Just as I am doing the nuisance…

Toilets were introduced on Indian trains only after a passenger , Okhit Chandrasen, wrote a letter to the Divisional Traffic Superintendent, Sahabgunj Divisional Office in 1909, complaining about how he missed the train, when he got down to attend the call of nature. One can actually get to see this letter plated at the entrance of toilet rooms in any railway station in India. This was brought to my attention by my Uncle who happened to take a photo of the letter plate at Bangalore railway station.

The Times of India reproduced the unedited letter:

Beloved Sir,

I am arrive by passenger train at Ahmedpore station and my belly is too much swelling with jackfruit. I am therefore, sent to privy. Just as I am doing nuisance that guard making whistle blow for train to go off and I am running with lota in one hand, dhoti in the next when I fall over and expose all my shockings to many female women on the platform. I got leaved on Ahmedpore station.

This is too much bad in passengers go to make dung that dam guard not wait train for five minutes for him. I am therefore pray otherwise I am making big report to papers. Pray your honour to make big fine on that dam guard for public sake otherwise I am making big report to papers.

Yours faithfully

(Sd/- Okhit Chandrasen)

Knowing that this thing actually made a difference and brought about a reform is heartful to note. So, people please realize, it is in us and how ever we put it out, it shall work if there is a cause & effect attached to it. So, yeah bring it out. Thanks.

Does the event create the cause ?

By Shekar Kapur...

Does an event create a disharmony, a ripple that provokes us into action so that we become part of it ? Mistakingly assuming we created the event ? Are we slaves to the event while we think of ourselves as creators of the 'it' ?

Nor are we separate from the event. The event and us, inseparable part of the same play being imagined by the Universe in all eternity. The event itself part of a ripple caused by another. And so on, but circling right back, the ripples being the eternal cause and effect of each other. Enclosed in nothing but timelessness.

Part of discussions that came up as I opened my installation at the Swarovski museum in Austria

I believe in Love & its Karma...Personality Check - Part 3

I am kind of stressed and derailed today, for reasons beyond my understanding and nature. People close to me call me 'moody', but as moody as I am, there is NO fundamental reason attached to it. Its just that mother nature sometimes throws me out there and lets me ask myself "why are things that are, as they are?"...confused???...just like me. There are too many thoughts in my mind today, and I am wondering if I am doing the right things in life, and I realize that, one always has a choice and it’s those choices that make or break your path to freedom. I was reading my friend Ramesh's blog post this morning (Read it) and his perceptions on Love and its existence. So, I told myself after reading the post, that I would put forward my emotions and candor on Love and its Karma. Though his post reads more into Love as in a relationship, I will dwell a little parabolically and will try addressing it from a more generic view. I have always wanted to do this, and people who have read "About Me" section on this site, have asked me few many times to elaborate the jist of it. So, here you go.

I always had this thought in mind, "I see evolution and the works of Mother Nature as a mainly violent process (i.e. the food chain), and even though there seems to be individual “acts of love” in nature, it appears to me that Love is rather an “anomaly”, and what prevails is violence, and among humans, murderous conduct.” But then, I told myself – Love is the basis of our existence and how can this Love be conciliated with the violent nature of evolutionary process? (Bear with me as I am trying hard not to deviate from this specific subject).

Looking at it from the physical perspective I can see that in the beginning of our universe, out of matter came life, and as we became more complex creatures, we developed complex emotions that helped us survive. The complex emotions that helped our ancestors survive in the Savanna and jungle are those of fear, desire and Love. The monkey that sat on the ground enjoying the beautiful sunrise without worries, got eaten by the tiger, and also the monkey that was scared for his life, filled with sexual desire and loved his children desperately, this is our great great great … grand parent. So why do we Love, because it helps keep ourselves alive. That is why there exists fear, desire, jealousy, even hatred - they served a purpose in the unfolding of our physical beings. Our powerful brains overrun with thoughts also evolved for the same reason - to help us survive better. But these emotions which were once gifts of survival are now the cause of our greatest suffering.

That is the view of physical evolution, what about consciousness? From the perspective of mind and awareness, matter itself arose out of the ground of consciousness. But until there was a complex enough form for the consciousness to know itself, it remained somewhat dormant. So our consciousness deems Love, and love for humans & their existence.

So, I believe that Love is simply an emotion that we experience, part of our array of emotions, and this experience of love is the closest thing that we can come to describe or relate with the great oneness that is everything. Fear & anger are competitive emotions and Love & compassion are cooperative. But all of them helped us survive so we got them in us.

Another way I like to look at Love is that it is simply Karma. As I attempt to learn more about what Karma is, the more my definition of it grows and grows. In our East the general understanding of karma is: if I do something bad, it will come back to me. The most basic definition of karma is cause and effect. It is my growing understanding that karma is in fact everything, and that everything to me is Love for humans and Love for myself. So Love is Karma and vice versa. What is evolution but a very long chain of cause and effect? Everything we see, including us, is a result of myriad causes and effects, nothing more. And while we cannot change the karma of our human bodies, and our basic emotions, we can decide how we can work with our minds. We can work with that Karma of Love.

I could probably go on and on about this, but I think I’ll stop here for now.

