tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64415346047735305012024-03-06T06:18:55.028+05:30etc...etcLife's about exchanging your thoughts with the like-minded... সৌগত প্রামানিকPramanickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15014385589682942937noreply@blogger.comBlogger37125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441534604773530501.post-80731979587069529312019-09-16T13:57:00.002+05:302019-09-17T21:45:56.053+05:30At Bhawal National parkAm stationed near Bhawal National Park in Bangladesh for a week. The weekend was boring and provided the time necessary for some recce. From the comfort of the laptop but.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgooZDO2lLcQ7RCGRAL49f5N6kBFnCVTW0yUn6l2Qwgw0tMB3hro3ihFvDEHw23i9n5Z59Q4rID3cFYQd1Cx_iXnCqOqi58pJg9Nh_9UpN2pi3FcpiYZdLJvQYjsMLkgABibSGWEHWmGV0/s1600/Bhawal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="621" data-original-width="1191" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgooZDO2lLcQ7RCGRAL49f5N6kBFnCVTW0yUn6l2Qwgw0tMB3hro3ihFvDEHw23i9n5Z59Q4rID3cFYQd1Cx_iXnCqOqi58pJg9Nh_9UpN2pi3FcpiYZdLJvQYjsMLkgABibSGWEHWmGV0/s640/Bhawal.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Looking around in Google Maps, I located the 'Bhawal Rajbari' - now converted into a DC (District Commissioner's) office. The place seems to be preserved by the local standards.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfby9WqA9SPMJVn4b3lRY1Cm0wInu_WBhq6H6Xg9_P4TQ1U47WxMCHUpO9MwE3MJHi7024d2GTAA5u18sJLiFf4OCa-rVmKeD2fxOmzqZQasNeoBbE3T5YctNoAOQulY6lM82HGYB1LVY/s1600/Bhawal3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="435" data-original-width="745" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfby9WqA9SPMJVn4b3lRY1Cm0wInu_WBhq6H6Xg9_P4TQ1U47WxMCHUpO9MwE3MJHi7024d2GTAA5u18sJLiFf4OCa-rVmKeD2fxOmzqZQasNeoBbE3T5YctNoAOQulY6lM82HGYB1LVY/s320/Bhawal3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCWSTORn6Bzj1J8jP45Xmbj8IYfIejujcdBk1AAgp192ZXCAziYm_Q_U4eFCU9yZH3wRQA395dC0zLxpqDk2y0plgsM_mvOw679FE-eF_PcCT0HxjVmZIWbE5azA7ceOaKRzeMzC0nT0g/s1600/Bhawal4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="624" data-original-width="787" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCWSTORn6Bzj1J8jP45Xmbj8IYfIejujcdBk1AAgp192ZXCAziYm_Q_U4eFCU9yZH3wRQA395dC0zLxpqDk2y0plgsM_mvOw679FE-eF_PcCT0HxjVmZIWbE5azA7ceOaKRzeMzC0nT0g/s320/Bhawal4.jpg" width="320" /></a>The legend talks of the Bhawal Sanyasi. The 'mejokumar' <b>Ramendra Narayan Roy</b>, the second son of the Rajendra Narayan Roy Choudhury is said to have returned from the dead as a 'Sanyasi' to Dhaka in 1920. What ensued was called the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhawal_case" target="_blank">Bhawal case</a>, protracted over 16 years in court, ultimately the public and the court recognizing him as the King of Bhawal. The final judgement came from the Privy Council in London in 1946. The claimant went to offer prayers after the judgement, suffered a stroke and died two days later. Two famous films document this story, one from 1975 [<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanyasi_Raja" target="_blank">Sanyasi Raja</a>] and the more recent <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ek_Je_Chhilo_Raja" target="_blank">Ek Je Chhilo Raja </a>of 2018 which we saw last month, thanks to Amazon Prime.<br />
And here I was in the vicinity of the Zamindar Bari researching the surroundings and reading the story all over again.<br />
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References : </div>
<ol>
<li> <a href="https://books.google.com.bd/books?id=qjv-pyCt-T4C&pg=PA237&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false" target="_blank">A Princely Impostor?: The Strange and Universal History of the Kumar of Bhawal - Partha Chatterjee</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1dDMtK04ys" target="_blank">রূপকথাকে হার মানানো ভাওয়াল রাজার বাস্তব কাহিনী। </a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.thedailystar.net/in-focus/news/the-legendary-tale-the-bhawal-sannyasi-1668169" target="_blank">The-legendary-tale-the-bhawal-sannyasi</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47uQuyAwaik" target="_blank">1971 revolution started from Gazipur Bhawal Estate</a> </li>
<li><a href="https://www.thedailystar.net/news/a-prince-who-rose-from-the-dead" target="_blank">A-prince-who-rose-from-the-dead</a> </li>
<li><a href="http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Bhawal_Case" target="_blank">Bhawal Case at Banglapedia</a> </li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAhCBHmZ0Rc" target="_blank">Ek Je Chhilo Raja | Official Trailer : Film has wrong name of protagonist</a><br /> </li>
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Pramanickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15014385589682942937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441534604773530501.post-29652802789112397482019-01-23T08:47:00.002+05:302019-01-23T08:47:50.601+05:30British sarcasm and self-deprecation dished out in Britain...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyv23BY1T0nBnZz-0veOWG7peY2uPDP3eCnDFrA_Gwt3j3FxmECHybT0tlzZ6QHj4n9IjPPecwSSymGeq5qUA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />Pramanickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15014385589682942937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441534604773530501.post-73382555621007830222017-03-30T08:54:00.000+05:302017-03-30T08:54:18.986+05:30An excellent interpretation of our Holy books<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/aqpa1ku4tnU/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/aqpa1ku4tnU?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
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An excellent interpretation of our Holy books ... when the industry and society in general is suffering from loss of values, it is refreshing to re-interpret the historical narratives in today's language. Loved it !Pramanickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15014385589682942937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441534604773530501.post-84621464379244146082016-08-23T19:31:00.000+05:302016-08-23T19:31:17.458+05:30America's secret weapon...H1BFew years back there was a video that awed me. The fact that people could talk freely about why America is not the greatest country in the world. Did they not have 'anti-sedition - mongers' like we are experiencing these days? About how "the first step in solving a problem ... is realizing it".<br />
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And then I find this video again. About science in America. Worth a watch !<br />
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<br />Pramanickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15014385589682942937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441534604773530501.post-54473724896146391672013-02-24T11:33:00.000+05:302013-11-18T10:03:30.817+05:30Excipient Selection for Parenteral Formulations<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.ipapharma.org/pt/march2013/PT-%20March.pdf" target="_blank">The final version uploaded</a> Page 65, <a href="http://www.ipapharma.org/epharmatimes/Mar2013/#65">ePharmaTimes</a> and at <a href="http://www.academia.edu/4320620/Excipient_for_Parenteral_formulations">Academia.edu</a></div>
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Pramanickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15014385589682942937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441534604773530501.post-75070347478043277232013-02-19T21:02:00.000+05:302013-02-19T21:02:00.041+05:30Is gold price falling ?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Pramanickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15014385589682942937noreply@blogger.comIndia20.593684 78.962880000000041-8.5680234999999989 37.654286000000042 49.7553915 120.27147400000004tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441534604773530501.post-6309432189379150082013-01-14T21:14:00.000+05:302013-01-14T21:17:19.411+05:30An Indian monk 150 years ago...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #3c3d3d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">When Swami Vivekananda went to Chicago in 1893 to address the Parliament, this oriental man in a saffron robe was given 2 minutes to speak. When he started with Sisters and Brothers... instead of the usual Ladies and Gentlemen, the 7000 strong crowd rose to their feet and clapped for 2 minutes and more. Therefore he was given his own time to speak.</span></div>
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On his 151st birth anniversary, here's the full text of his famous Chicago speech through which he introduced Hinduism at the Parliament of the World's Religions, Chicago in 1893.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWdxzPPJMdSpUXyXe5kaAQdyUEuzHgKFJz-0YbN07pXNjaoxfB8eILAPtobscZxZoCQTer4NReOkohW_lEN3Cr2wT_C9APY64cD8IU9OwFM-POmFMRaJJ1uuGZyQUqFaMKrOGCSIbXeIY/s1600/Swami_Vivekananda-1893.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWdxzPPJMdSpUXyXe5kaAQdyUEuzHgKFJz-0YbN07pXNjaoxfB8eILAPtobscZxZoCQTer4NReOkohW_lEN3Cr2wT_C9APY64cD8IU9OwFM-POmFMRaJJ1uuGZyQUqFaMKrOGCSIbXeIY/s1600/Swami_Vivekananda-1893.jpg" /></a><b style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://www.advaitayoga.org/advaitayogaarticles/svchicagoadd.html" target="_blank">September 11, 1893</a></b></div>
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<span style="color: blue;">Sisters and Brothers of America ...</span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;">It fills my heart with joy unspeakable to rise in response to the warm and cordial welcome which you have given us. l thank you in the name of the most ancient order of monks in the world; I thank you in the name of the mother of religions; and I thank you in the name of the millions and millions of Hindu people of all classes and sects. My thanks, also, to some of the speakers on this platform who, referring to the delegates from the Orient, have told you that these men from far-off nations may well claim the honor of bearing to different lands the idea of toleration. I am proud to belong to a religion which has taught the world both tolerance and universal acceptance. We believe not only in universal toleration, but we accept all religions as true. I am proud to belong to a nation which has sheltered the persecuted and the refugees of all religions and all nations of the earth. I am proud to tell you that we have gathered in our bosom the purest remnant of the Israelites, who came to the southern India and took refuge with us in the very year in which their holy temple was shattered to pieces by Roman tyranny. I am proud to belong to the religion which has sheltered and is still fostering the remnant of the grand Zoroastrian nation. I will quote to you, brethren, a few lines from a hymn which I remember to have repeated from my earliest boyhood, which is every day repeated by millions of human beings:</span></div>
