CUI BONO ? WHO BENEFITS FROM DEATH OF BENAZIR BHUTTO?

I had never thought I would be writing the last blog of year-2007 on a tragic incident. Yes, my friends I am talking of Benzir Bhutto, the daughter of East and perhaps the most powerful lady to take birth in the Islamic world, a lady who will charm you with her beauty and poise; mesmerize you with her oratory skill and bemuse you with her political acumen.

A sad end! An end so untimely and so premature! But this is the world of terrorism and assassination, the world of gruesome and barbaric with dictums of “Hit and Run”,” Hit and Stay” and the latest “Hit and Blow”. The list is long - Caesar, Lincoln, Mahtma Gandhi, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and now Benazir Bhutto. It is the most unfortunate for Indian subcontinent as the last two in the list had unfulfilled dream of a new Indo-Pak relationship. But one left the world on 21^st May 1991 and the other on 27^th December 2007. But for what? For what this heartlessness of humankind?

Now, my friends just see this video. This is the video minutes before her demise. See the energy. See the passion. We do not know how long it shall take to see another parallel in this world.

LAST SPEECH.

LAST SPEECH.

“These extremist elements have set up an authorized government and the world is saying to me if you can not handle them then we will come to Pakistan and deal with them.Friends, why can’t we handle this in our country? This country is very dear to us. Why should a foreign country come to our country? We will handle the extremists. I will handle them. You will save the country and so will I.”

THE ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF LAST SPEECH.

But who killed her? But who is the brain behind this sinister design? In ancient Rome when a murder occurred and clear case of culpability was lacking, the lawyers used to ask question. CUE BONO? WHO BENEFITS?

AL-QAEDA?

MUSHARRAF?

INTER-SERVICE-INTELLIGENCE (ISI)?

Perhaps as in the case of President Kennedy, we shall never know. The word “ASSASSIN” is derived from the Arabic word “HASHASHIYUN” meaning Hashish Smokers. But for the modern assassin, the “POWER” is “HASHISH”. Perhaps the broad answer to CUE BONE is POWER.

SECRET E-MAIL OF BENAZIR BHUTTO

Bhutto wrote the e-mail on October 26, eight days after at least 130 people were killed and hundreds more wounded in Karachi by the suicide bombing that occurred as Bhutto's motorcade passed.

Siegel forwarded that e-mail to CNN's Wolf Blitzer, with instructions he not report on it unless Bhutto was killed.

Nothing will, God willing happen," she wrote to Mark Siegel, her US spokesman, lobbyist and friend.

"Just wanted u to know if it does in addition to the names in my letter to Musharaf of Oct 16nth, I would hold Musharaf responsible. I have been made to feel insecure by his minions and there is no way what is happening in terms of stopping me from taking private cars or using tinted windows or giving jammers or four police mobiles to cover all sides could happen without him."

HERE ARE A FEW OF BENAZIR'S WORDS AGAINST TERRORISM AND EXTREMISM.

"Life is very precious and gift of Allah. It should not and cannot be wasted. But when my country is in danger, when my countrymen are in danger, when there is no rule of law, when extremists are gaining ground, I am ready to risk my life."

"I was asked not to come to the country as I may face murder attempts. Why don't they arrest these people? Why are they moving freely in the country? If they cannot arrest the extremists, if they do not have ability to curb the extremism, they should resign and go home."

"We want to isolate extremists and build a better Pakistan."

"Today my country is facing several threats including insecurity, unemployment, terrorism and hunger."

"The supporters of militants and Al Qaeda want to stop the restoration of democracy because they see it as a threat to the structure of militancy."

"We will have to modify our campaign to some extent because of the suicide bombings but we are not going to be deterred from reaching the public."

"The message of Islam is the message of peace. Prophet Mohammed advised the Muslims to get knowledge. But why people in our country are taught violence instead of knowledge? Violence yields destruction."

"Islam forbids attack on innocent people. Islam says do not attack women, children and elderly people even in war. But the terrorists attacked three million people, among which were children, women and elderly people."

