Why Modi is so hated

Many people love to hate Modi. I have still not understood the reason for that. 

They call him "feku" Modi. Ok, ignore what he or the opponents say, just see what he has done. 

"Communal Modi". This is a diabolical one. A planted narrative. He is not. Even assuming he is, for argument's sake, the other side is way way more communal, whether it is the other party or the other religion, that escapes the brainwashed narrative peddlers who call him communal. 

"Fascist Modi". Pray in what way fascist? Everyone here is free to say what they want, do what they want. 

"Undemocratic Modi". Really? The man wins election after election. First, as CM, then as PM. 

Criticism is fine, but those who abuse Modi are usually completely brainwashed by narratives, and are incapable of looking at facts. 

It is not my case that there is nothing to criticise Modi about. I am talking of the extreme hate that he manages to generate among his critics and opponents, it is a visceral hate, from the gut Now, who can manage to generate such gut reactions from people? Only a person who is extremely good, or a person who is extremely evil. 

He is destroying the very foundations on which people function, that is why the hate. 

The Christians hate him because he is pushing back on their conversion agenda. Now why that should be a problem to the Christians, I don't know, they are free to lead their lives aren't they? 

The Muslims hate him because he stops the man on the roof of the mosque from throwing stones on the Hindu procession passing below. Now why that should be a problem is easy to see, for it is the birthright of the Muslim to throw stones on the Kafirs. 

The Deep State hates him because he refuses to align with them. Anyone who aligns with the deep state leaves every kind of morality behind, and works for an international cabal working towards overarching evil global goals. The opponents call him Nationalist, by the way that is a term of abuse when it is used by a Left Liberal. Now I am very clear that I have voted him in to be a Nationalist, what is wrong with that? The Deep State controls lots of powerful institutions, a lot of the judiciary, and almost the entire media. Our man is facing all that and still lives and still fights. 

He is incorruptible. I am not talking of "funds for the party" kind of corruption, I don't think anyone is above that, but I am talking of morality, principle, and working for the best interests of the country. People who are incorruptible are the most hated.

And he is successful. Oh how he is successful! Now that one point itself is reason enough to hate him. 

He is not senile, like Biden. He is not impulsive, like Trump. He is not a deep state puppet, like so many world leaders. He is not ashamed of being a Hindu, like so many of our countrymen. 

 Modi encapsulates all the qualities that make people hate someone, all at once, and all in great measure. Oh, how they hate him! 

What is there not to hate about Modi? 

May God grant him a long life! 

THE IPL TAMASHA

The politician understands something well that we don't. 

It's the old Roman funda of Bread and Circuses. 

Bread: Keep the population fed with just enough bread so that they don't riot. Too little, and they will break down the walls and enter the enclaves of the rich, too much and they will start dreaming about joining the ranks of the rich. 

Circuses: arrange entertainment for them in the Roman Circus, read modern IPL. 

Put some gladiators in the field to fight each other. Make it a blood sport so that the  aggressive instincts of the people are vented out. Make it a mindless sport, anything  intellectual will not work. Make them root for one team or The other, make them identify with the protagonists. Every victory or defeat on the field, every match, will drain out their emotional energy and they will be completely consumed in the pantomime being acted out on the field. 

The blood and killing part has been replaced now with more civilized "hitting a ball", but nothing else has changed. The teams can be totally artificial, there is not even a single Kannadiga in the IPL team. Even the players don't belong to any one team, they keep getting "auctioned" from team to team. 

The fans are still there, and they are as inane, as mindless as ever. They rush to watch their "heroes" and even die in stampedes. They follow completely useless statistics, and create virtual teams based on the already virtual teams. 

Companies and advertisers sponsoring this tamasha pour in billions of rupees to catch the attention of the cretins who are screaming their lungs out in excitement.

Riches are showered on the gladiators for providing the population with their escapist fantasies. Politicians vie for photo ops with them. 

All this is necessary and the ruling classes understand it well. Keep the population at the most basic level of physical and emotional development, keep them fed just enough, and keep them screaming their guts out at inane mindless tamashas like the IPL.

The Romans said it thousands of years ago. Every ruler understands it instinctively. Give the population Bread, and give them Circuses. 

And give them hope, always keep them fed with hope. The politician keeps feeding the people with promises of a better tomorrow in this life, and where they stop, religion enters. Religion goes one step further, it keeps the population fed on hopes of a better afterlife, but that is another post for another day... 

ON MOTIVATIONAL QUOTES

Ever since WhatsApp came on the scene, I get one motivational message daily, on how to live my life and improve myself. 