<i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"><span style="color: blue;">As the different streams having there sources in different places all mingle their water in the sea, so, O Lord, the different paths which men take through different tendencies, various though they appear, crooked or straight, all lead to thee.</span></i><br />
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<span style="color: blue;">The present convention, which is one of the most august assemblies ever held, is in itself a vindication, a declaration to the world, of the wonderful doctrine preached in the Gita:</span></div>
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<i style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: blue;">Whosoever comes to Me, through whatsoever form, I reach him; all men are struggling through paths which in the end lead to me.</span></i></div>
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<span style="color: blue;">Sectarianism, bigotry, and its horrible descendant, fanaticism, have long possessed this beautiful earth. They have filled the earth with violence, drenched it often and often with human blood, destroyed civilization, and sent whole nations to despair. Had it not been for these horrible demons, human society would be far more advanced than it is now. But their time is come; and I fervently hope that the bell that tolled this morning in honor of this convention may be the death-knell of all fanaticism, of all persecutions with the sword or with the pen, and of all uncharitable feelings between persons wending their way to the same goal.</span></div>
Pramanickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15014385589682942937noreply@blogger.comChicago, IL, USA41.8781136 -87.62979819999998241.499532099999996 -88.275245199999986 42.2566951 -86.984351199999978tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441534604773530501.post-33886207742433143442012-12-28T00:20:00.003+05:302013-02-01T20:29:48.647+05:30Rustic expedition ... Tagore's Santiniketan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
Had decided to visit a rustic place in and around Kolkata this time. What a better place than Santiniketan and that too during '<i>Poush Mela'</i>. To maintain the atmosphere of this trip all travel was by train and rickshaws - no fancy cars this time. The '<i>baul'</i> on the train made it worth a ton!</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxQUhK2kXxZVzhXTjNn2dOA_14EjYeiTGCDOCccElUzFkRKJg7xXIFZrxaCLa5YQW5Y9hX434l8JgSAf6NGeg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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Went to Howrah Station after a decade ...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY1x_fnYgw1EqqufyYDF9iHScUV5VIWWybW9bc0zntJQ3AE1k6bofyqjeEOc3IjNT41Q0WzOU9rgKQ7gQpJAtbPPdS2kmg4KmdXZtKCLLDwn0g7fz0UTKua6AqyyZAGUzSbYN2WBk26xM/s1600/DSCN0769.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY1x_fnYgw1EqqufyYDF9iHScUV5VIWWybW9bc0zntJQ3AE1k6bofyqjeEOc3IjNT41Q0WzOU9rgKQ7gQpJAtbPPdS2kmg4KmdXZtKCLLDwn0g7fz0UTKua6AqyyZAGUzSbYN2WBk26xM/s640/DSCN0769.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Santiniketan Express covers the less than 150 km in a bearable 2½ hrs from Kolkata.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh1nXW8mE_IhcKyLTD3SXGWOOhOGebot4yssA5QECLYuGrUpdaoV0G4YtSWuCbgHUB6n1-JQ_is3sGAl84kvr6T-yhcyDlarjQgkBiXUz5tmB1RzCV9QdY-XidlU2yRTwCNWZ2zCsJEnY/s1600/DSCN0772.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh1nXW8mE_IhcKyLTD3SXGWOOhOGebot4yssA5QECLYuGrUpdaoV0G4YtSWuCbgHUB6n1-JQ_is3sGAl84kvr6T-yhcyDlarjQgkBiXUz5tmB1RzCV9QdY-XidlU2yRTwCNWZ2zCsJEnY/s640/DSCN0772.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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The air conditioned chair car is comfortable and "reserved" in the true sense ...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvgH7GhyphenhyphenYkQfgxXo_-44gm2Ynx0la9Yk8_8X8RVKPTp_DVpAzgOCL9mX83D6qE4MRwmQ1Q_2cln7xLJ4NYtJWsju7M7iHjHkJzy_L54MoEasPGuO7DiocjHvWf_dMv5PL6JF7DTBwx7pY/s1600/DSCN0775.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvgH7GhyphenhyphenYkQfgxXo_-44gm2Ynx0la9Yk8_8X8RVKPTp_DVpAzgOCL9mX83D6qE4MRwmQ1Q_2cln7xLJ4NYtJWsju7M7iHjHkJzy_L54MoEasPGuO7DiocjHvWf_dMv5PL6JF7DTBwx7pY/s640/DSCN0775.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
... other compartments and you better be ready to be jostled a bit !<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja6QyI7QCBP2hS6G7Gb7zJQfvezJb5HdnFj46pSZSKGP51KbWnbXvYKIiO7ZOw72CVwKh55KNh50hJHNT-IGSV9J8DsDOX988GYX_zCwUkOC4GjgHKVlUnBgfhgGbaHaWTEebCQj7_NTk/s1600/DSCN0779.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja6QyI7QCBP2hS6G7Gb7zJQfvezJb5HdnFj46pSZSKGP51KbWnbXvYKIiO7ZOw72CVwKh55KNh50hJHNT-IGSV9J8DsDOX988GYX_zCwUkOC4GjgHKVlUnBgfhgGbaHaWTEebCQj7_NTk/s640/DSCN0779.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
We were lucky - this being the only train running after the derailment near Burdwan (all other trains cancelled / re-routed). <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhszJjSGSNowrQFGqIpXQYH2ek57wA58JjD6DV91yFY4rG54MOOIkplMprc3QcW_zQcgwWmzbE_hSavYMqbf00W7SbNDl8yRoI04Y8pvrf4aAH0eeZAixabEHIwvmZZAiV6GJR-VKHuh2A/s1600/IMG00246-20121227-1413.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhszJjSGSNowrQFGqIpXQYH2ek57wA58JjD6DV91yFY4rG54MOOIkplMprc3QcW_zQcgwWmzbE_hSavYMqbf00W7SbNDl8yRoI04Y8pvrf4aAH0eeZAixabEHIwvmZZAiV6GJR-VKHuh2A/s320/IMG00246-20121227-1413.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Matir bhander cha</td></tr>
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The 'Matir bhander cha' (Tea in a clay pot), the 'Jhalmudi' and the 'Mihidana' at Burdwan took me back to the childhood years.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqhbBrRFx8iMjAD-rW05vSr0xhlFN0d0TsRVYRnnOx67r7RhavOD_aasF30ijkeNqhxnOjIOHufQSnbTp0eujSYJAhlO2-d-SJV3jsf7_xIBNmS2yIy8N15jA0qyyW28QSLLIISpfz2U4/s1600/DSCN0809.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqhbBrRFx8iMjAD-rW05vSr0xhlFN0d0TsRVYRnnOx67r7RhavOD_aasF30ijkeNqhxnOjIOHufQSnbTp0eujSYJAhlO2-d-SJV3jsf7_xIBNmS2yIy8N15jA0qyyW28QSLLIISpfz2U4/s400/DSCN0809.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">Santiniketan Tourist Lodge - neat and inexpensive. </span></td></tr>
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The ambiance of Santiniketan merges well with the WB Govt tourist lodge. The murals on the external walls, the names of the cottages after Tagore's houses... Nice little cottages with a lawn in front and play area at the rear - a slide and a swing for the kids. The deluxe a/c cottage was the only available one during the Poush Mela (the Dec fair), and it was more expensive than usual Govt rates. Would have rather preferred a room heater than the AC, with the mercury dipping below 7 deg C. Walking down the road with kids not finding a rickshaw in the chilly night was the high point !<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguLW5TNHi0hsX118jf1zX79J_LpSclW3_i55lVAqrkF2kcP1OT9PLT6EgSHQLp6CvnYHnC9JVb4VCkPvPLfiWEs-dPTrkYHtKnsJ5jYY9HiYETK8pFPl7VpxMSmAmR5NzJvtB386hYlA4/s1600/DSCN0789.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguLW5TNHi0hsX118jf1zX79J_LpSclW3_i55lVAqrkF2kcP1OT9PLT6EgSHQLp6CvnYHnC9JVb4VCkPvPLfiWEs-dPTrkYHtKnsJ5jYY9HiYETK8pFPl7VpxMSmAmR5NzJvtB386hYlA4/s320/DSCN0789.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">The hunt begins ...</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4w_ZWcJ2cxaufj0iJpjrhOpQwZJtmeYf5l_wzOJ62xK4P_gD7cSfqJprhCpE7VZXETCOhxq6wI3_79llgTg2yVaoyaj_pUaLqyLDAbP0KVx7-nt4sKT_f2PfVDLe_pO2XK9OndmJNkdY/s1600/DSCN0784.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4w_ZWcJ2cxaufj0iJpjrhOpQwZJtmeYf5l_wzOJ62xK4P_gD7cSfqJprhCpE7VZXETCOhxq6wI3_79llgTg2yVaoyaj_pUaLqyLDAbP0KVx7-nt4sKT_f2PfVDLe_pO2XK9OndmJNkdY/s320/DSCN0784.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">The pup smothered with affection by the dots ...</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">Vishwa Bharati campus reminded of IIT - V (BHU).</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rabindra Bhavan</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Temple</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rickshaw stand outside the station</td></tr>
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The fair ground was 2 km away and the rickshaw charged 30 bucks (seasonal hike). Pretty crowded and the wares very cheap. The temporary stalls near the fair entrance had better stuff and we purchased handicraft items and Palm jaggery out there. Rabindra Bhavan is a must-see although the original Nobel was stolen and is substituted by a replica - now well guarded !<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Bidding Bolpur station adieu ...</span></td></tr>
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<br />Pramanickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15014385589682942937noreply@blogger.comSantiniketan, West Bengal, India23.68 87.68000000000006423.68 87.680000000000064 23.68 87.680000000000064tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441534604773530501.post-43025651869715530532012-11-24T22:47:00.001+05:302012-11-26T21:25:25.077+05:30Never never on a Sunday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dz3TWarviaDoE85fvKeUy2aoOnCrxbKOm14jeWzGsxvZa11ni54QM71grIY09_J1MnAbqbEVzoFVRZSr5qK' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;">An asian musician playing the '</span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santoor" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: white;">Santoor</span></a>' - an Indian string instrument of Persian origin - at the Brussels Central Station, Belgium. Nov 2012.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Some more pics ....</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>Pramanickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15014385589682942937noreply@blogger.comCentraal Station, 1000 City of Brussels, Belgium50.84695 4.3570350.8369245 4.337289 50.8569755 4.376771tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441534604773530501.post-70666245865184722272012-10-26T14:42:00.000+05:302012-10-26T14:42:05.884+05:30Random US west coast<div class="post-header-line-1">
