Writingleaf

  A little bit about Pakistan compared to India, two countries that are on a verge of war as of May 3, 2025 India, a country of 1.4 billion people and a $4 trillion dollar economy, largely a Hindu population with about 15 percent(approx. 250 million) Muslim population, is about to go to war with Pakistan of $375 Billion GDP and 250 million people, 99 percent Muslim. India is an ancient pluralistic civilization while Pakistan’s origin dates back to 1947, as a country formed because Muslims were not willing to live with Hindus. This thought process was codified as two nation theory and is taught in all Pakistani schools as a big accomplishment. India is also the world’s largest representative democracy, while Pakistan has been run by military dictatorship pretty much all of its life for the last 75 years.  On April 22, 2025, Pakistani terrorists cornered some tourists in India, checked their genitals for identification of whether they are circumcised and then killed them at poin...

  A Diwali of Awakening! This is the first Diwali that I am taking stock of Diwali as a Hindu/Sanatani festival and tying it to the state of well being of Hindu/Sanatani people (followers of Sanatan Dharma, a spiritual and philosophical construct that came to be known as Hinduism because it was practiced by people on the far side of river Sindhu). Sanatan means the ever moving wheel of time and Dharma is loosely translated to living dutifully, as a seeker, according to one’s grain) It is with some chagrin that I have arrived at this state of tying Diwali to being a festival to celebrate the Hindu Identity. All my life it has been a Bhartiya festival, even one that belongs to entire humanity because indeed it does. A commemoration of victory of  good over evil, what can be more universal than that. But good has been on it’s heels for far too long in many parts of the world. We need to have victories of good in the now also, to be able to celebrate those that happened in the pas...

Being single, after having been married for many years, creates an interesting social and psychological dynamic for many of us. Some deal with it well while others struggle. You see, once we got off the “married couple” train, the station we got off at, was a bit unfamiliar, even daunting to us. We could still see the endless train of married folks rolling along in front of us. To some, it had the draw of familiarity and even some long lived security, joy and social acceptance. So they stared at the train in a pining sort of way and couldn’t wait to jump back on, at first opportunity. Others reflected upon the journey they had had and while the shining, smiling couples in the windows looked pretty, inside the train there had been a stench of discontent, resentment and even abuse. So they were happy to be breathing the fresh air of freedom. These folks were happy to start looking away from the train and explore the countryside. The Universe they knew stretches to infinity in all directi...

As the people’s mandate in the world’s largest democracy becomes clearer with each phase of the elections, which so far have been three, the shrill rhetoric from Modi haters, India haters and Leftist-Islamist nexus that wants to bring his government down has become more and more amusing. Latest being, what he will become in future since none of the dirt they tried to throw at him regarding his 10 years of governance has stuck with the electorate. Latest is the ultimate what-if scenario..  Goes somewhat like this… Me : Why do you look so worried Friend: Nothing yaar.. This Modi na..  Me: Why, what did he do wrong.. Friend: No man! He has done good for the country, but!! Me: But what? Friend: He may become a dictator, like Putin, Hitler Me: So how many countries has he invaded? How many people has he killed? Friend: No not yet, but in future he might Me: You see that?  Friend: what? Me: There, it is a big hole in the ground, that.. Friend : ya I see it, what about it? Me : ...

When a black man frees himself from the yoke, we get to see a Mohammad Ali, a Neil Degrass Tyson, a Michael Jordon. When a woman frees herself from the yoke we get to see a Marie Curie, an Indira Nui and a woman ISRO scientist, clad in Saree, putting India on the Moon, literally and metaphorically. When a nation frees itself from the yoke we get to see a United States of America. When you see a Civilization freeing itself from the yoke we see a Bharat emerging. Consider the following data points about India/Bharat. GDP passing four trillion dollar mark on it’s inevitable march to five trillion, making Bharat the third largest economy in the world in next five years Integration of one of the finest states of India, Jammu and Kashmir, from which have sprung some of the giants of Bhartiya culture, like Patanjali, Bharitrihari and others; into mainstream India, after removal of article 370 145,000 kilometers, (about 90,000 miles) of new roads built since 2014. Staggering number ports, brid...