"I urge upon mothers that they should raise their children in such a manner that they do not carry weapons to kill innocent, poor and weak."

"Extremism grows in dictatorship. A handful of extremists hold the majority to hostage."

"There must be zero tolerance for acts of terror and militancy that kill poor people, working classes, and middle classes of our country."

"Extremism will continue to grow, putting everyone at risk. The world must ... insist on free and fair elections in Pakistan."

BENAZIR SPEAKS TO OMAR KHAN OF JAIZA TV. SHE SPEAKS OF TERRORISM, RELATION WITH INDIA AND PEOPLE OF PAKISTAN.

BURJ DUBAI SKYSCRAPER, the tallest building in the world.

BURJ DUBAI SKYSCRAPER, the tallest building in the world.

SOME FACTS.

Height:-800m to 950m

No of Floors:-160-189

Date of commencement of construction:-1^st February 2005

Probable date of completion:-30^th June 2009

Type:-Skyscraper

Location:-Dubai,United Arab Emirates.

Designed by:-Skidmore,Owings&Merrill

Developer:-Emaar Properties.

Next tallest building in the world:-508m tall,Taipei 101,Taiwan.

January-2005

May-2005

April-2005

July-2005

October-2005

December-2005

January-2006

April-2006

September-2006

December-2006

March-2007

July-2007

October-2007

December-2007

A STORY OF BUDDHADEB, KARUNADEB AND “SECULAR”DEBs.

A STORY OF BUDDHADEB, KARUNADEB AND “SECULAR”DEBs.

Sometimes in 1995 I had read a book naming “IN THE WONDERLAND OF INDIAN MANAGERS” written by Management Consultant Sri Sharu Rangnekar. I was so impressed by the book that I had written down some portions of the book in my note book for my future reference. Today after 12 years when I stumbled upon that old note book and read through those copied lines I was tempted to write a new blog correlating those lines with present Indian political scenario.

Now I reproduce something from that book for benefit of my friends who have not read that book. Of course the book is written purely on Indian context. Here goes a portion of first chapter of that book.

HOW TO AVOID MAKING DECISIONS

In India, it is as important to learn ways of avoiding decisions as it is to learn ways of decision-making in America. The first decision-rule of Indian Management is: If you can avoid it, don’t take it.

PROBLEM-1: CYCLE-STAND FOR WORKERS.

Though many solutions were given in that book on how to avoid a decision on the cycle-stand problem, I was particularly impressed by Tantrum Method. Here is what the book says about Tantrum Method.

Tantrum Method: This is a somewhat ancient method, but is still effective. When the initiator comes with his proposal, you should throw a tantrum, e.g.: “Cycle-stand for workers! Oh, what a proposal and what a time to bring it up! The bearing on the starting machine has broken down, the compound wall has cracked due to the last earthquake and my ulcers are bothering me again! Can you not think of anything more significant than a cycle-stand?

Now let us come to the context on which I want write this blog.My Indian friends must have read news article on Comrade Buddhadeb Bhattacharya, Chief Minister of state of West Bengal, India. Though I have no regards for communist parties of India or for that matter the concept of communisms as a whole, I aver secret appreciation for Sri Bhattacharya for his progressive thinking amongst the regressive thinking communist comrades.

But in recent times Sri Bhattacharya's popularity has also taken beating. It started with murder of Rizwanur Rahman, a Muslim boy who married a Hindu girl and it continued to the massacre of Nandigram where a large numbers of Muslims were affected. In both the cases West Bengal police acted as villain. And in case of Nandigram along with police the brutal and ugly face of communist cadre was also in forefront.

Those who want to know about the brutality of Communist cadre in Nandigram may see these two videos.

All these happenings were too much for Comrade Bhattacharya. His secular credentials were also at a stake. So Comrade Bhattacharya wanted to distract people’s attention from Nandigram. First he aimed his gun towards controversial Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen who after her Anti-Muslim writing had taken shelter in west Bengal. But, perhaps, it was not enough. He played typical Indian politician's secular game. What is that? Simple. Tell something against the majority religion of the country, Hinduism, you are assumed/declared as SECULAR!

