kp's

Dasavthram

2008-06-16T00:58:00.000-07:00

Yesterday i saw this movie. I felt that it was a movie made to fit the 10 roles rather than a movie which has the 10 roles. I had a severe headache after seeing this movie. I shouldn't have wasted my money on this, but what really troubled me was the behavior of the crowd. There was this girl..probably 14 years of age. She was kinda molested by 15-16 guys in front of her parents. The crowd was like 700-800 strong fitted inside a small compound with 4 policemen to control them. I don't know if girls would go out in such conditions prevailing in the most literate state of the country . I felt sorry for the girl's parents who had taken their family to enjoy a movie, but had to go through this.

Jubin falls

2008-06-12T10:32:00.000-07:00

Jubin Falls

Putting an end to the royal flunks

2008-06-11T02:38:00.000-07:00

Its exam time now, recently i had written the test for corp bank.It was my first bank test, and i understood why bank tests are tough. Out of the 200 questions i could only finish 70. But that helped me, in the next exam..it was the union bank test. I did all the 200 questions. Half of them just guess work.

Now i am trying all different ways to study. On Monday i had this mechanical exam. I been trying for years to pass it. I have under sessionals and so its tough for me, because i had never prepared well for that subject till now. So it was like a fresh start for me this time. I tried to study at home, but couldn't. So i started to go places, study in the bus while traveling etc. So the day b4 the exam i was really frustrated because there was a lot to cover up. I went to the railway station, sat there and took my book to study. But then a train came... i boarded it studied for nearly 6 hours continuously in the train. Now i have written the exam..i am happy that i could write it well, but dunno how the university guys will value it. They have done it to me b4 also, whenever i write well they fail me. But they have also given me unbelievable marks when i haven't even attended even 25% of the questions. I just wish they value it well and my efforts bear fruit

paul

2007-01-08T03:48:00.000-08:00


Paul from my college has a fall .Jose is the driver

India Blocks Blogs

2006-07-21T03:08:00.000-07:00

By SOMINI SENGUPTA
Published: July 18, 2006

NEW DELHI, July 18 — As India’s financial capital, Mumbai, observed a moment of silence today to commemorate the serial bombings of its commuter trains seven days ago, a blistering silence blanketed the Indian blogosphere.

For reasons yet unexplained by the authorities, the Indian government has apparently directed local Internet service providers to block access to a handful of outlets that host blogs, including the popular blogspot.com. Indian bloggers have reacted with anger and confusion, accusing the government of censorship and demanding to know why their sites have been jammed.

Nilanjana Roy, a Delhi-based writer who runs kitabkhana.blogspot.com, a literary blog, called the seeming censorship “a dangerous precedent.”

“You have a right to know what is being banned, and why it’s being banned,” she said. “I can understand if it’s China or Iran or Saudi Arabia. I’m truly appalled when it’s my country doing this.”

The ban, in theory, meant that people living in India were kept from reading anything that appeared on the blocked outlets — whether Indian blogs or otherwise. But the ban seemed far from effective. While some Internet service providers blocked access, others did not.

Many more blog afficionados simply go around the blockade by figuring out how to read their favorite sites. One Web site offered help by way of a free blog “gateway.”

“Is your blog blocked in India, Pakistan, Iran or China?” the site asked, and went on to offer instructions for outwitting the surprising shutdown.

That site was prompted by the efforts of the Pakistan Telecom Authority to block blogspot.com last February, as they attempted to prevent the proliferation of Danish cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammad. Their publication had fueled violent protests across Pakistan.

Last Thursday, a technician at a Bangalore-based service center of one Internet provider said the government had ordered the block of blogspot.com “due to security reasons.” Another service provider in New Delhi said the government, without explanation, had directed his company to block access to a list of less than a dozen Web sites. He could offer no details about the sites.

Officials at the Ministry of Communications here did not return repeated calls. An official at the ministry’s department of information and technology, Gulshan Rai, said he was aware of “two pages” that had been blocked for spreading what he called “antinational sentiments,” but was unable to provide details.

The secretary for telecommunications, D. S. Mathur, that bureau’s highest-ranking civil servant, hung up the phone when reached at home.The minister of communications, Dayanidhi Maran, was traveling in San Francisco and unavailable for comment.

If nothing else, the tempest over the restricted sites is a testament to growing government anxiety about how to control this new and mushrooming medium.

Like blogs anywhere else, Indian blogs serve as forums to pontificate on every conceivable subject: books, movies, politics, cricket. There are blogs devoted to everyday self-indulgence: one blogger, a self-described amateur photographer, writes of jogging in the monsoon, while another recalls what she wore to a cocktail party.

There are blogs, too, that strive to be public service tools, including one that within hours of the Mumbai train blasts began listing phone numbers of hospitals where victims were being taken; called mumbaihelp.blogspot.com, it is among those blocked.

Last Tuesday’s attacks on the Mumbai trains left a death toll of 182 and injured more than 700. A week later, frenetic Mumbai observed a short silence today in memory of the victims.

It is impossible to know how many Indian blogs are affected by the blocking measure. One blogger, Mitesh Vasa, from Vienna, Virginia, has documented “40,128 Indian bloggers who mention India as their country.” That does not include those who do not name on their site which country they are based in, nor others who identify their country of origin, as Peter Griffin does from Mumbai, as “utopia.”