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2010 : California<br />
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Pramanickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15014385589682942937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441534604773530501.post-17520556235801477652012-10-12T20:26:00.000+05:302012-10-12T20:26:52.747+05:30First step in solving a problem ...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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US : Once ....<br />
We stood up for what was right ... We fought for moral reasons ... We never beat our chest ... Acted like men ...<br />
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FIRST STEP IN SOLVING ANY PROBLEM IS RECOGNIZING THAT THERE IS ONE !Pramanickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15014385589682942937noreply@blogger.comWashington, DC, USA38.8951118 -77.036365838.7962463 -77.1942943 38.993977300000005 -76.8784373tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441534604773530501.post-39463538222336468942012-08-15T20:19:00.002+05:302012-08-23T20:48:25.418+05:30Jinnah's forgotten speechWatching various I-day programmes on TV, Gandhi, Jinnah, his India & Parsi connections, Partition and then a flash of Jinnah's speech of 11 Aug 1947 and ... did I hear correctly?<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
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<span style="color: #fff2cc;"><span style="background-color: #073763;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong>“You are free; you are free to go to your temples, you are free to go to your mosques or to any other place of worship in this state of Pakistan …You may belong to any religion or caste or creed—that has nothing to do with the business of the state.”</strong></span> </span></span><br />
<em><span style="font-size: x-small;">...The 11th Aug speech</span></em></blockquote>
And we all thought he wanted a Muslim state of Pakistan ! Then a little bit more searching and more surprises about this Muslim gentleman who married a Parsi (and so did his daughter) :<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #073763;">No nation can rise to the height of glory unless your women are side by side with you. We are victims of evil customs. It is a crime against humanity that our women are shut up within the four walls of the houses as prisoners. There is no sanction anywhere for the deplorable condition in which our women have to live.</span> </blockquote>
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<em><span style="font-size: x-small;">Speech at a meeting of the Muslim University Union, Aligarh (10 March 1944)</span></em></div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #073763;">In any case Pakistan is not going to be a theocratic State to be ruled by priests with a divine mission. We have many non-Muslims — Hindus, Christians, and Parsis — but they are all Pakistanis. They will enjoy the same rights and privileges as any other citizens and will play their rightful part in the affairs of Pakistan.</span> </blockquote>
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<em><span style="font-size: x-small;">Broadcast to the people of the United States of America on Pakistan (February 1948)</span></em></div>
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Political compulsion? Makes one wonder !<br />
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Does anybody remember these words in the country which he gave life to? Seems from some searching that Pakistan lost the recording of this speech of its creator. Some <a href="http://www.themuslimtimes.org/2012/08/countries/pakistan/lost-jinnahs-august-11-1947-speech-and-our-pakistan" target="_blank">Pakis feel</a> even the spirit of Quaid-e-azam's speech is lost! Hope Pakistan changes some day.Pramanickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15014385589682942937noreply@blogger.comMazar-e-Quaid, Karachi, Pakistan24.8753973 67.040967124.873596799999998 67.038499600000009 24.8771978 67.0434346tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441534604773530501.post-15388663046731259592012-08-03T21:23:00.002+05:302012-08-04T10:48:19.876+05:30Pondering about München<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVRVi7H7Y95yEuIq4eWsOB_XBWDsSSXCjMYB137aJm4gSNiTx5oGUE9FOPXBQUvlb5PwxJ7XUoe1nhEppuqnYV_bs2ArJlV58qqn01Vr9ICofA83eVHmhVKD_oNG7WBH6-90bTv7YPJZI/s1600/Germany11.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" eda="true" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVRVi7H7Y95yEuIq4eWsOB_XBWDsSSXCjMYB137aJm4gSNiTx5oGUE9FOPXBQUvlb5PwxJ7XUoe1nhEppuqnYV_bs2ArJlV58qqn01Vr9ICofA83eVHmhVKD_oNG7WBH6-90bTv7YPJZI/s640/Germany11.JPG" width="478" /></a></div>Pramanickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15014385589682942937noreply@blogger.comMunich, Germany48.1366069 11.577085147.967062399999996 11.2612281 48.3061514 11.892942099999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441534604773530501.post-971276610156747032012-08-03T10:03:00.000+05:302012-08-03T10:06:15.604+05:30Thank you Ma !<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Mother of mine<br />You gave to me all of my life<br />To do as I please<br />I owe everything I have to you<br />Mother, sweet mother of mine<br />Mother of mine when<br />I was young<br />You showed me<br />The right way things<br />Should be done<br />Without your love,<br />Where would I be?<br />Mother, sweet mother of mine<br /><br />Mother, you gave me<br />Happiness much more<br />Than words can say<br />I pray the Lord that<br />He may bless you<br />Every night and every day<br /><br />Mother of mine<br />Now I am grown<br />And I can walk straight<br />All on my own<br />I'd like to give you<br />What you gave to me<br />Mother, sweet mother of mine (x2)</div>
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</div>Pramanickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15014385589682942937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441534604773530501.post-4328141553953238702012-07-18T23:20:00.001+05:302013-08-20T00:13:36.738+05:30Is Spicejet incorrigible?The story moved to <a href="http://criticalboard.blogspot.in/2012/07/is-spicejet-incorrigible.html" target="_blank">this place</a>Pramanickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15014385589682942937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441534604773530501.post-5955359255946759072012-06-01T23:10:00.091+05:302012-06-13T10:04:13.448+05:30The Telecom sector mischief-mongers - don't wait for AnnaThe ad by Docomo about "no fine prints" in their tariff plans is sarcastic about the competition. But if biggies like Airtel resort to the "tricks of the trade" I guess they are justified. Hope the ads and articles like these on the net would bring about some awareness and perk up the telco bosses.<br />
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Living in a housing-society which has a Airtel hub and being offered a Combo plan giving both broadband (@2.1mbps) and a phone line with Rs 200 worth free calls to any phone made the choice obvious - I had opted for this bill plan way back in 2008. Having had billing issues in the past, it was very comfortable when neither the speed nor the bills were upsetting. Alas ! peace was to last only 3 years !!<br />
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One fine evening in Aug 2011 the bill came in and the TV channels were boring. So I found time to scrutinize the bill - an act I am sure nobody finds time for these days. How much on STDs, how much on Internet, and lo ... the discount on phone calls was not there? How come, take out an older bill - yes, it's there, why not in this bill, call customer care, register a complaint - again many customers wouldn't go this far - after all it's only hundred and something rupees - kiske paas time hai? <br />
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<strong>And that's exactly what these companies bank upon ! Kiske paas time hai - noone will notice! even if they do nobody would complain ! We need a lokpal to rid our society of all evil. Us ? we don't have time !</strong><br />
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What followed was emails and counter-emails. What will probably shock you is the number - I diligently kept on reminding - 24 times in 4 months to Nodal officers, Appellate authority and the Ombudsman!! What kept me going were two email acceptances of error in Sept and Oct 2011 and 4 reversals till Nov. So it was working, right?<br />
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Wrong ! Come 2012, they stopped responding and the reversals stopped too. Then the phone went dead. But the erroneous billing continued (over a dead phone ;), funny na?).<br />
No internet, and worse... one day when we needed to call the Hospital (and another day the Electric office) the mobiles would not connect the Toll-free numbers. We missed the landline badly.<br />
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A Consumer forum complaint and the officials became tight -lipped. "Our legal team is working on it, I am not authorized to respond anymore". Again nothing for a month in spite of reminders. Then the case was closed based upon an Airtel response - "All is well !" - what a farce if the authorities only listen to the mischief-mongers and not the complainant.<br />
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Somebody mentioned a DoT complaint. <br />
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And Yessss!! After 10 months, Airtel accepted that they changed the FCV calculation to a "new process" (A2A). Rather stealthily, no notification on the bills or mail - noone noticed - kiske paas time time hai? And those who complained were "educated" (read 'bribed' with reversals). Rather clandestine for a market leader, don't you think?<br />
