Inter-cropping and Moga byelection

jupinderjit Singh
Inter-cropping is a new experiment being witnessed in the agriculture fields of Moga. Progressive farmers egged on by scientists are trying to grow two or more crops in the same field hoping to get better returns. The crops like wheat and Mint are chosen on the basis of their compatibility and certain studies that those can grow together without harming the other.


In the political field, an experiment of inter-cropping of politicians is nearing its climax. In two days, Moga residents will press the buttons of the electric voting machine not to vote for issues, development or party but for acceptance or rejection of an interesting experiment, which may set a phenomenal precedent for good or bad reasons.

Unlike the agriculture field, the list of the politicians uprooted from one field and planted on the other is endless. So many leaders ranging from the Akali Candidate Joginder pal Jain to a ground worker have switched side that it is difficult to keep pace with their names.

But like the agriculture fields, the farmers ( read leaders like Dy cm Sukhbir Singh Badal) are hoping the crops will help each other grow and provide the fruits of victory. What remains to be seen is the impact of this inter-cropping on the polity of the country.

On the face of it, it is a battle pitched between Sukhbir Singh Badal and Congress president Capt Amarinder Singh. Who so ever wins will get a boost for the target of becoming the Chief Minister in case of Sukhbir and emerge as the strongest leader of the party, in case of the congress president.

Closer look reveals the victory would have an impact not just on those two but on others down the rank. The Akalis have divided the constituency into small pockets making a MLA or a Minister incharge of as small an area of five villages. The poll result will decide the leader’s growth or decline in next few years.

The Akalis are not viewing it just as one seat. They want complete majority in the state. The seat would bring the seat no. 59. The BJP leaders, on the other hand, do not view the likely victory as a threat to their position in the SAD-BJP coalition. Talk to the leaders, and they show a ready data of how Akalis won many seats at thin margin only because of the clout of the BJP.

Similarly, the congress too had tried to put all strength of the state level leaders into the constituency. They would have got some boost if a national leader had joined the campaigning aggressively. The small battle of Moga could have proved psychological edge in the war ahead in form of 2014 parliamentary elections.

With the campaigning ending this evening, the ball would be in the court of the voter. Only he or she will decide whether the politics of inter-cropping would become a precedent in politics and we would witness more by-elections. Or the experiment is better left to agriculture only?

WHY ARE INDIANS NOT WORLD CONQUERERS? ARE WE HAPPY BEING THE GOLDEN SPARROW ? WHY CANT WE ATTACK AND FINISH PAKISTAN?

WHY ARE INDIANS NOT WORLD CONQUERERS?
ARE WE HAPPY BEING THE GOLDEN SPARROW ?
WHY CANT WE ATTACK AND FINISH PAKISTAN?

Author : Jupinderjit Singh

Like all Indians I was angry at the barbaric killing of two of our soldiers by Pakistani Army. I am anguished but not surprised at the response of Indian government. Our government toed its beaten line. It stated it was a strong provocation but at the same time it did nothing other than protesting to Pak. It whined like a kid before the international community. The issue will rest till it is repeated.

With passage of few days, my anger subsided. Instead I felt disgusted and ashamed at being an Indian. I forced my memory to tell me if there was even one act against and enemy country by the Indian Government that made me proud. No, I can’t think of that. We have won wars only to return the occupied land. Pakistan stabs us with stories of 54 Prisoners of War till date. B
ut, we- the great Indians- released 90,000 POWs of 1971 war. This was the biggest number of POWs in the history of the world. Yet, the country let it go. We could have traded Pakistan Occupied Kashmir with those.

Even no film maker of our country has thought of this historical victory and blunder as a potential movie. But then that is not the issue. The issue is that why we don’t retaliate to Pakistan or China or other enemies of the state? Why do we prefer responding to aggression or intrusion instead of being an aggressor ourselves? Why don’t we be the conqurers?

I tried to go further back, Only time, Indians went out of their territory to conquer some one was when Hari Singh Nalwa, a General in the army of Maharaj Ranjit Singh captured Afghanistan. Gen Zorawar Singh went upto Tibet. I am not sure if Ashoka had captured Afghanistan or not. May be during the time of Tenth Sikh Guru also, Kabul was under us.

Nevertheless, the point is that since time immemorial India, despite being a divided country, has never tried to conquer other territories. Kings have been raiding India in their pursuit of conquering the world or to loot the land of plenty. But we have never been the world conquerors.

We were always happy within our land. We accepted friends from other countries with open arms. They became a part of us. We fought plunderers or gave way fighting. We were destroyed many times. We bounced back again and again. But we never chose to be the conquerors. Even though most of the so-called Gods were born several times in India.

