wanted to go with India.

He was also dreaming of making his State independent. So, he kept on postponing this decision on some flimsy grounds. He decided to form J&K as an independent country.

Since the 15th August 1947 was coming closer, every state had to select one option. When our PM (Jawaharlal Nehru) came to know that Hari singh hasn’t decided till now where to go, LORD MOUNTBATTEN(British Viceroy) came to Kashmir to meet him. He wanted to meet him individually but Hari singh went for “Shikaar”(hunting) and when the Viceroy insisted, he refused to meet saying that he was unwell.GAME SPOILER!

15TH August came, No decision by king,GAME SPOILER!

WHAT HAPPENS AFTER INDIA AND PAKISTAN GOT SEPARATED:

Decision is still pending. Now,came the Role of KABAILIS.

Now,who are they?

Suppose there is a piece of land (INDIA PAK BORDER) and people there are living peacefully(KABAILIS). Now someone came and asked them to leave their place and migrate to one side.

Will they like it? Of course no.

Similar thing happened, they weren't happy with this and thus they attacked Kashmir.

Also, Mohammed Ali Jinnah was suffering from TB and the Doctors advised him to go to a hill station. He wanted to go to J&K and till then he assumed that being Muslim majority, it will automatically opt for the State of Pakistan. He was briefed about the situation and then he along with his cabinet decided to send Kabalies along with the Pak army to invade and capture J&K.

They were coming closer and closer to Srinagar, doing nothing but indulging in mass rapes of nuns/women, loot,robberies and mass genocide/killings .

Now Hari singh performed his job, did nothing but flew to Jammu(Amar singh palace).Game spoiler!

He didn’t have enough J&K force to stop the kabalis, being in dilemma how to stop them, asked India to help and send troops to Kashmir. But, how can India send troops to a state which is not its own state, J&K hadn’t signed for it yet.

So, Hari Singh decided to go for India and save Kashmir. The agreement is signed, “INSTRUMENT OF ACCESSION”

Next morning,Indian army came,crushed the pak funded guys like a fly as usual and gained back Kashmir.

BUT AT THIS TIME OUR PM,JAWAHARLAL NEHRU DID A MISTAKE:

While Indian army was fighting against rebellions,he came live on radio and

said that India will withdraw the army as soon as peace will be formed there and the voting will be done on the basis of which J&K people will be able to decide to go which side.Game spoiler!

“THATS WHY KASHMIRIS ARE DEMANDING THIS VOTING AND ARE SAYING THAT INDIA HASN’T FOLLOWED THEIR WORDS.

Pak was not maintaining peace in the valley(not till now).

Then India headed to UN.

Now came the role of supreme power,UN:

India goes to UN to solve the issue and UN forms a resolution in which it is clearly written that Kashmir belongs to India, I think every citizen of India, Pakistan and every Kasmiri who is demanding azaadi from India should read this resolution.

HERE’S THE LINK:United Nations Security Council Resolution 47 - Wikipedia

It states that:

It comprises of 3 steps to be followed sequentially:

1. Pakistan is to, first, demilitarize occupied Kashmir, which includes all soldiers, regular and mujahideen, and religious entities they deployed in 1947. This withdrawal is to be deemed satisfactory by the UN Security Council body.

2. If the security council body is convinced of the above mentioned demilitarization by Pakistan, India is to then demilitarize as well, however, the council says India will be permitted to leave behind, in Kashmir, a limited security force to defend itself against potential Pakistani aggression.

3. Conditional to the security council’s satisfaction of steps 1 and 2, a plebiscite will be held and the Kashmiri people will decide their fate, India, Freedom or Pakistan.

But Pakistan is not agreeing with this resolution.Now how can Pakistan ignore the order of Supreme power UN,simple because of support of CHINA.

Now came the role of China:

Pakistan is disobeying the orders of UN because of the support of china.

How china can decline the orders of UN:

Because it has got an extreme power called veto power according to which it can disobey the orders of UN anytime and no orders will be implemented till all the veto powered countries agree for that.

So,orders of UN are not implemented yet.

