The Mosquito Effect

If you are wondering what the content of the post would be by reading this title, then my sincere suggestion would be; please stop guessing could sometimes on CnC we too talk about incredible things (may be someday even we might write on fairly tales and Harry Potter on our blog).

Well this post is coming from a frustrated soul, who is clueless about ways to settle a dispute. Every night me and my enemies drawn our boundaries, sign peace treaties and cease fire; but all these unwritten laws fail in few minutes and we are back at war. I stand tall like a brave Spartan warrior up against a fleet of over 300 enemy soldiers (a lil exaggeration though); I wait and kill them when they are within one yard radius from my body. Fierce battle lasts for hours, neither can I stop and donate blood to my enemy nor do the mosquitoes quit the battle field; they breath through my smoke bombs (don't think otherwise I am talking about mosquito repellents here) and keep trying to enter my territory. It's a complete bloodshed, either mine or others.

The results of this wars are, either they lose their life by getting smacked by me (high success rate of .1%), or leave me with a small protrusion (as if they have filled something in my veins rather than sucking it out; happens 10% of the cases I guess) or the most common, I try to zero them, but then end up hurting myself and they fly away.

It is a never ending war, though I wish to win, I am clueless of the how?? Can anyone suggest a first hand tested strategy which can be of my help??

I tried to get a few solutions from various philosophies from noted thinkers, writers and religions that "love" is the greatest weapon and one can win anything with love. Some went on to say that we can even win over my enemies with love. Even our own Munnabhai quite promotes this concept (remember the incident where a person benevolently cleans the paan strains created by a crook without shouting at him). So does that mean I need to love mosquitoes as well? Will a mosquito stop biting me if I voluntary allow it to bite for more and more times??

This is where I feel all these concepts are not always practical. Just take a simple case of a ring master in a circus; the tigers and other animals perform the necessary tricks only because they are afraid of him, not because of the piece of meat that he offers them at the end of the stunt. If we realise it's the same with most other trainers as well. We learn more when they are strict and we work under pressure. Remember this is the image of boarding schools which most people have - that the teachers are strict and students get punished for all in-disciplinary acts. It's this fear that helps most students do better. I am not sure if others feel the same, but I think I miss my teachers whom I was more afraid of than those who were nice to me. Or may be its just that I learnt it the hard way.

It applies to my mom as well.. She is all nice and loving when I do well but at the same time, will scold me if I ever do something wrong – and I believe it was this fear that still keeps me conscious before I could ever dare do things wrong. So it is this balance between love and fear that helped me grow the way I am and I believe its and in-build art which most mothers possess.

Now when I say all this, I am remembered of the buzz around the country. What should be our next step to counter terrorism?? Is war the solution?? How to resolve Kashmir?? Are we prepared for the War?? What would be extent of damage?? What could be the outcome?? So many questions but very few concrete answers…

But then here also mosquito effect stands to explain the international relations..

Why is Pakistani government under greater treat when the United States of America pressures it and comes up with statements against them?? At the same time India, which has been highlighting the epic centre of all the terrorist activities, it was not at all catered to?? And now look even Pakistan is trying to take a few steps by capturing some key members of the militant groups??

Now all this is definitely not because of love..

It's not that I am trying to prove that love is not powerful and only fear rules the world. There are instances where problems which otherwise failed, were solved by love. Take for instance the relation between Indians and Pakistanis; keep aside all the terrorist and political activities, I think the increased communication between common people is serving as a big step to bridge some of the differences between "aam admi" of both the nations. The apple traders were the happiest when the trade was restored this year.

So the mosquito effect tells us that love and fear are both equally powerful tools and should be used according to the situation. And just as the war between me and mosquitoes seems never ending, where sometimes I win and sometimes they, similarly the success of love and fear will be never ending sometimes the problems get resolved by love while at other we need to use fear.

And regarding Terrorism and countering it, its an issue with so many complexities attached to it. I am dying to see what step our politicians take and bring long – term peace and tranquility back to one of the most beautiful part of the planet.

