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18 THE TIMES OF IDEAS
* THE TIMES OF INDIA, MUMBAI
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2010
■■
A THOUGHT FOR TODAY
EDIT PAGE MAILBOX
Glad that I’m not bowling to him.
My Times My Voice
SHANE WARNE, former Australian cricketer
Chocolate Cake And Terror
Populism trumps good
policy measures
Run Sachin Run
Let’s not be emotional
few deranged people who can relatively easily required and their ideology, terrorists will be
toss a bomb or fire guns at innocent people at a connected. Akin to social networking sites, With reference to the editorial ‘Lack-
about tackling terrorism
popular venue, and attract almost immediate there has to be a loose structure that puts them ing Vision’ (Feb 25), during the last
attention worldwide. This attention is the big- at least in various clusters, if not one organisa- few years, railway ministers have
Tendulkar becomes first batsman to
Chetan Bhagat
gest incentive for such an act. These people, or tion. It makes any terrorists caught alive, or taken pains to ensure that passenger
score ODI double hundred
terrorists, also have a twisted moral justifica- other leads such as phone records (drilled fares are left untouched. But nobody
tion. They do not perceive their victims to be down to the next level) extremely valuable. is likely to grudge railway fares being
innocent, even if the victim’s ‘crime’ in their This mapping could make finding them less marginally increased every year
A
lot may have been written about Sachin Tendulkar
commensurate with inflation, and the
and his cricketing feats, yet he keeps doing things
T
he last time i went to German Bakery,
my twin sons insisted on having a slice
of chocolate cake. I told them we could head is belonging to a particular religion or random. This effort has to be led by an inde-
revenue thus generated being utilised
that force us to sit up and take notice. His double
have it next time, since we came to Pune so country. Also, the terrorists do not place a pendent, empowered and capable organisa-
for the welfare of passengers.
century on Wednesday was one such occasion. When he
often on weekends anyway. I broke my prom- very high value on their own life, for in many tion. The same people who solve domestic
When there are numerous
took a single to reach 200 in the final over of the Indian
ise. For the next image i saw was the bakery cases they get caught or killed. robbery cases may not have the bandwidth,
bridges and thousands of kilometres
innings at Gwalior, Sachin became the first batsman –
blown to bits. A newspaper sketch diagram How do you deal with such a problem? It is though on the ground police can sniff out leads.
of tracks in need of maintenance
nearly 40 years after the first ODI was played – to score a
showed the bomb placement exactly where certainly not easy. Venue-specific security Second, curtailing the easy availability of
and repairs that are being delayed
double hundred in a one-day game. Along the way he broke
my family used to sit, in the out- explosives. Try finding RDX in
because of paucity of funds,
the record for the highest individual score in an ODI, which
door area. My first thought after China, you’ll be in jail faster than
Mamata Banerjee should realise
stood at 194 runs.
the Saturday night attack was: it you figure out the acronym. How-
that populism is counterproductive.
Just shy of his 37
th
birthday, Sachin has blasted all
could have been us. ever, in India, a newspaper sting
Incidents such as the tragic collapse
sorts of myths about age and longevity in sports. Having
German Bakery was not a par- team obtained it in a couple of
of the bridge at Farook in Kerala,
completed 20 years of international cricket, Sachin is
ticularly upscale place – dishes hours. Why can’t we successfully
costing a number of lives, are still
probably playing the best cricket of his life. During the
cost far less than national coffee- ban RDX and all such dangerous
fresh in public memory.
past year he has scored 1,158 runs in ODIs at an astonishing
shop chains. It had a relaxed vibe, compounds? Maybe RDX has some
M V Unni, NANDED
average of 72.37. In his last 10 Tests he has hit 1,018 runs,
due to the monk-robed Osho legitimate uses, but given how a
including six centuries, at an average of 78.3. Those who
ashram customers. Ironically, it bagful of it can shatter the nation’s
not too long ago wrote Sachin off – when he had an unusual
would be one of the last places you spirit – is it worth it? Surely, explo-
India nowhere near
loss of form – have nowhere to hide. The single-minded
would associate with violence. sives are manufactured some-
matching China
accumulation of runs and records is reminiscent of the
Almost every college student or where, or imported across the
great Don Bradman. The Australian legend had remarked
young professional in Pune would border at some venue. Can the
With reference to the editorial ‘A Tale
that he was reminded of himself when he watched Sachin
have visited this popular youth people involved be hunted down?