Somehow, these motivational messages don't have the desired impact on me. Here are some of the thoughts that run through my mind while reading them: 

The early bird gets the worm;

The smart worm hides at sunrise; 

A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step;

Journey, what journey? I don't know where I want to go when stepping out; 

To find enlightenment, gaze at the navel;

Whose navel, many are interesting; 

Each day, start the journey afresh;

Yes, that is exactly what I have been doing, from the same place; 

If you know where you want to go, you will reach there;

My problem is not in the knowing, it is in the reaching; 

Look at those who are less fortunate than you and feel grateful; 

I feel they are the ones looking at me and feeling pity; 

Behind every successful man there is a woman;

Who is the one who will never agree that you are successful, even if the rest of the world does; 

Behind every successful man there is a woman; 

Behind every man actually, chasing him day in and day out, some of them become successful; 

It is not in the stimulus but in the response that happiness lies;

Every response of mine acts as a stimulus for my  wife; 

Greet the rising sun with a smile welcoming the new day; 

What are you smiling like an idiot for, says she, get moving; 

A stitch in time saves nine; 

I am still searching for the thread; 

Life is a mosaic, a tapestry of colours; 

Mine is different shades of monochrome; 

Follow your dream, pursue your passion; 

Her hubby beat me up; 

Aim for the stars and you will reach the treetops;

My garden only has shrubs; 

Set the intent, believe in yourself, and magic will happen; 

Wait till the intent meets the day and shatters before it gets formed; 

Be like the candle, spread light wherever you go;

I am still looking for the matchstick to light me up; 

Trust in God, and he shall lead you by the hand; 

People say I am too trusting; 

God helps only those who help themselves;

Must be a long queue, God is taking his time; 

Every day, you must learn something new;

I am married dude, spouse takes care of that; 

And so on... 

I am disgusted with myself, motivational messages don't seem to motivate me. Any suggestions on how to remedy that? 

Conclusions from Pehelgam and after

Most of these conclusions are only reinforcements of things we always knew. Some of these conclusions are new. 

Pakistan is a terrorist state. 

Islam fosters terrorism. It is not "radical" Islam or "jehadi" islam that is the problem. Islam itself is the problem. 

There are no permanent friends and permanent enemies in global politics. 

India has to be self reliant in defence. 

China is highly advanced in defence equipment.

Much of Chinese supremacy in defence is overstated. 

Yes, both the above are true at the same time. 

US is an undependable ally. US is a  sponsor of regimes which sponsor terror. 

No one, repeat, no one, wants to see India become powerful. 

If Congress had been in power, we would have succumbed to Covid blackmail and defence blackmail. A large part of our wealth would have been sent to the Pharma lobby and the defence lobby. We would continue to be poor and meek and taken for granted. 

If Congress had been in power, Pakistan would have got more and more emboldened. And their  blackmail would have continued.

Kirana Hills shook the world, literally and figuratively. 

The Nuclear bluff of Pakistan is finished once and for all. 

India is becoming  self reliant in defence. Atmanirbhar Bharat is not merely a slogan. 

"Nationalist government" is a God send. All governments need to be nationalist. But that word Nationalist is treated like a bad word, just like Islamophobe. There is nothing bad about being Nationalist or being  Islamophobe. 

India has shifted the narrative. No one questions that Pakistan is a terrorist state. 

Our so called celebrities, both Bollywood and Cricket are shameless mercenaries with no values or principles. People need to realise that at least now. 

The only way to put down a bully is to stand up to him and pummel him. 

We have kept the door open for further pummeling Pakistan. There will be more terror attacks. They can't and will not stop. We will have to attack them again. Next time, they will be better prepared. 

Having Pakistan as a neighbour is like having a permanent maggot festering on your body. You are screwed either way, whether you kill them or let them live. 

The Indian government played the escalation and de escalation cards brilliantly. 

BJP needs to come to power for another three terms for India to progress.  Because they are Nationalist.

The end of De Beers

De Beers is desperate now, diamond prices are going down. But this time they won't be able to retrieve the situation. 

Diamonds have never been a great investment. Their prices have always been "controlled " by De Beers, the largest owner of diamond mines in the world. Over the years, they started facing increasing challenges from other players, along with undercutting. 

The whole idea of procuring  a "diamond ring" for getting engaged, is a creation of the De Beers marketing department, just like buying gold on Akshaya Tritiya is a myth, if not created, fostered by the Indian Gold Council. 

Diamonds are highly subjective in their pricing, involving the 4 C's of Color, Cut, Clarity, and Carat. This makes them unreliable as an investment. Further, the trade margins are too high. 

Indians being smart have never been too enamored of diamonds, with the exception of Sindhis and traditional Tambrahm maamis. In general, the sensible Indians prefer gold. 

"Diamonds are forever" goes the tag line, I suspect created by the De Beers Marketing department. But then, every stone is "forever", that hardly makes it a good investment does it. The gravel under my driveway I am sure is a few thousand years old. 

In the last couple of decades a new problem emerged for the diamond industry. Artificial lab manufactured diamonds  became better and better, and now they are so good as to be  indistinguishable from the original. Even experts can't tell the difference without detailed lab analysis. 

I believe the prices are still artificially propped up by the diamond lobby, and they are all set to go through the floor any time. 

If you had diamonds, you should have sold them ten years back, this development is not sudden and was known to everyone. If you still have them, sell them right away, and buy gold. 

But, these are my great grandmother's earrings, my granddad bought them for her in Sindh, you say. Well, this is an investment discussion and those are irrelevant considerations. 

But they look good on me, you say. Sure, the lab stuff will look equally good. And you don't need diamonds, you are already so beautiful / ugly (depending on who I am talking to) that nothing will make a difference! 

And yes, if you need De Beers to teach you how to express your love, I have nothing to say!