Mr. Griffin, who helped set up the mumbaihelp site, said he woke up this morning to a furious litany of 300 e-mails, mostly from bloggers enraged by the government blockade. Among the speculations offered in those e-mails was that certain blogs could have been used by terrorist groups to coordinate operations.

“Even if that were true, it doesn’t make sense,” Mr. Griffin argued. Anyone with a domain name, he said, could effectively do the same thing on an ordinary Web site.

2006-07-19T00:10:00.000-07:00

La Isla Bonita

Alizee v/s Madonna

Whos better?

2006-07-18T23:58:00.000-07:00

bombay blasts

v will rise

2006-07-18T23:52:00.000-07:00

Bombay blasts

v will rise

2006-07-11T20:44:00.000-07:00

Banyan Theme by A.R. Rahman

A.R.Rahman's theme music for The Banyan, an institution for destitute and differently-abled women in Chennai

2006-07-11T20:43:00.000-07:00

A.R.Rahman Anti Poverty/ STOP-TB Video

stop TB

2006-07-11T20:42:00.000-07:00

jaya he

ar rahman's theme for navy

tragedy as witnessed

2006-07-11T13:50:00.000-07:00

I was travelling from Borivli to Dadar by a fast 5:46pm local. Between Khar and Bandra, we heard a deafening sound and our train stopped before the overhead harbour line flyover. Passers-by told us there had been a bomb blast. All trains were vacated within a few minutes. As I walked ahead, I saw locals helping the injured, giving them first aid and rushing some to nearby hospitals by any means of transport they could find. Bravo, Mumbaikars!

Yogesh, Bandra

-------------------------------------

We came walking from Dadar Circle to Mahim. There was a lot of traffic and nothing was moving. But I had an experience of Mumbai I will never forget. Poor people, families, everyone on the street from Shivaji Park to Victoria Church, handing out cups of tea, bottles of water, biscuits, stuff to eat. They didn't bother staying indoors. There were young people managing traffic, helping people share a cab, get transport. It made me feel proud of Mumbai. No one should dare call Mumbai a rude city again.

Gazala Irani, Mahim

-------------------------------------

God bless Mumbai. I am travelling home at this time, as are hundreds of Mumbaikars. But the most fascinating sight is of hundreds of people who are on the roads -- not demonstrating, but offering water and biscuits. This is incredible Mumbai. Kids, girls, women, young men, old people -- all are trying to feed the hungry and quench the thirst of the thirsty.

Rana, Bandra

-------------------------------------

As soon as we heard about the blast at Khar, me and my friend Mansoor rushed to the spot. It was about 6:40 pm. The 1st class coach was totally damaged and bodies of the injured were strewn about on the tracks. Local residents with the help of commuters rushed some of them to hospital. Some dead bodies were stuck inside the coach.

We could only find some traffic cops on duty nearby at Khar Subway. At about 7 pm two or three policemen arrived at the spot. Till then, the bodies were taken out from the coach and kept aside on the tracks.

It was really a disaster. And totally against humanity.

Salaam Mumbai's trafiic cops, who were doing some very good work at Vakola Bridge on the Western Expreess Highway. They helped people reach home by stopping empty autos, taxis and even private Cars. The taxis and autos were allowed to carry more passengers than they normally are.

Hozefa Jawadwala, Vakola

I was at Jogeshwari station when the blast occurred and in minutes many people lay dead. There was chaos everywhere but the people were trying to help each other without any government official in sight. That's the spirit of Mumbaikars. Even then we are supposed to be the rudest city in world.

It's a shame -- whoever is responsible for this should be traced by the police (don't they claim to be second best in world?).

The perpetrators of this attack are inhuman. How they can do this to innocent people who are no way related to any politics?

May god give patience to the loved ones of the victims.

A Khan, Jogeshwari

----------------------------------------

As I got down from my coach in a state of shock and walked back towards the blast site, there were people already from the other coaches, and some good samaritans from the nearby slums and railway yard, who were desperately carrying the injured people down the subway exit to the roads and loading them into cars and taxis.

Residents of the buildings near the Willingdon Catholic Gymkhana were flinging bottles of water and blankets for the injured people.

Those who were very badly burnt and bruised – they could have been dead – were left for the police and railway porters to attend to.

Amidst this chaos stood the ill-fated train, motionless, with a huge chunk of its roof and a couple of the window frames of the 1st class coach blown across two tracks.

Ramdas Kudva, Santa Cruz

--------------------------------------------------

I was there when a bomb powerful enough to shake the glasses of buildings 100 meters away went off. I ran down to the tracks to check on my mother and a couple of other friends. The first class compartment number 634A coming from Dadar at around 6:05 pm was completely ripped apart like a crushed juice can. All people from the compartment were injured.

There was no proper road to approach the tracks, we had to bend the ticket window side-fence to get to the bodies. I picked up two people, one of whom had his thigh slit open. I smelled burning fumes. He was bleeding through his nose and ears. Another person and myself carried him to the police jeep nearby, but the constable was not able to tell us where to go. Fortunately, a Police control van appeared and they took the injured person to Sion Hospital.

What I saw within an hour shook me to the very core of my heart.

Hemant Budhivant, Matunga

---------------------------------------------

I was just entering Borivali station when I heard a blast. I was on my way to Churchgate.

I went onto the bridge and I saw the blast had happened in the 1st class compartment next to the ladies 1st class compartment. The whole second gate of the 1st class was popped up like a popcorn flake.

The situation is beyond description. I could see charred bodies of four men and one woman being taken away on stretchers. I think they were dead.