You ain't capable of nothing?...Personality Check - Part 2

Hmm…this is something I have always wanted to stick up the faces of those who think I am capable of nothing. I am not listing out my capabilities or skills that would run my CV into doldrums but trying to convey to those few and in the process learn to discover myself. I want to get on top of my voice and yell and cry. People, friends, relatives over the years have always seen me as a prick capable of nothing but blabbering. It was my manager Keith in Tulsa, who first made me realize how confident and a capable person I am. I take pride in saying that I worked in a kitchen that was managed by Keith and in a way opened my gates to real world of people trying to overpower their knowledge and experience on me. Though this aspect could be attributed to my undoing, it is very critical to hold me solely responsible.

The theory was that, capable men are by definition those who truly believe they can influence what happens to them, to their friends, to their future. Non-capable people by contrast are those who, whether students in school or staff at work come to believe “Its Luck if I make it or Fate if I don’t, but either way I had little or nothing to do with what happened.” I agree to a certain extent that luck has played a major part in my life and for me to be where I am it’s just been a dream coming true. But that said, I have 24yrs under my rear and I am shit capable to know something and capable of doing something and that too effectively, and people better realize that.

When I said my undoing, it is not because I know nothing but because I tend to be calm and cool in situations which usually demand a vocal contribution. The whole point is that, I do not want to get into an argument. Because, invariably a discussion on a topic or anything leads to an argument and I do not like it. Very recently in Vegas, we had an incident where out rental car was not starting and nobody was in a position to buy my argument that it was a “starter” problem more than anything else. Was it the adrenaline that made everybody put a cotton wrap in their ears or shut their eyes to see what I was trying to do? It was indeed a starter problem and we ended up leaving the car there and driving my friend’s car. And there too, I was not allowed to drive the car as they feared I was a careless and irresponsible driver. The result was that two of our friends had to spend the night at the Phoenix, AZ airport. I mean, am I that naïve to not understand the situations on hand, after all I have had the same exposure and experience, if not more.

What I call the below list are the significant points, I have made a list of perceptions of people around me and my skills that are the underpinnings of my capacity. What do I need to know, and what do I need to be able to do, to be a capable person.

The Perceptions of people around me are:

• I am not capable. I cannot face problems and challenges and gain strength and wisdom through experience.
• I am not significant. My life has no meaning and purposes – and what I have to offer is of value NO in the scheme of things.
• I have no influence. My actions and choices do not influence what happens.

The Skills are:

• How to respond to these feelings effectively – self-assessment, self-control, and self-discipline.
• How to communicate, cooperate, negotiate, empathize, resolve conflicts, and listen effectively when dealing with people.
• How to be responsible, adaptable, and flexible.
• How to set goals, make judgments and decisions based on ethical principles, wisdom and experience.

I feel these perceptions and skills should be nurtured, supported, and developed within me and for me, it makes the effing difference between a environment that excels, and one that simply exists. I have been practicing these and shall adhere to them for the term of my life. Thanks for reading.

Being Introvert is OK... Personality Check - Part 1

My readers have been screaming loud at me to write small. There are too many things attached to my life and those I would want to share but covering them all in a single post, I am sure to loose a couple more readers. Lolz. So here is one of those loose parts to my personality. I will have more of it coming in shorter posts like this.

Introvert was the word used to describe me in high school. That, and the boy with the freakishly skinny wrists. But then my entry into Bachelors had a deep impact in the way I approached life. Suddenly, my need for friends and fun outweighed the fear, and my life as a social butterfly began in full force. Thanks to my friends who are still my strength in many ways, I am what I am today.

That move was a turning point for me. I had lots of friends and I liked it that way. I wanted to be with people and always know what was going on. Still, I craved alone time but often skipped it for fear of missing out. As a result, whenever I took personality tests through family gatherings and fests, I was always pegged an extrovert. I was deeply rooted to my thought of being an extrovert, probably because I was given such care and comfort to work around. My stay in Tulsa, Oklahoma was a decisive chapter in the way things changed around me. I was loved, cared, and given freedom to do what ever I want, and the best part of it was how people loved me. They loved me for what I am and never wanted to see a different Phani from the time the Sun rose early morning. And that gave me confidence and the desire to function life in my way and that is how I saw myself, an extrovert.

Year later, now after I have a job and also so many friends to play with, I realize the truth: I am actually an introvert. People who know me in real life are sometimes surprised to hear that. I wouldn't call myself an extreme introvert, but I think I am returning to my kindergarten roots in a way. I'm no longer shy with people, but my energy is found only after time alone. The pressures of work & job search smoked the introvert right out of me.

Lately I've been thinking about education and personality. Sometimes it feels like I will explode from the inside if I don't have the opportunity to just be alone without the chatter. I need time to do important introverty things like stare out the window, sit for no reason, or write bad first drafts without an agenda.

But being occupied with so many things does not allow for such luxuries a lot of the time. Instead, I improvise. I find little ways and crazy times to squeeze in the quiet.

Director M. Night Shyamalan [The Sixth Sense; Signs], who was born in India, raised as a Hindu but whose parents sent him to Catholic school for discipline, admits he was a sensitive kid like his young protagonists.

"I was an overly sensitive kid for sure," he says, "and definitely shy. But with my friends I definitely wasn't shy. I was the smallest guy. I was the one leading everyone around. That kind of evolved into making movies where.. I get paid to boss everybody around."

