The Minority Ultimatum

Somebody realizes it or not, but something horribly went wrong for India in the last 2 weeks. The recent exodus of people of North East India in an alarming rate from Bangalore, Hyderabad, Pune, Chennai and Mumbai fearing Muslim atrocities was something 21st Century India should have never faced. Statistics say around 35000 people left Bangalore and Hyderabad on 14th and 15th of August alone! Happy Independence Day, my dear fellow North-Easterners. Muslims or the minority community of India, out of their love and care for the illegal Bangladeshi migrants, gave ultimatum to N.E people in these cities to face dire consequences once Ramadan is over. Students, working professionals from the region left, leaving everything behind for fear of life. Government termed these ultimatums as rumors and the exodus as a move out of panic; because for them the minority people can never do such wrong things (WTF!). After all they are just a minority community. As a damage control or as a show off of "we care" signal, bulk SMS, MMS are banned in India for 15 days. This exodus of its own citizens from mainland India is a rape of the democracy and in India its common for rapists to walk free. It was hilarious to read the headlines in the newspaper today, that Indian Government has credible evidence of Pakistan being behind this rumor mongering, which led to the massive exodus of N.E people. History says that any problem in India which originates from Pakistan has no solution and Indians have to live with it. That's the easiest way the incompetent Indian government washes its hand with. N.E Exodus Case Closed!

The liberalization of Indian economy in the 90's generated massive employment opportunities in mainland India. In far lying N.E India, the terrorists (freedom fighters?), who were fighting sovereignty from India for decades, started losing local peoples' support;  citizens realized that a decent life is more important than bloodshed and a never to be won battle for sovereignty. India saw an influx of people from these remote region in search of livelihood, better education and a better life altogether. When you are in school, it's a common notion that you come out of N.E after your 12th standard for building a career of your choice, getting a good job and supporting your families thereafter. N.E Indians started caring more about opportunities the other parts of the country is offering and gradually the doctrine of sovereignty which was ruling their minds for so many years faded away. N.E was no longer seen as a land of "liberation fronts". But, the recent happenings, which kind of shattered the confidence of North-Easterners, is a big blow to these positive developments of past two decades. If Indian Government reports are to be believed,  then Pakistan with the help of "Pakistani Muslims Settled in India" are pretty successful in doing what even many attacks on Taj or Oberoi can't do. Yes, I won't call them Indian Muslims because if they are Indian in their heart and mind, they wont be involved in such a treachery. Pakistan played really well in this effort. A quick and successful plot. Our eunuch government just kept watching, busying themselves in arranging special trains to Guwahati. Once Pakistan tried to disintegrate the N.E India from the mainland by supporting the cause of the terrorists with money, arms and ammunition and making Bangladesh a safe haven for their trainings and settlement. While they were not so successful in that attempt, in 2012 they hit the rod when it was hot. They took local help; the locals who stays in India but whose heart beats for Pakistan and Bangladesh. 

But, its OK. Everything is "Chalta-Hain" in India.

It's no longer "their" problem !!!

Yesterday, Mumbai saw an aftermath of riots in Assam in the form of mob vandalism and public property destruction. Thousands of Muslim people gathered in Azad Maiden in South Mumbai to protest for the "Muslim" victims of riots in Assam and Myanmar. The protest went out of control which held Mumbai streets in hostage for hours, killing 2 people, injuring many - mostly cops. Media vans, police vans, and like always BEST buses were torched and damaged. In my opinion, most of the protesters didn't even know or care where Myanmar is, or for a matter of fact are not even aware much about Assam. Whatever, public property destruction and mob vandalism is one of the way of reaching orgasm for people in this country. The protest was anyway not meant for Indian Muslims. It was for Muslim victims of riots in Myanmar. The Muslim victims of Assam riots were not Indians. Violence is never justified even if the victims are not citizen of the country. This is something I like about Muslim Brotherhood; having a heart for the community irrespective of citizenship status. I wish the people in mainstream India cared about the Bodo victims of Assam riots. Bodo population is just a meager 5% of Assam's population and as per history, they were one of the earliest inhibitor in Assam. If their rights are not protected now, it'll be quite late. Its quite ironical that the Government calls the others as "minority", even when they don't belong to Assam in particular and India in general. And excuse me, these people are no "minorities", they dominate 11 out of 27 districts in Assam and counting. 

