For the love of the Maximum City!

Lately, I have been subdued and enraged. Subdued, because of the attack on very heart of the city of Bombay and killings of innocent lives. Enraged, because of the failure of the state and center government as well as the irresponsible behavior of the whole political cadre of the country.

We saw the mayhem and bedlam. We felt the pain of losing loved ones and prayed for the lives of the ones who were facing death. We witnessed the bravery of the long forgotten heroes in Police, fire-brigade and yes, the NSG who once again displayed the strength of our security and army personals. We also saw the remorseless and shameless faces of our politicians who did not allow this opportunity to pass in waging their war of words with the upcoming election in mind.

I am one of the millions who are furious with the passiveness of the government machinery and the opposition parties. I was with the thousand of my fellow citizens on 3rd December at the Gateway to show our solidarity against the aftermath of such heinous act against the humanity. Although in the brisk flow of emotions, the substance and the purpose of the gathering was faded, the spirit is still intact.

The Maximum City was burning haplessly for almost three days and every blast in Taj and Oberoi made our hearts bleed. How can a bunch of rats have such audacity to wriggle out of their holes and cause such mayhem? Can we allow such cowards to keep their filthy feet on the heart of our city and kill our brothers and sisters? Can they break our spirits? Is our country not worth the lives and sacrifices of the security persons and policemen?

We need to rise and rise now!

Shine on you crazy Diamond....Glory glory Indian Space Scientists!

Indian Space scientists have given the whole Country a moment that we should all be proud of. India's first lunar mission 'Chandrayaan - I' will provide important insights into the lunar environment including data.

During 1960s, President John F. Kennedy inspired an entire generation , whose words about the importance of space exploration are so relevant for India's successful mission today: President Kennedy said 'It is one of the great adventures of all time...and no Nation which expects to be the leader of other nations can expect to stay behind in the race to space.'

The spacecraft was injected in elliptical transfer orbit with a perigee of about 250 km and apogee of about 23,000 km. It will continue to orbit the earth for fifteen days before entering into the Moon's gravitational area and entering the Lunar orbit.

Let us keep our fingers crossed for next 15 days till the spacecraft reaches its lunar orbit after 15 days. My heartiest congratulations to the entire ISRO Team who have made Chandrayaan-I a dream come true. I wish that ISRO uses this moment to popularize 'Science' as a subject amongst the children of our country, which NASA has been able to do with great panache in USA.

Mutiny in diversity!!

The recent developments in Jammu and Kashmir and later in Orissa have made us look like a bunch of juveniles to the whole world, who are fighting for crazy tiny little things and the only difference being that in the process, we are killing each other. To begin with, the controversies in respect of Amarnath Shrine Board's Land are the issues that have been blown out of proportion, courtesy BJP and the Hurriat Conference. The leaders of Hurriat Conference have publicly thanked BJP and its sidekick VHP, who have finally found something to make their presence felt, for reviving the separatist agenda in Jammu and Kashmir. Unfortunately, the central government has failed to put its foot down and control the situation in this case which really questions the credibility of this government who is still euphoric to be able to “win” the confidence motion in July.

The other instance in Orissa, where a VHP leader was killed and again the VHP’s agenda of extremism found an excuse to burn the churches and missionaries which has unfortunately attracted the attention of western countries hurting the secular image of the country. Such incidents are not novel for this country which has seen the religious hallucinations of the extremists. The situation in Jammu and Kashmir is very serious which has endangered the unity of the Republic of India. The separatist agenda has got a new lease of life and it is slowly turning out to be a ubiquitous monster which will adversely affect the sovereignty of India. The author wishes that a national party of the stature of BJP should have shown some political ingenuity instead of opportunism in this case. As media reports quote, for the first time, the people in valley were shouting ‘Pakistan Zindabad, Bharat teri maut aayi’. The Author hopes that the government and the main opposition party will comprehend the gravity of this situation and will act pragmatically for the unity of the country. Or else, we will not be witnessing the unity in diversity, but a vulgar display of Mutiny in diversity!The author does not wish to revert, but knows that he will be back to write more about this ...sooner or later!!!

Sam Bahadur......a Hero Departs!!

Field Marshal Sam Hormusji Framji Jamshedji Manekshaw, popularly known in the Army as Sam Bahadur , passed away on June 27. However, he will live long in our memories and will continue to inspire generations of officers in the country.

His exemplary abilities are evident from this incident which the late Field Marshal narrated this incident at the inaugural Field Marshal KM Cariappa Memorial Lecture in October 1995 at Delhi.

"There is a very thin line between being dismissed and becoming a Field Marshal. In 1971, when Pakistan cracked down in East Pakistan, hundreds and thousands of refugees started pouring into India, into West Bengal, Assam and Tripura. The Prime Minister held a Cabinet meeting in her office. I was then summoned.

A very angry, grim-faced Prime Minister read out telegrams from the Chief Ministers of West Bengal, Assam and Tripura. She then turned around to me and said, 'What are you doing about it?' And I said, 'Nothing, it's got nothing to do with me. You didn't consult me when you allowed the BSF, the CRP and RAW to encourage the Pakistanis to revolt. Now that you are in trouble, you come to me. I have a long nose. I know what's happening.'

She said, 'I want you to enter Pakistan. And I responded, That means war!'