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They say "TRAI guideline gives them the right to change tariff plans at their will after 6M" ! Should I feel elated that they took 3 yrs to change? Attitude !! <br />
When asked whether the TRAI guideline talks of PRIOR notification to customers - lips sealed again ! Cat-and-mouse !! Then came the "Apologies for the inconvenience...blah...blah ". Offer for alternate plan. Sending the official home for reactivation. etc..etc<br />
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So now I must migrate to another plan with no free call option to all phone, policies changed .... some offer for discounted STDs.<br />
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OK, but only if you are a little wary can these surreptitious acts be brought to light. And only if you spare a little of your time to spread the word (even if its Internet activism like <a href="http://annkur.com/2012/05/audio-the-police-officer-on-behalf-of-airtel-fir-threats-etc/" target="_blank">the threats from Airtel incident</a>) will these betrayals stop !! Alone Anna cannot help !!!<br />
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<br />Pramanickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15014385589682942937noreply@blogger.comWakad Rd, Wakad, Pimpri Chinchwad, Maharashtra, India18.5883315278514 73.77731323242187518.558231527851397 73.737831232421868 18.6184315278514 73.816795232421882tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441534604773530501.post-77115039252527049502012-04-30T22:26:00.000+05:302017-11-02T23:48:32.394+05:30Musing over Bangladesh ... 1971 saw the Bay of Bengal boiling<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">With all the 'Coalgate' and 'Porngate' happening closer to home, a bit of fact finding for the antecedent to these scandals took me to 'Watergate' a few fortnights back. And my photograph of the Watergate complex taken few years back found a place on the cloud.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Musing over the past era and the reading about the largest exodus of the sub-continent - a little overshadowed by the 'big brother' partition of India and Pakistan two decades prior, takes you to 1971. It takes you to the much televised interview of Mrs Gandhi to the BBC - where she's asked pointed questions about India's role in Bangladesh. She answered them vehemently, empathy for the stricken neighbours and anger written across her face. The reading takes you to the war of liberation of Bangladesh, it takes you to Yahya Khan, INS Vikrant and the controversial fate of PNS Ghazi. And yes, again the face of the overbearing President pops up.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Although the Americans are divided in their opinion of whether George W Bush was a worse President than Richard Nixon, ask any Indian citizen on the 'wrong' side of 40 - the answer will probably be unambiguous if you are asking (especially) a citizen from the eastern flank. And the reasons are not merely (the now past) 'Red' but also the pain of the line drawn though their backyards (read 'hearts'), separating friends and family and making them citizens of two countries, and then watching their relatives butchered in a manner the Nazis would have probably frowned at.</span>
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<a href="http://www.atimes.com/atimes/south_asia/gf23df04.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">"Kill three million of them,"</span></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> said President Yahya Khan at the February conference, "and the rest will eat out of our hands." (Robert Payne, <i>Massacre</i> [1972], p. 50.) On March 25 1971 the genocide was launched. The university in Dacca was attacked and students exterminated in their hundreds. Death squads roamed the streets of Dacca, killing some 7,000 people in a single night. It was only the beginning. "Within a week, half the population of Dacca had fled, and at least 30,000 people had been killed..."</span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In her ground-breaking book, <i>Against Our Will: Men, Women and Rape</i>, Susan Brownmiller likened the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=KJyHBT1iCgA" target="_blank">1971 events in Bangladesh</a> to the Japanese rapes in Nanjing and German rapes in Russia during World War II. "... 200,000, 300,000 or possibly 400,000 women (three sets of statistics have been variously quoted) were raped ... Hit-and-run rape of large numbers of Bengali women was brutally simple in terms of logistics as the Pakistani regulars swept through and occupied the tiny, populous land ..." (p. 81).</span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> A few documents declassified by the US state department tells the story. The conversation transcript from Nov 1971 after Indira Gandhi's US visit depicts the national security adviser (Henry Kissinger) speaking of India to the then US president, Richard Nixon, at his derogatory best. The boss appreciates the same adding a few expletives for the 'Iron Lady' of India - whom they confess of having drooled over in the past. The infatuation which Mrs Gandhi commanded from many an Indian through the generations seems to turn into a revulsion - the disillusionment from the visit and the failure to intimidate the lady justifying the profanity. In the run-up to the Indo-Pak (Bangladesh Liberation) war of 1971 thereafter, Nixon developed a 'special relation' with the 'handsome' Pak dictator Yahya Khan. This prompted the oversight of the 'Blood Telegram' of 6th Apr 1971 from the US consulate at Dacca (now, Dhaka) after the massacre in March. In fact Nixon's prompt reply was proclaiming the "squeezing rights". </span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Keating, the US ambassador to India met with similar rebuke for his support for India and the Bengalis. </span>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>President Nixon</b> : "We really slobbered over the old witch,..."</span></span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>Kissinger</b> : "The Indians are bastards anyway, they are starting a war there..While she was a bitch, we got what we wanted too. She will not be able to go home and say that the United States didn't give her a warm reception and therefore in despair she's got to go to war."</span></span> </span>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>Nixon: </b>The Indians need $#?@# what they need really is a $%#@#</span> <span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>Kissinger: </b>They’re such bastards.</span> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>Nixon: </b>A mass famine. But they aren't going to get that…But if they're not going to have a famine the last thing they need is another war. Let the goddamn Indians fight a war.</span> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>Kissinger: </b>They are the most aggressive goddamn people around there.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipOncl6R5Gb_GyyaNIST1EDzRzHRq7RNq9OUtKxi4t87-0a_3BiOnv5N7i47QnzHRRTC9UDr2tn_nKrSKjh_Y1kxbZQw3E3Ce3soiXFyyl9dnvJOD5QPm46QngJnNKch722JZKhf8fTG8/s1600/Yahya_and_Nixon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img alt="" border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipOncl6R5Gb_GyyaNIST1EDzRzHRq7RNq9OUtKxi4t87-0a_3BiOnv5N7i47QnzHRRTC9UDr2tn_nKrSKjh_Y1kxbZQw3E3Ce3soiXFyyl9dnvJOD5QPm46QngJnNKch722JZKhf8fTG8/s400/Yahya_and_Nixon.jpg" title="Yahya & Nixon" width="400" /></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> In 1971, some 3 million people are estimated to have been killed in the genocide unleashed by Pakistan's military government on East Pakistan, leading to a rush of refugees into India. The cost incurred by India in the year alone spiralled to $600mn, feeding and sheltering some ten million refugees. The bombing by Pak airforce drew India into a swift and decisive war that eventually forced Pakistan's debacle. But all along, the Nixon administration sided with the military establishment of Pakistan over democratic India because of Nixon's fear of India growing as a </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">major power in the sub-continent and the support it enjoyed from arch-rival Soviets. It sided with the side that was morally in the wrong and militarily doomed to defeat.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>Nixon: </b>Our desire is to save West Pakistan. That's all.</span> <span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b> </b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>Kissinger: </b>That's right. That is exactly right.</span> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>Nixon: </b>All right. Keep those carriers moving now.</span> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>Kissinger: </b>The carriers—everything is moving. Four Jordanian planes have already moved to Pakistan, 22 more are coming. We're talking to the Saudis, the Turks we've now found are willing to give five. So we're going to keep that moving until there's a settlement.</span> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>Nixon: </b>Could you tell the Chinese it would be very helpful if they could move some forces or threaten to move some forces?</span> </span></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b> </b></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>Kissinger: </b>Absolutely.</span> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>Nixon: </b>They've got to threaten or they've got to move, one of the two. You know what I mean?</span> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>Kissinger: </b>Yeah.</span> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>Nixon: </b>How about getting the French to sell some planes to the Paks?</span> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>Kissinger: </b>Yeah. They're already doing it.</span> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>Nixon: </b>This should have been done long ago. The Chinese have not warned the Indians.</span> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>Kissinger: </b>Oh, yeah.</span> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>Nixon: </b>All they've got to do is move something. Move a division. You know, move some trucks. Fly some planes. You know, some symbolic act. We're not doing a goddamn thing, Henry, you know that.</span> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>Kissinger: </b>Yeah.</span> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>Nixon: </b>But these Indians are cowards. Right?</span> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>Kissinger: </b>Right. But with Russian backing. You see, the Russians have sent notes to Iran, Turkey, to a lot of countries threatening them. The Russians have played a miserable game.</span></span> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">While triggering Operation Chengiz Khan on 3rd Dec, where Pakistan faltered and the pair underestimated India's might was the timing. Indira had already toured the globe and mustered the support of UK and France. An UN block of any pro-Pakistani directive attempted by US ambassador George HW Bush (later the 41st President of US) & vetoed by the Soviets gave India the diplomatic edge. A treaty with the Soviets gave insurance from China. Gen <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=GvDjHcTeTe8" target="_blank">Sam Manekshaw</a> was given a go-ahead in April '71 and he had planned and waited till winter when the drier grounds would ease operations and the snow would block a Chinese intervention. Eight mountain divisions stood guard at the Sino-Indian border having learnt its lessons from 1962.</span> </span>