These illegally migrated people from the nearby famine ridden Bangladesh, where their own country could not provide them with the basic necessities of life are becoming  an utter threat to the identity of indigenous people, their property and security. But, who cares? The ruling government don't care, as no other people can give such strong vote banks. The illegal migration problem is not new, the balloon is being blown since Indira Gandhi's regime dated back to 1983 when the IM-DT Act was specially imposed on Assam; until Supreme Court of India made in null and void in 2005. However, 22 years is a long time and the damage was already done. Added to it are the porous border, where a few corrupt security personnel allowed people to cross the border and corrupt officials are selling ration-cards, voter-id cards in a mass scale. The illegal migration is continuing in unchecked scale. Assam riot of July - 2012 is a threatening signal to India's sovereignty. If no strong and aggressive steps are taken, its not hard to foresee Assam being another branch of East Pakistan.  

The mainstream India usually don't give a damn for Assam or the other six states of North Eastern region. But, its high time that they start doing it now. 11th August violence in Mumbai is just an indication that problems in far lying Assam or North East India is no longer confined to the region. It quite saddening that a portion of people is showing sympathy to the outsiders / illegal immigrants just on their religious status and giving the problem a communal tone. The riot in Assam was not a religious riot, it was fight for their rights by the indigenous people, and was challenged by the outsiders because for them it is do or die, a war for survival. They have nothing to lose, because they illegally entered India when they lost everything back home. But, their struggle for survival can change the political and geographical identity of India forever, if not checked now.

Hello Indians, its no longer Assam's or NE-India's problem. If things are not checked and stopped now, the next attack in Mumbai wont get plotted from Karachi, but from inside the country.

I wish people in this country really cared for their homeland. Just "homeland", and not thinking in terms of religion, caste and creed. If it was done, damages to the tone of millions of rupees would not have happened in Mumbai  yesterday. Politicians are busy looting public money like a huge bunch of pigs plunging themselves into pile of shits. Look at me, I have taken the easier path of showing my concern by writing blogs from my cozy living room.

Life

Life is like a box of chocolates... You never know what you're gonna get.

This story appeared in the newspapers on 3rd August, 2012.

I used to hate running. I was running back home to save my life 

South Sudan marathon runner Guor Marial will officially compete under the Olympic flag at the London 2012 Games but deep down he will represent his new nation and its long-suffering refugees. No coach, no sponsors, no country to represent, Former child slave Guor Marial bids for marathon gold.  Olympic marathon athlete Guor Marial knows what it’s like to keep running for mile after gruelling mile. The 28-year-old long-distance runner spent most of his childhood being chased through savage battles in his native South Sudan.

Running through the desert with hardly any water or shelter, his was a training regime like no other. A tough survivor of a 20-year civil war that left two million dead – including eight of his 10 brothers and sisters – he ran from Sudanese soldiers who attacked and burnt his village, an army officer who kept him as a slave and Arab nomads. Now Guor will line up in the London 2012 marathon on Sunday. He will represent no national team because South Sudan, the world’s newest country which won independence in July last year, has no Olympic committee.

He has no coach, sponsors or training facilities and just one well-worn pair of running shoes. He works all night to earn a living in Flagstaff, Arizona, and trains by day. But remarkably Guor has secured a place alongside the world’s greatest long-distance runners on merit.

It makes his story one of the most inspiring of London 2012, so much so that the US, British and Olympic authorities have gone out of their way to help him.

When he ran from his crisis-hit East African nation to become a refugee, Guor completed the most important race of his life so far.

He went first to Egypt before arriving in the US state of New Hampshire with an uncle in 2001.

He said: “I used to hate running. I was running back home to save my life.” However, he won the state cross-country championship and was given an athletics scholarship by Iowa State University. In June last year, he entered his first marathon, in Minneapolis, and finished it in two hours and 14 minutes – just inside the Olympic qualifying time. But he was a runner without a country. As a refugee he could not represent the US. The Sudanese government invited him to join Sudan’s team, but Marial refused. “If I ran for Sudan, I would be betraying my people,” he said. “I would be dishonouring the two million people who died for our freedom.” After a second quick marathon time, a lawyer took up his case, lobbying influential people to get Guor a place at the Olympics. Just 12 days ago, the International Olympic Committee agreed that he could run as an independent athlete under the Olympic flag.

Last Thursday, the US and British authorities granted him a visa and travel documents in record time – though they arrived too late for the opening ceremony. He said: “South Sudan has finally got a spot in the world community. Even though I will not carry their flag in this Olympic Games, the country itself is there.The dream has come true.”