How does your personality affect your work? What are some things you have discovered to help you maintain the balance between being who you are and being who those loved ones need you to be?...these questions always swirl in my mind and are cluttered as heavy as hell!!!.

Understanding Marriage in Indian Society!!!

My dear friend Ramesh had definite and straight feelings on Love vs Arranged Marriage system in India (Read it). Knowing him pretty well, I can say that he has a very strong sense of opinion and he invariably misses to put it up front. But I am not here to contemplate on a well written post, but to actually give a feel of the system via my style, i.e being as unbiased as possible. But if one bets what would I be inclined to, I would definitely vote for Love and then marriage, as in dating and live-in relationships are well off than a 2hr pre-arranged marriage for a life time. But then, here is my take on the whole issue connecting to Indian society.

Love or arranged marriages is still a debatable topic in the Indian society. People still debate on the issue, which one is better. What should be the basis of the marriage love or social norms? We are still confused about these issues. Education and media played a vital role in changing the perception of the Indian mind. As people started thinking beyond the social customs and traditions of arranged marriages, they realized that they have the right to choose their life partner without any kind of social pressure. It is after all, their life. They can decide without having to rely on parents, relatives and matchmakers. This change in the mental set up of the people gave birth to love marriages. Now in India people are open to love marriages. It is no more forbidden in the society. In our country we are having both love and arranged marriages. 

A little tweak in such a comparison could run into humor. This comparison below made rounds in emails couple of years back, interesting!!!

Love Marriage	Arranged Marriage
Resembles procedural programming language. We have some set functions like flirting, going to movies together, making long conversations on phone and then try to fit all functions to the candidate we like.	Similar to object oriented programming approach. We first fix the candidate and then try to implement functions on him/her. The main object is fixed and various functions are added to supplement the main program. The functions can be added or deleted.
It is a throwaway type of prototype as client requirements rises with time thus it is a dynamic system and difficult to maintain.	Requirements are well defined so use of waterfall model is possible.
Family system hangs because hardware called parents are not responding.	Compatible with hardware Parents.
You are the project leader so u are responsible for implementation and execution of PROJECT- married life.	You are a team member under project leader parents so they are responsible for successful execution of project Married life.
Client expectations include exciting feature as spouse cooking food, washing clothes etc.	All these features are covered in the System Requirements Specifications as required features.
Acceptance test possible, you can try before you Buy.	Product is sold on 'as-is' & 'where is' basis. Product once sold will not be taken back.

Social evils like dowry, caste system, matching of horoscopes and community issues are taken at such extreme levels that people don’t support arranged marriages. So whether it is love or arranged ultimately it is up to the individual to decide, which one to go for. Love or arranged both is based on empathy, responsibility, commitment, love and concern. So it’s not just about initial love and attraction it needs a lot of dedication and effort to sustain a marriage. So I feel there is nothing like an ideal marriage, it’s all about the way you perceive your marriage. After all you should be happy with your life partner irrespective of love or arranged marriage.

Why was I born ?

I looked for my true calling
I looked for my true purpose
what I am supposed to do on the planet 
why was I born ?
and I asked the question deep inside me
beyond logic, beyond thought, deep in the bowels 
of the space where I connect to the universe
where I can be thrown into the raging storm of 'not knowing'

and the answer hit me in an immense tidal wave of understanding

"you are your own purpose
nothing more, and nothing less
a bundle of purpose and karma
all existing within itself
and the only thing holding it back
is the separation created by
words like 'I' and 'my' and 'me'"

The end of Democracy in India ?

By Shekar Kapur,

If only 40% of the eligible voting population in a country bothers to vote, then is the country truly democratic ? Whatever government comes to power, it has a mandate from less than half the people. It's truly a government by default.

First the politicians and media have absolutely no right to blame the electorate. I do not believe in the statement that " it's the apathy of the people that gives them a government they deserve".

Second the arrogant attitude of some of our media stars that expressed 'outrage' at the low voting turn out , after "all they did to pursude them to do so" in Mumbai, should learn that while they can drive people to the cinemas, the people have little faith in their intellectual or political understanding beyond entertainment. Not everyone gets their picture on page 3 when they vote.

Third, how many times do the people of India need to come out and say " WE DO NOT BELIEVE IN THE POLITICIANS OR POLITICS ANYMORE". The Mumbaikers did not vote not because they went away for a long weekend, nor because of the sweltering heat, but because none of the candidates made a substantial stand that aroused their passions, their desire to better the political system. I remember how the people of India came out in droves to vote to end the Emergency imposed by Indira Gandhi, or who came out in droves again to re instate her when they were unhappy. Or when they came out in droves to vote for Rajiv Gandhi after Indira's assassination.

We are a passionate feeling people that respond to our emotion, to our community. We need a leader to arouse those passions in us, someone to believe in, someone that we can trust that has the power, the integrity and the vision to lead us in this new century.

Give us, the people of India such a leader and watch us come out in droves to vote. And if not, then accept that democracy in India will be an excercise in futility and the forces of change will be ultimately thrust upon us by non democratic forces like the fundamentalists, like the the naxalitites that are threatening to invade our cities soon.

