Posts from — December 2004

In case the Shankaracharya of Kanchi is indeed guilty of ordering the murder of Shankararaman, then he would be the only murderer that I have touched the feet of and sought blessings!

It happened when I was touring South India with my parents, about 14 years ago. I do not remember the exact place, but it was a in a huge temple complex where we had just finished gaping at the architecture and had clicked some mandatory snaps. We noticed this figure shrouded in an orange cloth, carrying a staff, walking across the courtyard. Some of the more religiously aware members of our touring party recognized that figure as Shankaracharya Jayendra Saraswati and rushed towards him. So did everyone else around… including me. And thats when I bowed before him and sought his blessings.

If I had known that he would turn out to be a murderer, I might have just given him a surly look!

Jagdish Tytler, a minister in charge of a pretty superfluous ministry (he’s the minister for overseas Indians) says, in an interview to rediff.com, that his ministry will listen to Indians abroad.

By all means! … But I’d much rather prefer it if his government listens to Indians within the country first… instead of turning its ears only towards the Left!

And I couldn’t help but chuckle when the minister was asked which countries he had covered in his extensive foreign jaunts and he started off by mentioning Brussels!! :-P

Sucheta Dalal alerts us to the Government’s silent intrusion into the privacy of honest tax-paying citizens.

The average honest tax payer, especially the non-salaried class would have ordinarily welcomed this effort to flush out chronic tax evaders, except that the rot in the regulatory and enforcement machinery is deep that these measures are viewed with extreme cynicism and even anger.

Each of these actions only allow government agencies to intrude a little more into the lives or ordinary citizens. Confidential information about their assets and spending habits will now filter through porous government departments from a variety of different sources.

Time to sit up and take notice!!

Now that I’m back in Mumbai and my domain name (www.opti-mystic.net) has been extended for a further two years, I can start being my opinionated self once again and commence posting here regularly!

Let the good times roll… ;-)