Has that nature crept in our blood? The nature that we will not attack anyone, that we will not make the first strike but we will defend ourselves with full might? Is that why the world called as the ‘Land of the Golden Sparrow’ and not ‘Golden Lion’ or something that suggested a powerful country. We were always the sparrow, eating less and saving itself from dogs, cats, snakes, hawks or other carnivorous beings.

We were never treated as a powerful country and people. Our ideals of ahimsa and belief in universal brotherhood have been appreciated. The world sings praise of those but at the same time attacks us, snubs us and stabs us. We smile in return saying we won’t be provoked. That is what Indian culture is. Prithvi Raj Chauhan paid with his life following this culture. He spared Mohd Gauri 17 times only to lose the next times. Gauri was not foolish to leave his enemy alive.

That is the same mistake we have done with Pakistan. We pardoned it time and again. It returned stronger than before. We could only be mute spectators of its growing power and friendship with USA earlier and now China. I fear the day when this modern day Gauri will defeat us- the Prithvi Raj Chauhans. And if some of us are alive, we can remind our leaders of our misplaced culture.

A country and its leaders are as good as its people. We should stop considering ourselves as the Golden Sparrow anymore. We have to be the lions. Such lions, that even if they are of Iron or brass, they are better than the riches of a golden sparrow. We have to be such lions, which are feared not sparrows that scamper for cover and help. Unless, we correct this historic wrong and erase it from our DNA, Kasabs will comes, Kargil will happen and our soldiers will be beheaded. We need to be the conquerors now. We need to be the aggressors.
It is better to die once in battle than die of shame daily.

Hope the Lions will rise.

migraine--causes and treatment --my experiences...

I have quite a history of migraine.every time I get it, I try to learn the cause and treatment. It can be triggered by causes known to me or something completely new sparks it off. Following are some trigger points. plz share your experiences:

1. Looking at mobile screen, tv or laptop first thing in the morning.
2. Working on two or all of those together. Late night working on either of them.
3. Skipping or having a late meal
4. Oily food
5. Less water intake
6. Bad food combos like - capsicum with potatoes, palak with paneer, white whole gram with curd, saag with curd..
7. Less than req sugar intake
8. Anticipation of excitement- it includes excitement or anxiety before a long awaited event, esp related to performance before superiors, imp meetings, functions, a date, romance- and denial of all those esp desires.
9. Sharp lights, long driving, laser show, head lights
10.Some dry fruits esp groundnut can trigger migraine to some.
11. Constipation
Special points:
1. Migraine on right side of the head means tension and anxiety generally related to ego and professional matters- mainly related to outside world.
2. Left side headache means emotional trouble.
3. Complete headache means tired nerves and delay in treatment
4. Usually accompanied with nausea, could mean stomach trouble also

Cures
1. Popping a disprin dissolved in water at first symptom would help
2. Closing eyes, shutting down all work, lights immed helps
3, Looking long and hard at distant horison fixedly till water comes out from eyes helps a lot.
4. Drinking warm water helps. If two glasses are taken immediately when feeling nausea triggers easy vommittings and relief eventually.
5. Drinking lot of water helps usually.
6. Sniffing aromas can work good for some. My fav is to apply jandu balm on forehead and under the eyes. It brings tears and relief. Inhaling zandubalm slowly helps. Girls can try anulom vilom with zandu balm.it is good.

Migraine patients are usually of high intellect and senitivity. They need love and encouragement. They should be self indulgent-- shud love themselves a lot-- pamper themselves and try not to suppress desires.they should avoid being alone.

Hope this helps

Of the Kasabs and Sarbjit's

.... and a tale of two villages in kashmir...

Jupinderjit Singh

Amidst the Euphoria over Kasab's hanging and a feeling of poetic justice among most of our countrymen, my mind wanders off to two border villages in the strife-torn state of Jammu and Kashmir.

One, set in Poonch district of Jammu division witnessed the handiwork of Indian and Pak agencies in using the members of an extended family living in Pakistan and India in smuggling, espionage and sheltering terrorists.

The second, whose name can be shared, is the village Sultan Dhakki, located dangerously close to the Jhelum river and the Indo-Pak border in Uri district of Kashmir.

The first one in Poonch district saw the arrest of an elderly villager in an alleged fake currency racket. What turned out was a heart wrenching tale of a divided family living in both nations. Divided by borders but united by love, blood relations and above all the need to survive- the families virtually lived off the Indian and Pakistan security agencies.

