I have been reading a book that describes the chronology of events (call them tragedies) in Kashmir since its inception (and a little before that) with the Indian union.

Today, suddenly it happened that i was browsing a news site and clicked a linked regarding voting in Kashmir that landed me on page with details on Kashmir polling. Okay, that link was at the top of the site but i really don’t click links so easily, be it at the top or anywhere else on the website. And guess what, Kashmir goes to poll starting today itself.What a coincidence, specially when i am diving deep into the Kashmir politics.

Although i have not read through completely about the same, but I am really eager to see how things come up this time in Kashmir. And yes, that writing has changed my perspective of Kashmir. I will share it with you all here in the later posts.For those who have some interest in knowing the poll outcomes look here.

Keep an eye here.

UPDATE : 17/11/2008
Day 1 turns out to be a success. More than 55% turn out in the phase 1 voting. This is despite separatists calling boycott of the polls. 55% is huge. This clearly indicates people want democratically elected government in Kashmir. By turning out heavily for the polls, people have shown they prefer democratic India over the other choices like being a part of Islamic Pakistan or being a separate Kashmir. The majority of them still put democracy before their religion, Islam. This has simply strengthened my belief that whatever we have had from press so far on Kashmir is a barrel of blunt lies. Kashmiris still have preference for democracy over Islam, or for that matter, Pakistan.

You might have guessed by now what this post will look like, but i promise, i ll try to make it as different as possible with as much insights my little brain could add to it.

First, the formal statement. I hate religion.

Till a few years back, i was sort of guy who would love to go to temple or gurudwara to offer prayers and seek blessings of the God. When i look back today, i feel sort of foolish. Not that i now believe there is no God, but first because i din’t know why i was following a religion (better to use a plural), and second because i now have some deeper insights about the religion, its pros and cons.

I see religion as a social entertainment medium for the people. They get to get together, interact with each other and maintain their social contacts. Most of the religions (and festivals based on these religions) involve many traditions that lead to interaction within the society rather than being only between people and the God. In fact, if you look closely, it is more of social interaction than it is with God. Clearly it not just something between you and the God but between you, your relatives, your neighbors, your friends etc. Basically, your social circle.

Religion gives strength, provides encouragement to fight back the odds of life (though you still leave it on God). It gives you power of belief which is good to make you more determined to achieve something (again, not without calling God for help and being with you all the time), though that achievement comes to you only when you follow the right direction that is required. Solely praying to God never helps unless things are really destined to go that way.

Of course it strengthens your belief in god which is good for those who believe God exists. Obviously not for others, but then, they are in a different league altogether. There are also many other sides of religion. Some are dangerously dark.

Religion creates discrimination and spreads hatred among people, particularly when not followed in right sense, which is more often these days. People who call themselves being a particular religion don’t necessarily know what their own relegion is all about. One key trait in most of the “religious” people is that they don’t respect other religions which is big contradiction to any religion’s teachings. I know of no religion that condemns other religion in it’s teachings. Religion is nothing but a belief and none has a right to condemn others’. Besides that, most of the religious people today haven’t really seen God, yet they have a “belief” for which there is hardly any scientific evidence in it’s support. And for that reason, it is just a belief that one chooses to go with and cannot really contend others’ who are also more or less riding a similar boat.

If you look today, most of the chaos around you is due to religion. Countries are divided based on religion. No doubt there are secular nations where you can find multiple religions coexisting, but is that coexistence really peaceful? Take a look at India. Which releiion has been spared here? Hindu-Muslim riots marked the creation of our nation. Anti-Sikh riots in Delhi in 1984 is another black spot on our secular history, so is the killing on Christians in the recent past. I remember killing of Graham Stuart Staines, an Australian missionary who was burnt to death along with his two sons Philip (aged 9) and Timothy (aged 7) while sleeping in his station wagon. This was reportedly the handiwork of Hindu groups. What sort of religion teaches you to kill innocent people. Whatever Graham might be up to, can you expect anything mischievous enough from children of age 7 and 9 years to be burnt alive?

God din’t create religion, it is us who created it. He just created humans but this society divided itself based on their belief popularly know as Religion.

Religion is a shit. That’s how i would like to end this article.

Thank you for your time.

This time it is Neh, my cousin sis whose going for a wedlock.I am starting this straight with the wedding day. I ll cut back to her other two functions if i get the chance. The Day was really nice. Except for a few moments, i enjoyed it. We reached her place to time. Nothing was set up so moved to another flat they had arranged for guests to use. Had breakfast there with free flow of talks for the big gang that gathered there. You probably guessed it right. I din’t enjoy this part. Perhaps, i wont ever.

Back to paanch number (that’s Neh’s place, house number 5) . The remaining rituals were already started, infact were almost near the end. I wanted to wish her the very best, but could not. Don’t ask me what was this. Some how could not. This is weird. I know.

