What if God was one of us?
Just a stranger on the bus
Tryin' to make his way home?
-(Joan Osborne)
Just a stranger on the bus
Tryin' to make his way home?
-(Joan Osborne)
Saturday, October 19, 2019
Reflections from the road
A dry leaf rides on the dirty windshield, cars honk angrily to drill through the colourful chaos, bikes romance the gaps... and we move on!
Thursday, August 04, 2016
John Lennon to Jihadi John: ‘Imagine’ the ‘Beatles’ on a horrific beheading spree
“Imagine” turned out to be Lennon’s best-selling single of his solo career, with myriad interpretations of the song from various quarters. Some had a problem with the "imagine there's no possessions" line, calling Lennon hypocritical as he was a millionaire rock star living in a mansion, apart from branding him a communist. Although Lennon had said that the lyrics “Imagine that there was no more religion, no more country, no more politics is virtually the communist manifesto,” he also added that "even though I am not particularly a communist and I do not belong to any movement."
And there were others who believed that the lyrics reveal a total disbelief in faith and God. A remark Lennon once made that the Beatles were more popular than Jesus supposedly added fuel to this interesting thought.
In the book Lennon in America by Geoffrey Giuliano, Lennon was quoted as saying that “Imagine” was an "anti-religious, anti-nationalistic, anti-conventional, anti-capitalistic [song], but because it's sugar-coated, it's accepted."
The British rock star was not alone in his anti-war activism of the late 60s and early 70s. There were fellow musicians like Bob Dylan, Pete Seeger, Joan Baez, Jackson Browne and many others. Lennon was an outsider in the US but happened to be famous and influential as the others. The US government wanted him gone as he was a symbol of the peace movement and could hurt its Vietnam war efforts by rallying the public. The Woodstock Festival had already done enough damage in 1969.
After years of deportation hearings, Lennon finally received his “green card” and was granted permanent residency status in the US in 1976. However, the co-founder of the “Fab Four” was assassinated outside his apartment in New York in 1980 before he got his US citizenship.
"Imagine" is simply another in the many songs John Lennon wrote in his lifetime with a strong sugar-coated message to ‘Give Peace a Chance’. The lyrics being: “Imagine there’s no heaven, It’s easy if you try, No hell below us, Above us only sky, Imagine all the people, Living for today… Imagine there’s no countries, It isn’t hard to do, Nothing to kill or die for, And no religion too…”
John Lennon would have never imagined that after more than four decades of encouraging the world to dream of a world at peace without the barriers of religion and nationality, a “fanatic four” from the terror group ISIS or Islamic State (whose goal is the foundation of a Sunni Islamic state) would disgrace the iconic “Beatles” tag.
Infamous for their taste for the macabre and said to be unimaginably ruthless than other Islamic State terrorists, these four members were dubbed “The Beatles” by their hostages because of their British accents. The members were nicknamed John, Paul, George, and Ringo, after the iconic Liverpool group by their hostages.
The Beatles were assigned responsibility to guard foreign hostages by Islamic State commanders. According to BuzzFeed, the four ISIS jailers beheaded seven American, British and Japanese hostages, as well as 18 members of the Syrian army. They also had a reputation for waterboarding, mock executions, crucifixions and were known for memorializing their horrific acts in a string of videotaped beheadings. Because of their excessive brutality, at one point they were removed from their guard duties by ISIS.
Aine Davis nicknamed "Paul", a former London drug dealer, now in custody in Turkey, is also thought to have been a member of the infamous group. He was tried in Turkey in 2016 over allegations that he was plotting a terror attack there.
Another member of the Beatles cell Alexanda Kotey, a 'quiet and humble' Queens Park Rangers fan from west London, was exposed in February. The 32-year-old nicknamed "Ringo", was frequently seen by the hostages. His whereabouts are unknown.
El Shafee Elsheikh, 27, is believed by security forces to be the fourth member and final member of the all-British gang of ISIS fanatics led by Jihadi John. It's not clear whether the former fairground mechanic radicalised in west London is the guard known as "Ringo" or "George," whom the hostages considered the group's leader and the most vicious of the four.