She said, 'I do not mind if it is war.'

I said 'Are you prepared? I am certainly not. This is the end of April. The Himalayan passes are opening and there can be an attack from China.'

I turned around to the Prime Minister and said that the rains were about to start in East Pakistan and when it rains there, it pours and the whole countryside is flooded.

The snows are melting, the rivers would become like oceans. All my movement would be confined to roads."

Manekshaw told Gandhi that the Air Force would not be able to provide support because of climatic conditions. "Now Prime Minister, give me your orders. The grim Prime Minister with her teeth clenched said, 'The Cabinet will meet again at four o'clock.'

The Cabinet members started walking out. I being the junior most was the last to go and as I was leaving, she said, 'Chief, will you stay back?'

I turned around and said, 'Prime Minister, before you open your mouth, may I send you my resignation on grounds of health, mental or physical?'

She said, 'Everything you told me is true.'

'Yes! It is my job to tell you the truth,' I responded. 'And it is my job to fight, it is my job to fight to win and I have to tell you the truth.'

She smiled at me and said, 'All right Sam, you know what I want?' I said, 'Yes, I know what you want!'"

Manekshaw apparently had his way as the Bangladesh war took place seven months later, giving the armed forces ample time for preparations.

He was granted the rank fifteen days before his retirement. Many were envious of him. A Field Marshal is supposed to be in service throughout his life - and Sam Manekshaw had to wait for thirty-odd years to get the salary of his rank!

His attitude and flamboyance is evident from this incident narated by Mr. Ramamohan Rao former Principal Information Officer, Government of India.

" I remember the warmth that he showed whenever I met him in his office. During the tense days, one morning he called me to his office and asked me to draft a note. A heavy smoker those days, I was fumbling with my pen. He asked me what is wrong? I told him that to activate my faculties, I had to have a cigarette.

He told me: "Son, there is a cigarette box on my table. They contain good cigarettes. The President of India pays for them. In future, when you come to my room help yourself and you do not have to seek my permission."

I did have a smoke. The story was that only three officers smoked in the Army Chief's room. One was the Vice Chief of Army Staff, Lt.Gen. Har Prasad, the second was Lt.Gen. Reggi (R.S).Noronha, the Deputy Chief who smoked his cigar, and third was me."

Sam Bahadur....you will be missed!!

Inconvnient Truth...

Today, I watched Inconvenient Truth,again. Inconvenient Truth is a feature film documentary, where Director Davis Guggenheim eloquently weaves the science of global warming with Al Gore's personal history and lifelong commitment to reversing the effects of global climate change in the most talked-about documentary at Sundance.

Most of us probably believe that global warming is either an unproven hypothesis or a reflection of "cyclical changes" that have occurred before. But, global warming is there and we all know it. The facts and figures entailed in this documentary are surely astounding and it once again made me wonder what were our parents thinking and doing and what have we done to amend it? Well, talking about global warming has become a trend amongst some celebrities for sure! But are we really keen to respond to such a humongous problem that will surely leave every species on this earth shaken?

An Inconvenient Truth makes the compelling case that global warming is real, man-made, and its effects will be cataclysmic if we don't act now. Gore presents a wide array of facts and information in a thoughtful and compelling way: often humorous, frequently emotional, always fascinating. It made me think that are we so driven by our economy that we can go to any extent to endanger this earth?

I'll close with a question Al Gore posed in the film:

"If we don't do something about this problem now, sometime in the future our children and grandchildren will ask, "What were they thinking?"

My Trial Court colleagues.

One of the most amusing things that you experience in trial courts is the behavior and attitude of the lawyers who have spent their entire professional life in these trial courts. The first and foremost thing that strikes you is that their belief that they are the kings of the bar and they are the ones who define the procedures in trial courts. Whether its filing of any document or taking adjournments, they posses their own signature mannerism. Some of them really take pride in passing frivolous and nagging remarks while you are arguing and they search for opportunities to make you feel inferior by every means except by advocacy.

Like yesterday, in one of the matters before the Hon’ble City Civil Court, one advocate, who is quite senior, appeared in a matter against me and when the matter was called out, she requested the Hon’ble Judge to keep the matter back as her counsel was on his legs before some other Hon’ble Judge. After coming out of the court room, she asked me why I did not say any thing when the matter was called out, to which I replied that there was no need as she was the one who wanted to keep the matter back. On this, she promptly said, “this is not how the Court functions!! You should know what you have to say!!” and I had no option but to wonder about my Court mannerism. And yes, the best of my trial court colleagues comes out at the time of evidence. Their dramatic ways of cross – examining, taking various objection at the time of cross-examinations etc really reminds of some theatrical performance. I must say that it is one of the exhilarating and stimulating experiences to practice in trial courts and you should not miss out on that.

My New year....

The New year has been fantastic so far! Although there were some bittersweet memories it has struck the right note for sure. From January 2, I have joined a new Law Firm and the people that I am working with are really intelligent and fantastic. Working with such competitive bunch of people is really great. I've been working for long hours for last one month or so and trust me I am loving every moment of it. On personal front, things are not as good as I wanted them to be. But I am sure they will be better in times to come.There are innumerable things that I want to achieve this year and so far I am on a right path! The Journey continues....