So going by Sri Sharu Rangnekar’s style I must say that when all over the world the meaning of being secular is “to assert the freedom of religion, and freedom from religion, within a state that is neutral on matters of belief, and gives no state privileges or subsidies to religions”, but for Indian politician it is “to humiliate the Hinduism, the majority religion of the country”.

So Buddhadeb played a “Kruna”deb and declared,” "Rama was born in the imagination of poets and Rama Setu is a natural formation under the sea,"

Oh my Lord Rama, please tell these “Secular”debs that YOU may not exist for them but Rama Setu does exist. Why can not they carry out scientific study and establish who made it? I know these “Secular”debs do not respect my sentiments and for that matter they do not respect the sentiments of majority of Indian. They do not understand that for the majority of this country “LORD”,”RAMA” and “NATURE” are synonymous.

SINGER FROM INDIAN SUB-CONTINENT-3 (DR.BHUPEN HAZARIKA)

If man wouldn’t think for man

With a little sympathy

Tell me who will– comrade.

If we repeat history

If we try to buy

Or sell humanity

Won’t we be wrong –comrade?

If the weak

Tide across the rapids of life

With your help

What do you stand to lose?

If man does not become man

A demon never will

If a demon turns more human

Whom shall it shame more–comrade?

This is the English translation of Assamese song “Manuhe Manuhar Babe” (for man), composed in 1964 by Dr. Bhupen Hazarika ,the singer, the poet, the politician, the journalist, the lyricist, the musician, the filmmaker and the writer from Assam, the north-eastern state of India. Whereas he had been a legend in Eastern India for decades, it was his compositions for the film Rudali which won Hazarika recognition across the Subcontinent. The waterways of Assam have been the source of inspiration for Hazarika’s songs and lyrics all these years. “The Brahmaputra is the lifeline of Assam,” he says. One of his notable collaborations for Doordarshan was Luit Kinare (by the banks of the Luit), a mosaic of ordinary tales that is both cheerful and poignant. (The Luit merges with the Dibang in Arunachal pradesh to create the mighty sea-like expanse of the river Brahmaputra.)

Few know that, during his time at Columbia University, Hazarika was a friend of Paul Robeson, the great black American singer, actor and civil rights activist. Robeson’s passionate crusade for social justice and black pride has permeated Bhupenda’s own worldview. Inspired greatly by Robeson’s powerful rendition of the song “Ole Man River”, Hazarika created his own moving ode to the Brahmaputra.

He is a communicator of romance, passion, universalism and humanism. He has gathered awards aplenty: for his contribution to cinema, to music, to culture, and to the vigor he reinstalled in the Assamese, jostling them awake through song, and forcing them to rethink old attitudes. In 1994, he was awarded the Dada Saheb Phalke Award, the highest award in India for contribution to films.

I find striking similarities in his voice and rendering style with those of famous Spanish singer Julio Iglesias. Now kindly listen to these two songs one by Dr.Bhupen Hazarika and the other by Julio Iglesias and you too will note the similarities.

GANGA BY DR.BHUPEN HAZARIKA.

BOLEROS BY JULIO IGLESIAS.

Now I leave to me friend to justify my assumption about Dr.Bhupen Hazarika and Julio Iglesias. But for me Dr.Bhupen Hazarika is the Julio Iglesias of the east and Julio Iglesias is the Dr.Bhupen Hazarika of the west.

Now listen to some beautiful numbers by Dr.Bhupen Hazarika including the famous song “dil hoom hoom kare” of “Rudali”.

“DIL HOOM HOOM KARE” OF “RUDALI”

DR. BHUPEN HAZARIKA AND LATE PRATIMA PANDEY BARUAH SINGING TOGETHER THE FAMOUS PAUL ROBESON SONG "WE ARE IN THE SAME BOAT BROTHER".

SOME BENGALI AND ASSAMESE SONGS.