However, former Beatle Ringo Starr expressed his disgust at the use of his former band's name as a nickname for the ISIS terror cell, saying: "It’s bullshit. What they are doing out there is against everything the Beatles stood for," adding that the band had stood for peace and opposed violence.
Saturday, July 09, 2016
The sordid tale of Burhan Wani: From school principal’s son to Hizbul commander
In what can be termed as a big breakthrough for security forces in the Kashmir Valley on Friday (July 8, 2016), Burhan Muzaffar Wani, the commander of the Hizbul Mujahideen was killed in an operation. The 22-year-old ‘poster boy’ of the terror group was reportedly cornered in Bumdoora village of Kokernag by a joint team of police and Army.
Following the news of the death of the "local hero", who was also Kashmir Valley's most wanted militant commandant, protests in several places with call for complete shutdown in Jammu & Kashmir on Saturday by separatist leaders against Burhan’s killing have been reported.
For quite some time now, the flagging militancy in the Kashmir Valley had been witnessing a dangerous trend – young, educated Kashmiris getting sucked into the resurging vortex of the terror storm that has bloodied the flowers of the Himalayan meadows.
And the face that represented the new breed of Kashmiri militancy in the Valley was a young man from a well-to-do family in Tral in south Kashmir. Burhan Muzaffar Wani had emerged as the force behind the resurging militancy among Kashmiri youth in south Kashmir, which is said to be the traditional hot-bed of militancy in the Valley.
Khalid, however, was allegedly killed in an encounter by the Army when he went to meet Burhan in the thick Tral forests on April 13 last year. According to J&K Police, Khalid, 25, was “involved in overground (militant) activities” and had led a group of three potential recruits to meet Burhan. When the Army closed in on the hideout, the militants fled and Khalid was killed.
Tech-savvy and a good motivator, Burhan is said to have effectively utilised the social media sphere to spread Islamist propaganda to attract and recruit young Kashmiri men into the militancy fold. For quite some time, Burhan’s presence on social media had been relatively high with videos, photographs and messages. He had also become the star of a video that was circulated on Facebook and WhatsApp in an attempt to recruit young Kashimiri men. The video, which had gone viral, showed him embracing an armed militant.
The location where the picture was shot seemed to be somewhere in orchards of Shopian or Pulwama in South Kashmir, which has of late become a fertile ground for recruitment of youths into various militant outfits.
The Intelligence Bureau had estimated that there are now lesser number of militants in the Valley compared to the grim scenario over a decade ago. But on the flip side, a majority of these militants are now homegrown. Wani, who had dropped out just 10 days before his Class 10 board exams, seldom actively took part in militant strikes, but was said to be the brain behind many.
What really matters now is whether the educated youth, who were motivated by Wani, will give some thought to the sordid role of fatalistic religious dogmas and violence that turned a paradise into a blood-laden valley. And also, whether the authorities would take a logical and humanitarian approach to cleanse this extremely dangerous flow of hatred.
Sunday, May 01, 2016
Could virtual reality be the next step in parenting?
Raising children is today's fast-paced world is a difficult challenge. From frequent work-related travels to working late hours, many parents are unable to dedicate much time to their little ones and it can be tough on those who've grown habituated to the soothing ritual of the goodnight hug or bedtime story.
Technology has already gifted these parents the option to move on from the bedtime phone call to the bedtime video chat. But now, an app developed by Samsung lets parents and children reunite for bedtime stories in virtual reality.
The Bedtime VR Stories app, which is still in the prototype stage, combines elements of the traditional bedtime story— words appear on screen and parents, can read them aloud—with games and animation. Using Gear VR and Google Cardboard headsets – with funny faces, children can hear their parents reciting the story remotely and interact with them as if they are in the same room.
The Verge reports that the Bedtime VR Stories app lets parents and children go on a virtual journey together and the little ones do only listen to their parent read a story but are asked to interact with their environment in different ways as they travel together through an animated world of animals, dinosaurs, and robots.