Of Two Nations’ (Feb 24) by Gautam
play. This not only had something to do with the way
hangout. Not surprisingly, many The third step is to reduce the
Adhikari, the sheer scale of China’s
Sachin bats, but also the way he relentlessly piles up runs
of the dead were young students. attention, particularly the emo-
dominance in a few decades is stagger-
and records.
The first reaction to such a tional aspects, given by the media
ing. All those in our political class who
What makes Sachin’s body and mind tick after
horrific incident is emotional. to such attacks. While news has
are more interested in India’s devel-
having played a mind-boggling 166 Tests and 442 ODIs? And
The more relatedness you feel to be reported, guidelines can be
opment rather than private gain need to
how does he shoulder the burden of an entire nation’s
with the event, the more difficult drawn up between TV channels
bring about a paradigm shift in their
hopes and expectations? There are no easy answers. He
it becomes to think straight. Feel- on how much gore and suffering
approach to governance.
A peace rally in Pune: Let reason be our guiding light
himself has said that it’s his passion for the game and
ings of rage, despair and grief in- have to be shown vs the actual
The Laloos, Mamatas, Mayas,
the pride in the Indian jersey that keeps him going. It’s
termingle. Media reports, wheth- facts of the event. The fourth and
Advanis and their ilk need to be replaced
another matter that records tumble along the way. Sunil
er intentionally or not, repeatedly show the measures help for sure. However, the solution final step is the long drawn one, where a coun-
by proven administrators and leaders
Gavaskar has pointed out that there’s a “little boy” some-
horror, tap into this emotion and exacerbate it. lies in addressing four areas – managing the try must develop to create opportunities for
from the younger generation. The
where in Sachin that keeps alive his spirit. Besides, with
“Is anyone safe?”, “Was the police sleep- randomness, curtailing the availability of ex- young people , so there is less likelihood of peo-
quality of governance and efficient use
nothing left to prove, he has that much less pressure to
ing?”, “It’s the politician’s fault”, “Screw all plosives, limiting the attention incentive and ple choosing to become terrorists. Anyone with
of economic resources must improve if
contend with.
talk of peace, kill Pakistan” are phrases you see improving opportunities to limit dissonance. a good education, a job and an optimistic view
our economic growth has to hit double
Whatever be the secret behind Sachin’s success, we can
tossed around on TV, the internet and in con- The first step is reducing randomness. There on life is less likely to blow up a peaceful place.
digits. As a nation, it is imperative that
rest assured that he is far from done. He already holds the
versations. I understand the mental state isn’t much one can do if a lunatic decides to We cannot take away the pain felt by all
we carry out a course correction if we
record for most runs and centuries in both Tests and ODIs,
where such comments come from. However, launch a shooting spree at a random venue. How- affected. However, rational steps can reduce
have to occupy a global position of any
and all his contemporaries have fallen way behind. With
such outcry does not help solve the problem. In ever, it should be noted that there is a finite num- such horrific acts. They will make way for a
prominence at all.
47 Test centuries and another 46 in ODIs there are more
fact, stew such emotions too long, and it be- ber of such people. Also, it doesn’t represent the more peaceful and better life for Indians, Niraj Pant, VIA E-MAIL
personal milestones beckoning for Sachin. A century of
comes ripe for a politician to sway people into character trait of a particular country or commu- who’d much rather have chocolate cake with
II For decades, we have salvaged
centuries in international cricket – something that would
hating a particular country and a particular re- nity. Even if there are 10,000 terrorists, that’s still their kids than live a life hating another
our pride by presenting ourselves as
have been unimaginable until now – is on top of the list.
ligion. And yet, the problem is not addressed. only 0.001 per cent of our population. community or country.
a pious, spiritual, non-aggressive
And going by Sachin’s form that is a distinct possibility.