I caught a rickshaw back to office, which I thought is a safer place.

Nobody was accompanying the bodies, which were being carried in an auto rickshaw. One body fell out of the rickshaw on the turning of the Chamunda circle. A few women on the road fainted seeing the condition of the body.

It was really a horrendous scene.

Kishan Joshi, Borivali

---------------------------------------------

We were at the G7 theatre at Bandra. The movie was supposed to start at 6.45 but, suddenly, at around 6.30, we heard a loud bang. There was smoke emanating from the tracks nearby. We then saw people climbing on the walls between the tracks and the theatre and running. That is when we realised what had happened."

Rajesh, Andheri

--------------------------------------------

I saw people running everywhere. Local people were doing all they could to help. The police came so late, after everything was over. The police are so bad, but people are so helpful and they did very well. People are dead. Many are running and there are so many people dead. This is a very sad scene.

Vijay, Santacruz (E)

-------------------------------------------

I was in Jogeshwari when the blast took place at 6.35 pm. It was a very tragic moment in my life to see a lot of bodies strewn all around me on the platform. I am still dazed. May God bless everyone.

Sureshchandra H S, Jogeshwari

------------------------------------------

I was standing at Mahim station at the Harbour line platform. The fast train going towards Andheri just arrived at the station and the front portion of the train just flew away. People who were hanging outside because of the rush flew out of the train and other people ran. There was a mess. I was really depressed to see people lying on the tracks.

Dhano Mansukhani, Mahim

-------------------------------------------

I saw a huge ball of smoke rising and people running. It was like hell.

Kondap, Bandra station

-------------------------------------------

Yes, I saw the Mira Road bomb blast. I had gone for a walk on the flyover and heard the blast. There are so many people dead here. It is a shame for the Mumbai Police.

Abhishek, Mira Road

-------------------------------------------

I was on platform number 5 of the Borivali station. The blast occurred at platform number 4, just 10 metres from me.

Ketan Jain, Borivali

-------------------------------------------

I have a shop on Mira Bhayander road and that is where I was when this incident happened. I heard the blast and found out about the bomb a few minutes later. When I got there, I was shocked. There were a lot of people. Some were crying. All injured people were taken to the hospitals in Mira Road. Every hospital here is full, and some are not admitting the injured.

May God bless the injured. I will pray for them.

Moiz Shabbir Mandsaurwala, Mira Road

-------------------------------------------

I was on the tracks over the Khar subway and saw a train coming towards me. Suddenly, the top of the train blew up and people were thrown on the tracks. After some time, the train stopped moving and a lot of people from the nearby Golibar area came to rescue them. I have seen the unity in our people. Irrespective of religion, they simply came to help. I am proud to be a son of India. I hope politicians don't use this as a tool to divide us.

John, Khar

-------------------------------------------

I was in the Mahim train in which the blast occurred. I just heard it and there was smoke everywhere. I leaned out of the train but couldn't see anything because of the smoke. As soon as the train stopped, we got out and crossed the platform to reach the roads.

Gaurav, Mahim

-------------------------------------------

We were waiting to catch the 6.24 pm. local train at Borivali station. In a few minutes, the overflowing train entered on platform No.4. By looking at the compartment, we realised it was impossible to enter. The first class compartment passed in front of us and, a few seconds later, we heard a blast. The top of the compartment was just blown away. Ladies and men started rushing everywhere. I saw some people helping others stay calm and making a way for ladies to move. In the next 15-20 minutes, police come with an ambulance, took away the bodies and cleared all platforms. This is the time to show our unity to the people who want to break us.

Sunil Waghralkar, Borivali

-------------------------------------------

It was like a horror movie in slow motion. The 1st class compartment of a Borivali-bound train blew up at Mahim, flinging bodies like charred puppets...

The people who did this are monsters and are waiting for a sequel. Killing innocent people is not the key. Why don't they put all our corrupt politicians in a first class compartment and blow them up?

Raz, Mahim

------------------------------------------

I was supposed to catch the Avantika Express from Borivali station to Indore at 7:40. I went early and was sitting on the bench under the stairs.

Suddenly I heard a big bang. I thought it was some electrical mishap. But then, I saw people running away from the train.

When I saw people covered in blood, I left my luggage and ran away. Later, I came back and saw few policemen standing. There were no stretchers, no one to help, nothing.

I took my luggage climbed the stairs and stood there. People came running, as policemen were evacuating the station. My mobile network was completely jammed, I couldn't inform anyone that I was fine.

People were running outside, very few auto rickshaws were available as most had been occupied.

Luckily I got an auto rickshaw and came back to my office.

Kshitij Nema, Borivali

--------------------------------------------------

I just came from Bandra to Matunga. As soon as I came out of the station and was on the over-bridge, I saw a huge part of the first class compartment of a fast train blow up. People were falling out of the train. All phones were jammed and I couldn't call anyone. Being an outstation student, my parents were worried and I was unable to call them.

Manish Chaudhary, Matunga

-----------------------------------------

I was on the ill-fated train in the first class compartment in the middle. As soon as the train left Dadar station, we heard a big blast. Passengers who were near the door simply jumped off or fell down. The people inside were trying to jump, but I, along with a few commuters, asked them not to. We could see the wires on the left door. The first thought that came to mind was dying of an electric shock. All of us huddled near each other and avoided the doors. The train stopped at Matunga station and we all jumped out on to the platform. It was then that I saw the damaged first class compartment. It had literally opened up. Some commuters then rushed in to remove the stranded passengers. It was a terrifying scene. I saw a lot of passengers bleeding.