But why China is supporting Pakistan?

Because it doesn't want a big competitor in terms of development. China wants India to keep indulged in these silly issues and burn a lot of money on the issue.

So,result=Development constrained. China’s plan successful.

Now, came the role of Jammu and Kashmir citizens:

WHY ARE THEY SUPPORTING PAK,THROWING STONES ON INDIAN ARMY,WHY ANTI-INDIAN?

Jammu region has nothing to deal with Pakistan. Being a majority of Hindus, they including me are no doubt Indians and are proud to be, are proud to wave our national flag, are proud to sing national anthem and Bharat mata ki jai.

Now coming to Kashmir,

Majority is of Muslims.

Why are they anti-Indian?

They are not anti-Indian,or against Indian people or Hindu. You go there, they will be very kind towards you but they are Anti-Indian government.

In Kashmir there are 2 types of people:

1.Majority(by majority, I mean it) want to live in India, but they will never be flashed on TV screens. Why? Because there will be no TRP then.

2.Some of the Kashmiris (very very few) are somehow in the side of Pakistan, why? Because they are anti Indian army and Pak is showing that it loves Kashmir.

But,they also know that Pak only wants a geographical piece of land.

Why Kashmiris are anti army?

Why shouldn’t they be? Wherever they go, they need to show ID card, they can can be searched anywhere in the state by our army at the gun point, anytime their homes can be searched by our army-men.

Well, it was done during 90’s but hatred feeling has developed in them.

How it is possible?

—AFSPA ACT

So,is Indian army doing anything wrong?

A big NO!

They are the ones who are saving them on the flood days,they are the ones who are supporting various schools and promoting sports there, they are the ones who are maintaining peace and harmony there,they are the ones who are saving the valley from the infiltration.

They don’t have the motive of doing anything wrong but what they can do,they have to control infiltration and they need to suspect everyone.And during encounters,few of the civilians also got killed. Army persons are also humans,how can they differentiate between militants and civilians in encounter?Is is not written on their foreheads.

This whole scenario has created a feeling of hatred in Kashmiris for Indian army.

How a mother who has lost his innocent son killed without any cause can ever develop a good feeling for Indian army?

Now, what about people shown in TV screens waving ISIS flags, saying Pak zindabad?

Nothing such exists in real ground. There are, but very very few in number. Most of them are paid youth. Why unemployed Kashmiri youth will not come forward to throw stones at Indian army and get 500 for each stone. Yes,they do get paid for that. This is because of some separatists leaders who are continuously pumping Kashmiris for becoming anti-Indian.

But are Kashmiri people following them?

No. Separatists ordered everyone in Kashmir to avoid voting but more then 65% people came out, giving them a face-palm and elected their government.

Now the question is who is bad?

Kashmiris? NoIndian army? NoPakistan? Yes

But still Kashmir is burning day by day, mothers are seeing their sons getting either murdered or getting involved in bad activities for money.

[YOUTH GETS ATTRACTED TO MONEY LIKE A BEE ON HONEY].

Why Hinduism is a scientific religion

 Purushottam's answer to What do the Vedas and astronomical texts have to say about the planets and their environment?

Earth goes around the Sun – (Rig Veda 10. 22. 14. and Yajur Veda 3. 6).

Complete verse- “This earth is devoid of hands and legs, yet it moves ahead. All the objects over the earth also move with it. It moves around the sun”.

Sun and whole Universe are round —(Yajur Veda 20. 23).

Shape of Earth is like an Oblate Spheroid —(Rig Veda XXX. IV.V).

Moon is enlightened by the Sun – (Yajur Veda 18, 20).

‘Earth is flattened at the poles’ — (Markandeya Purana 54.12).

There are many Suns –Rig Veda 10.149.1

Seven colours in the Sun – (Atharva Veda 7. 107. 1).

