Sunday 31 May 2015

On Salman Khan

I am glad someone has courage to say in this country.
Great Read - She has the guts to call a spade a spade on Salman Khan...

Delhi-based author Sqreemoyee Piu Kundu (originally from Calcutta), who unapologetically wrote an open letter of sorts on her FB page.

Here’s what she wrote:

“Just when you are impressed with justice in this country. You are bound to be disappointed. Shame on you, Salman Khan. For all your Being Human bhaigiri and your adopted sister, you are just a miserable drunk, animal hunting, woman beating, drugged out, intellectually depraved, law abusing son of a rich and famous father who cheated on his wife and now lives with his wife, and mistress. Lacking the basic moral courage to call his spoilt son a criminal.

A bunch of failed siblings all living off Salman’s reflected glory. And for the stars, socialites and fans supporting this giant asshole who should get nothing less than his full term of ten years in jail, if not more, you deserve this shithole of a nation – scams, crooks and corruption at every level.

Shame on you Harsh Salve. Selling your soul time and again, to callous celebs who wield political power and huge monetary influence, instead of using your fancy legal degree to help those in need – yes, I mean men and women and children living on the streets. For defending another crook who for the last 12 years has bastardised the system, being arrogant enough to miss most of his hearings, trying to use false witnesses and involve his poor driver Ashok Singh, buying out his loyalty.

Shame on you prosecution and Mumbai police – for not dragging back singer Kamal Khan, another giant loser with an accent, who was sitting behind Khan when he drove over the innocent pavement dwellers. How is he even allowed to leave this country when he’s a key material witness?



Shame on you Bollywood producers and directors, lining up outside the Khan residence as if there is a condolence meeting in session, ass-licking an aging star who will help you get rid of your ill begotten wealth and substandard scripts – catering to a bunch of losers who watch this trash, year, after year, after year. Earning you another 100 crores of black money borrowed from Dawood, or some other Bhai, based in Dubai, in all probability.
Shame India. These are your Heroes.

This is your judiciary.
This is your real face.

And do yourselves a favor, screw the charity theory. The he’s got a heart of gold. The million examples of how Salman Khan helps people in need. It doesn’t count when you drive drunk. Shoot a black buck. Bash up and abuse the women you love. And bribe your way to freedom after killing a man. Feeling sorry doesn’t justify what you did, or make your guilt any less.

You don’t know Salman Khan personally, you just watch his films!”
There is a different rule of law for the poor. And altogether another set of laws in India for the super rich - (better to say no rule of law.)

Has anyone heard of a simple police constable named Ravindra Patil ?

I hadn't till today.

This is his brief story....

He was an ordinary police constable aged 24 or 25 when lady luck frowned on him. At the age of 30, in a municipal hospital of Sewri (Mumbai) he died a begger .... with no relative at his side even to take the body and give a decent funeral......

What happened????

In 2002, a film actor named Salman Khan filed a complaint with the police that he had been receiving threatening calls from the underworld. The police provided him with a personal body guard - a young and honest guy named ..... yes, you guessed it ..... Constable Ravindra Patil !!!

On the day of accident (September 28, 2002), Salman Khan rammed his Toyota Landcruiser onto the steps of A1 Bakery at the turning near Mehboob Studios in Bandra, Ravindra Patil was sitting with him in the car. Salman ran away.

It was Patil who reported the matter to the police and filed the F.I.R.

Patil had confirmed in his statement that Salman was driving, and was under the influence of alcohol when the said incident took place.

That was the turning point in his life.

First came offers of huge sums of money which he turned down.

Then .... Top police officials put a lot of pressure on him to change his statement. But he would not oblige.

Many false cases were then initiated against him and other members of his family. Contantly badgered in courts by lawyers and at the workplace by his seniors .... he suffered mental breakdowns.

Because of the mental stress, he was sometimes late or even absent for work. This was enough excuse for his seniors to have him fired for dereliction of duty.

Under that state of mind, when he missed 2 court dates in the numerous court cases he was facing, he was quickly arrested and thrown in Arthur Jail and lodged not with other under-trials .... but .... with hardened criminals and serial killers.

When he moved the court to have him shifted away from the hardened criminals, his plea was quickly turned down.

On release, Patil left Mumbai to avoid constant harassment. But occasionally came to visit his family members.

His family members - who were also being harassed by the police and other goons (guess whose???) also started to pressurise him to change his statement against Salman .... but he refused. Ultimately his family also turned against him....

With no support and no work, no money, no nothing..... he was forced to start begging.... and .... as it was bound to happen .... fell very ill. Someone dumped him in a municipal hospital at Sewri.

He passed away in Sewri TB hospital on October 4, 2007 because of tuberculosis when he was around 30 years old !!!!!

No presstitute ever covered his story..... no one ever will. He had no fans ... not one !!!

WHO CARES ?????

Maybe some movie producer will some day make a movie on his life .... and maybe some SK will play his part and make millions and win a lot of fan following.


For my part.... Sorry Mr Patil ... I didn’t know about your story earlier. But now that I do, I salute you. May India be blessed with other heroes like you.