Satish Dasi, on the 5:54 local from Dadar to Virar

-----------------------------------------

I was in my office in Bandra West -- between G7 movie theatre and Bandra station -- and heard a blast. I turned around and saw smoke coming out of a moving train coming from Bandra towards Khar. I saw parts of a first class compartment touching the poles on the side of tracks and even heard the noise of metal scraping. The train stopped right behind our office building. I saw people jumping out.

I appreciate the boys of Navpada area who immediately rushed to the spot and started rescue work. Railway police and fire brigade came very late. By that time they had sent almost 20 people, who looked severely injured.

Farhan Shaikh, Bandra

-----------------------------------------

I was standing at Khar station waiting to go to Churchgate. As the train entered the station, there was a blast in the first class compartment. The impact was so heavy that I actually was thrown back and hit an iron rod. There were bodies all around. Some of them had no face, hands, fingers, etc.

Sandeep Butaney, Khar Station

-----------------------------------------

I was in the Mahim train. I just heard the blast and then there was smoke everywhere.

I leaned out of the train and could see nothing but smoke. As soon as the train stopped we got out of the train and crossed the platform to reach the roads.

Gaurav, Mahim

Responsible for Bombay blasts

2006-07-11T13:04:00.000-07:00

The terror attack on Mumbai trains was carried out by Lashkar-e-Toiba and local Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) activists and was designed to trigger communal conflagration in the country’s financial capital, intelligence sources said.

While still waiting for clues to emerge, top intelligence sources in New Delhi seem pretty sure the blasts on the trains were plotted by Lashkar modules which are increasingly collaborating with activists of SIMI, which boasts of strong pockets of influence across Maharashtra.

The estimate of intelligence agencies here is derived from the scale of the attack, as well as precise information about the Lashkar’s sleeper cells that have proliferated in Maharashtra.

Sources in the home ministry, in fact, said that a carnage had seemed very much on the cards with information pouring in about stockpiling of arms and explosives by religious extremists.

Unlike last time when tip-offs helped the Maharashtra police foil the fidayeen attack on RSS headquarters at Nagpur, this time, Maharashtra and central sleuths failed to detect the plot.

"Every time, you cannot be lucky. Information as to which train they are going to attack and where is not easy to come by," said a top intelligence official engaged in counter-terror operations.

Officials here are convinced that the terrorists' objective was to cause communal mayhem in the city. The conviction is based on two facts.

First, the trains were targeted just after the communal-tinged violence in Bhiwandi, and the protests by Shiv Sainiks over the insult to the statue of Meenatai Thackeray by miscreants

in pictures

2006-07-11T11:07:00.000-07:00

A series of explosions on trains in the Indian financial capital Mumbai (Bombay) has killed scores of people.

Local TV showed pictures of dazed survivors being helped from the scenes of the blasts.

The blasts happened in the evening rush hour, and crowds of workers gathered at railway stations.

The railway network has been shut down and authorities have blamed the attacks on "terrorists".

Wounded survivors waited at railway stations, but onlookers said there were not enough ambulances to ferry them all to hospital.

A BBC reporter at the scene of the Khar explosion found the targeted train a mangled wreck.

As darkness fell, some of the six million passengers who commute by rail every day stood on the tracks, wondering how to get home.

By My Friend Priti

2006-07-11T10:20:00.000-07:00

Half an hour back, 4 bomb explosions rocked Mumbai local trains - tho i've escaped yet another explosion - but at the moment i'm all filled with angst against the govt and its pseudo-secular policies and "soft" attitutde towards the terrorists just coz they come from "minority" religious group!
Pathetic!

This is supposed to be the peak hour time - when the trains are all packed - and ppl r returning home frm schools,colleges,offices,etc.

Early morning tourists in J&K were targeted and now Mumbai.
Pseudo-seculars may feel tht i'm "cultivating hatred" and i dont care a damn about tht!
No doubt some muslims are good - but most arent!
Say whatever u wanna,but come here - see the ppl crying and then post a reply.
We cant even contact anyone,the phones are jam - tv channels r restricted frm putting up the actual figures.
And it is the shield of so called "tolerance" among hindus tht is encouraging these elements - for god sake,wake up and differentiate tolerance from cowardness.

If there is someone whom i blame for these attacks then it is not the Islamist grps - but it is the attitude of the hindus who just dont bother abt fellow human beings - and even if they bother - they will give hundred excuses for not taking any action.

I'm not asking to throw out the muslims - but atleast raise ur voice against a community which is harboring such anti-social elements!

I'm not asking u to attack someone but atleast defend urself!
And if u think i'm instigating insecurity among ppl, at this moment u need to be here in this city and then give ur thoughts a reconsideration.

bombay blasted

2006-07-11T09:46:00.000-07:00

A series of seven explosions hit crowded rush-hour trains Tuesday evening in the Indian financial capital of Mumbai, killing at least 135 people, police said.

Officials said 250 to 300 people were injured in the blasts.

There was some confusion about the number of dead and injured as information was compiled from hospitals and explosion sites in Mumbai, the west Indian seaport previously called Bombay.

Video footage from a train station showed people in bloodstained clothes receiving medical treatment, while others were carrying victims and some lying motionless near railroad tracks. Windows of a train appeared to be spattered with blood.