“The sun has tied Earth and other planets through attraction and moves them around itself as if a trainer moves newly trained horses around itself holding their reins.” — (Rig Veda 10.149.1)

“O Sun! When you are blocked by the one whom you gifted your own light (moon), then earth will be surprised by the sudden darkness.” — (Rig Veda 5.40.5)

“The Sun does never set nor rise. When people think the Sun is setting it is not so. For after having arrived at the end of the day it makes itself produce two opposite effects, making night to what is below and day to what is on the other side having reached the end of the night, it makes itself produce two opposite effects, making day to what is below and night to what is on the other side. In fact, the Sun never sets” — (Aitareya Brahmana 3.44)

“People living in countries at points diametrically opposite to where the sun is first seen rising,will see sun setting and if a straight line were drawn from the point where the sun is at midway,then people in countries at the opposite end ofthe line would be experiencing midnight and vice versa”-(Bhagavatam 5.21.8-9)

Electromagnetic field, conversion of mass and energy – (Rig Veda 10. 72).

The gravitational effect of solar system makes the earth stable- (Rig Veda 1-103-2, 1-115-4 and 5-81-2).

The axle of the Earth does not get rusted, the Earth continues to revolve on its axle- (Rig Veda 1-164-29).

The Sun never sets or rises and it is the Earth, which rotates- (Sama-Ved 121).

The science of Time and its subtle nature is described in (R.V.1-92-12 & 1-95-8)

Blue Sky is nothing but scattered Sunlight-(Markandeya Purana 78.8).

“Through astronomy, geography, and geology, go thou to all the different countries of the world under the sun. Mayest thou attain through good preaching to statesmanship and artisanship, through medical science obtain knowledge of all medicinal plants, through hydrostatics learn the different uses of water, through electricity understand the working of ever lustrous lightening. Carry out my instructions willingly.”—(Yajur Veda 6.21)

“O royal skilled engineer, construct sea-boats, propelled on water by our experts, and airplanes, moving and flying upward, after the clouds that reside in the mid-region, that fly as the boats move on the sea, that fly high over and below the watery clouds. Be thou, thereby, prosperous in this world created by the Omnipresent God, and flier in both air and lightning.” —(Yajur Veda 10.19)

“The atomic energy fissions the ninety-nine elements, covering its path by the bombardments of neutrons without let or hindrance. Desirous of stalking the head, ie. the chief part of the swift power, hiden in the mass of molecular adjustments of the elements, this atomic energy approaches it in the very act of fissioning it by the above-noted bombardment. Herein, verily the scientists know the similar hidden striking force of the rays of the sun working in the orbit of the moon.” —(Atharva-veda 20.41.1-3)

We have all heard about Hindu Aryan seers knowing about Zero-

purnamadah purnamidam purnaat purnamudachyate 
purnasya purnaamadaya purnameva vashishyate.

Ishavasya Upanishad explains the characteristic of the Zero as above.

Meaning of the Shloka is: 
That is Full, This also is Full, From Fullness comes that Fullness,
Taking Fullness from Fullness, Fullness Indeed Remains.

When we use Zero in place of Purna:

That is Zero, This is also Zero. Result of adding two Zeros is Zero itself. Taking Zero from Zero, Zero remains as it was!

Let’s talk about Uranus, Neptune and Pluto in our ancient scriptures-

Uranus and Neptune were discovered through telescope in 781 AD by Herschel, but their calculated position never matched with original one.
It was corrected by German Astronomers in 1846 AD.

But Sage Veda Vyas mentioned Uranus, Neptune and Pluto in his epic poem Mahabharata (written more than 5000 years back in India).

Vyas has named them as Shweta, Shyama and Teekshana/Teevra.

Uranus or Shweta (Greenish White planet)

Vishesheena hi Vaarshneya Chitraam Pidayate Grahah….[10-Udyog.143]
Swetograhastatha Chitraam Samitikryamya Tishthati….[12-Bhishma.3]

Here Vyas states that some Greenish-White (Shweta) planet has crossed Chitra Nakshatra.

Neelakantha of 17th century also had the knowledge of Uranus or Shweta.
Sweta means greenish white, which was later discovered to be the color of Uranus.