The problem, at a factual level, is about a Also, while spread out, given the logistics The writer is a best-selling novelist.
people. This has helped us close our
eyes to our many shortcomings; little
Married To The Mob
wonder that poverty, squalor and
‘A complete military victory impossible in Afghanistan’
venality continue to affect us. What we
fail to recognise is that much before
China gained the economic and politi-
J&K parties like the PDP must adopt
One of the world’s leading security
cal power it now has, it had started
a constructive agenda
Q&A
■ You have written in various killed, 200,000 seriously injured,
experts, Paul Rogers has been a papers that the American re- four million refugees; the way
working in earnest towards building
long-standing critic of the war on sponse to 9/11 should have that was chosen has not worked.
the foundations of that power. We are
P
olitical activity in Jammu and Kashmir has entered a terror. He spoke to Vikram Sinha been to treat the issue as a
far from doing anything similar.
■ There have been recent at-
new phase. Mobs of stone-pelting youth have changed about the new strategy in Afghan- transnational law and order tempts for a broader regional
Mukesh Adenwala, VIA E-MAIL
the character of political protests in the Valley. Main- istan and its implications: problem. The al-Qaeda might approach to Afghanistan. Do
Implement fire safety
stream parties as well as separatist groups are unnerved be a non-state actor but it had you think this is feasible?
by the emergence of this loose network of anarchist youth norms better■ How do you see the troop state support. How do you The problem always comes
who lack any cogent political agenda. Even if elements in the surge in Afghanistan affecting untangle that? back to the extent of the military
With reference to the editorial ‘Smoke
political mainstream sympathise with their grievances, the situation, coupled as it is Yes, i argued that in print at occupation. I think there is
Signals’ (Feb 25), on paper we do have
they should not endorse this mode of protest. Mob action with a change in policy regard- the time and got nowhere. It had some possibility, if in fact the
fire safety norms, but they are seldom
only leads to chaos and suffering. J&K has suffered ing engaging in dialogue with some state support but always at military elements were scaled
put into practice. Regular fire drills
enough of both. the Taliban? the sub-state level. It had support down, and there was much
are unheard of. It should be made
The demographic profile of the Valley is tilted towards Since the increase in troop from elements in Saudi Arabia, more focus on encouraging civil
mandatory for all commercial establish-
youth. Years of insurgency have robbed them of educational numbers started – which was real- Yemen certainly. But respon- society, and civil redevelopment,
ments to submit the viability of fire
opportunities and employment. Militants and security ly in 2006 – the Taliban and other ding as the Bush administration there might be some way out
safety in their buildings to a third party
forces militarised the region and restricted their creative paramilitaries have actually did elevated this transnational in 10 or 15 years. But that also
regulatory body. Simple measures such
energies. Political parties like the PDP, instead of construc- gained more influence and taken rump religious movement into means coming to terms with very
as multistorey buildings displaying a
tively engaging with these youth, have sought to exploit more territory. I think a complete But i have to say, given the status of a global enemy. And serious problems in Pakistan.
floor plan at the entrance marking emer-
their anger and frustration for political ends. military victory is impossible. the past 3-4 years, it is more i would put it even further. I And also, and this is very uncom-
gency exit points can save many lives.
Some of the recent protests may have a legitimate basis. Obama’s administration is more likely that the military presence would say that 9/11 was designed fortable for the British and the Narayan S Balaji, BANGALOR
But the government has initiated action against security political and it is willing to con- will just increase the opposition. to provoke exactly the kind of Americans, it means dealing
.....................................................................................
personnel responsible for the shooting of Zahid Farooq
We want your views and comments. Please SMS MY-
cede that from their perspective At some stage, the American response it did, because that much more closely with Iran.