At least one train was split in half. (Watch rescuers pull blood-covered victims from wrecked trains -- 1:59)

The blasts hit trains or platforms at the Khar, Mahim, Matunga, Jogeshwari, Borivili and Bhayander stations. The seventh explosion struck a train between the Khar and Santacruz stations, a police official told CNN-IBN, CNN's sister network.

Police also found and defused another bomb at the Borivili station, according to CNN-IBN.

A CNN-IBN correspondent who was on one of the trains said it was leaving a station when the blast occurred. People jumped and were killed as the train hit them.

'Limbs lying everywhere'

"Limbs [are] lying everywhere, bodies [were] cleared from the tracks by local business owners who rushed from their shops," the correspondent said.

Another correspondent, Anjali Sinha, tried to get on a train at the Matunga station but it was too crowded. As that train pulled away, a blast shattered the men-only first-class coach.

"There was smoke, fire, it was absolutely ..." she stammered, her voice shaking.

A correspondent for CNN's sister network, CNN-IBN, reported seeing 15 bodies at the Matunga train station.

Railway shut, subway on high alert

The Western Railway system -- used by 4.5 million people daily -- was shut down and Mumbai's subway system was put on high alert after the blasts in the city's western suburbs. Police in the capital of New Delhi also heightened security.

Airports across India were also put on high alert, and Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh called an emergency meeting of his ministers after the explosions.

Singh issued a statement calling the attacks a "shameful act" and urged the people of his country to "remain calm, not to believe rumors, and to carry on their activity."

One person was arrested in New Delhi in police raids after the explosions, CNN-IBN reported, but there's been no claim of responsibility for the attacks.

Earlier Tuesday, a grenade attack in Indian-controlled Kashmir killed at least four people. Authorities believe militants are responsible for that attack on a minibus in Srinagar. There was no immediate indication of a connection to the Mumbai blasts.

Government warned of such an attack

Indian Home Minister Shivraj Patil said the government had some advance knowledge that such an attack might take place, but "what we didn't have was the place and the time."

The blasts hit trains or platforms at the Khar, Mahim, Matunga, Jogeshwari, Borivili and Bhayender stations, in that order. The seventh explosion hit a train between the Khar and Santacruz stations, a police official told CNN-IBN.

Mumbai used to be known by the name of Bombay.

On March 7, 14 people were killed in attacks on a temple and a rail station in Varansi. On March 12, 1993, more than 250 people were killed in Mumbai when 13 bombs exploded in several locations in the city

2006-07-11T09:39:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, July 11, 2006 (Mumbai):

At least 137 people have been killed in the series of blasts that rocked Mumbai today.

Eight blasts took place on different railway stations in the city.

The first blast was reported near Khar Railway station in Mumbai, which left several people injured.

The incident took place at 6:09 pm (IST) in a local train from Churchgate to Borivali between Khar and Mahim stations on the Western Line.

Terror unleashed

The second blast was reported at Bandra station, while the third blast took place at Matunga.

Soon after, the fourth explosion took place at Jogeshwari, while two blasts were reported in Borivali.

The seventh blast was reported from Bhayandar station near Mira Road, while the eighth blast took place at Santacruz Station.

Police suspect that it is a pre-planned subversive plot similar to the explosions that had rocked Mumbai in 1993, 2002 and 2003.

All suburban and long-distance trains on the Western railway lines were suspended.

Police have also cordoned off the major road intersections, railway stations and exit points.

Many commuters were stranded after the explosions and additional buses have been deployed in Mumbai to cope with the situation.

"Our priority is to ensure that nothing untoward takes place as a result of the blast," said Mumbai Police Commissioner A N Roy.

The blasts were targeted at commuters in the suburbs. It took place in the first class coaches during rush hour.

Mumbai airport has also been put on alert.

Planned attacks

Some of the injured have been taken to Lilavati hospital while others have been taken to Cooper and Hinduja hospitals.

Many others have also been admitted to KEM Hospital, V N Desai Hospital and Bhabha Hospital.

The Home Ministry has said that the terror attacks have been planned. High intensity explosives have been used in the attack.

In its wake, a countrywide alert has been sounded. The police will be verifying the nature of blasts.

The IB is probing the link between the blasts at Srinagar and Mumbai, and also looking at possible link with PoK polls.

However, Home Secretary VK Duggal has said that there is no link between the blasts in the two cities.

The Mumbai police were also probing links between the Mumbai blasts and the seizures of two suspected Lashker-e-Taiba modules early this year.

However, LeT has denied any hand in the incident. "We condemn Srinagar, Mumbai blasts," said the statement.

Railway Minister Lalu Yadav will also be visiting the city to assess the situation.

"We will provide adequate compensation to those dead or injured. For now, local trains are being searched and we are taking more precautions," he said.

Security review

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh also reviewed the security situation in the wake of the series of bomb blasts in Mumbai and Srinagar.

Home Minister Shivraj Patil, National Security Adviser M K Narayanan and Home Secretary V K Duggal attended the specially convened meeting in New Delhi.

After an hour-long emergency meeting, Patil read out a statement by the Prime Minister.

"The series of blasts in Jammu and Kashmir and in Mumbai are shocking and cowardly attempts to spread a feeling of fear and terror among our citizens," said the statement.

"My heart reaches out and grieves for all those affected by these blasts and who have lost their near and dear. I condemn these shameful acts aimed at our peace loving people," it added.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh has announced a compensation of Rs one lakh for the relatives of those killed and Rs 50,000 for those injured.

He also appealed to people to maintain calm and not venture out unless required.

