Oh My...Manipur CM seeks 20,000 Crores from 14th Finance Commission! What For?

Manipur is a remote small state located in the northeastern part of India. Its total population according to the latest 2011 census comes to around 25 plus lakhs. Now the chief minister of the state sought 20,000 crores from the 14th Finance Commission which is mind baffling especially considering the size and population of the state. Yes, Manipur is one of the economically handicapped states in India with little or no industrial landscape and resources. And so the 'poor' state of Manipur -- [But if you come to Manipur on a trip, at the end of your trip, you will finally conclude that Manipur is not poor indeed] -- continues to survive and thrive on funds, or should I call it, 'charity money' from the Central Government.

Let me tell you, Manipur have enough and sufficient resources, talented and resourceful pool of workforce available. But the only question remains, only if the government of the state cares enough to give them the opportunities for these people. The apathy and indifference of the state government towards its people and its pool of resources has only made the state to come to such a pitiable pass. And still the question still remains, how much of the 20,000 crores, will he actually use for the developmental works and welfare of the people of Manipur? Or Is it actually a demand from the center for the ruling parties itself and not for the people? For sure, it's not for the people; it's for the 'political' people.

20,000 crores is a huge sum of money for a small state like Manipur. I will be glad even if half of the money is used for the developmental works and welfare of the people of the state. Still, it's a huge sum of money, you know. But very sadly and unfortunately, 95% of it is going to be for political parties only but 5% or less may go to the public at last.

And consider for a moment, Manipur has around 25 plus lakh people in total. And if CM instead, by a sheer intervention of the providence in the wildest dream of an optimist like me, benevolently distributes even half of the money to the public -- there are 60 constituencies in the state -- Manipur will be a rich state and people will be happy instead.

This is so cute...

Even Cat is cozy with a teddybear... cutie....

While The Night Lasts...

Night of despair

All doors shut,
All windows closed.
It's all dark inside,
It's all night around.
I feel I'm trapped,
And I see no way out.
I feel like I'm dying...
Being hopeless and helpless
In this pit of darkness.
But I keep saying myself...
When is my daybreak going to come?
When is this night going to be over?
When will this darkness turn to light?
When is that day going to be???

What Men Desperately Want You To Know (But Will Never Tell You)

Do you ever find yourself staring at a man and wondering what he REALLY wants from you . . . what he REALLY dreams about . . . what he REALLY wishes for in a woman?

If you do, you’re certainly not alone.

According to relationship expert Michael Fiore (who’s appeared on the Rachael Ray show and was interviewed by Time Magazine), the number one thing women wish for is the ability to READ MEN’S MINDS and know how guys REALLY feel.

Unfortunately most guys will NEVER open up to a woman and there’s never been a way to get the actual TRUTH about what goes on in their minds.

Until now.

Michael Fiore recently sent a very simple, very powerful survey to a list of over 20,000 men asking one amazing question…

“What’s the one thing you wish the woman in your life understood about men, but could NEVER tell her?”

If you’d like to learn the answer to that question (what men want sexually, emotionally and intellectually… why men lie to women, why men cheat on women and so much more) you need to stop what you’re doing and go watch this video right now…

Due the controversial nature of the video it may not be up for long. If you want to truly understand and be adored by men you should watch it while you can.

Why Men Lie

Love, Feelings and Memories...

"Love is like taking a walk together at Dawn.
Anyone who has held hands while walking a wooded path
will know that love is the greatest thing in the world" - From Someone Special (a Korean movie)

Love and feelings are like photographs.
They fade away with time.
But they remain as memories
fixed on the walls of our hearts.
And they stay there till we die.
But who knows -
"Do memories die too when we die?"

Life is so fragile, yet so beautiful
so uncertain, yet so loving.

The Curious Case of Richard Loitam's Murder

"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere" - Martin Luther King Jr.

I've got to admit at the outset that I am not a good writer nor the son of a writer. But I feel strongly this time that this case needs to be heard and made loud and clear across the board for the better. The recent case of the murder of a 19-year-old aspiring architect student from Manipur by the hostelmates of Acharya NRV School of Architecture at Soladevanahalli, Bangalore was not only shocking by any degree of measure but also a serious incident which should not taken lightly in any manner.