Inside Iraq: Living with the enemy

By Arwa Damon

I first met Abu Wissam at the foot of his son's shallow grave. Never will he be able to erase the last image he has of his son's body.

Raed's mother holds worn-out photographs of her murdered son.

"He was cut to pieces," he said. "His hands and feet were chopped off. And he was decapitated."

For a long time, Iraqis would say that it was "outsiders" that were carrying out such atrocities. The truth that is so hard to accept for many is that that often was not the case.

Iraqis turned on each other, neighbors slaughtered neighbors, friends betrayed one another. It was the sheer degradation of society on a shocking and utterly petrifying scale.

Abu Wissam's son Raed was a 25-year-old business school student. His fiancee says that one day he got a phone call from a college friend asking to meet him. Little did she know that it was a plot to lure him out of the house and that it would be their last goodbye.

They were childhood sweethearts. She says they knew that they would get married from the time they were six. "All I do now is cry," she sobs.

Raed's mother can barely form a coherent sentence. Her voice shakes with every word, uncontrollable tears pour down her face. Her hands tremble holding Raed's worn-out photograph. From time to time she caresses the image, the face that she will never touch again.

"I don't sleep." She stutters. "I take pills ... I live on pills."

"Nights aren't nights anymore, days aren't days. They cut his hands off, they cut his head off."

As the last words leave her mouth she can no longer speak, only cry.

The militia behind the kidnapping was the self proclaimed Mehdi Army, a Shia militia loyal to radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. And the militiamen were once friends and neighbors.

For years my colleagues and I have reported on the atrocities committed by Shia militias, Sunni insurgents, and al Qaeda gunmen.

We recited the daily tally of unidentified, mutilated bodies found in the streets of Baghdad. We spoke of beheadings, kidnappings and torture. But little did we really know about any of it.

Now that there is a semblance of so-called stability, we can start to put a face and name to the victims and begin to try and understand and impart the horrors of what millions of Iraqis lived through and tens of thousands died from. It is only now that we can begin to comprehend the magnitude of what Iraqis went through.

Raed's body was found in the courtyard of a mosque not far from his home. Abu Wissam says that the militia accused Raed of being a spy for the Americans. They demanded $10,000 for Raed's corpse. Abu Wissam paid. The killers did not hand it over.

Nearly a year later, once the militia was forced underground by the "Sons of Iraq" -- a rival U.S. backed militia -- he found Raed's body. Twenty-seven other bodies were also dug up, including that of a teenage girl. We're told that the militiamen shaved her head before they slaughtered her. Her family is too petrified to speak to us.

Others clamor around our camera crew. Clutching photographs of their loved ones still missing. Desperate to grasp on to any thread that might lead them to those who vanished. They tell us about how they used to hear the victims' screams, how that sound still haunts them.

They tell us the killers are still out there.

The pain is palpable. So much sorrow and anguish, choking emotions, sheer helplessness, in just one location, one mosque in Baghdad with dried blood still streaking the walls.

How does a society just rip apart like that? How do families that have grown up together for generations suddenly turn on one another?

There are plenty of experts and analysts offering their opinions.

As for Abu Wissam, he doesn't know why the people he cheerily said good morning to for decades all of a sudden slaughtered his boy.

"They were our neighbors, they lived in the homes around us," Abu Wissam says.

He tells us how on hot summer days when ice was in short supply and power cuts were rampant, he would take a cold pitcher of water over to their house. He tells us these were the people who sold vegetables at the market.

Now murderers.

Can a father ever forgive his son's killers? Stop seeking justice?

The families of the victims often gather at Abu Wissam's house. They don't talk of reconciliation or forgiveness. They talk of wanting justice -- and that means the killers' detention and execution.

"The government has done nothing for us," one of the mothers gathered there says, her voice filled with anger and frustration.

"We will take our own revenge. I say that as a woman, I don't have a man who can stand up for me, I will take revenge with my own hands. I will booby-trap myself and head towards them, towards their families."

"I could hurt their families. But I am not like them, I am not like the Mehdi militia," Abu Wissam says. "They killed my son. I am looking for rule of law."

He has worked with the Iraqi security forces identifying the members of the militia, operating with them on raids. And he has come face to face with some of his son's killers. And he asked them why.

"They said, 'We had orders to kill. For each person we killed they gave us $10,000,' " Abu Wissam says. "Their families are still defending them, saying our sons didn't do anything."

The killers are now cab drivers, college students, entrepreneurs. They've melted back into society.

How can they live with themselves and the cold-blooded reality of what they have done? How can a society that has been so violently ripped apart come back together?

The political and military leadership speak in positive overtones. We're watching U.S. troops fulfill a timeline to "end the war," so desperate is America for some sort of ending.

But it is not over. For Iraqis it's far from over. In many ways it is just beginning.

Winning over one of the "madridistas"

By Eduardo Alvarez

I was born into a family of Real Madrid supporters. My mother's father, Joaquín, was a sociofor as long as I can remember. My father's father, Eduardo, not only rooted for Real Madrid but also detested Catalans. In my early years, the vast majority of my closest friends were also Real Madrid fans, with very few exceptions.

Guardiola was part of the Dream Team.