Singh is Kinng or Sin is Kinng

I remember the moment the trust vote results were declared exactly a week back. I was exhilarated for the fact that we could avoid a premature general election and all the costs and politics associated with it.
My gtalk status message read “Singh (Manmohan) is Kinng; Ayes – 275 Nays – 256”
Now look at the situation 7 days hence, all our cities are under threat. Red alert everywhere. Around 25 bomb blasts in two different cities on two consecutive days. Killing around 50 people and injuring over hundred. A score of live bombs detected and defused at Surat.
And finally our news channels got something to sell, flashing breaking news – counting the number of blasts, the number of casualties, views from various political parties and then a prediction poll - which city could be the next target and what not. They try out different logics and act as detectives and come out items which can scare the public even more.
But if you focus on the real life situation of the public at large, it’s almost a state of panic. The situation is so bad that we can’t even trust a person; every one is looking at each other with suspicion. Fear and distrust is filled in the eyes of all. Can’t move out freely, there is no place where you can bet that you are safe. Every time a member of the family goes out on work, all the others pray for his safe return. My mother and grandmother refuse to trust anyone other than the Almighty.
So at this moment I can tolerate the usual complains I have had like bad roads, delayed monsoon, corruption, pollution, population and what not, but what I believe more important that this stage is a little confidence that we have a system in place which can fight out such inhuman acts and ensure a peaceful life to all..

Bangalore blasts, inhuman act

Men become great not just by carefully avoiding disastrous situations but by reacting in the right spirit when faced by one. The same is true for the greatest manifestation of a group of people --- a nation.
When terror strikes, when buildings are burnt down, people killed, children orphaned, the surviver of the attack have a much bigger responsibility than hurling blames on one another. A person who commits a crime is a criminal, and only that. It is a shame to qualify a criminal as a muslim/hindu/christian/sikh/etc. It is wrong to glorify the life and acts of such individuals by associating them with such great religions.
When bombs are hurled at places of worship or when people are massacred in cold blood on the streets filled with cries of babies dying and women being raped or when innocent commuters become victims of death traps in railway stations, the person behind these acts has already steered away from being human and hence unworthy of belonging to any religion of the world. The muslim who joins the forces of terror in no longer a muslim, the hindu who brings down national heritages in no longer a hindu, the sikh who loses his patience and commits a crime has lost confidence in Guru Granth Saheb.
Criminals should never be identified with religious leaders/followers. A worshiper of arms/murder/impatience knows only pagan worship and is a criminal of humanity.

PS: The incidents like the Bangalore blasts that took place today are heinous acts done by individuals and groups living on the brinks of the civilized world. The people involved in such crimes are a disgrace to humanity. Such individuals/groups do not belong to any religion of the world.

Charity begins at home Mr Thakre

This is definitely the most depressing news I have ever come across. And I’m not just depressed, I’m actually rather furious. Mr. Bal Thakre announces in the Shiv Sena mouth piece, Saamna, that “Hindus should form a terror squad and suicide bombing squads to protect themselves …” (or to kill the non-Hindu citizens of India, or perhaps non-Maratha? Who knows?)
This comes at a time when there in unrest in the nation with respect to the rising oil prices, soaring inflation and the ever lurking terror attacks from ‘outside’ the country. Also, this comes at the time of yet another general election round the corner, but this fact would mostly be ignored by the ‘innocent’ people who would want to spice up their life by forming a terror group to attack the unarmed at various places of worship, markets, etc. or ransack, not the rich, politically influential members of the society, but those poor shopkeepers who would dare to open their shops on the day of some ‘bandh’ so that they can feed their children at home (impoverished, even after the government has announced so many ‘mid-day meal’ programs around the country).
What is more surprising is the fact that while the workmen of these monuments of hate would either die, be put in the jail or would be forced to live a life of misery after thus throwing away their youth towards the call of power hungry politicians, the real architects would be invited to talk shows on popular TV programs during prime time and would be honored on every occasion of ‘national integration’. The CBI tries to spy on emails sent by individuals sitting in desolate corners of the country’s towns and villages for a hint of terror, but such ‘grand announcements’ pass away unnoticed (no wonder the CBI and other agencies are busy solving the ‘biggest murder mystery of India’ since so many weeks now). The government has taken to a voluntary sleep considering the nearing general elections and the pulse of Maharashtra. BJP, the mighty opposition party, is sadly an ally of Shiv Sena, so they could only manage a half-mute press release from Mr. Vankaaiya Naidu, trying to keep a safe distance from the controversy (I wish it does raise some eyebrows and becomes a huge controversy).
I’m a Hindu. I’ve been proud of the calm and non-violent character of my race. With the changing times some ‘revolutionaries’ think that this centuries of patience should be ripped off from the culture we are so proud of. I would say, ‘charity begins at home’.
Please suggest, comment and support this notion. Don’t let democracy pass away so silently while we’re busy watching ‘pappu can’t dance saala’.