VOICE <space> your comments and name to 58888. Or
Sheikh, a 16-year-old youth. Moreover, protesters them- the war is unwinnable and there- government will have to be pre- could be portrayed as a Crusader- One forgets the very close email mytimesmyvoice@timesgroup.com with Editor
selves were responsible for the death of an 11-day-old infant, fore there will have to be some pared to have a much more basic Zionist plot. Iranian involvement in Afghan-
Mumbai in the subject line. Or write us at My Times, My
Voice c/o Edit Page Editor, The Times of India, D N Road,
when they roughed up a family – trying to take the baby to negotiation and compromise. So rethink about their policies in We are now in the ninth year of istan and the Iranian distrust of
Mumbai-400001.
hospital – for not participating in their protests. Thereafter, that’s possible. Afghanistan. the war, we’ve had 100,000 Iraqis the Taliban.
Mehbooba Mufti chose to muddy the waters with bizarre
allegations about the government breeding a counter stone-
pelting force. The job of opposition parties like PDP is to
make sure the government follows up on its promises and
■■
JUGULAR VEIN
punishes those who take the law into their own hands,
The Prophet’s Message
■■
whether among security forces or among protesters. Unfor-
SACRED
tunately, leaders like Mehbooba Mufti seem inclined to stoke
SPACE
Of Submission
the fire, not douse the flames.
Tax brake
PDP politics is at the crossroads. Since its formation in
Sachin Unlimited
Sadia Dehlvi
congealed blood: Proclaim! And
the 1999, the PDP has been a political platform for those who
Jug Suraiya money he is taking from you. I have seen God, he bats thy Lord is most bountiful, He who
sympathised with the separatist cause to enter parliamen-
You try to read the form. But it seems at No. 4 for India.
Matt Hayden
✥ T
he birth of a prophet signi- taught the use of the pen; taught
tary politics. But the reluctance to jettison its anti-state poli-
P
raveen has sent his annual bill as he to be written in ancient Aramaic. Or the fies the rebirth of humani- man that which he knew not.”
tics and embrace a governance agenda prevented the party
always does around this time of year language James Cameron invented for ty. Prophets lead the way Iqra is the basis of human knowl-
from making best use of its innings in office. Its strategy
and, again as always, i’m cribbing Avatar. And no dictionary has been sup- A staggering 2,961 to God and help us discern good edge. In Islamic tradition, man’s
worked for a while but is now coming apart. The political
and bitching about it. Apart from a profes- plied with it. How am i supposed to under- matches and almost 39 from evil. The twelfth of Rabiu- primary duty lies in nurturing the
discourse in the Valley has changed. It is in the best interests
sional association with us, Praveen is also stand this damn thing, which seems to be years after the first ODI lawwal, the third month of the Is- intellect to seek the Creator.
of the PDP, and the people of Kashmir, if the party reinvents
a good friend, so i don’t begrudge him his written in Medieval Serbo-Croatian, or it was played, the Little lamic calendar, falls the mawlid, Allah has honoured the pen,
itself as a responsible opposition. For that it must adopt a
fee. What i do begrudge – and never has a might be Proto Harappan? Legend finally became the birth anniversary of Prophet He swears by it in the Quran,
constructive agenda. It should speak up against human
grudge been more be-ed – is what the fee is The highway robber shrugs. That’s the first cricketer to Muhammad whom Allah creat- which means ‘The Recital’. It is
rights violations and for development concerns, but also
for: the filing of our income tax returns. your problem; go employ an expert to do it score 200 in a one-dayer, ed as rahmat ul alameen, mercy the last link in a chain of revela-
steer clear of supporting baseless conspiracy theories and
This is the way i see it. Suppose you’re for you; says the highway robber. So you go propelled by a record 25 for all realms and worlds. Let’s tions going back to the very ori-
mob violence. That, surely, is not an impossible task.