Neh’ friend has a nice smile. She really has. Nothing serious about it, but this pumps up my heartbeat. Kya karein, control nahin hota.… This very gal was also there during the Mehndi function. She danced nicely and was very exicted. Okay, there was overdose sometimes, i think. I thought at that moment, why people are this much excited at times? May be their life is in complete mess other way and they find solace here which makes them super sensitive to enjoyment. But some people genuinely enjoy it regardless of how the other part of their life is going. I don’t know which case hers was.

After a while, i got some work to do which kept me busy before it was time to tow my family back to our place. In the evening we left for the wedding place, a farm house this is really cool place. Remember my love form big lawns? It is exactly that. Lots of fabulous lighting, extra ordinary catering arrangement and such a cool ambiance. Adorable. I was ferrying Neh to the dias with my brothers when i noticed that gal again, Neh’s friend smiling at me. Wow, killer smiles to me.  Or is it Neh or may be someone else? After all its  a gang going to the dais. But they say, you should always think positive, so there i am. It was for me. No further arguments.

I had this rare opportunity to be together with Parry and Groovy. Seriously, this is one of the few rare occasions when we three are together. Although this is happening frequently these days (The last time was on bhai dooj). We had a good chat. Groovy seems to be adapting well with my needs. He has always been very well connected via chat, email and sms. I remember our another meeting, day before bhai dooj, we three were going to his place in Parry’s car. The two of them were in the front seats and i was on the back seat. Groovy cut in between their conversation to make me understand what was going on in the front end. I felt nice. And not like someone stuffed together for no reason or being mute spectator. He tries to make me participate in everything and not like most of others who ditch me for another gang for fun, especially when there is a get together. I am not sure if can put Parry in the former category as we hardly spend time together including online communications. But if i consider otherwise, he is in the same league as Groovy. As long he is with me, he makes me comfortable and doesn’t gets annoyed if required to repeat stuff to make me understand, which is something i hate in others. They either get irritated or simply skip the stuff, but rarely take the courtesy to explain it again.

After a short while, we had dinner and in a while, it was time to leave. I don’t want to go back so early. This is my sis’s wedding. I celebrate Rakhi and Bhai dooj with Neh. Although she is a distant cousin, i never really had that thought in mind ever until today when i had to write this piece. Ours has always been closely knit families. That is the reason i wanted to stay for her wedding, until the end. But unfortunately had to leave. There are some reasons for this which convinced me to leave early with the rest of the family. I am sad. I wanted to stay but could not. Although i was given the option, but sometimes you cannot choose between the two options wisely.

Neh, my dear sis, I can wish you now, the way i want to. May you have a very happy and prosperous married life ahead.

And to Groovy & Mins, a very happy wedding anniversary to you. You too have a happy and prosperous married life ahead.

There are sometimes exception to being the only best. I have that in case of friends. Yes, there is not one, but a few. Some are out of real touch and for the reason, not much active in my life as they used to be, but still they are the best, as in, i spent one of the best days of my life with them. Okay, again, not one, but a few best days.

November 04, 2008 is the date. Actually, its November 03, but you know, these Indian weddings, always hoover between today and tomorrow. It actually started on 3rd and ended on 4th.

Anki is going for a wedlock. I am happy, really not just because a friend, (make it best)  is going for a wedlock, but i don’t attend weddings too often and it is really nice to be a part of this tradition. I won’t go much into how-this-and-that-went about this wedding as i don’t intend to write a book, but a small post to share my perspective about things that happen around me. Believe me, we are nowhere near it yet.

The pre-wedding ceremony, called the Sehra Bandi starts and in the middle, Haps tells me to pull out a chair from the row and place it on the opposite side. There were no other chairs at that end and i could not really understand the need for this move. But then, he had already said this twice to make me understand (with a few gestures) . But still, i did not know the reason for this move. That’s the disadvantage of being a deaf.

Skip to wedding place. As i reached near the wedding hall, Ami, Shash, Gaur and ofcourse Anki on Ghodi (horse) were there. I had a sudden surge to dance, and i did, but dunno how it was. However, i often feel it is ugly.  This place is cool, especially the garden which is yet to be explored by any guest. I have to admit, i love such places with clean lawns minus crowd.

Lets move inside the wedding hall, on the stage. They talk, they shout, they laugh. I follow them in many things. They enjoy it, i don’t. That’s because they know what they are doing, but i don’t. They know why they are laughing, they know which song they are dancing to, but i don’t. Mark it, another disadvantage.

Finally a bit of dance, and i am glad i did. This time, i enjoyed a bit, and believe me, for the first time in life i think i was okay with it. I knew i could, just some more stamina is required. Besides, i am an amateur who doesn’t practice atall.

