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In Search For a Uniform Civil Code

In India the constitution came into effect on 26th January, 1950. In theory we got a very liberal framework that could have been an instrument to promote equality among all Indians irrespective of caste, sex, race etc. Though a lot of progress has been made in form of social and cultural reform, several essential sectors have remained stuck in stone age. Indian Law is still, by and large pathetically outdated. This is not a matter of dispute. All policymakers and lawyers accept this. Of course they prefer not to implement a new one. Who wants to change the syllabus anyway? :) So what is the Big Fuss? Simply put, the Indian laws, the Penal Code, the constitution, all, by and large do not differentiate between Indians. In comes the Personal Law. Hell, this one could well have been a troll comics in other countries. In  spite of being a "secular" country, India has two distinct Personal Laws. One for a set of Indians, collectively called "Hindus" and the oth...

History Repeats Itself

I am romantic. Okay I am an emotional fool and highly romantic. When I was a kid(not that I ain't now) I did all kinds of extreme things. Like proposing to a girl when I was in the third standard. I of course never did drugs but how about quarrelling with your 'girl'friend's mother? That too in the ninth standard! Well, there are many but many of my teachers even believed (rightly) that I was(and am) incorrigible. I don't know much about Fate. Or destiny for that matter. Of course I know what they mean in the dictionary, but that is just all about it. If you ask me about it and may be speak on them for a couple of hours I would probably fill them with ummm, aahhhs and your yawns. But what do you do when what happened to you long back come back to you the exact same way? How do you react to such a situation? The similar feelings, mixed with the grown maturity and all the complexities of growing up start playing against each other. Its almost like becoming a footba...

The Great Indian Gangrape

This post may not really suit your taste. This is going to be unsettling if not outright disgusting . I am going to write this in morbid detail. What happened in Delhi ? A couple was returning home in the evening. Like so many of us do. They waited and waited for a taxi or an auto rickshaw. Just like us. The autos didn't stop to pick them up. A bus came, they got in. Just as we would probably have done. Inside were about 5 guys sitting. A couple of them passed some lewd remarks - pretty common in a public bus and especially so in Delhi. The guy turned hero, like so many of us do or at least try to do. He asked them to behave themselves. From here the ordinary-ness of the incident changed. Dramatically and tragically. The guy was hit in the head with a metal bar, variously described in the media as a rusty iron handle to steel rod. Whatever it was, it was strong, lethal and in very wrong hands. He fell unconscious. The infamous five then turned on the girl. The driver was ca...

(Not) Welcome to the Great Saudi Arabia

The Glorious Kingdom of Saudi Arabia A sword? Ah! Peaceful country indeed! Saudi Arabia is the world's best country. With the best rulers. And the best population. And oh of course what they say as "Pure Islam". Let us get into this blessed Kingdom of 'Islam'!!! The True Protectors of Islamic Heritage The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the best country to live in if you are good Muslim. You get everything that 'conforms' to the Holy Quran. In fact they are so holy and pious and the royal family so divine that they have almost become the successors of the Prophet. Indeed they have been using the name - Saudi Arabia instead of Arabia. The House of Saud 'owns' Arabia. Not 'Hijaz' as wished by the Prophet. Of course their wishes have a greater priority than what the Prophet did or said. They interpret Islam in the way Allah has told them to. Anybody else having a different interpretation is wrong and deserves to be put to death...

Why Islamic Terrorism Is Unique In Our Time

Islamic Terrorism is Unique in our Time Islamic terrorism is defined as    a form of  religious terrorism [1]  committed by extremists of  Islam  for the purpose of achieving varying political and/or religious ends. Now many posts have targeted the term saying it to be discriminatory. Well, it is true. It is discriminatory. But you know why? Because they should be discriminated against. It is a security mechanism. I am not going to say that morally it is something right to do. But personally it is unavoidable if you live in a country with a sizable Muslim population.  What sets Islamic Terrorism apart from other forms of Terrorism? I read an amazing post here. This point has been repeated in many places. They are indeed true and thought provoking, but the comparison is not justifiable. Islamic terrorism terrorizes with a specific purpose - to establish terror in the hearts of kafirs  and by subversive means 'guide' them to the 'true path...

The Crow from Pakistan

Crows are black in color. They look pretty alike don't they? Unless of course there is some distinguishing mark in them like, a damaged beak, or a blind eye or something like that. Surprisingly the crow I am talking about looks pretty Indian. The same beak, the same black feathers, similar prejudices, same habits, same way of living. He had just flown across Lahore over the fence by South of Wagah to the wheatfields to the south west of Amritsar. The tresspassing crow was hungry and had started feeding on Indian wheat. I wonder where he will defecate. Was Pakistani crow shit considered bombing when the food is Indian? I didn't know. I pressed my binoculars close to my eyes and wait but my hands are aching. So I took out my tripod, keep the tea plate on top of it and rested my hands on it. Then I again held my binoculars and focused the crow. The crow was dutifully eating the wheat grains as if that was the only thing he was born for this purpose only. This continued for aroun...

A Good Weekend

This weekend in Bangalore went pretty well. I watched two movies. Both of them are rated high in the imdb and rotten tomatoes. The two movies I watched were Das Experiment and Die Welle . Both the movies were fully German movies and I had to have subtitles to catch what was being spoken. It was nevertheless extremely enjoyable. Indeed Moritz Bleibtrau's acting is really super. Das Experiment In Das Experiment 14 guys volunteer to be a part of an experiment to analyse human behavior in case of complete dissociation and stress. The narrative is awesome and keeps you sitting with eyes fixed to your screen. The acting is exemplary. Both Moritz and Christian Berkel excelled (as usual). If you like thrillers with a twist, you must watch this. In many cases the protagonist is forced to go through humiliating experiences and becomes a witness to an experiment gone horribly wrong. I honestly feel like telling you the entire story but that would be a ridiculous spoiler for all o...