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</span></span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Yahya had gauged that Pak forces could easily resist India for a month. As one of the most tactical battles ever, the war was over in 14 days. The PNS Ghazi late by a week or so in its effort to capsize Vikrant, the Pak FM missing the UN Security Council resolution to force a cease fire by a few days, the mighty 7th fleet arriving at the 11th hour and the fate of East Pakistan sealed.</span> </span>
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</span></span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">After a weeks fighting (on Dec 10), US urged China to join the war promising a backup which<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> they suavely declined. Brezhnev had ordered 40 divisions to mobilise on his border with China at India's request and the 'dragon' kept their eyes gazing northwards. US then sent the Seventh Fleet comprising the USS Enterprise and other destroyers into the Bay</span> of Bengal as a show of strength against the INS Vikrant standing guard. Enterprise was the world's first nuclear powered aircraft carrier, the longest</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> ever. "The bomber force aboard the Enterprise had the US President's authority to undertake bombing of the Indian Army's communications, if necessary."</span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Soviet intelligence reported that a British naval group led by the aircraft carrier Eagle had moved closer to India’s territorial waters. </span></span>
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</span></span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This was perhaps one of the most ironic events in modern history where the Western world’s two leading democracies were threatening the world’s largest democracy in order to protect the perpetrators of the largest genocide since the Holocaust.</span> </span>
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</span></span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">These disturbed Admiral Nanda. In a defence briefing he intervened to mention the imminent arrival of the 7th fleet to Mrs Gandhi. Nothing happened - the briefing went on. After a while the Admiral repeated: "Madam, I have to inform you that the 7th Fleet is sailing into the Bay of Bengal." She cut him off immediately: "Admiral, I heard you the first time, let us go on with the briefing."</span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">All the officers present were </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">stunned. Ultimately, their morale was tremendously boosted by the prime minister's attitude. She had demonstrated her utter contempt for the American bluff. "The Americans are on a dry run; call them on-board, and give them enough drinks", she is said to have told him later. And she also sent for </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Raja Ramanna from BARC and told him to start working on an underground nuclear detonation, for our own show of strength.</span> </span>
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</span></span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Therefore the air strikes on Bangladesh by the Sea Hawks continued unabated from Vikrant. Credit goes to Admiral Nanda to have redirected the steam from the forward machinery due to the cracked catapult boiler of Vikrant. Not a single Sea Hawk was lost in the strikes.</span></span>
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</span></span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Pakistan deployed its flagship Ghazi to intercept and sink Vikrant. It was unaware of being 10 days late since Vikrant had already reached the Andamans from Madras. The <i>'Champion' (Ghazi)</i> reached Vizag looking for Vikrant led by bogus signal traffic generated by their Indian counterparts and deceived by the Indian <i>ruse de guerre</i> (a private telegram from a sailor from Vizag; and contracts to supply huge quantity of meat and vegetables for an 'arriving' ship at Vizag port). Not finding Vikrant it started laying mines and was sunk by the INS Rajput, not a single soul survived. If the Pak version is to be believed, their mighty Ghazi fell to its own mines without scoring a single hit, so much so for the handling of the famed USS Diablo refitted by the Paks. The same night Indian missile boats ventured into the Pak bastion (Karachi) and downed three ships to avenge INS Khukri.</span> <span style="font-family: "verdana";">An erroneous BBC report of 5000 paratroopers dropped near Dacca by IAF sent chills down Niazi's spine on 11th Dec. The number was actually a little over 500 and it's st</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ill a mystery </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">how the only trusted media at that time made this error. However the hope for chinese aid was so high that Pak army waived at the IAF paratroopers jubilantly while they descended.</span> </span>
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</span></span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Dec 12th saw a desperate Deputy PM Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, fearing certain defeat, scampering to New York to plead the US and re-convene the UN Security Council which had refused to intervene just the previous week. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">By the time the council deliberated and finalized, the world map had changed. Nobody ever saw the content of the (also) Foreign Ministers speech for the council, ripped apart by himself in frustation over UN inaction. However on the war front, Yahya continued to "hope for Chinese intervention and the American Seventh Fleet any moment".</span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Russia dispatched a nuclear-armed flotilla from Vladivostok on December 13 under the overall command of Admiral Vladimir Kruglyakov, the Commander of the 10th Operative Battle Group (Pacific Fleet). Kruglyakov recalls : “The Chief Commander’s order was that our submarines should surface when the Americans appear. It was done to demonstrate to them that we had nuclear submarines in the Indian Ocean. So when our subs surfaced, they recognised us". </span></span> </span>
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</span></span></span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In the backdrop of the US duos hatred for India (conversation below), this Russian deterrence gave Indira the needed confidence to continue.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>Kissinger: </b>And the point you made yesterday, we have to continue to squeeze the Indians even when this thing is settled.</span> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>Nixon: </b>We've got to for rehabilitation. I mean, Jesus Christ, they've bombed—I want all the war damage; I want to help Pakistan on the war damage in Karachi and other areas, see?</span> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>Kissinger: </b>Yeah</span> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>Nixon: </b>I don't want the Indians to be happy. I want a public relations programme developed to piss on the Indians.</span> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>Kissinger: </b>Yeah.</span> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>Nixon: </b>I want to piss on them for their responsibility. Get a white paper out. Put down, White paper. White paper. Understand that?</span> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>Kissinger: </b>Oh, yeah.</span> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>Nixon: </b>I don't mean for just your reading. But a white paper on this.</span> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>Kissinger: </b>No, no. I know.</span> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>Nixon: </b>I want the Indians blamed for this, you know what I mean? We can't let these goddamn, sanctimonious Indians get away with this. They've pissed on us on Vietnam for 5 years, Henry.</span> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>Kissinger: </b>Yeah.<b> </b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>Nixon: </b>Aren't the Indians killing a lot of these people?</span> <span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b> </b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>Kissinger: </b>Well, we don't know the facts yet. But I'm sure they're not as stupid as the West Pakistanis—they don't let the press in. The idiot Paks have the press all over their place.</span> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A day later (Dec 14th : mourned as <i>Shaheed Buddhijibi Dibosh</i> in Bangladesh today) hundreds of intellectuals including professors, journalists, doctors, artists, engineers, and writers were rounded up blindfolded by the military and executed <i>en masse</i>. An attempt to cripple the education and culture of the Bengalis at the brink of being drubbed themselves.</span> </span>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8SURexSRRHkD4Y7cOzQEA3mo1ADhTq-wV4M2MKw-ZbQDCc2H6X_aFTvB-FL0qvvOaYdiwF_AhXizISJCEpt8xpRT2bcxmo3zv81vnajM_TrGU5PhbuNX1U9Z_UfqfBJ978Zi6SNfWotc/s1600/Pak+appeals+truce.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8SURexSRRHkD4Y7cOzQEA3mo1ADhTq-wV4M2MKw-ZbQDCc2H6X_aFTvB-FL0qvvOaYdiwF_AhXizISJCEpt8xpRT2bcxmo3zv81vnajM_TrGU5PhbuNX1U9Z_UfqfBJ978Zi6SNfWotc/s1600/Pak+appeals+truce.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pak perish</td></tr>