Congress President Sonia Gandhi, who will be going to Mumbai, also expressed shock over the blasts.

She also asked the Maharashtra government to tighten security measures and ensure maintenance of peace and harmony.(With PTI inputs)

What Indian Hindus need to learn

2006-07-10T14:14:00.000-07:00

Major center nears completion in Portugal

Six kilometers from the lisbon city center sits Paco du Lumiar. Once home to Portugal's kings, it is now a small enclave of modest houses near the airport. Yet, the Comunidade Hindu de Portugal, an organization founded in 1982, is restoring some of the region's grandeur, Indian style, by forging a temple complex touted among the largest outside India. The massive gray columns of the unfinished colossus now herald what is to become a cultural citadel for Portugal's Hindus and a center of social service for all.

History reveals a hidden irony here. Centuries ago, the Portuguese were imperious conquerors. Their forays into India and Sri Lanka focused significantly on destroying Hindu edifices [see sidebar below]. But Hinduism survived, and Hindus are rebuilding their temples around the world--even in Portugal, the land of their would-be conqueror.

Like many European nations, Portugal is adjusting to the arrival of immigrants from former colonies. In 1974, after the Portuguese Revolution, the African colony of Mozambique became an independent nation. Between 1977 and 1980, much of the large Hindu community there emigrated to Portugal. Mostly of Indian descent, they joined with émigrés from other former Portuguese territories, such as Daman and Diu in Western India. Sharing the languages Portuguese and Gujarati, they banded together to preserve their Indian and Hindu inheritance.

Hitesh Ramniklal, a 31-year-old management consultant, recalls, "My father helped start the Comunidade with only five or six other families." Now it's 8,000 strong. Ramniklal still feels closeness to India, despite the fact it was his great-grandfather who long ago left Bharat for Mozambique, and his father who emigrated to Lisbon in 1975. Ramniklal was just 11 years old then. He regrets that his generation has failed to study Gujarati, though he himself is fluent. However, he happily reports that recently the Comunidade convinced the Lisbon education ministry to teach Gujarati in three public schools on Saturdays. The program serves approximately 120 children.

Religion and culture are paramount concerns, but present conditions also require contending with society's more mundane difficulties. Kantilal Jamnadas, president of the Comunidade, head of Portugal's largest baked goods factory, DanCake, and the moving force behind the project, spoke with circumspection about these obstacles. "We face several day-to-day problems, and the past held many more. Due to the comprehension and help of the Portuguese government, we have slowly overcome them."

Privation: One case in point centers on shantytowns in and around major Portuguese cities. These are primarily occupied by new immigrants from former colonies, some Hindu. The Lisbon city council has vowed to provide housing for these inhabitants by the year 2000. However, a recent poll reveals that 43% of residents from Lisbon and Porto, the nation's largest cities, are averse to having their apartment buildings earmarked for such housing.

When asked if the Hindu denizens of the shantytowns would be provided for, Jamnadas conceded, "This is a difficult issue, because there is no specific solution." But he expressed confidence that Lisbon would successfully meet their goal. He also has faith that the Comunidade will be able to aid its members who are faced with discrimination.

Jamnadas stressed that these are goals the Comunidade is not prepared to contend with today. The group is still in a formative state, and many objectives have yet to be realized, he said. "Once we have completed our complex," he asserted, "the facilities and services offered to our Hindu men and women, or anyone else for that matter, will be greatly increased."

Despite encumbrances, job training programs sponsored by the European Community are offered at the complex and are open to Indians and Portuguese alike. For the past five years, the group has organized a blood drive in conjunction with the Portuguese Blood Institution. And the 70-percent completed complex is already host to religious festivals and events.

In a room strewn with architectural blueprints, Jamnadas ventured that the temple will be finished by the end of 1997. "If more people gave, we'd be done a little sooner," he laughed. They have good reason to finish next year, as Lisbon is scheduled to host Expo '98 celebrating the 500th anniversary of Vasco da Gama's voyage to India.

Sidebar: Portugal's Failed Assault on Hinduism

Positioned on the southwestern rim of the European continent, Portugal is a small country, 34,170 square miles, roughly equivalent in size to USA's Indiana, but its influence in Asian history has been dramatic and, in some cases, devastating. One of the oldest nations in Europe, it began its colonial, Catholic-inspired crusade in 1297. Its many conquests included India and Sri Lanka.

The Portuguese promulgated Catholicism wherever they landed, largely by denigrating the beliefs and desecrating and destroying the buildings and icons of the "heathens." Hindu devotees suffered painfully, as the Portuguese methodically ravaged their temples in India and Sri Lanka and undermined the faith of many through coercive, calcuated conversion.

An Insight Guides book on Sri Lanka critiques the impact of Portugal's presence there, "European ambitions arrived with the Portuguese early in the 16th century. They were more interested in controlling the island's commerce than in absorbing its territory. In the process, they intruded in the affairs of the coastal regions. By 1600, after converting some of the Sinhalese royalty to Catholicism and breaking a strong bid for dominance by the rulers of the rebel state of Sitawaka, the Portuguese effectively controlled the southwest coastal region. They also managed to snuff out the last Tamil kingdom ever to rule Jaffna as an independent state. The Portuguese' Roman Catholicism enjoyed a special relationship with the ruling powers. Converts to Catholicism under the Portuguese gained a privileged status." The effects of this domination still linger in Sri Lanka and India, especially in Goa.