The accused and his brother lived on either side of a rivulet through the hills. The rivulet also worked as the LOC between the two countries. Their ancestors used to live together and owned land on both sides of the rivulet. They had never dreamt that the rivulet would one day become border between two nations. The partition left
the family with no option but to live in separate countries to save their land.

With limited agriculture and fencing around the village, the brothers eventually had no option but to play in the hands of Indo-Pak security agencies. As cross-border terrorism increased, security agencies started raiding their houses forcing them to comply with their demands.

They helped in spying; they helped in terrorism; they helped in crossing border; they helped in smuggling arms, drugs and fake currency. Their houses became transit points for spies and terrorists.

The brothers and their sons and the grandchildren including girls double crossed both nations to survive. The security agencies helped them as this eventually helped the agencies in getting information and reap benefits.

All went well till one of the grandchildren either refused or tried to outsmart both the agencies. He was killed in a shootout at the border and his grandfather on Indian side was arrested for smuggling fake currency. The family was neither Indian nor Pakistani. They were just humans struggling to survive.

It was in 2003 that I visited Sultan Dhakki, better known as village of the commanders of different militant outfits, on a special assignment by The Tribune. During those days, all vehicles heading towards the border villages or returning from it were checked at several nakkas. Passengers were frisked a number of times. Only those having Identity-Cards were allowed to go.

In the villages, two children had died in shelling between the countries. It was no big news for media. Such incidents happened at regular intervals. But for an outsider on a short assignment to the state, it called for a visit.

The tragic deaths apart, the village turned out to be the village of retired terrorists. Almost every second person was once a Lashkar-e-Toiba militant or even a Commander. But after several deaths in encounters with Army and realization of the designs of the enemy state, most of the surviving ones became teachers.

One of the ex-militant accompanied us all day. He told tales of militancy from different angles. Later, in the evening, a young captain of the Indian Army and I sat down for a game of chess. We had settled well in what was a five-star arrangement in that god-forbidden place. The Army had constructed the rooms in a cave-like vacant space in a hill on the Indian side of the border. This protected them in winter but more importantly from the shelling across the border.

The ex- LeT militant sat close-by in a thoughtful look on his face. He saw me happy at winning a piece in exchange of a pawn. "You also lost a piece," he said. "Yes, I have. But it was just a pawn. They are meant to be sacrificed."

"Very true, Sir. Like us,” he whispered. Silence engulfed the room.

The resigned look on his face has remained with me since then. It haunted me more as the news of the hanging of the butcher from Faridkot in Pakistan hit us. Just a day before, I had returned from Faridkot city in the Indian Punjab. A love yarn in the form of Shruti kidnapping/elopement case had shaken the state. The society was
debating the future of a minor girl impregnated by an alleged
notorious criminal.

Media was making beeline to this Fardikot. And media was making beeline to the Faridkot in Pakistan side as well, though for different reasons altogether. At one, it was a matter of heart. At the other, it was a matter of who Kasab was - a rebel or a patriot?


For Indians like me, he would be a butcher, a terrorist but for his countrymen, he would be a hero, a great patriot. George Barnard Shaw,the great English writer had so rightly said ," The difference between a rebel and a patriot depends on whose side you are."

One can add one more thing- The Kasabs may be rebels or patriots for
different persons but in reality they are just a pawn to be sacrificed at the will of the invisible masters. Kasabs will continue to die. Sarabjit's will continue to suffer. Till their masters end this butchery.

Or, till someone gets hold of the masters.
---

of Laajwanti, Gadkari and Vivekananda

Jupinderjit Singh


On my usual stroll in the small lawn of my house, I did my favourite refreshing and de-stressing exercise. It was to softly touch "Laajwanti".

Before you start dreaming about "Lajwanti" and or doubt my credentials, I must tell you almost all of us have indulged in this favourite pass time now or then.

"Laajwanti" or "Touch-me-not" as the small shy, coy herb, whose leaves shrink, as if folding within itself, when someone touches it.

The bashful, hypersensitive herb is still a mystery for scientists. Search on the Net has revealed no one was still able to clearly tell why and how it happens. It is definitely a very much alive variety of the plant world. No matter how you touch, it will react the same. You can caress. You can fondle. You can treat it rough. The reaction will remain the same.

As I got up finished with my daily morning harassing of the herb, I moved on to my next "unavoidable" activity- reading newspapers. There it was in bold headings and top of the page- Gadkari- the BJP president, beleaugured by corruption charges, in a soup over his remarks comparing the IQ- Intellegence Quotient of Swami Vivekananda and infamous Don-Dawood Ibrahim.