“With both sat on a magical bed, they go on a journey that takes them from the bedroom to three magical places. First stop is the Arctic, in the company of Jen the Penguin. Next, Dan the Dinosaur takes them to meet the rest of his family in a pre-historic world. Finally, they fly into outer space with Robot Jo, for a musical finale," Samsung said in a press release.
The Verge in its report says that the app looked like it only worked with the Galaxy S7 Edge and Gear VR headset. It also notes that the app it is currently being tested with select families in the UK, and Samsung has not yet announced an official release date.
Sunday, July 05, 2015
The Song
The song was blue
About young lovers
Living in delusions of reality
Where the moon always shines
The cloudy rhythm changes its colour
The snare rolls up to a crescendo
A wail breaks into a long solo
Weeping in pain
Silence interrupts the words
There’s only background noise
The music is gone
It ends without an end
Wednesday, June 24, 2015
Visa row: Time to clean up this mess, says Lalit Modi
A day after Lalit Modi posted a large amount of Enforcement Directorate (ED) documents on his website, lalitmodi.com, related to the charges leveled against him by the government agency, the former Indian Premier League (IPL) chairman on Tuesday evening launched a frontal attack on some leading politicians and bureaucrats.
In a series of tweets, Modi said: "My Q to @arunjaitley - how come you allowed one owner to have two teams. How come PSU are key sponsors of hockey league which u are owner and director of. How come Mrs Jaitley is lawyer to the hockey league. India wants to know" Modi also asked the media to investigate the role of the finance minister and his daughter in the Indian Hockey League.
Will #media please investigate the role of @arunjaitley & @sonalijaitley - there association with #hockey league. PSU sponsors, team owners
— Lalit Kumar Modi (@LalitKModi) June 23, 2015
explain how much of the 1.4 cr was made by u from the hockey league @arunjaitley @sonalijaitley #indiasmostconflicted pic.twitter.com/oDH9ixW5bv
— Lalit Kumar Modi (@LalitKModi) June 23, 2015
Modi earlier alleged that Jaitley had controlled the BCCI for decades and had continued to stick by his "oldest friend", former board president N. Srinivasan, even after he was found guilty. The former IPL chief had also taken a jibe at Congress leader Rajiv Shukla, who was the IPL Chairman during Modi's time. He had called Shukla, Jaitley, Anurag Thakur, Jagmohan Dalmia and N. Srinivasan as the "Gang of Five who work together."
Birds of a feather stick together 1congress ??another BJP ?? #beware #conflictofinterest @arunjaitley @shuklarajiv pic.twitter.com/hEF97643tB
— Lalit Kumar Modi (@LalitKModi) June 23, 2015
You are correct. Slowly slowly I will start to bury this so called bcci / FM / mafia. Time is on my side ?? https://t.co/7tpNdv74zy
— Lalit Kumar Modi (@LalitKModi) June 23, 2015
Modi questioned some Congress leaders whether they had taken any favour and asked them to disclose it. "My Q goes out to #congress #party #satish #sharma did u at any time take any #favors from @LalitKModi - PLEASE DISCLOSE #indiawantstoknow" Modi tweeted more: Further Q to #congress #party #Ghulamnabiazad please disclose whether you have taken any favor or hospitality from #modi family"
Modi continued his salvo at the Congress and asked party leader Sachin Pilot: "My Q to #sachinpilot have you or your late father ever taken any favor or #hospitality from the #modi #family incl cash"
Q to #congress #party have u ever taken any favor or #hospitality from the #modi #family incl cash #sitaramkesri #motilalvohra #soniagandhi
— Lalit Kumar Modi (@LalitKModi) June 23, 2015
Playing the role of an anti-corruption crusader, Modi urged his followers to mail their experiences to him on the email id corruptpoliticiansinindia@gmail.com. The former IPL chief, who is at the centre of a storm over the help he got from External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje and is facing an investigation into cases of FEMA violations, warned 'corrupt babus' in the ED and Income Tax Department of a 'cleaning up' of the agencies.
I urge all the people to immediately send me on this email anything you have on corruption. ????????????????corruptpoliticiansinindia@gmail.com.