In succeeding centuries, Portugal's powers steadily diminished. Now, though a member of the European Free Trade Association and NATO, it remains one of the poorest countries in Western Europe.

Hindu Blood

2006-07-10T13:37:00.000-07:00

The Indian media went ballistic when Baptist Missionary Graham Staines was murdered in Orissa. Reams of newspaper were devoted to mourning the "Ghastly Murder" and for weeks editorials discussed the rising "intolerance" which according to them was fuelled by the BJP's policies of encouraging Hindutva. Even after a commission instituted by Law, called the Wadhwa Commission did a thorough investigation and found that the prime accused was not associated with any Hindutva oriented organization, still the pseudo secularists and Media barons cried foul. Graham Staines got more coverage than all the Kashmiri Pandits put together who had been assassinated by Islamic terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir.

Later a Muslim youth and another Christian proselytizer in the same area were also found murdered. Again there was a frantic rush to the newsroom. Facts were thrown out of the window. No evidence was found to even remotely link "Hindu extremism" to the murders and yet the newspapers' headlines screamed about the Hindu hand behind the outrageous murders of minorities. The Indian media seemed to be having a field day at lambasting and accusing the entire Hindu community of India with these dastardly crimes. They gave front page coverage to the hypocritical Report from the US State Department which outrageously claimed that India had become a hotbed of "rising intolerance" in a very direct reference to the BJP government. The import of the report was clear; Hindus were murderous savages, who would go a killing rampage if they were given political control of their own nation, as in the case of BJP in India.

The Indian media has no space to devote to the thousands of Hindus who are victims of intolerance at the hands of Muslims and Christians every year. The fact is that there is a sinister attempt to totally ignore the fact about these incidents and to focus completely on portraying Hindus as the villains when isolated incidents such as the Staines murder take place. This fact is shockingly demonstrated by the fact that just last week a Hindu boy was HACKED TO DEATH by Muslims in the EXACT same area of Orissa, where the purported attacks on minorities is taking place at the hands of Hindus, according to the Indian media!

A 25-year-old youth, Bhuban Bihari Barik was mercilessly hacked to death by a mob of Muslims in the village of Chadheikul in Mayurbhanj district. Bhuban belonged to Ghasda village under Chitrakosi Gram Panchayat in the same district. He had gone simply to play a game of cards at a local Dhaba in Chadheikul. In the meantime a group of Muslim youths were also present there. They were gambling with money. The police decided to raid the area on a tip off that gambling may be happening there. At this the Muslims were enraged that the Police had dared to raid a Muslim stronghold. They decided to indulge in a macabre demonstration to punish the "Hindus". A hapless and innocent Bhuban was carried to the edge of the Eucalyptus forest in the area and hacked to pieces with Scythes and daggers. The Muslims then proceeded to feed pieces of Bhuban's flesh to the dogs in a celebration of violence.

Upon learning of the heinous crime, the shocked villagers went to the Police to get justice. They were thwarted with the warning not to create trouble with the Muslims! At this 200 members of the village sat down in a Dharna to demand justice for the unimaginably gory crime. It was only at this point that Police were forced to file a case for Bhuban's murder.

The Indian media to date has not published a solitary story on this sordid episode. Is the blood of a Hindu Bhuban Bihari Barik worth much less than that of a Christian Baptist Graham Staines??