As the formalities begin, Ami, Shash, Gaur and me push ourselves to the corner, in the lonely place on the edge of the lawn. I really love such peaceful places. Sometimes i think, someone should simple erase three quarters of the world population. That should make the rest of the people happy and logically, the whole (remaining) world happy.

These three fuckers, drink, talk and enjoy. I am sitting with them sipping cola, almost isolated from them enjoying the lovely place and talking to myself about life. And this talk leads me to almost a depressed state of mind. Ami wants to pay for the “service” the waiters are providing to us in this corner of the lonely-world. The guy (waiter) is running here and there to fulfill sahab’s demands. I just sat there wondering why this happens. Who controls such desperation among humans? That guy ran around, to get us a seat each in the corner of the garden, brought us glasses for drinks and other stuff . We shelled out 100 bucks and that guy was seemingly very happy. Another guy followed expecting some extra income by serving us. The first one left. The second one was serving well but he still stood next to us, expecting our order, more likely, the bucks. His face was that of an innocent man. I know, man and innocence don’t go together, so make it child, but a little grown up.

Right then it struck me. What all he must be thinking about that extra buck he will be making here. I mean that poor guy who stood next to us for a few bucks, who ran around here and there to serve us, what must he be planning to do with that few bucks he earns here. I really don’t want to go further deep here lest will end up doing the most unexpected, cry. Actually,I am crying. No tears tough, it is a cry-from-heart thing. But just for a second, what all that guy must be planning? May be like “I will earn this extra money and save it for that”. That “that” can be anything, an ailing family member’s treatment, for someone’s study, for a marriage and what not?  Just simulate yourself being a poor and you will have the list of “that”. Those who believe God exists, say that he loves everyone equally. But then, why one suffers so much while the other one enjoys? There is imbalance which don’t seem justified to me. But then, all through, i have seen life going in this very way.

I sneaked back to main hall on the orders of my drunk mates to check out the status and report back to them. Wedding done. There goes a pretty gal. Wow, nice looks, though skinny, I was impressed. She really looked cute. Actually, had been eying her since i reached this place, but somehow this life was so messed for a while, i simply forgot about her.

She is also the shoe stealer who is demanding an exuberant sum of Rs. 51000 for returning shoes of the groom. No correction required, its fifty one thousand only,  which ultimately come back to us for free.

Back to Anki’s home with bride, now a sister-in-law. Life seems a mess, again. Everybody is laughing, enjoying and I don’t really know what to do ? I mean, what shall I do in such scenario, everybody looks at you and expects you to laugh on the joke they just dished out. And fuck, there I go. I don’t know why i do this, but when i don’t understand it, why do i laugh? May be to please others and sympathize them that their joke was not really bad.

Suddenly, i spotted misery at the doors. That guy, a domestic help standing at the doors. Why is that we have such a huge difference in quality of life. What makes anyone decide who deserves what and how much? If everyone is equal for the almighty, why is someone rich while the other is poor and miserable? I am in mess again. It ll take a while to recover.

Everything done. Dropped back to home. I enjoyed the way Shash offered to drive back to my place, just so I reach safely. That makes me think – friends are real good assets one can have in life.  But, something was waiting to happen.

All the while during this day, I have been up to something or the other. I had a sudden surge, and wanted to express myself with a tool, prominently called as blog. And here i am, with my very first post on life, the way i face it, feel it and think about it.

I hope you enjoyed it.

Last week when MS bid for Yahoo! i was a not very keen in the news. Most of industry experts already had predicted this.

Then all of sudden, Google came out openly against this offer. I was a bit surprised with the kind of reaction Google gave. Specially when they said that “Microsoft’s hostile bid” will be “threat to openness and innovation”. Need i say how stupid it seems to me?

Google is already leading the market with 75% of market share (some say 62%, i am not sure whom to go with, but either way, thats clearly the 3 times the nearest competitor).

What made Google worry about this deal?
What i believe is that Google fears one thing, which is very likely if this deal goes through and that is the way MS is going to rise in the market. I mean, the tactics.

How about an ad supported free version of Microsoft Windows?
Windows is the most widely used operating system around the world. Most of the users who constitute Google’s 75% (or 62%, whatever, just consider it’s 3 times) market share are on MS Windows. If MS promotes free Windows, it will be like a double hit. One way that will be a big relief from piracy. The other way, it will incredibly boost ad revenues from search ads.

Yahoo is already leading banner ads markets. By acquiring Yahoo, MS will automatically lead in banner ads, and with free Windows, you can imagine how well MS might just knock off Google.

Well, it looks like a “threat to openness” now. But it is certainly not something for Google to say.

Dear Google, is that what makes you worry ?