Hope some day bravehearts like you will be more honoured in this country.






Monday 25 May 2015

19 Interesting Facts About India That Will Amaze You!

19 Interesting Facts About India That Will Amaze You!
1. India produces 1000 varieties of mangoes!
Each
of these varieties is named after colours, places, shapes, tastes, flavours,
precious stones and even royalty.

2. India experiences 6 seasons in a year.

Spring, Summer,
Summer
monsoon, autumn, winter monsoon
&
winter.

3. India has most number of mosques in the world.

It
has around 400000 mosques, exceeding the number of mosques in Muslim countries
as well.

4. Cotton was first spun and woven in India.

Mughal
referred to the fabric as 'cloth of running water' or 'morning dew'.

5. Snakes and ladders was known as 'Mokshapat'.

Saint
Gyandev invented the board game 'Snakes and Ladders' in the 13th century. He
called it 'Mokshapat', in which the ladders represented virtues and snakes
symbolized vices.

6. There is no land between Somnath Shiva temple and the south pole.

The
Abadhit Samudra Marg, Tirsthambh (Arrow) indicates the unobstructed sea route to
the South Pole.

7. World's first university was established in India.

Takshila University, (now in Pakistan) established in 700 BCE, taught
about 60 subjects to more than 10,000 students from all of the world!

8. Peacock was initially bred for food.

Yes,
our national bird was initially bred for food.

9. Rameshwaram Temple has the longest corridor in the world.

The
corridor is 4000 feet in length with 985 richly carved pillars on both
sides.

10. There is a crater in the moon named after Aryabhatta.

The
famous mathematician who invented zero, also has his name on the first satellite
launched by India.

11. Sanskrit is a perfect language for developing a computer software.

It
is the only language that has precise syntax and grammar.

12. First successful eye transplant was performed in India.

This
was done by a British Army surgeon who restored his pet antelope's vision by
taking the cornea of a recently killed antelope.

13. Arabic numerals were not invented in Arabia, but in India.

14. India has never invaded any country.

It
has gone through multiple conquests and invasions, but never invaded a single
country in it's entire history!

15. Artists of Kangra school of art painted with blood!

The
artists would use strange substances to paint, like blood and crushed
beetles.

16. Father of Medicine and Father of Surgery, both Indians.

One
of the earliest school of medicine known to mankind is Ayurveda. It was
consolidated by Charaka nearly 2500 years ago. Sushruta,
father
of surgery, used to conducted complicated surgical procedures 2600 years ago,
without the sophisticated instruments of today.

17. Padmanabhaswamy is the world's richest temple.

The
untold riches of Thiruvananthapuram's Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple, which was
discovered four years ago and was estimated
at
Rs 1 lakh crore. In terms of precious metals and precious stones, it is by far
the wealthiest institution and place of worship of any
kind
in the recorded history of the world.

18. India has the largest postal network in the world.

It
has over 1,50,000 post offices! So write letters to people to use this amazing
system.

19. Diamonds were first discovered in India.

It
was the only source of diamonds for the world until 1896. Now you know why the
British got here.


Sunday 24 May 2015

54 ICONIC PHOTOS THAT DEFINED INDIA


54 Iconic Photographs That Defined India In These Last Hundred Years

1. Rabindranath Tagore wins the Nobel Prize for Literature - 10th December, 1913.

Rabindranath Tagore

2. The first Indian movie ever, Dadasaheb Phalke's Raja Harishchandra releases on 3rd May, 1913.

Dadasaheb Phalke

3. CV Raman accepts the Nobel Prize for Physics, 10th December, 1930.

CV Raman

4. Mahatma Gandhi's statue inaugurated at Madame Tussaud's, 1939.

Mahatma Gandhi

5. Hindustan Motors begins production of the first car. They were India's first car manufacturer in 1942.

Hindustan Motors

6. History created. Jawaharlal Nehru declares India as a free country, 15th August, 1947.

Jawaharlal Nehru

His first speech to free Indians in Independent India.

India

7. Father of the nation, Mahatma Gandhi assassinated on January 30th, 1948.

Mahatma Gandhi

8. India's first President, Dr Rajendra Prasad, is the last to sign the Constitution and India is born as a Republic 2 days later on 26th January, 1950.

Dr. Rajendra Prasad

9. Millions of voters turn out as India holds its first general elections in 1951.

India Elections

10. India hosts the first Asian Games, 4th March, 1951.

Asian Games

11. Manohar Aich wins the Mr Universe title, August, 1952. He's hail and hearty at 103 years old.

Manohar Aich

12. Mihir Sen becomes the first Indian to swim across the English Channel, 1958.

Mihir Sen

13. Arati Saha became the first Asian woman to swim across the English Channel, 29th September, 1959.

Arati Saha

14. Sunil Dutt's 'Yaadein' wins Guinness Book of World Records for least characters in a film, 1964.

Sunil Dutt

15. Reita Faria becomes the first Indian to win the Miss World crown in 1966.

Reita Faria

16. Bangladesh gets freedom as Pakistani forces surrender to India, 16th Dec, 1971.

Pakistan surrender

17. The Chipko Movement comes into effect to save trees, 26th Mar, 1974.

Chipko Movement

18. First nuclear test carried out at Pokhran by India, 18th May, 1974.

Pokhran

19. Mother Teresa wins Nobel Peace Prize for her unforgettable work for the poor of India on 10th December, 1979.

Mother Teresa

20. Launch of Aryabhatta satellite, 19th April, 1975.

Aryabhatta

21. Bhanu Athaiya wins the first Oscar for India, 11th April, 1983. She did the costume design for Richard Attenborough's film - Gandhi.