Neelakantha writes in his commentary on Mahabharat (Udyog 143) that Shweta, or Mahapada (one which has greater orbit) was a famous planet in the Astronomical science of India.
Neelakantha calls this “Mahapada” which means having greater orbit and it indicates a planet beyond Saturn.

Neptune or Shyama (Bluish White planet)

Shukrahah Prosthapade Poorve Samaruhya Virochate Uttare tu Parikramya Sahitah Samudikshyate. [15 Bheeshma.3]

Syamograhah Prajwalitah Sadhooma iva Pavakah Aaindram Tejaswi Nakshattram Jyesthaam Aakramya Tishthati. [16-Bheeshma.3]

Vyas mentions that a Bluish White (Shyama) planet was in “Jyeshtha” and it was smoky (Sadhoom).

Neelkantha calls it “Parigha” (Circumference) in his commentary on Mahabharat.
He meant that its orbit was almost of the Circumference of our solar system.

How did Sage Vyas see color of these planets ?

Mirrors and Microscopic Vision are mentioned in Mahabharata- (Shanti A. 15,308).
So, lenses and telescopes must also be present at that time.
In ancient literature, Durbini (device used to see objects at far off distance, similar to binoculars) were mentioned.

Now, Pluto or Teekshana/Teevra

Pluto was discovered to the modern world in 1930.

Krittikaam Peedayan Teekshnaihi Nakshatram…[30-Bhishma.3]

Here Vyas states that some immobile luminary was troubling Krittika (Pleides) with its sharp rays.

This was mentioned as Nakshatra because it was stationary at one place for long period, so it is a planet in outer orbit.

It gets mentioned again as

Krittikasu Grahasteevro Nakshatre Prathame Jvalan…… [26- Bhishma.3]

Mathematical calculations make it clear that Krittika and Pluto were conjunct during Mahabharata period.

Vyas has mentioned ‘Seven Great planets‘, three times in Mahabharat-

Deepyamanascha Sampetuhu Divi Sapta Mahagrahah…[2-Bhishma.17]

It means that the seven great planets were brilliant and shining. In traditional indian astrology, Rahu and Ketu are nodes/shadows and do not shine like stars or planets.

Nissaranto Vyadrushanta Suryaat Sapta Mahagrahah…[4-Karna 37]

This line states that these seven great planets were ‘seen‘ moving away from the Sun.
Since Rahu & Ketu cannot be ‘seen’, they can be ruled out.
This statement is made on sixteenth day of Kurukshetra War, when the Moon has moved away from Sun.
Hence we can assume Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune are the seven great planets mentioned by Vyas.
Pluto was neglected due to its lesser impact on earth.

Moon was excluded from the “7 Great Planets”, which clearly shows that Astronomers could distinguish between Planets and Satellites-

Praja Samharane Rajan Somam Sapta grahah Iva….[22-Drona 37]

Today there is no trace of the Ancient Durbin to be found neither how to build it.

Who’s to say we can’t add to the list of knowledge of things we have forgotten- Spacecraft, Missiles, etc?

Also, to learn about a story where Space-Time Continum is brilliantly “protrayed" from the Mahabharat-

TIME TRAVEL MYTHOLOGY

Aseem Purushottam's answer to What is the Sacredness of Om Mantra?

Aseem Purushottam's answer to Why does eating beef hurt the sentiments of some Hindus when they enjoy eating chicken & mutton?

The above 2 answers shall give you another glimpse at the soaring splendor of the Behemoth that Sanathan Dharma is.

What people think of Hinduism is irrelevent to what Hinduism actually is.

It must be known that it was firstly the white people themselves who propagated that Hinduism was the most scientific religion ever. Not Hindus.