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</span></span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">On 16 Dec 1971, Gen Niazi alongwith more than 93,000 strong garrison of Pak forces surrendered to the Indians making it the largest surrender after WWII. The dictator who fantasized building a 'Niazi corridor' from Dhaka to Pakistan via Delhi was disgraced. The person incharge of the carnage in Dacca who'd said "Dacca will fall over my dead body" relinquished his position at the fall of merely 1300 men, becoming the object of scorn of the humiliated nation - so ironically having to surrender to his counterpart from the same Indian Military Academy he trained at. </span></span>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The tactic to change the <a href="http://www.icdc.com/%7Epaulwolf/pakistan/irwin14dec1971.htm" target="_blank">requested cease-fire from Niazi</a> to a complete surrender was also dramatic.</span></span>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img alt="Niazi pleas, Manekshaw sets deadline" border="0" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj0yFZutpxdyE8zJahXHQOt2nv_y-O0wPKv-gFuEy0pbtGFCSs53pme2jO-VUIpuDGpExht0VlpOeDewXtdk3xXzHRwISU0TZBxNqjFc6oqYc9u5-S8KvC5NuEmlL43B0dH2gxeOE4VJ8/s320/Niazi+Cease+fire+plea.jpg" title="Niazi appeals for cease fire" width="320" /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> As the Pak commanders, though surrounded and asked to surrender, were still quibbling, expecting an US bailout or dreaming about a final Chinese intervention (as promised by their western counterparts) - a flight of MiG-21 supersonics roared past the governor's office, shooting a line of holes on its roof, but without damaging the structure or killing him - not at all lethal, but completely unnerving. It scared the wits out of Niazi and in no time he agreed to surrender. Incidentally, that brilliant precision-strike, by a squadron of pilots who had never before flown supersonic planes, was more precise than the laser-guided bombing of Al-Jazeera office in Kabul by US satellite-guided warjets 30 years later.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> An entire generation of Pakistanis await to avenge 1971.</span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The Pak CJ Hamidur Rahman's Report later blamed the entire Pak army brass. <i>"Fattened (Pak Army), corrupted and brutalised by power ... just wasn't in any position to take on the Indian Army in adverse circumstances ... brought a bad name for the Pakistan Army and alienated the sympathies of the local population by their wanton cruelty and immorality against our own people". </i></span><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Bhutto ordered every copy of the Hamidur report to be burnt.</i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Noting the lessons of war, Major General Hakeem Arshad Qureshi - a 1971 war veteran wrote in his book: <i>" We must accept the fact that, as a people, we had also contributed to the bifurcation of our own country. It was not a Niazi, or a Yahya, even a Mujib, or a Bhutto, or their key assistants, who alone were the cause of our break-up, but a corrupted system and a flawed social order that our own apathy had allowed to remain in place for years. At the most critical moment in our history we failed to check the limitless ambitions of individuals with dubious antecedents and to thwart their selfish and irresponsible behaviour. It was our collective ‘conduct’ that had provided the enemy an opportunity to dismember us."</i><a href="http://archives.dawn.com/weekly/books/archive/021215/books3.htm" target="_blank"></a> Qureshi's words cannot be denied by Pakistan - he is a <span style="background-color: white;">Sitara-i-Jurat awardee - Pakistan's second highest military award.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The Nazis were tried for massacring the Jews, the Khmer Rouge, Saddam Hussein, Serbian militants, all faced international courts - only the Pakistani army got away with murder, rape and loot.</span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The fortnight of Dec 1971 marks India’s ‘crowning glory’ since the final outcome of the conflict was a result of well-executed military strategy, diplomatic success and intelligence breakthrough backed by a bold political leadership. </span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span> </span>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja3UUITMQ0KbVsqPREP5i3NWtIQbuAY9mOUOYt3xa-H4IWHw1xcvyse5khJfgMUihOXc2fdZeiPbLagdC0gL7fmD2YUSNlsn-70aqCbRVrzcO-lNd0G0SAjIm5Ye7muttAah8DLBv-CK8/s1600/Margaret+and+Indira.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja3UUITMQ0KbVsqPREP5i3NWtIQbuAY9mOUOYt3xa-H4IWHw1xcvyse5khJfgMUihOXc2fdZeiPbLagdC0gL7fmD2YUSNlsn-70aqCbRVrzcO-lNd0G0SAjIm5Ye7muttAah8DLBv-CK8/s400/Margaret+and+Indira.jpg" width="400" /></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAJRsgUFapfP1ZBTby1_b9nh3lA3DsFEU21oGdW02NslN8dYB-RStMYjsz9TADfJulCx_MMQ9-gDKUKdPvSZkKiwIXVVSivK9XhRnRibmjOeVRGom2NwuBx9KpiHvG5YHLzv-DNpwUNAk/s1600/Indira.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>The two most powerful women of the world ... and the 'perfect' wars of 1971 and 1982.</i></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>References :</i> </span> </span>
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<ol><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i></i></span>
<li><a href="http://www.icdc.com/~paulwolf/pakistan/constable23nov1971.htm" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Yahya's telegram to Nixon, Nov 1971</i></span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.oldindianphotos.in/2011/01/indian-prime-minister-indira-gandhi.html" target="_blank"><i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Indira's BBC interview on Bangladesh</span></i></a></li>
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<li><a href="http://www.gallup.com/poll/113806/americans-expect-history-judge-bush-worse-than-nixon.aspx" target="_blank"><i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Bush worse than Nixon</span></i></a></li>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i></i></span>
<li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historical_rankings_of_Presidents_of_the_United_States" target="_blank"><i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Historical rankings of Presidents of the United States - wikipedia</span></i></a></li>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i></i></span>
<li><a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/4633263.stm" target="_blank"><i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Nixon's dislike of Indira</span></i></a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.usa4kids.com/presidents/Richard_Nixon.html" target="_blank"><i><b>Nixon's 'illegal' support for Pakistan - says USA4kids</b></i></a></li>
<li><a href="http://week.manoramaonline.com/cgi-bin/MMOnline.dll/portal/ep/theWeekContent.do?contentId=10499850&programId=1073755753&BV_ID=@@@" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Mrs Gandhi on timing and the 7th fleet</i></span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.naval-review.co.uk/issues/1973-1.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Naval Review (UK)</i></span></a></li>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i></i></span>
<li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indo-Pakistani_War_of_1971" target="_blank"><i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Indo-Pak 1971 war</span></i></a></li>
<li><a href="http://indrus.in/articles/2011/12/20/1971_war_how_russia_sank_nixons_gunboat_diplomacy_14041.html" target="_blank"><i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Russian deterrence</span></i></a></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://books.google.co.in/books?id=eENU_a8c79MC&pg=PA982&lpg=PA982&dq=bangladesh+india+waited+china+snow&source=bl&ots=7jYPMaPcAL&sig=LarZ6kxEwvGWHOzXZud21P9qgK0&hl=en&sa=X&ei=0DCiT_TYOsfIrQfhnomvBw&ved=0CCYQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q&f=false" target="_blank">Encyclopedia of India, Pakistan & Bangladesh</a></span></li>
<li><b><i><a href="http://archives.dawn.com/weekly/books/archive/021215/books3.htm" target="_blank">We never learn - Qureshi</a></i></b></li>
<li><a href="http://nsm1.nsm.iup.edu/sanwar/Bangladesh%20Genocide.htm">Events of 1971</a></li>
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Pramanickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15014385589682942937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441534604773530501.post-53426467607139873132012-04-17T19:00:00.000+05:302013-08-20T00:23:08.276+05:30Our education is exclusiveThis post has moved <a href="http://criticalboard.blogspot.in/2012/04/our-education-is-exclusive.html" target="_blank">to ...</a><br />
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Pramanickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15014385589682942937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441534604773530501.post-14352325345828922982012-04-05T21:48:00.002+05:302013-08-20T00:14:30.335+05:30Spicejet rapped by SCThe story moved to <a href="http://criticalboard.blogspot.in/2012/04/spicejet-rapped-by-sc.html" target="_blank">this place</a><br />
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Pramanickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15014385589682942937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441534604773530501.post-83346765859978277622012-03-01T23:07:00.001+05:302012-08-01T15:50:54.418+05:30Watergate @ Washington Harbor, DC<div class="js-messagebox" id="mw-js-message" style="display: none;">