With such a background of family and friends, the thought of supporting any other team never crossed my mind. In 1982 I watched my first football match live at the Santiago Bernabéu (where else?), as Real Madrid played Ujpest Dosza in a Cup Winners' Cup tie. On a cold October night, Real Madrid prevailed, and would eventually go on to lose the tournament's final against an Aberdeen side coached by one Alex Ferguson.

In my adolescent years I often attended matches at the Bernabéu. As soon as I could afford it I became a socio and bought season tickets. This nurturing of the Real Madrid creed and its liturgy almost inevitably led to the hatred of all things Barcelona. The most exciting matches at the stadium were the "derbis" (never called "clásicos" back then) against the Catalans, a mixture of sporting rivalry and political competition that created an unparalleled atmosphere in the stadium.

Once Barcelona appeared on the pitch, we loved to hate them, and chose our targets carefully: at the Bernabéu, Julio Salinas was never allowed to forget his glaring miss vs. Italy in the 1994 World Cup; Hristo Stoitchkov was booed beyond belief; Luis Enrique, theblaugrana phase of Luis Figo's career, and Andoni Zubizarreta were also among our favourite villains to scream at. However, Josep Guardiola always commanded a great deal of respect among us madridistas.

Leaving aside his exceptional elegance on the pitch, Pep made his first impact on my short-sighted football beliefs after one of the best matches I can remember. In September 1993, Atlético de Madrid played Barcelona at the Nou Camp. The match had just started and Romário de Souza scored an amazing goal. Before I knew it I was hooked by the fantastic dynamism of that Barcelona side.

Guardiola was interviewed after that match. When asked whether Barcelona's offensive approach was too reckless, he answered: "We play to win, so we take risks. And I just can't imagine Real Madrid playing this way". Barca's attitude on the pitch was something premeditated and non-negotiable, and Pep was their foremost representative.

In fact, that Barcelona team changed the way I watched football. I started to enjoy the game played well, although that didn't alter my allegiances: I still wanted our dull Benito Floro side to beat the so-called 'Dream Team', no matter how. In the following years my admiration for Guardiola kept growing despite the bitter end of his career as a player and Pep's public appearances in the media were inspirational and entertaining whenever he spoke about football.

His appointment as Barça's gaffer last May was as suggestive as it was risky. Guardiola had no real coaching experience, but possessed a deep knowledge of the club and the right vision to leverage a handful of fantastic players. During the season I watched in painful delight each football lecture Barcelona gave on the pitch. Then we got to the point where the Catalans had pocketed both domestic titles and were going to play for the treble against Manchester United.

If I had grown fonder of Barça's brand of football over the years, that was not the case among my Real Madrid friends. Their opinion was unanimous: they wanted Barcelona to suffer an ignominious defeat. The best place to watch that happen would be at an English bar, so that they could root for "oonuit" (the Spanish media way of pronouncing United) in a friendly atmosphere. We chose a well-known pub that was already packed with English expats when we arrived, much to my friends' joy.

The opening ceremony, apparently taken out of "Asterix and the laurel wreath", was finishing. The teams were introduced and we got our first surprise of the evening: the pub cheered Barcelona's entrance. Most patrons were Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea fans who were following my friends' rational and wanted their arch rivals to lose. In the group next to us only Barry, a Gunner from Islington, was rooting for United: "You should support your countrymen, mate," was his reasoning.

At this point I had not yet decided who I would root for: the attacking flair of my domestic adversaries, or their conspicuously dressed-in-white opposition. A foul on Carlos Puyol in the third minute cleared all my doubts. Barry stood up and screamed: "(expletive) off, you Spanish fairy!" If it came down to it, I would have to support my countrymen indeed.

The match started with United looking the hungrier side, until Samuel Eto'o ended his barren spell in the tenth minute. He had been looking like a poor man's Andy Cole for a solid month, but took advantage of his first one-on-one chance and scored with ease. I celebrated discretely and got a few stares from my friends.

The next 15 minutes were balanced, with no clear chances. Then the real Barcelona started to play: they got hold of the ball and put together a marvellous string of almost 50 passes that finished with a free kick taken by Xavi Hernández. The Englishmen supporting Barça were brimming with excitement, in anticipation of an easy win.

Messi celebrates with his manager.

From that point until half-time, United barely saw the ball. Guardiola had positioned Lionel Messi in one of those "hole" roles instead of his usual right flank spot, similarly to the Madrid match. The Argentine, Xavi and Andrés Iniesta kept possession easily and controlled the midfield, although they were strangely soft in the final third.

Just when we expected United to come out strong after the break, Barcelona overwhelmed them with three glorious opportunities in just five minutes. "Good omen, they're wasting chances!" said the optimistic Barry. Then Xavi hit the post. "Great omen!" screamed Barry. But he was wrong. United were still chasing shadows, and a few minutes later Barcelona scored their second, after Xavi's umpteenth pinpoint pass this season was met by Messi (the shortest player on the pitch, no less) with an emphatic header. "This is awful, they're just too good", said Barry. "They are the best team and you know it", I told my friends. No response from a depressed bunch of vikingos.

The match finished and we decided to dash. Barcelona had just won the first Spanish treble in grand style, so there was definitely no reason for a few madridistas to stick around celebrating. We left as a few dozen Englishmen applauded Puyol holding the Cup, a surreal sight indeed.