William James, American Author: "From the Vedas we learn a practical art of surgery, medicine, music, house building under which mechanized art is included. They are encyclopedia of every aspect of life, culture, religion, science, ethics, law, cosmology and meteorology."Sir William Jones, British Orientalist: "The Sanskrit language, whatever be its antiquity is of wonderful structure, more perfect than the Greek, more copious than the Latin and more exquisitely refined than either."P. Johnstone: "Gravitation was known to the Hindus (Indians) before the birth of Newton. The system of blood circulation was discovered by them centuries before Harvey was heard of."Emmelin Plunret: "They were very advanced Hindu astronomers in 6000 because. Vedas contain an account of the dimension of Earth, Sun, Moon, Planets and Galaxies." ('Calendars and Constellations')Sylvia Levi: "She (India) has left indelible imprints on one fourth of the human race in the course of a long succession of centuries. She has the right to reclaim... Her place amongst the great nations summarizing and symbolizing the spirit of humanity. From Persia to the Chinese sea, from the icy regions of Siberia to Islands of Java and Borneo, India has propagated her beliefs, her tales, and her civilization! "Schopenhauer: "Vedas are the most rewarding and the most elevating book which can be possible in the world." (Works VI P.427)Colonel James Todd: "Where can we look for sages like those whose systems of philosophy were prototypes of those of Greece: to whose works Plato, Thales and Pythagorus were disciples? Where do I find astronomers whose knowledge of planetary systems yet excites wonder in Europe as well as the architects and sculptors whose works claim our admiration, and the musicians who could make the mind oscillate from joy to sorrow, from tears to smile with the change of modes and varied intonation? "Lancelot Hogben: "There has been no more revolutionary contribution than the one which the Hindus (Indians) made when they invented ZERO." ('Mathematics for the Millions')Wheeler Wilcox: "India - The land of Vedas, the remarkable works contain not only religious ideas for a perfect life, but also facts which science has proved true. Electricity, radium, electronics, airship, all were known to the seers who founded the Vedas."W. Heisenberg, German Physicist: "After the conversations about Indian philosophy, some of the ideas of Quantum Physics that had seemed so crazy suddenly made much more sense."Sir W. Hunter, British Surgeon: "The surgery of the ancient Indian physicians was bold and skilful. A special branch of surgery was dedicated to rhinoplasty or operations for improving deformed ears, noses and forming new ones, which European surgeons have now borrowed."Sir John Woodroffe: "An examination of Indian Vedic doctrines shows that it is in tune with the most advanced scientific and philosophical thought of the West."B.G. rele: "Our present knowledge of the nervous system fits in so accurately with the internal description of the human body given in the Vedas (5000 years ago). Then the question arises whether the Vedas are really religious books or books on anatomy of the nervous system and medicine." ('The Vedic Gods')

And here is a lengthy quote by Annie Besant that perfectly sums up all opinions-

“After a study of some forty years and more of the great religions of the world, I find none so perfect , none so scientific, none so philosophical and none so spiritual that the great religion known by the name of Hinduism. Make no mistake, without Hinduism, India has no future. Hinduism is the soil in to which India's roots are stuck and torn out of that she will inevitably wither as a tree torn out from its place. And if Hindus do not maintain Hinduism who shall save it? If India's own children do not cling to her faith who shall guard it. India alone can save India and India and Hinduism are one.

This is the India of which I speak - the India which, as I said, is to me the Holy Land. For those who, though born for this life in a Western land and clad in a Western body, can yet look back to earlier incarnations in which they drank the milk of spiritual wisdom from the breast of their true mother - they must feel ever the magic of her immemorial past, must dwell ever under the spell of her deathless fascination; for they are bound to India by all the sacred memories of their past; and with her, too, are bound up all the radiant hopes of their future, a future which they know they will share with her who is their true mother in the soul-life.

India is the mother of religion. In her are combined science and religion in perfect harmony, and that is the Hindu religion, and it is India that shall be again the spiritual mother of the world.

During the early life of a Nation, religion is an essential for the binding together of the individuals who make the nation. India was born, as it were, in the womb of Hinduism, and her body was for long shaped by that religion. Religion is a binding force, and India has had a longer binding together by religion than any other Nation in the world, as she is the oldest of the living Nations…”

Shamefully, here is the dullard from our own country who must’ve studied some other religion I guess..?:-

Dr. (Dalitrao xD) Ambedkar and his en-darkening anti-Hindu verbal diarrhea:

Judge for yourself…

Which verse here is original and which one is the interpolation?

This one?

Or this One?