Bhanu Athaiya

22. India wins the Cricket World Cup for the first time, 25th June, 1983.

Kapil Dev

23. Rakesh Sharma becomes the first Indian to travel in space, 2nd April, 1984.

Rakesh Sharma

24. Bachendri Pal climbs the tallest mountain in the world, Mount Everest, 23rd May, 1984.

Bachendri Pal

25. India's first TV series 'Hum Log' is launched, 7th July, 1984.

Hum Log

26. Viswanathan Anand becomes a Chess Grandmaster at the age of 18 in 1988.

Vishwanathan Anand

27. Liberalisation is introduced by Finance Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, and India opens up to the global market on 24th July, 1991.

Manmohan Singh

28. Satyajit Ray is awarded the Lifetime Achievement Oscar for his outstanding work in cinema, 30th March, 1992.

Satyajit Ray

29. Sushmita Sen is crowned Miss Universe, 20th May, 1994.

Sushmita Sen

30. Aishwarya Rai becomes Miss World on 19th November, 1994.

Aishwarya Rai

31. Amartya Sen wins Nobel Prize for Economics, 10th December, 1998.

Amartya Sen

32. India recaptures Tiger Hill, a vital moment in India's victory of the Kargil War, 3rd- 7th July, 1999.

Tiger Hill

33. Karnam Malleswari wins a Bronze for weightlifting in the Sydney Olympics, 19th September, 2000. She also becomes the first Indian woman to step on the podium.

Karnam Malleswari

34. Koneru Humpy becomes the youngest woman Chess Grandmaster at the age of 15. She is felicitated with the Arjuna Award in 2002-03.

Koneru Humpy

35. Sania Mirza wins the Grand Slam junior title in doubles at Wimbledon, 6th July, 2003.

Sania Mirza

36. Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore wins Silver for Double Trap Shooting at the 2004 Athens Olympics, 17th August, 2004.

Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore

37. Pratibha Patil becomes the first female President of India, 25th July, 2007.

Pratibha Patil

38. India wins the first ever T20 World Cup, 24th September, 2007.

India T20 Team

39. Ratan Tata shows who's the boss as Tata acquires Jaguar and Land Rover, 2008.

Ratan Tata

40. India puts 10 satellites in one launch into the Earth's orbit, 28th April, 2008.

ISRO

41. Abhinav Bindra wins a Gold in the 10 m Air Rifle event at the Beijing Olympics, August, 2008. This was India's first individual gold medal in Olympic history.

Abhinav Bindra

42. A.R. Rahman wins double Oscars for Slumdog Millionaire, February 22nd, 2009. The world also got to know who Anil Kapoor was. We regret that.

A. R. Rehman

43. India hosts the Commonwealth Games for the first time, October, 2010.

Commonwealth Games

44. India wins the Cricket World Cup for the second time, 2nd April, 2011. Dhoni and his men fought like champions, and won it for Sachin and the nation.

India World Cup

45. Sucheta Kadethankar crosses the Gobi Desert in 51 days, 11 hours and 40 minutes, 2011.

Sucheta Kadethankar

46. London Olympic medal winners (with the President): Mary Kom - Bronze, Vijay Kumar - Silver, Sushil Kumar - Silver, Gagan Narang - Bronze, Saina Nehwal - Bronze, Yogeshwar Dutt - Bronze in August, 2012.

London Olympic Winners

47. God of cricket, Sachin Tendulkar hangs his boots after playing his 200th and final test match on 16th November, 2013.

Sachin Tendulkar

48. Malavath Purna, aged 13, became the youngest woman in the world to climb Mt Everest, 25th May, 2014.

Malavath Purna

49. The Mangalyaan Mission makes India the first country to enter the Mars orbit on its first attempt, 24th September, 2014.

Mangalyaan

50. M.C. Mary Kom wins a Gold for boxing at the Asian Games on October 1, 2014.

Mary Kom

51. The Indian Blind Cricket Team wins the World Cup, 7th December, 2014.

Indian Blind Cricket Team

52. Kailash Sathyarthi wins the Nobel Peace Prize, 10th December, 2014.

Kailash Sathyarthi

53. Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge completes 1000 weeks at Maratha Mandir, Mumbai, on December 12th, 2014. India's longest running film, ever!

Shahrukh Khan

54. Saina Nehwal becomes World Number 1 in badminton, 28th March, 2015.

Saina Nehwal