Richard Loitam....Photo Courtesy: Ibtimes.com

So far the prelim post mortem report is already out citing brain haemorrhage as the cause of death. Police officials and management of the college in question cited this as the result of the accident that Richard had had on April 16 - just two days before his death. But accordingly to the close friends of the deceased it was just a few minor bruises. And  Dr. RK Vidyabali Devi, Richard’s mother, who herself is currently a professing doctor says "The fact that the preliminary postmortem found haemorrhaging (bleeding) at places over both cerebral hemispheres means both sides of the head had been badly wounded, which is not possible in an accident”.

Again, not surprisingly, police officials and the management of the institute in question again accusingly claimed drug overdose as the cause of death which is totally bullshit speculative assumption and unfounded accusation. Just stereotyping anyone from the Northeast as a drug addict is absolutely rubbish and childish. Grow up Acharya or whatever!

In fact, according to the close associates of the deceased, Richard was an active sportsman and was never indulged in these kind of things. And the manner in which the case was handled (by both the police officials and the college authorities in question) has raised more questions than answers. And it's all the more increasingly suspicious over the sheer silence from the management of Acharya NRV School of Architecture at Soladevanahalli to this effect. It is both misleading and baffling to some degree as we all seek justice for Richard Loitam who was just snuffed out just like this.

There are several questions still lingering at our heads. Was the killing racially motivated? In a country with 1 billion plus people of different faiths, castes and races - oh, of course, faiths within faiths, castes within castes, and races within races - isn't it obvious and natural to think and ask this question? And not doing so would be counterintuitive.

OR, is the institute in question hiding or covering up some far more bitter truths than we know of so far? Because there have been no tangible actions or arrests or whatsoever so far from the college management side. Or is Acharya NRV School of Architecture at Soladevanahalli, Bangalore conniving together with the perpetrators of the heinous crime that took place on April 18, 2012.

Richard Loitam...Photo Courtesy: Entertainerr.com

I have to admit here: not all Indians are racists. All Indians are my brothers and sisters. We have been taught in schools that way. If there were some - definitely, possibly yes. Otherwise the unfortunate incident that happened on April 18 would have never happened. Just changing a TV channel during an IPL match doesn't tantamount to murdering a person to this degree - and that too a person who wears an infectious smile all the time.

Wait a second, you can't kill a person who is innocently smiling at you. As you know, smiling is contagious. Even your kindergarten kid will not buy your story that an always smiling person just got murdered just because he changed the TV channel during an IPL match. There is much mucher than that. Or you can see the picture above. A picture is worth a thousand words. Period. That's all what we demand to know and hear from the college authorities in question. Unfortunately, so far the management of Acharya NRV School of Architecture at Soladevanahalli, Bangalore is simply apparently covering up the truths hiding its face in the sands.

So we demand a smoother delivery of justice for Richard Loitam by the authorities concerned at the soonest possible timeframe so that such heinous and gruesome incident does not repeat again in the land of the largest demoracy the world has known.

Indeed, it is very sad, terribly sad to hear such an incident like this.

Here is a message from  Dr. RK Vidyabali Devi, Richard’s mother

"We have sent our children for education to other places of India by trusting the college management, warden etc. We are keeping the kids in the hostel as we have faith in the management. Why have they treated my son so cruelly when I have trusted them? Why destroy the bright futures of our children? The crucial time that have been lost in getting help/treatment is unreasonable. All sons and daughters’ lives are precious to every parent. Please do not break all mothers’ heart. Please give me justice. The case should be converted to a homicidal case as the preliminary post mortem report shows proofs of severe physical assault and internal injury which is the cause of death. Investigations should be swift and thorough. I trust the Indian judicial system, please give me justice, and I expect immediate punishment of the culprits whoever they are."

In any case, if you want to support to this cause, there is a campaign called Justice for Richard Loitam ongoing now on Facebook. You can join this group on https://www.facebook.com/groups/410394948972870/ 

Or you can sign up for the petition at www.change.org

When God Shuts a Door, He Opens a Window

"Only in our dreams are we free, the rest of the time we need wages." - Terry Pratchett, an English writer

After three months, the sky turns blue again. At least I am happy to see it turn blue after a seemingly long dark and grey sky. Unfortunately, however much we aspire of a sky completely free of clouds, it is always studded with patches of clouds as if they are meant for each other forever. And so is life not completely free of sorrows and unpleasant things that accompany it. So smile on them anyway and they will smile back in return. They are meant to be friends, not foes.

To stay in tune with the sentiments around my surroundings and myself, I have changed my blog theme. It's sky blue with patches of clouds now. And I chose purple color for my blog title but I don't know why.