"Do not be led by others,
Awaken your own mind,
Amass your own experience,
And decide for yourself your own path." 
-The Atharva Veda

I personally don’t care that much about science in the Hindu Scriptures anyways as those parts are dwarfed by the practical metaphysical and philosophical parts.

Here is my closing part:

Quoted from Vishnu Purana-

“The Country that lies north of the ocean, and south of the snowy mountains, is called Bhárata, for there dwelt the successors of Bharata. It is nine thousand leagues in extent, and is the land of works, in consequence of which men go to heaven, or obtain emancipation.

From this region Swarga is obtained, or even, in some cases, liberation from existence; or men pass from hence into the condition of brutes, or fall into hell. Heaven, emancipation, a state in mid-air, or in the subterraneous realms, succeeds to existence here, and the world of acts is not the title of any other portion of the Universe.”

EDIT: MY FIRST CENTURY ON UPVOTES!!! THANX Y’ALL.

EDIT 2: MY THIRD CENTURY!!! WOOH!

EDIT 3: Some pseudo-rationalists have used their own shallow brains in interpreting the part in Vedic verses on the analogy of Sun as a charioteer. They have quoted other dullards and stated that Vedas imply that Sun drives around the Earth.

I am so appalled at their lack of perception and and smug pride on their half-knowledge that I have to restrain myself from falling to their level and using pathetic ad Hominems…

Sun as a Charioteer holds (allegory for it’s gravitational effect) it’s horses (as in the Planets and other celestial bodies) and moves around in the Milky Way revolving around it’s centre, NOT Earth-

"O, Bright sun, a chariot named Harit with Sevenhorses takes you to sky"

(Rig Ved 1/50/8)

Does the Sun revolve on an axis, or is it stationary in the middle of the Solar System?

Centre(As in the point) of our Galaxy is embodied/allegorised as Mount Meru and the formation of Milky Way is explicity explained in the cosmically allegorical tale of Samudra Manthan.

Abhishek Khanna's answer to What is the underlying symbolism of the 'Samudra Manthan'?

I hope these people learn something now…

EDIT 4: My 4th Century!!! Anyways, for humorous purposes, do read Sandeep Londhe’s comments in my comment section, if you want a prime example of how things get weird fast :D

EDIT 5: Sorry for those who missed out on Sandeep Londhe’s wise sermons (TEE HEE!) in my comment section. They were golden… and white and sticky… ;P

EDIT 6: Half a 1000 views! Thanks to all my readers :)

What are reasons that some people support Israel? by Kushal Kulshreshtha

Let me give you an Indian perspective. I have numerous reasons to support it.

Their courage and patriotism is beyond any comparison.

What if somebody is being continuously bullied by his neighbors, who are united due to religious fanaticism? And the guy who is being bullied always gives a befitting reply to the perpetrators.

It was the time of 1967 when a new nation, merely standing at the age of 20, which started with zero (literally) with its childhood occupied with internal pains, stood firm against 2 nations- Syria and Egypt. They did not surrender. Infact they won.

Again 5 years later, these 2 nations namely Syria and Egypt again repeated that cheap and inhumane tactic, this time when most of the Jewish soldiers were on holiday. They were equipped with the weapons supplied by the USSR. This time it was hard, and Israel disengaged itself from its land of Sinai due to UN, which was captured by them back in '68. But the thing to be noted is that Israel fought single handed against the bunch of 12 countries. But they not only fought but they were able to defeat the offenders.

Whenever our newspapers fetch stories from Israel, we always read about gruesome act by Lebanon, Hamas terrorists from Gaza strip etc. It takes a lot of courage to withstand that pressure, internal and external especially when you are surrounded by hostile neighborhood.

India too shares the same positions with Egypt and Syria as Pakistan and China. With far more power and arms than the former two and coridially acting to move against India, internal tensions of Kashmir, naxals etc I believe that India must learn fromIsrael.

Recently some UN resolution said that the land of Temple Mount has no ties with Israel. This is same as saying that Hindus with Sindh and Zoroastrians with Pasargadae (modern day Iran) have no ties. Basic understanding in history tells us that Jews lived there since 1000 BC. Do UN chaps mean that if some community has lost its ancestral land for some reason or the other, it severs the ties of that community with that land?