— Lalit Kumar Modi (@LalitKModi) June 23, 2015
Are u aware a major swiss bank has a ex COMMISIONER INCOME TAX as its MD & his wife is still commissioner of IT incharge of money laundering
— Lalit Kumar Modi (@LalitKModi) June 23, 2015
In response to the ED notices, Modi said: "Investigations proved that I had no role to play in any outward remittance. Consequently, no foreign exchange violation has been done by me."
FOR THE MISINFORMED MEDIA: STATUS ON 16 SHOW CAUSE NOTICES : ALL COMPLETELY REPLIED. All enlisted. A summary ?????? pic.twitter.com/4Mx5LjsGDz
— Lalit Kumar Modi (@LalitKModi) June 23, 2015
Modi also took on Vivek Nagpal, who he called the 'biggest hawala operator'. Modi had, in an earlier ocassion, named Nagpal as the man who manipulated appointments and elections to the BCCI and is reportedly associated with President Pranab Mukherjee's secretary Omita Paul.
Modi said: "the biggest hawala operator is #vivek #nagpal also best known as #omita #pauls #bagman. Lots of data on him. Does anyone care to investigate him no. Why? He has friends in the highest places. Media is blind most times. Follow my lead and see. Find the bank and FM should ensure he gets them to part all info of every indian with them. Surprisingly you will find all the IT/ Govt servants / ED etc etc accounts there. But will u. I doubt it. Go after the real money launderers. Look in the right direction instead of going after someone who only gave to his country and created a life changing product called lPL and 47,600 crores."The former IPL chief, who admitted that he lives life king-size on his own money, said there will be more 'revelations'. "Wait for daily updates. Time to clean up this mess," he quipped.
Saturday, June 20, 2015
Van the Man: Songwriters Hall of Fame honours Sir Van Morrison
Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician, Sir George Ivan "Van" Morrison, was honoured with the prestigious "Johnny Mercer Award" at the 46th annual gala of the Songwriters Hall of Fame ceremony in New York on Thursday night.
If you are surprised by the “Sir” preceding the veteran musician’s name, news is, Van Morrison was knighted for services to music in the Birthday Honours list of Britain's Queen Elizabeth just a week earlier.
In the ceremony at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square, legendary Grateful Dead guitarist and songwriter Jerry Garcia was honoured posthumously alongside the band's lyricist Robert Hunter. "Hoochie Coochie Man" songwriter Willie Dixon, Cindy Lauper and Lady Gaga were also on the honouree list, among others.
Thursday, June 18, 2015
Neil Young tells Donald Trump to stop 'Rockin' in the Free World'
Donald Trump, who announced that he is taking his first run at the White House on the promise that he will 'bring back' the American dream, reportedly chose Young's anthemic song to kick-start this huge moment in his life and career.
"Rockin' in the Free World" seemed to be an odd choice, given the fact that the song is supposedly a criticism of George HW Bush's presidency and his free-market economic policies upon which Trump is said to have built his empire. The song also 'slams' the Republicans for their 'disregard toward the lower-class.'
Naturally, the Canadian singer-songwriter and musician was not too pleased with Trump using his tune without any authorization. Young is also said to be a supporter of Democrat Bernie Sanders for president of the US.
"Donald Trump was not authorized to use 'Rockin' in the Free World' in his presidential candidacy announcement," a spokesperson for Young's Lookout Management told Rolling Stone.
However, a spokesperson for the Trump campaign said that the entrepreneur was a fan of Young's music, although their political views differed, and that the track was played legally. "Through a license agreement with [performance-rights organization] ASCAP, Mr. Trump's campaign paid for and obtained the legal right to use Neil Young's recording of 'Rockin' in the Free World' at today's event," the spokesperson told Rolling Stone. "Nevertheless, we won't be using it again - there are plenty of songs to choose from."
Incidentally, Trump and Booker Prize-winning author Salman Rushdie reportedly stood up and sang along to another Neil Young's song "Let's Impeach the President," at a Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young concert at the Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York in 2006.
Watch Neil Young's "Rockin' in the Free World" video:
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