It is after almost two months I am writing this blog post. In these two months many things happened. On August 15, on Independence Day, I ventured into something that I had been longing for. I knew it was not going to be easy but life mein risk lena parta hain; hain na? And I am still working on it. I felt as if I got freedom after seven  years. But I have now realized that being independent isn't a license to freedom from accountability.

Now I am working more hours than I used to. Sometimes 24 hours in a day is not enough. Yet I don't see any tangible results. Sadly, I keep failing and falling downhill. It's like spending a sleepless night and waiting for the first sun rays gushing through the window. Sometimes I feel like giving up altogether. But I am not giving up too soon. Now I have come to know that the dreams that I used to envision and the reality that I see are two separate worlds and don't stay together. If they are, then you must be very lucky. Everything can go your way in mind but not in reality.

At times it seems all the doors have been shut and I have nowhere to go. And it's certainly a nightmarish feeling if you have come to this point any time. Of course, life is beautiful in all its splendor but when it turns cruel, it becomes nasty and it's not easy to talk about it. It takes a little courage to stand up and walk again.

I always envy of birds flying so freely in the sky without having to worry about anything. I guess, I don't know whether they have such a thing called 'worry' in their dictionary. But it just doesn't seem to be. They don't worry about anything. They don't worry about what to eat. They don't worry about what clothes to wear. In fact, God has given them exquisitely elegant clothes to wear. He is so generous! Isn't He? And of course, they don't worry about shelter. If there was no 'worry' in life, majority of the problems we face in life wouldn't exist at all. Even after this realization, surprisingly I still worry a lot about various things in my life. It's not a good thing to keep up as we grow old in age. But it is natural to worry about life: what to eat, what to wear and where to stay, and what not.

As I write this post, Manipur is reeling under the eternal curse of the economic blockade with its two lifelines being throttled. For a gas cylinder, it costs Rs. 2000 now in the Land of Jewels. And prices of all available commodities in the state have shot up to astronomical highs and is beyond a common man's purchasing power.

Now the 'worry-meter' in Manipur measures the highest in India, or possibly in the whole world, as the prices of daily use commodities have far exceeded the common man's purchasing power. People there are suffering to the highest degree as the whole Manipur is being choked to a 'possible death'. Nowhere in India, or perhaps the whole planet Earth is such a dismal state of affairs seen and it is very sad to see people of Manipur -- the people who impose the economic blockade as well as people who don't -- are suffering silently. In Mumbai, when onion prices reached Rs 50 per kg for a week or so, the whole India rose up and within a month, the issue was resolved amicably. But nobody from Delhi is saying anything or doing the least when 'nobody-like-Manipur' is suffering to the extreme. Maybe because it's a small state, or maybe it doesn't contribute anything to the GDP of the country, or maybe it's silent and not doing anything on purpose. I feel so sad that I can't do anything about it.

Well, I wanted to write something else as I began writing and instead I ran into rants. Forgive me being offtrack a bit.

Now I envy the two pigeon birds who come to visit my dwelling place every single day without fail. [Recently they returned from a long trip somewhere] My dwelling place has become their playfield. They play all day long outside the window while I grind as many hours as I can before my monitor. They are so free and they are so independent. I envy them. When I left my job after working seven years a few months ago and began to dive into my personal project, I knew it was not going to be easy. And it's still not easy. Free from bosses is no freedom. Freedom comes with a great price. And I am paying now.

For me, 2011 will be an unforgettable year in my memory lane for many reasons. This year I saw the end of many beautiful things I built for many years and this year set the start of my journey all over again. It's like the beginner's mind. The late technology icon, Steve Jobs said, "It's wonderful to have a beginner's mind." But it's not easy that way. I am starting all over again. Again, 1999 was the year I started all over again.

When something beautiful ends, something else beautiful begins. It's the way how life goes on. It's our choice to snap it off but let it go. At the end of the day, it's destiny that finally decides. One professor describes what destiny is in a simple term like this: Suppose there is a nail pinned on the ground and a needle falling from the sky. Destiny  is the probability of the needle hitting the nail on the ground. After all, God is such a mathematician.

It's destiny that binds people together and it's destiny that separates people from one another. We don't have to feel sorry about it. Instead, flow like the river; run like the wind, be generous like the trees. There is so much to learn from them. Life's meant to be a beautiful thing, but not drudgery.

And of course, when God shuts a door, there is always a window open for you. All cannot be shut at the same time. God can't be that cruel.