But above all, Mr Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime Minister of Israel had already flaunted his stance in UNGA by saying, "UN should not dictate its terms to Israel."

I admire them for the courage they hold that they are not afraid of anything powerful when it comes to their interest.

Their innovation (especially in arms)-

Well they are a new nation and have always supported India by providing with high quality weapons like IMI Tavor TAR-21 used by Indian special forces. A nation with little area is proving itself to be a backbone for arms supply for a huge nation like India. They have well managed their resources.

(Indian special forces using Tavor)

And yes, they helped us during the time of Kargil war by providing mortar, laser guided missiles, Israeli Heron and searcher Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. Their help was crucial for us at the time of war.

(Israeli Heron)

Planes, Drones, Missiles: How Kargil changed Indo–Israeli Relations

The development they did in last 60 years-

As I already stated, they started from zero. And now Israel ranks 19th out of 187 nations nations on the UN's Human Development Index, which places it in the category of "Very Highly Developed" making Israel ahead of countries like France, Austria and Belgium. (India still ranks 135th) 
Read Economy of Israel.
Table 1: Human Development Index and its components

(Israel in 1950)

(Israel in current form)

And yes, their military is tough and powerful, and beautiful too

Israel is one of the few countries in which even women have to serve for military. What I mean is this

and this

(Picture courtesy: Google Images)

Moreover, Indian culture is respected by Israelis. Why will I support Arabs nations who don’t even have the maturity to respect other cultures. Why will I support them when I know that they call us ‘kafirs’ (infidels), idol worshipers to abuse us.

On the other hand Jews (Israelis) treat our culture with respect and sometimes even follow some of our practices. In 2014, Janmasthtmi, a festival in which Hindus celebrate the birth of Lord Krishna was celebrated on a grand scale in Israel. Janmashtami a grand festival in Israeli town - Times of India

Then we have Israelis like Mr Ben A. Wise who scented Indian culture on his stay in India. He stayed in cities like Auroville, Chennai etc. He learnt Hindi and Tamil here. His bitter-sweet experiences are heartwarming and soothing. I always end up smiling after reading his experiences here. So much he respects India that he wanted to name his son as ‘Aryan’ but couldn’t do it as Nazis had infected this word. Hence he ended up naming his son ‘Soham’

Ben A. Wise's answer to How would a Jewish person react if he or she meets an Indian with the name 'Aryan' or someone with a Hindu swastika?

Ben A. Wise's answer to Which cities in India are most friendly to expats, and why?

Moreover, top writers like Mr Noam Kaiser also view India and Indians positively. He admires Indian army as one of the best in the world. He considers India as Israel’s ally. Why shouldn’t I respect the people who praise Indian army?

Noam Kaiser's answer to Does Israel consider India as an ally?

Noam Kaiser's answer to How are the Indian Armed Forces regarded by other countries?

Noam Kaiser's answer to What do Israelis think of India?

Israelis have the prowess of turning desert land into cultivatable land. They grow crops on barren land,with lowest water usage. Their irrigation technique is the best. And that is what we need in water scarce country like India. With the help of Israel, around 112,000 olive trees were planted in the Thar Desert.

I wonder why I shouldn’t be pro Israel. How can someone be reluctant to support Israel. I like their very idea of Zionism. Zionism was based on the thought of Hatikvah’-The Hope to return to Jerusalem. They had always remembered Jerusalem in days of exile in forms of hymns and prayers. I have read about the foundation of their country and I know very well the pain they took and dedication they possessed to do that. After 2000 years of persecution, they finally have their land which they can claim their own.

And so we have the 2 legendary statesmen, Mr Modi and Mr Netanyahu to carry our bilateral relations to the next level.

By the way today is birthday of Mr Netanyahu, honorable Prime Minister of Israel. I wish you very best wishes from India. I hope to see you visit India soon.

So these are the reasons, my friend that I support Israel, and I will always do so.