walking down the road, minding your employ an expert to fill in the form which is fours in one knock… revisit and reflect on Muham- gin of man. The Quran declares
own business, not loitering on street cor- not at all that much more torturous than TOI report on Tendulkar mad’s mission of bringing Islam, Prophet Muhammad the Kha-
ners with intent or being a nuisance to three-dimensional Sudoku in Vedic mathe- scoring 200 runs against that is, peace to the world. tam al Ambiya, Seal of Prophecy,
His Name Is Khan
anyone, and along comes this highway matics. The expert naturally takes a fee for South Africa at the The messages revealed to and confirms that of all prophets,
robber and sticks a gun in your face and his services. Oh, right, says the highway Gwalior one-day inter- Muhammad over a span of 23 from Adam to Abraham includ-
tells you to hand over 33 per cent of all the robber. Here, he says. And out of the money national cricket match years constitute the Ho- ing Moses and Jesus.
Anil Dharker
money you have on he’s taken from you, ✥ ly Quran. It addresses Muslim faith is incom-
you. Oh, yes, and he gives you back the There are two kinds of nations, communities, plete without believing
S
hah Rukh is more than just the hero of My Name Is Khan. don’t forget the one fee you’ve paid the batsmen in the world. families, individuals in the 124,000 Ambiya,
He is a hero. Full stop. Oddly enough, there aren’t too per cent educational expert. As a sort of tip. One: Sachin Tendulkar. and humanity as a prophets who have
many of them in our filmdom. In the fictional land we call cess, will you? Now, Gun or no gun, by this Two: all the others. whole, teaching the been sent to earth. The
Bollywood, when it comes to the screen, there are no actors, being a law abiding time you’re ready to Andy Flower path to inner and Quran informs that
only heroes. They are so much larger than life, they routinely citizen and allergic to kick the highway ✥ outer perfection. The there has never been
vanquish whole armies with their bare fists; they need only two guns, particularly robber in the ass for Beneath the helmet, Prophet said: “I have THE a time when God did
and a half hours to decimate the ungodly and clean up the when they are shoved having made you go under that unruly curly come to perfect char- not send Messengers
■■
streets of crime. Yet they dare not take their shoes off in public. in your face, you dis- through this whole hair, inside the cranium, acter” and the Quran
SPEAKING
who did not speak
Because if they did, you could see their feet are made of clay. gorge the largesse as time- and energy- there is something we praises his conduct.
TREE
the language of the
Over the years, how often have Mumbaikars cringed to see the required. And that’s wasting – and don’t don’t know, something Muhammad breathes people. If followers of
sickening spectacle of these ‘heroes’ being brought to their the end of the matter, right? Wrong. The forget paper-wasting – charade. beyond scientific mea- life into our souls, pours love Judaism, Christianity and Islam
knees by some local bully who has issued a ‘decree’ against highway robber now insists that handing And that’s the way i’m feeling right sure. Something that into our hearts and guides us to are at odds, it is not because of
them? It’s not just actors we are talking about: producers and over your money to him is not enough. He now. When it’s coming up to the time for allows him to soar, to unravel divine mysteries. He the teachings of their founders,
directors too belong to the category of men who loom like wants you to fill in a form which says that Praveen to file my income tax returns to roam a territory of sport taught us to love the One God and but despite these teachings.
Gulliver before us Lilliputians, but when it comes to people you have handed over such-and-such sum the highway robber known as the sarkar that, forget us, even emphasised that the path lead- The Miraj, Ascension of the
who threaten and browbeat, they of your hard-earned lolly to him. It’s a sort and who practises a highway robbery those who are gifted ing to Him consists of kindness, Prophet to the Heavens, is a tale
shrink to the proportion of Gulliver
■■
REAL-LIFE
of receipt, which the highway robber calls called income tax. If, despite the sarkar’s enough to play alongside compassion and moderation. of love where God is the lover and
before the Brobdingnagians.