"Now Florentino has to do something really big", uttered one of my mates. He will, but the impact is unclear. Guardiola is now reaping the rewards of an approach that started 20 years ago and today permeates all of Barcelona's youth teams.

It will be hard for Real Madrid to replicate that with a bunch of marquee signings. With the right motivation, the Catalans have everything to keep winning for a long time. I am just glad to be able to enjoy their brand of football and celebrate with them, even if it's only their international victories. Thanks, Pep.. and Barry.

One Title closer to the Treble

BARCA WIN COPA DEL REY

By Eduardo Alvarez

It's is hard to imagine a better representation of the heterogeneous mixture of economic interests, political views and cultural identities that Spain has become than Wednesday's Copa del Rey final.

Seydou Keita (L) celebrates with Gerard Pique after winning the Copa del Rey

Well before kickoff it was evident that this year's deciding match would be unquestionably a great football encounter: the team with the most titles (Barcelona with 24) faced the second best (Athletic de Bilbao with 23, although they claim one more title won by their predecessor Club Vizcaya in 1902).

For Barcelona, this was the first match in a fortnight which could see them win a historical treble (Liga, Copa del Rey and Champions League titles). For Athletic, it was their first chance to conquer silverware in 25 years, and judging by the difficulties of the team to recruit young talent, could be their last for several years to come.

While Barcelona were still busy trying (and failing) to win the Liga title last weekend, Athletic had been preparing methodically for this final. Although their team was the clear underdog, older Basque supporters vividly remembered a few Cup Finals of yore in which Athletic managed to upset big time favourites, such as Di Stéfano's Real Madrid or Maradona's Barcelona. The Catalans had already shown some tiredness in their draw against Villarreal last Sunday, and the absences of Thierry Henry and Abidal, among others, could have given Athletic a chance to surprise Guardiola's side.

The importance of the match went beyond its pure footballing aspects. Even though the State of the Nation debate was taking place at the Congress on Wednesday, most politicians got more airtime in the media to discuss the potential outcome of the match than to share their point of view about the endless quarrels between government and opposition. Journalists usually specialising in political matters thought the match was a nicer topic than the somewhat depressing state of the country, and understandably so.

Belonging to this last category, Patxo Unzueta, one of the most insightful observers of political matters in the Basque Country, wrote a delightful article in "El País" explaining the insurmountable challenge Athletic faces to maintain a Basque-only policy, in a time when the birth-rate in the region is one of the lowest in Europe. There's simply no Basque kids to keep the flame alive.

But the core theme of his piece was the fact that in these times of strong political controversy and economic crisis in the Basque Country, the people need something to bring them together, as the socialist Patxi López had stated back in March, and the Vizcaino Athletic could do that for them, even if it was only for the night of the Cup final.

It seemed to be the case on Wednesday in Valencia. The city appeared to be taken over by men and women in red and white shirts, despite the fact that most of them did not have a ticket to watch the match. The stadium looked as good as any Copa del Rey final I have seen, a beautiful feast of colour and chants hours before the match started. Barcelona fans also showed up, hoping to witness the first title of their team this season.

One subject had been conspicuously ignored in most pre-match analyses: Basques and Catalans would be playing for the Copa del Rey trophy in front of the king himself. Not precisely the ideal scenario for a quiet development of the usual Cup final proceedings... when the national anthem began to sound, a sizeable amount of both fan bases began to boo both the king and the anthem, an unjustifiable lack of respect and manners after more than 35 years of democracy. The Spanish TV muted the sound and pretended that nothing was happening, which is also hard to explain after those same 35 years of democracy...

But let's talk about football. Athletic started the match true to their promise: high tempo, direct football, no concessions. After a couple of good chances, the hard-working Toquero scored in the ninth minute, giving Athletic a deserved lead. Barcelona looked shocked for a few minutes, Athletic began to concede some space and then Xavi Hernández took over.

When this influential midfielder started playing for Barcelona's first team in 1998, Louis Van Gaal, at that time the team's gaffer, famously said that "Xavi is better than De la Peña". The Spanish media spent months mocking poor Louis (and his hilarious accent in Spanish), as it sounded like another attempt of Mr Van Gaal to appear smarter than anyone by comparing an unassuming, quiet youngster with the biggest midfield talent Spain had seen in a while.

Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola is lifted by his players after the Copa del Rey victory.

Eleven years later, looking back at both players' careers, justice has to be made: the Dutchman was spot on. On Wednesday Xavi vindicated him even more with another spectacular performance. His passing accuracy and rhythm progressively got his team-mates involved, especially Daniel Alves and Lionel Messi, causing Athletic to feel the pain of running after the ball without getting much of it. Barcelona increased their pressure until Touré Yaya broke the deadlock with a beautiful solo effort. His ugly gesture towards the Basque supporters once he scored was unexplainable and will surely not go unpunished.

Barcelona kept control of the ball and missed a few chances (Eto'o will not be satisfied with his performance) until a terrific nine minute spell at the beginning of the second half. They scored three beauties almost effortlessly and made sure the title was in the bag. Barcelona's last goal was a fantastic free kick by Xavi that put a classy ending to the competitive part of the match.