Swami Vivekananda

2006-07-09T06:02:00.000-07:00

" hands off who ru to help women ,they can help themselves"
Stand up for God; let the world go.
To succeed, you must have tremendous perseverance, tremendous will. "I will drink the ocean," says the persevering soul, "at my will mountains will crumble up." Have that sort of energy, that sort of will, work hard, and you will reach the goal.
Strength is Life. Weakness is Death
"Him, I call a Mahathman whose heart bleeds for the poor"
The world steps aside to let pass a man who know wither he is going and steps out full determination and confidence.
what ever it might be which make u weak physically, mentally or in any other means reject it as poison.
"society doesn't go down due to activities of criminals but due to the inactivities of non-criminals"
always look within never without
winner says "difficult but possible"
looser says "possible but difficult"
pay as much attention to means as to end .
" its the level of concentration that differentiates one from others,if i were to go through other subjects, i would first develop my concentration level then take upon the other subjects on will"
“We are responsible for what we are, and whatever we wish ourselves to be, we have the power to make ourselves. If what we are now has been the result of our own past actions, it certainly follows that whatever we wish to be in future can be produced by our present actions; so we have to know how to act.”
Arise Awake And Stop Not Till The Goal Is Reached
"To me an Indian is one who has got a Vedantic brain which probes deep and soars high; an Islamic body that is vibrant and valiant; a Buddhistic heart overflowing with compassion and kindness and Christian limbs of service and sacrifice."
"Religion gives you nothing new; it only takes off obstacles
and lets you see yourself."
"to be good and do good is the whole of religion".
“Neither money pays, nor name pays, nor fame, nor learning; it is CHARACTER that cleave through adamantine walls of difference”
" o hero,awake and dream no more"
STAND UP AND SAY, IAM THE MASTER,THE MASTER OF ALL. WE FORGE THE CHAIN, WE ALONE CAN BREAK IT.
no need of looking behind.FORWARD!we want infinite energy,infinite zeal,infinite courage, infinite patience,then only great things will be achieved.
follow the heart. " a pure heart sees beyond the intellect; it gets inspired; it knows things that reason can never know, and whenever there is conflict between the pure heart and the intellect, always side with the pure heart even if you think what your heart is doing is unreasonable"
analyse yourselves and you will find that every blow you have received came to you because you prepared yourselves for it
arise and awake, let minor things and quarrels over little details and fights over little doctrines be thrown aside for here is the greatest of all works, here are the sinking millions
" TAKE THY SHOES FROM OFF THY FEET, FOR THE PLACE WHERE ON THOU STANDEST IS HOLY GROUND"
take up one idea. make that one idea your life------ think of it , dream of it, live on that idea. let the brain , muscles,nerves,every part of you body be full of that idea, and just leave every other idea alone.
"do not be dragged away out of this indian life;do not for a moment think that it would be better for india if all the indians dressed,ate and behaved like another race"
do not destroy.iconoclastic reformers do no good to the world. break not, pull not anything down,but build. help if you can ;if you cannoit fold your hands and stand by and see things go on. do not injure, if you cannot render help. say not a word against any mans convictions so far as they are sincere.
Instinct is like ice; Reason is like water and inspiration is like the sublest form of vapour.
The world is but a gymnasium in which we play; our life is an eternal holiday.
"stand up,men and women,in this spirit dare to believe in the truth,dare to practice the truth! the world requires a few hundered bold men and women.practice that boldness which dares know the truth, which dares show the truth in life, which does not quake before death,nay, welcomes death, makes a man know that he is in the spirit, that in the whole universe, nothing can kill him."
The greatest sin is to think yourself weak.
"Great works cannot be done without any sacrifice"
Become a dynamo of spirituality.
tell the truth boldly whether it hurts or not.
tell this to every body " have no fear".
" first of all young men must be strong. religion will come afterwards . be strong , my young friends;that is my advice to you."
A Small cloud is enough to eclipse the whole sun
"SO LONG AS THE MILLIONS LIVE IN HUNGER AND IGNORANCE, I HOLD EVERY MAN A TRAITOR WHO, HAVING BEEN EDUCATED AT THEIR EXPENSE, PAYS NOT THE LEAST HEED TO THEM! I CALL THOSE MEN WHO STRUT ABOUT IN THEIR FINERY, HAVING GOT ALL THEIR MONEY BY GRINDING THE POOR, WRETCHES, SO LONG AS THEY DO NOT DO ANYTHING FOR THOSE TWO HUNDERED MILLIONS WHO ARE NOW NO BETTER THAN HUNGRY SAVAGES."
never fear what will become of you, depend on no one.
never forget that this is only a momentary state, and that we have to pass through it.
"woman! thou shalt not be coupled with anything connected with the flesh."
The power of concentration is the only key to the treasure house
of knowledge.
Service to man is service to god
Shall India die? Then from the world all spirituality will be extinct, all moral perfection will be extinct, all sweet-souled sympathy for religion will be extinct, all ideality will be extinct; and in its place will reign the duality of lust and luxury as the male and female deities, with money as its priest, fraud, force and competition its ceremonies, and the human soul its sacrifice. Such a thing can never be!
stand on side of truth even though whole universe stands on the other side
live in harmony with all. giv up all idea of egoism,and entertain no sectarian views. useless wrangling is a great sin
"stand up and reason out, having no blind faith. religion is a question of being and becoming not of believing"
"It is an insult to offer religion to a starving man"
"Leave alone the mistakes, Leave alone the little backslidings; Hold onto the ideal a thousand times, and if you fail a thousand times, make the attempt once more"
" let us all be progressive as any nation that ever existed, and at the same time as faithful and conservative towards our traditions as hindus alone know how to be"
" let us do good because it is good to good; he who does good work even in order to get to heaven binds himself down"
" say,THE IGNORANT INDIAN, THE POOR AND DESTITUTE INDIAN, THE BRAHMIN INDIAN, THE PARIAH INDIAN, IS MY BROTHER"
Perfection is the Manifestation of a Quality which is Already within Us !!!
Condemn none: if you can stretch out a helping hand, do so. If you cannot, fold your hands, bless your brothers, and let them go their own way.
God has hidden himself inside your hearts and exposed you.
Hide yourselves and expose God!
"Verification is perfect proof of a theory,and here is the challenge thrown to the world by the Rishis."
" in the west woman is only wife but in the east she is also a mother"
" dare to seek truth even through hell"
"follow truth wherever it may lead you; carry your ideas to their utmost logical conditions"
education is the manifestation of perfection already in man
" stick to ypur reason until you reach something higher; and you will know it to be higher, because it will not jar with reason"
" proclaim the glory of the atman with the roar of a lion, and impart fearlessness unto all beings by saying'" arise, awake and stop not till the goal is reached."
" there is no sin in thee, there is no misery in thee; thou art the reservoir of omnipotent power.arise, awake and manifest the divinity with in!"
"none can help you; help yourself; work out your own salvation."
To believe blindly is to degenerate the human soul. Be an atheist if you want, but do not believe in anything unquestioningly.

india's future

2004-10-28T01:40:00.000-07:00

what i want to say here is about india and its neighbours.
pakistan has long been here spreading terrorism,and bigger nations like us and china have not only morally supported them but has also given military aid.china fears pakisthan bringing terrorists into their eastern region which they think is rich in minerals and as a link to the western oil producing countries.They also want to weaken india through pak.This is the same thing with the US.they may be talking of curbing terrorists but is forgetting that they were the ones who started this with both saddam and afghan.they should also remember that india has been suffering for more than 1/2 a century due to terrorism.where do we head from here when we have terrorists on all sides and the US talks of keeping calm.