HERO
a return. Hold on, you tell the highway best efforts – by not providing you school- him cannot even fathom. The spirit of Islam is entering the Prophet, the beloved. The
To some extent you can under- robber. You’re taking my money, so what ing when you were a kid, by not giving When he goes out to bat, into a state of humility before lovers of Muhammad believe
stand why they so readily leave behind their swagger and go the blazing dickens do you want me to give you basic health care, or even bijli-paani people switch on their the Lord. Despite all the glories this union to be the greatest in all
cap in hand to ask for forgiveness from extra-constitutional youa receipt for it; shouldn’t it be the other – you somehow manage to earn yourself a television sets and bestowed on him as Habiballah, of heaven and earth for it carries
authorities: films are a collective enterprise and expensive to way round? legitimate income, you – and not that switch off their lives. Beloved of Allah, Muhammad clues on heavenly secrets. It tells
produce. To take a tough stand may then seem like a needless The highway robber doesn’t bother to Chatwal guy – should be given a Padma BBC Sports remained in prostration before us that the source of creation is
heroic gesture, likely to bring financial ruin to many of those answer, just taps the barrel of the gun Bhushan. Instead of which you are puni- on Sachin Tendulkar Him, referring to himself as the pure light, love and goodness. It
involved in the project. This becomes even more so when the sticking in your face. OK, OK, you say, shed by being forced at metaphorical ✥ slave of Allah. gives the joyful news that the
government in power is unable to control the goons who want to caving in. Give me your bloody form and gunpoint to pay income tax. And not just Isn’t cricket supposed to A state of submission in- gulf between the finite and infi-
stop the screening of a film. But the capitulation of our ‘heroes’ let’s get this over with, you say. So the pay tax but also file a return to that effect be a team sport? I feel cludes recognising those who nite can be bridged. Muhammad
perpetuates the power of the various Senas that now patrol the highway robber hands you something which makes a Mensa IQ test look like a people should decide know and seeking knowledge returns not with wealth, but
land. In the event, it would have been so easy for Shah Rukh which by size and weight makes the Grea- ‘knock-knock’ joke. first whether cricket from them. Prophet Muhammad light. He returns to the world,
Khan to have succumbed to the temptation and given the ter National Capital Region Telephone Sod it. I’d better make out a cheque for is a team game or an did not desire the Message, but but does not seek it and declares:
apology the Shiv Sena wanted. He was particularly vulnerable Directory look like a size zero product of Praveen. He’ll need it to pay the tax guy individual sport... was chosen for the revelations, “Poverty is my pride.”
on two counts. First, My Name Is Khan is a big film so a lot of Vandana Luthra’s Curls and Curves. who files his returns. God, where does it Eventually it’s a game…. which began at the cave of Hira This nocturnal journey forms
money is involved. Second, and even more important, Shah What’s this? You say. Shashi Tha- end? And a Voice seems to answer: Don’t I want to give my six while he was meditating during the foundation for Muslim spiri-
Rukh’s name is Khan, and the Sena hostility for the Muslim com- roor’s Twitter diary. But it turns out that ask Me, pal; I’m trying to figure out this hours of serious cricket the month of Ramzan. The first tualists seeking to make this
munity is well known and has a long and violent history behind it is not Shashi Tharoor’s collected goddam form…. on the ground and then word revealed was the command Ascension by annihilating the
it. People say Shah Rukh Khan acts too much; others say he often Tweets. It is something even more intri- jug.suraiya@timesgroup.com take whatever the result. ‘ Iqra’ – read! “Read in the name ego, the i, for in the presence of
talks too much. But when it mattered, he did the brave thing and guing. It is the form you have to fill in for
http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/
Sachin Tendulkar of thy Lord and cherisher, who God, there is no room for more than
firmly kept his mouth shut. For that this Khan is a real-life hero. the highway robber as a receipt for the jugglebandhi/ created man, out of a clot of one ‘I’, that is the ‘I’ of Divinity.
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