The remaining twenty minutes were an extraordinary celebration of both teams on and off the pitch, with every single supporter chanting and enjoying a memorable evening. It truly seemed that both teams had won, if you were to judge by the behaviour of their fans. At the end of the match you could see the determination in the faces of the Barcelona players, as though this was just the beginning for them, while most of the Athletic players were in tears knowing that there won't be many more Copa del Rey finals awaiting for them in the future. The king delivered the trophy (no boos this time) putting an end to a great cup final full of contrasts.

Barcelona retained their unofficial Spanish "Rey de Copas" title and took their first step towards the treble. The Liga trophy should be in their hands this coming weekend, so actually there is only one more to go. Guardiola can now devote the next two Liga matches to decide the best way to cover for all the injuries and suspensions on the 27th of May. The role of their bench will be instrumental if they want to beat Manchester United in Rome.

It was an unforgettable football night in Valencia. The pitch was perfect, the atmosphere was top class and the teams gave everything they had to win the match. The whole country took sides and followed the contest with passion. Unzueta's recommendation for the Basque Country is actually the best possible medicine for the Spanish nation as a whole: we need more events like this Copa del Rey final, even if it is just to boo, suffer, argue and celebrate, as long as we do it together.

A Fondness for Killing!!!

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Wednesday expressed deep regret for the deaths of civilians in U.S.-led air strikes in Afghanistan this week and promised to try to avoid these in future.

"We deeply, deeply regret that loss," Clinton said as she opened three-way talks with Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari.

Is that it? Is that what all those lives lost in the great Afghan land deserve. I agree it’s a war zone, but killing hundreds of civilians does not in any way justify US’s war on terror. OK, my post today is not to rant about USA or Terrorism, but to deeply understand the affinity that we Humans have for killing. Let me start off by drawing some parallels between civilian behavior in my home land, India.

India is a land of paradoxes. Sure we are peace loving civilized people, but on the other hand we had a mass of people branded Chaandaals. Even in modern times we hear about Narabali (human sacrifice). This is not sacrifice. People kill some body's child in the hope of getting something for themselves. Most barbaric and selfish. This happens only in India. We have traditions of learning, selflessness and general well being. We need to inculcate it. It is delusion to think that we are great. The concept of humanism can be found among us, but it is not essentially ours. We can burn or bury our daughters. We are brutal more than many societies.

Last week in Madhya Pradesh dacoits burnt a dozen villagers to death, because they suspected them of being police informers. In another incident in Jharkhand, villagers lynched four suspects to death and burnt another eight alive. They suspected them to be part of a gang of dacoits come to loot them. In Meerut, citizens in one poor locality brutally killed over a dozen stray dogs, because they had been attacking the local children. In Assam an MLA poaching in Kaziranga national sanctuary told the guards that an MLA is a king and needs nobody's permission to hunt, or words to that effect.

All these incidents force you to accept the shocking fact that we are actually a fairly violent species, notwithstanding all our boasts about being the world's most tolerant Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam ( the world is my family ) rationalists with a golden heart . Our assumption has simply been that we, the Indian people are basically live and let live types because we had figured out, ages ago that violence doesn't pay and that love conquers all . But are the above incidents a proof of rational behavior? What if, despite our claims to rationality, when push comes to shove, we are not all that reluctant to abandon rules, side step the law, and begin playing revenge games? We do it either verbally (like Varun Gandhi or Muthalik or Thakre) or physically, like the men in Chambal who had, a few decades ago, blinded a group of thieves by pouring acid in their eyes.

It would be too deterministic to say that we are wired for violence genetically. But both archaeological evidence and common myths show that both men and women , ever since they turned from prey to predators, have largely preferred fighting wars and attacking each other for acquiring power ; instead of sitting down and discussing things out rationally and amicably .

Question arises , if state sponsored violence in India is put on hold for reasons ranging from political to ideological , will individual and culture specific violence begin to replace it ? As states that cushioned capitalism's excesses for some two centuries collapse, democracy that dominates our era is beginning to fray too. In the age of diminishing resources and shrinking families will democratic states begin to be replaced with old empires repackaged, with politically correct labels of course .

The more I read of violence in India the more I believe it is only about survival and power. Both issues are two sides of the same coin which are intensified on a daily basis due to over population leading to more and more lack of space or opportunities or both. Two dogs are loving and loyal along with being territorial - a whole pack will turn territorial in a desperate way if they feel their area is being encroached upon. They will attack and mob out of sheer fear of losing their territory. The less space people have to live the more they will compete. Where space is not the problem - opportunity is. Space to grow mentally and emotionally is as frustrating as lack of space to sleep and even think. I believe culture is a process. It defines and is formed from the mental, economical, psychological state of the society. I know many may differ that the definition of culture is not just 'studied behavior patterns' as is with animals. But I do believe that when humans by and large are oblivious to issues of over population, how are they any different from the two rats in a cage who finally multiply to two dozen in the same cage and due to lack of space show anti social behavior patterns.

Wonder How Sonia’s Magic Always Works…???

I was reading this news article today (click to read, source Reuters, India) and like always wondered how does Sonia work her magic. Is it her own personality that wounds her magic, or is it the “Gandhi” in her name, or is it the Rajiv factor? Even if we think that people cannot be as naïve as to think that she is a descendent of the great Gandhi family, Gandhi as in MK Gandhi, such large gatherings are only a matter of insane adulation (or) gimmick politics. Most of you reading this post know who Sonia Gandhi is? But how is she such a charismatic figure? That is something we shall try to discover here.