Gadkari reportedly said ( or wanted to say) that the IQ of two completely different persons- for example- Swami Vivekananda and Dawood Ibrahim - may be same but it is how they use it that mattered. He reportedly said Swami ji is hailed for positive use while Dawood is hated as he caused so many deaths and crime in India, including spreading drugs and terrorism.

There are calls for apologies or his resignation. I wasn't surprised. India, of late, live in and through statements made by oen person or the other. One full day is spent on making, analysing a statement and criticising it. And next on the reaction to the previous day's reaction.

Outside, Laajwanti was slowly opening its leaves again. It will be fresh and ready for its known reaction again. The so called experts from among the public too may be reading the newspapers and training their guns- some in offence, others in defence.

I care two hoots for Gadkari and his tribe. I have no love lost for the Dawood's. For me , they all are criminals. Their sole motive is to loot us. One comes with a gun, the other dressed in white. The second is most dangerous. It cheats us. It plays a fraud. It plays with our trust and feelings. To Hell with them.

Laajwanti was in full bloom now. My mind wandered to so many controversies in recent past which were based merely on statements by politicians or political leaders. There are so many "touch-me-nots" in our society. We cant say anything about them. And still we all are "touch-me-nots". We react fast and in expected manner. We dont go into the depth of words. We dont allow free discussion.

We can's say certain things about any religion even when we know the rubbish ingredients of those. A vice-chancellor of a University was sacked merely on his statement on women writers revealing graphic details about their sex life. Gadkari may be biting his lips. But havn't we been hearing the comparisons between Ram and Ravana- Pandavas and Kauravas or between a good king and a bad king. Can anyone doubt that Ravana's IQ was any way less than Ram. The way he introduced the concept of checking a person's pulse to know his health and his "gold city", he may have a better IQ, but the main thrust was how he used it. Was it for construction or destruction?

So many reams of paper, so much time on the tube has been wasted on the debate between Vivekananda and Dawood. It woudl ahve been better to debate over a policy or some actual action on the ground.

Statements are like bubbles in the air. There is no point fighting on those. They are as temporary as the bubbles.

Laajwanti may not have a brain to differentiate the kind of touch it was expereincing. Humans have. But again it boils down to how the brain is used.

ponder.

---

ambala explosived car: An ugly operation

Ambala Explosives case : questions remain
jupinderjit singh

we just witnessed one of the shoddiest and ugliest crime prevention case in North India when security agencies claimed to have recovered an explosive laden car in Ambala, apparently on way to Delhi for a major terror attack before or near Diwali.

If news reports are to be believed, two terrorists were driving the car from an unspecified location in jammu and kashmir to the national capital. The great intelligence agencies had intercepted calls about the likely movement of the explosives towards Delhi. And following the intelligence alert, some security teams were keeping an eye on the car all the way to Ambala. It seems they were waiting to strike at Ambala where two or more persons would come to take the consignment.

But before you could marvel at the expertise of the security agencies and the intelligence, you are shocked that the two persons in the car manage to escape from Ambala!!! and that despite the claims that cops had prior information about the whole consignment!!

Hopefully the cops would soon clear the questions but one vital question is surely going to remain. Is the safety of Delhi prime for the security agencies. The car as per the claims was on the road from Jammu (at least jammu city. one doesn't know the exact place it started in the state of jammu and kashmir) It crossed the Lakhanpur barrier, where anytime hundreds of trucks are queued up. then it crossed the vital Ravi Bridge. This bridge connects the state to rest of India. It is dangerously close to a Barrage on Ravi from where water to Pakistan is released occasionally.Then the car drove on the bridge over Beas and Sutluj river and seemed to have passed through various traffic congestion points and cities and towns before it reached Ambala.

The car had the timer, the detonator and the RDX. The terrorists could easily have blown it off anywhere on the and especially on the above said vital points. Just imagine what would have happened if it had exploded on the ravi bridge and damaged the barrage. apart from cutting off jammu and kashmir, it would have caused floods in Gurdaspur and Kathua districts as well. Worse the car could have met with an accident on the way itself

Vital links on the national highway could have been blown off. but the security agencies seem to be bothered more to intercept the car at ambala to catch all the terrorists. why didn't the security agencies intercepted the vehicle on the way if they had such a strong intelligence report about its movement? Why did not think about the safety of people as well as property like the bridges on the way ?

These questions suggest there is much more than meets the eye in the whole episode. One just cant imagine that the security agencies can let the terrorists slip away like this. Either they had no idea about the car and just stumbled upon it. Or if they knew then they surely have to clarify if the important of delhi is bigger than other parts of the country??