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<strong>The Watergate Scandal ...</strong><br />
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The Watergate scandal was a 1970s United States political scandal resulting from the break-in to the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate office complex in Washington, D.C. Effects of the scandal ultimately led to the resignation of the President of the United States Richard Nixon on August 9, 1974, the first—and so far, only—resignation of any U.S President. It also resulted in the indictment, trial, conviction and incarceration of several Nixon administration officials.<br />
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The affair began with the arrest of five men for breaking and entering into the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate complex on June 17, 1972. The FBI connected the payments to the burglars to a slush fund used by the <a href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/Committee_for_the_Re-Election_of_the_President" title="Committee for the Re-Election of the President">Committee for the Re-Election of the President</a>, a fundraising group for the Nixon campaign. As evidence mounted against the president's staff, which included former staff members testifying against them in an investigation conducted by the Senate Watergate Committee, it was revealed that President Nixon had a tape recording system in his offices and that he had recorded many conversations. Recordings from these tapes implicated the president, revealing that he had attempted to cover up the break-in. After a series of court battles, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the president had to hand over the tapes; he ultimately complied.<br />
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Facing near-certain impeachment in the House of Representatives and a strong possibility of a conviction in the Senate, Nixon resigned the office of the presidency on August 9, 1974. His successor, Gerald Ford, issued a pardon to President Nixon after his resignation.<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> courtesy:Wikipedia</span><br />
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</div>Pramanickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15014385589682942937noreply@blogger.comPark America, 3000 K St NW, Washington, DC 20007-5109, USA38.9024622 -77.0580153999999885.5914687 -136.8236404 72.2134557 -17.292390399999988tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441534604773530501.post-78249301739431385202011-11-04T23:45:00.002+05:302013-08-20T00:21:51.800+05:30Spicejet - Get more (waiting at the airport) when you fly<span style="color: blue;"><b>The story moved to <a href="http://criticalboard.blogspot.in/2011/11/spicejet-get-more-waiting-at-airport.html" target="_blank">this place</a></b></span>Pramanickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15014385589682942937noreply@blogger.comPune, Maharashtra, India18.5204303 73.85674369999992518.4136698 73.738520199999925 18.6271908 73.974967199999924tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441534604773530501.post-2876832192273515212011-10-01T21:47:00.026+05:302012-05-15T16:10:56.425+05:30Victory for Mamata comes with a thorn ...Soon after coming to power in the state, the Mamata Bannerjee government passed the Singur Land Rehabilitation and Development Act, 2011. On June 22 this year, the government took over possession of the land on which Tata Motors had started construction before moving to Sanand in Gujarat. On the next day, Tata Motors moved the high court, challenging the legality of the Act.<br />
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<a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Victory-for-Mamata-in-first-round-Tata-Motors-not-to-get-back-land/articleshow/10155934.cms">Tata motors not to get back the Singur land ...</a><br />
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Calcutta high court on Wednesday ruled that the state government was well within its rights to repossess the land in Singur, Hooghly that was handed over toTata Motors for a small car factory. Tata Motors can't get back possession of the land but can apply for compensation to the district judge of Hooghly who will determine the same under sections 23 and 24 of the Land Acquisition Act, 1894.<br />
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Floodgates have opened on the net with comments for and against ... in a vote conducted by Times 78% respondents feel Singur would not have benefitted by Tata opening the factory there. I re-post some of the comments here for a good read of both perspectives...<br />
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<a class="actorName" data-ft="{"type":35}" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=1071104911" href="https://www.facebook.com/pramanick"><strong><span style="color: #3b5998;">Sougata Pramanick</span></strong></a> <span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text"></span>Giving fertile land to TATA was an error which the Left committed. If Mamata opposed that - it was not her fault. She became the scapegoat for Left's folly. Tata could have easily taken barren land few hundred km away. The land near Kharagpur is a arid plateau near to Jamshedpur - what about the multi-crop yielding greenery of Singur besotted Tata / CPM govt's imagination, is beyond comprehension. <br />
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WB no doubt needs indus<span class="text_exposed_show">trialization, but not by grabbing land like in Lavasa, Noida or Gujarat. These poor farmers elsewhere in the country have splurged the extra cash on Skodas and Mercs and reverted back to alcohol/poverty in no time. </span><br />
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<span class="text_exposed_show">Mamata now needs to attract industrialists by reforming work culture in the state, again spoilt by the decades of Leftism.</span> <br />
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<a class="actorName" data-ft="{"type":35}" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=1469755861" href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1469755861">Krishna Sharma</a> <span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text">what TATA has given to India none of any other industrialist or any charitable organization has ever given or in future they will give .. and this treatment with the India the most respectable firm is really very sad.. We youngster are the great sufferers of all this ...........</span> <br />
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<strong><span style="color: blue;">Vivek (Sydney)</span></strong><br />
29 Sep, 2011 07:29 AM<br />
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TATAs were, a couple of decades back, synonymous with "nation building". This perception, in recent times, has eroded drastically because participation in Nation Building programmes by TATAs is minimal. Nano or most of their ventures are part of personal wealth building. Yes, had it been linked to 'road space' increase - we would have continued to accept their role in NB. Negotiating with a government to usurp arable land from farmers without negotiating an acceptable "package", (by farmers ; not govt) is certainly unbecoming of a business house of the repute of TATAs. When the push came to shove during Mamata's movement, at no stage did any senior representative of Tatas meet the farmers or landowners to negotiate a fair deal. The contact was mostly through the government machinery, which invariably had vested interests. On one hand we laud Team Anna and in the same breath how can we tolerate "Corporate Zamindari" being practiced from the shadows of the government. Well done Mamata!!! The farmers will bless you, not only if they get their land back but also if they get a better deal from any future venture in <span style="background-color: white;">Singur</span>. <br />
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<strong><span style="color: blue;">Rama (Hydrabad)</span></strong><br />
29 Sep, 2011 02:36 AM<br />
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Calcutta High Coart has given a judgement, it is expected in all the state same rule should be followed. There are huge land grabbed by Railways,Government agencies,Corporate body and army,those lands should be returned to land owners.. Equal Rule should be followed for all the states .Can any government change the act and take back the land as they desire? What will be the fate of future development?<br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><strong>Abhijit Kulkarni (Singapore) </strong></span><br />
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28 Sep, 2011 10:45 PM<br />
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who says India is a capitalist country? here comes the bold statement from Indian judiciary stating development at the cost of non creamy section would certainly dismissed and dismissed strongly. well who knows what the actual repercussion of this judgement on longer term would be, since this doesn't send a very good signal to India INC which has already had quite a few dent because of bad governance. I certainly feel bad for Tata's, one of those few names in Indian corporate which are perceived to holds some strong real moral, to loose on this front specially after going through their defense since they were never quite wrong in this case, its a bit mis-handling the deal by government with some injustice to localities best exploited by political moves .. I am sure Mamta would never have got that for Tata's since this is case, that has brought her into the power. In the end, we can only hope that the common people who lost their land should be benefited. The irony is this is one of the biggest industrial deal signed by communist government only to get ruled out by so called Socialist (or capitalist) Congress.<br />