Between April 16 and May 13 India is holding its 15th national elections. Who is likely to win and form the next government? In my view, unless trends change dramatically, India is headed for another hung Parliament.

Our Present political Situation…

The last decade in India has been one of profound changes. Four foundations of post independence India have been altered, or fundamentally challenged, by developments of recent years. First, secularism, a key political principle which traditionally provided considerable psychological and political security to religious minorities, has been vigorously attacked by Hindu nationalists. Secularism is shaken as a result, but it is neither dead nor likely to die. Since the destruction of the Babri mosque by the Hindu nationalists, votes for them have not risen. And though a right-wing Hindu nationalists want to move or destroy two more un-specified mosques, the BJP is unlikely to sponsor another wanton destruction of a contested holy site. However, the fact that minority rights are no longer a certainty is a mighty change in Indian politics.

Second, the caste hierarchy that marked Hindu social order for centuries is beginning to crumble. Political mobilization of the so-called lower castes is undermining, perhaps decisively, the caste hierarchy, though not eliminating caste consciousness. A vast majority of India is Hindu, and a vast majority of Hindu society is lower caste. The rise of lower castes has been a remarkable consequence of India's democracy and has changed the political attitudes of all parties. This result is clearly a triumph of the democratic principle, given that, though more urban than before, India is still 65 percent rural and lower castes constitute its majority by a wide margin.

Third, Since 1999 India has come closer to the United States but not embraced it wholeheartedly. India is looking for what may be called a mature friendship--a friendship that emphasizes, even celebrates, what is common between the two nations, but can also survive their differences.

Few societies rebuild their founding pillars without serious political turbulence. In extreme cases not only the political system but the nation breaks down. India is developing but still poor, primarily agricultural, and ethnically highly diverse, but, with the exception of the 18-month suspension of political freedoms by Indira Gandhi, it has remained democratic.

In short, compared to its past, India today is less secular, less Moscow-friendly, less dominated by the upper castes, more democratic, and more market-oriented. All of these trends are likely to deepen in the coming years, with one exception. Secularism is unlikely to have a continuing fall. Even a BJP in power will not find it easy to undermine secularism, for it is a constitutional matter and a simple legislative majority is not enough to change the constitution. More importantly, the BJP is unlikely to come to power, now or later, if it appears too threatening to the minorities and does not discipline the visceral anti-Muslim instincts of many of its cadres.

So what about the Congress & Sonia’s influence?

The Congress is basically a victim of its own success. It kept winning for so long that it began to attract those interested only in power and the benefits of office, legitimate or illegitimate. Ideological rectitude has been a rarity in Congress politics for the last two decades, and the party's organization has been in a state of disarray for some time. Can the Congress win back the minorities, especially the Muslims, who constitute 12 percent of India's population?

These imperatives have been clear for some time, but the Congress has lacked the leadership to tackle the ideological and organizational revitalization of the party. The Congress was demoralized and desperate. It was looking for alliances to save itself in many parts of India. Then Sonia Gandhi appeared on the scene.

Sonia Gandhi's entry into campaign politics has been serendipitous for Congress Party members, who were looking for a charismatic savior. Over the last seven decades, the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty has been a virtually inexhaustible source of charisma in India. Part of the charisma is built on genuine contributions of the family, and part is based on myth. Sonia Gandhi is the widow of Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, daughter-in-law of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, and granddaughter-in-law of Prime Minister Nehru.

Yet Sonia Gandhi's charisma was not a foregone conclusion. Her marriage into the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty was a plus, but other tests remained. Could she make public speeches and establish a rapport with audiences? How would she deal with the fact that she was Italian by birth and Indian only by citizenship?

Her campaign had also disarmed BJP politicians. More than any other party, the BJP stands for India's traditional family values and culture. So the BJP couldn't really attack a daughter-in-law making an argument for traditional values. In the cultural politics of the family, it is irrelevant where the daughter-in-law came from, so long as she maintains family values.

When Sonia Gandhi announced that she would campaign for the Congress Party, the BJP had thought of undermining her by invoking the xenophobic notion of a "Rome Raj." By presenting herself as a woman more traditional than many Indian women, Sonia Gandhi has turned the tables on the BJP.

Why has Sonia Gandhi received such a popular reception? Is it that minorities are beginning to return to the Congress, or is her image as a great mother, a devoted wife, a good daughter-in-law, and a dignified widow so credible and effective as to pull large support? As more disaggregated polls come out, we will know more about the reasons for her popularity. As of this writing, the hypothesis that both of these factors are playing an important role cannot be ruled out.

Will her charisma last, or does her popularity signal only intense mass curiosity about a mysterious public figure? If it is lasting charisma, will she be able to institutionalize it into a restructured, revived party organization? In the Nehru-Gandhi family there are two political styles. Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first Prime Minister used his charisma to build party organization; Indira Gandhi, his daughter, used her charisma in a personalistic way, undermining the Congress organization. Which model is Sonia Gandhi adhering to? These questions and more need to be answered to get the weight off my chest.

Probably the movie on Sonia played by Katrina Kaif would give us some answers...Some more insight please…