Happy Independence!

We are independent. Free to do what our heart desires. But we have not known any other way. We have not born the hardships of slavery nor experienced the cruelty of submission.

And as every year advances the true meaning of independence will keep fading, eventually leading to it being just another holiday.

I am not trying to preach or lecture, simply stating the fact as I see it.


It is not an altogether sorry state of affairs either. We are proud of our heritage, our history, our freedom struggle. And we should be - it was after all a very unique freedom struggle. Our leader taught the whole world that nonviolence can be a very effective weapon causing the least amount of casualties.

This day is dedicated to my grandparents and the people of their generation who seemed to have a higher purpose in life. They fought for our country. They chose the right path. They set out to oust a regime and they succeeded.

Have we stood up to their expectations? Let us be optimistic today and say YES! India is a global power today. Let us each take a bit of credit for that and be proud of ourselves and our country.

Jai Hind!

Olympics - the original symbol of global unity

Olympic games are the ultimate mecca for athletes. It is their time of glory and recognition. The whole world comes together to applaud their performances. We forget our differences and celebrate the achievements of the human body and mind.

Healthy competition promotes a sense of pride and accomplishment; but never arrogance and over-confidence. I believe that, in general, great athletes have a more open outlook on life than the rest of us. Their physical struggles give them emotional endurance as well as a feeling of calmness during times of crisis.

It is a great national honor to host the Olympics. China stands to gain substantially this year by exposing to the world their culture, their lifestyles, their economic and political standpoints, and all their other human potential. It brings closer their dream of becoming the next superpower. China is selling and the world is buying Brand China.

We watched yesterday as Michael Phelps took his 9th gold medal in the 200m free style swimming. I guess everyone expected that. What they did not expect was Natalie Coughlin taking the gold in women's 100m backstroke swimming, beating the favorite Zimbabwe's Kirsty Coventry.

Also, yesterday all Indians rejoiced at the victory of Abhinav Bindra (in shooting) and India's first individual olympic gold medal ever. Hopefully this will help in turning things around for Indian athletes and they will find the encouragement and support they need to succeed at this level.

Past is history? Not really...

Indian civilization and the Hindu religion are the oldest known in the world, yet we know so little of them. Partly because of the vast amount of information contained therein, partly because of the history of invasions in India by foreign lands and rulers, resulting in the destruction of historic documents, scriptures, texts, and thought, and also partly because of our relative disinterest in becoming familiar with our own history.

Today I read about ancient Indian civilizations of Mohenjo-daro as well as ancient Indian universities of Taxila and Nalanda, among the first known of their kind. Taxila was flourishing around 700BC, while Nalanda was founded much later - around 427 CE. Pioneers in the field of economics, mathematics, law, and medicine, like Chanakya (also known as Kautilya), Emperor Chandragupta, and Charaka studied there. Chanakya also taught at Taxila in his later life and authored the famous Arthashastra there.

The Nalanda library is thought to have contained numerous volumes of Hindu and Buddhist scriptures written by a collection of great minds of their time. These texts held within their pages the treasures of vedas, astrology, alchemy, mathematics, and anatomy. The entire university, including the library was burned to the ground and the students and teachers murdered by Mughal invaders in the 12th century.

Which should really just make everyone think: WHY? Why the destruction of progress? Especially progress that is beneficial to all humankind. Why the belief that only that which is mine shall persist and all else perish?

I personally feel cheated out of my right to have been able to gain from our ancestors' knowledge. To be able to visit the ancient sites where our ancestors led their lives and hoped to leave their legacy behind for future generations. How much the world would have been different today if the expansion of knowledge, education, and thought had been allowed to continue unhindered. And how much would the world be different tomorrow without the senseless destruction of progress that is happening today.