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<span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text"><span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text"><span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text"><a class="actorName" data-ft="{"type":35}" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=1171922938" href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1171922938"><strong><span style="color: #3b5998;">Sutanuka Banerjee</span></strong></a> </span></span>There are a large number of closed and sick industries in West Bengal. The West Bengal Government does not have any policy related to the land locked-up in such closed and sick industrial units. This land had been given to various industria...lists to set up factories in the past. This land cannot be used for any other purpose, but residential complexes and shopping malls are coming up on such land and they are also being used for other non-manufacturing activities......http://www.mainstreamweekly.net/article52.html...... Citizens’ Chargesheet On West Bengal Government’s Development Policies..... </span><br />
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<span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text"><a class="actorName" data-ft="{"type":35}" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=100001261704501" href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001261704501"><strong><span style="color: #3b5998;">Anwar Husain</span></strong></a> <span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text">Left destroyed the wb</span></span> <br />
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<span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text"><span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text"><a class="actorName" data-ft="{"type":35}" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=1171922938" href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1171922938"><strong><span style="color: #3b5998;">Sutanuka Banerjee</span></strong></a> <span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text">more than 4,000 heavily armed police stormed the Nandigram area with the aim of stamping out protests against the West Bengal government’s plans to expropriate 10,000 acres (40 km2) of land for a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) . The police sho<span class="text_exposed_hide">...</span></span></span></span>Pramanickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15014385589682942937noreply@blogger.comSingur, West Bengal, India22.81 88.23000000000001822.801654 88.221161000000023 22.818346 88.238839000000013tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441534604773530501.post-51098145181861024492011-09-26T12:21:00.000+05:302012-08-09T10:29:08.937+05:30Another Babri in the waiting ....<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/15/Temple_Of_Vishveshwur_Benares_by_James_Prinsep_1834.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/15/Temple_Of_Vishveshwur_Benares_by_James_Prinsep_1834.jpg" width="221" /></a></div>
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<em><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Illustration by James Prinsep, 1834</span></em></div>
<em><span style="font-size: xx-small;"></span></em>Aurangzeb Alamgir invaded Varanasi and destroyed the original Vishwanath temple at Gyanvapi ("Well of knowledge") complex and erected this mosque from the parts of the temple (beyond dispute from this photograph). <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmjJYDJEsDwgL61p3TUPgFj8KG4VfxlgDoItrHUuZtPCBIXMhqXZ4b1IVtE5R-s6wD6tlZSCIvhcFUXraTv6zR3RtPnQisur3bRNCQLlg4TW2jMJODQ7trqc3togYx847TEzMv7a8fidw/s1600/KASHI+VISHWANATH+MANDIR+converted+to+GYANVAPI+MOSQUE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmjJYDJEsDwgL61p3TUPgFj8KG4VfxlgDoItrHUuZtPCBIXMhqXZ4b1IVtE5R-s6wD6tlZSCIvhcFUXraTv6zR3RtPnQisur3bRNCQLlg4TW2jMJODQ7trqc3togYx847TEzMv7a8fidw/s320/KASHI+VISHWANATH+MANDIR+converted+to+GYANVAPI+MOSQUE.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Later Marathas captured the city and reconstructed the new Vishwanath temple which is seen today. But they spared the mosque, as it was Shivaji's order, ".. fight muslims but don't destroy their holy places". Hope some radical Hindus (who claim to be his followers) are listening !<br />
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The temple (reconstructed few hundred metres away) stands today as one of the holiest of Hindu shrines, shrouded with nearly a ton of gold.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBz0xjH4PPoPr8ugJdKr81VWSY7Ppic-UaADb4_LWffjyJkouWrJg5Tuh-lEKPAxhunPk7g-G4MUqyPSwdRfyoIykpOc7vcjYPIPHxdktyB25nbId-HtVxlZR5aX711NhkvIEnWAqEOxM/s1600/Kashi%2520Vishwanath%2520Temple.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBz0xjH4PPoPr8ugJdKr81VWSY7Ppic-UaADb4_LWffjyJkouWrJg5Tuh-lEKPAxhunPk7g-G4MUqyPSwdRfyoIykpOc7vcjYPIPHxdktyB25nbId-HtVxlZR5aX711NhkvIEnWAqEOxM/s320/Kashi%2520Vishwanath%2520Temple.jpg" width="223" /></a></div>
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References : <br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://books.google.co.in/books?id=qMqBvtL_nI0C&pg=PA359&dq=aurangzeb+invade+varanasi+gyanvapi&hl=en&ei=Fh6ATrinEMytrAeE-NzUDw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CDUQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q&f=false">Frommer's India</a> </li>
<li><a href="http://books.google.co.in/books?id=yfEcAAAAMAAJ&q=aurangzeb+invade+varanasi+gyanvapi&dq=aurangzeb+invade+varanasi+gyanvapi&hl=en&ei=Fh6ATrinEMytrAeE-NzUDw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CEMQ6AEwBA">Sacred complex of Kashi </a> </li>
<li><a href="http://koenraadelst.bharatvani.org/articles/ayodhya/kashivishvanath.html" target="_blank">The untrue stories</a> </li>
<li><a href="http://www.hindunet.org/hindu_history/modern/temple_aurangzeb.html" target="_blank">Credit Aurangzeb</a></li>
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</div>Pramanickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15014385589682942937noreply@blogger.comKashi Vishwanath Temple, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India25.312988 83.0155640000000425.312795 83.015372500000041 25.313181 83.01575550000004tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441534604773530501.post-65975190034278215262011-05-08T22:28:00.004+05:302011-05-18T20:35:33.246+05:30One evening 150 years back ...On an evening in April, 150 years back, a prodigy was born to the Thakur family of Jorashanko, Kolkata. He was to transform Bengali literature, music and broadly Bengali culture. What we would have been without <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabindranath_Tagore">Rabindranath Tagore</a> ? The man who wrote a piece for every situation of life. Influenced and inspired several generations of Bengalis - took Indian culture to the world. To fellow Bengalis is the reminder of his words (<em>'Letters - Chithipotro'</em>):<br />
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<em>Amra na podiya Pondit ...</em><br />
<strong><span style="background-color: #fff2cc; color: #20124d; font-size: large;"><em> আমরা না পড়িয়া পন্ডিত </em></span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="background-color: #fff2cc; color: #20124d; font-size: large;"><em> আমরা না লড়িয়া বীর </em></span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="background-color: #fff2cc; color: #20124d; font-size: large;"><em> আমরা ধাঁ করিয়া সভ্য </em></span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="background-color: #fff2cc; color: #20124d; font-size: large;"><em> আমরা ফাঁকি দিয়া পেট্রিয়ট </em></span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="background-color: #fff2cc; color: #20124d; font-size: large;"><em> আমরা ভারী ভদ্র, ভারী বুদ্হিমান </em></span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="background-color: #fff2cc; color: #20124d; font-size: large;"><em> কোনো বিষযে পাগলামি নাই </em></span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="background-color: #fff2cc; color: #20124d; font-size: large;"><em> আমরা পাশ করিব, রোজগার করিব ও তামাক খাইব </em></span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="background-color: #fff2cc; color: #20124d; font-size: large;"><em> আমরা এগোইব না - অনুসরণ করিব </em></span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="background-color: #fff2cc; color: #20124d; font-size: large;"><em> কাজ করিব না - পরামর্শ দিব ! </em></span></strong><br />
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Let's rediscover Tagore !Pramanickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15014385589682942937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441534604773530501.post-39543892339776001322011-05-02T19:15:00.005+05:302012-04-20T10:19:51.450+05:30Osama is past ...<span style="color: #073763;"><strong>The greatest icon of terror of this decade - Osama bin Laden is no more ...</strong></span> <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1h2D6U6NUXTDs9s4QT32qZDRBz8YCa8dffvX_S_gDMRj5dBhDD_2SotuYbOP_4ed_9HwCTpzo4ZFoecXkvtNH_9Z8HV6PwRxHuAbdtya8C8vcy7I7Nv2doxTZuRjy8Q6_bN7HwLr3Qrk/s1600/osama.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1h2D6U6NUXTDs9s4QT32qZDRBz8YCa8dffvX_S_gDMRj5dBhDD_2SotuYbOP_4ed_9HwCTpzo4ZFoecXkvtNH_9Z8HV6PwRxHuAbdtya8C8vcy7I7Nv2doxTZuRjy8Q6_bN7HwLr3Qrk/s320/osama.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: purple;">He is killed in a mansion worth $1mn built over the years - 500m from a Pak military academy (overlooking the wall, some say !) - and the US President is applauding Pakistan for their help in "nabbing" Laden after 10 yrs (of sheltering !) the chief 9/11 convict ! One could have expected more from Obama on this day of victory against terror !</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2011-05-02/osama-bin-ladens-pakistan-haven#"><strong><span style="color: #cc0000;">The Daily Beast lambasts the sham ...</span></strong></a><br />
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<span style="color: purple;">Wonder why <strong><u>WE</u></strong> must keep on making mere <a href="http://m.timesofindia.com/PDATOI/articleshow/8141446.cms">statements</a> ! Can't our septuagenerians learn from this action? <span style="background-color: yellow;">If US navy seals could reach "deep into Pakistan"</span> and take out their target - can't our commandos get Masood Azhar ! Some say the only 'male' PM we had was Indira Gandhi - wish she was around !! </span>Pramanickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15014385589682942937noreply@blogger.comBalewadi to Hinjewadi Rd, Maharashtra, India18.562947442888309 73.74023437514.731654942888309 68.686523375000007 22.394239942888309 78.793945374999993