Travelogue: Darjiling and Sikkim (Part III)

Ahem! After a lot of avoidable delay caused due to laziness, here’s the 3rd part of my East Himalayan sojourn. Evidently the sodden wet Islamia dinner wasnt exactly nutritious food, as, 3 vomitings and an equal no. of trips to the lavatory later, I found out. However it was nothing to worry about for the intrepid traveller and with a stomach still groaning, I set out for Gangtok. The road is the same till Ghoom from where another road branches out to the forbidden land of Sikkim. It was raining as badly as it can (again!). The curving road and the jawdropping cliff on one side of the road did nothing to assuage our troubled hearts. Thick forests of sal and bamboo covered the hill slopes with the trunks of the trees easily a few feet wide. The altitude slowly decreased and thankfully so did the rain. We came to a damp and humid stretch covered by tea gardens on one side and forests on the other. We also saw a few vehicles like ours that had decided to go off-road and now lay in trenches 20-30 metres deep. Heaven help us. Far to the south the high hills surrounding D’ling were still shrouded in clouds, mist and rain. Soon we reached something called a view-point where one could see the raging Teesta battle its way past the mountains, its noise sounding something like a million serpents hissing. The climate was progressively getting warmer. Sometime later we crossed the Teesta via a bridge built by BRO which maintains all the roads in these parts. We were now barely 800 m above sea level (for comparison, Bangalore is 900 m). The sign of the plains were all around. Heavy trucks with signs like “Horn. OK. PLEASE”, dust, heat and lowland flora. We crossed into Sikkim through the town of Rangpo, which looked like a typical Indian town. About an hour or so later and after climbing steadily we were finally in Gangtok.

Gangtok is very pretty. A relatively small city, 1800 m above sea level, it has a quaint charm. We stayed at the State Circuit House near the Rajbhawan and the view from there was enchanting. Outside vehicles arent allowed to ply in Gangtok and one has to take a local taxi. Our driver Bhutia was an amazing guy, very talkative, friendly and always cracking jokes. That is the way most of the Sikkimese are. They are all fiercely patriotic, something very surprising in a land which was till 1975, an independent monarchy. The Gangtok bazaar was our destination that evening. It’s paradise for the shopaholics. You find items from God-knows-where. I sought out my favourite Momos and found that the Sikkimese version is even tastier than the Darjiling one! The climate is much more congenial to sight-seeing than the somewhat oppressive Darjiling cold. The people here speak excellent Hindi, proof of the popularity enjoyed by Hindi films here. Sikkim has made tremendous progress under its CM, Pawan Chamling. Today it is a power-surplus state and enjoys a high literacy rate. The social-welfare program too has been a success here and beggars who are a common sight in other Indian cities are virtually non-existent.

We were in Sikkim for only one day and hence decided to make the best of it. Setting out early, we visited the 200 years old, Enchey Monastery, next door to the Circuit house. The whole pathway is flanked by prayer wheels, the hallmark of Tibetan Buddhism. The main monastery itself is a beautiful building with bright murals and a serene atmosphere. Maroon clad monks were engaged in a chanting session in the main hall. Our next stop was the Tashi Viewpoint, which offers fabulous views of the surrounding mountains and you guessed it, Kanchenjunga! The high power telescope there is a real boon for tourists. En route we also came across a pretty waterfall that had the road passing beside it with a thoughtfully added viewing platform. Next stop was the Ganesh temple and the water supply station some distance away on the road leading to Nathu La. Both are lovely places with panoramic views of the countryside. Army trucks abound on this route as men of the Jat regiment proceed to their posts on the China border. From the Ganesh temple one can also see the famous Rumtek Monastery about 10 kms away. This is the seat of the Karmapa Lama, the second highest ranking lama in Tibetan Buddhism after the Dalai Lama. What pleasantly surprised me here was that the Circuit House was barely 300 m away, on the hill slope. We had travelled 7 curvaceous km to climb 300 odd metres. The Orchid Museum with almost 300 varieties of orchids was a sight to behold. Sikkim has also adopted the Orchid as its state flower. Finally to cap up the Gangtok sojourn we took a ride in the ropeway that rises above the Hurhure darra, a steep cliff that looks down on a river near the main market place. The ropeway in my opinion is the best way to see Gangtok.  It also pauses for one agonising minute midway to allow tourists to take photographs.

       

 The Hurhure darra in olden days was used as the place where convicts were tied up in sacks and thrown to their death several hundred metres below. A short journey to the taxi stand and a delicious meal in a Marwari restaurant there (they really are Pan-Indian!) we set out on the road back to New Jalpaiguri. For those with more time (and warm clothes!) I would suggest a trip to the 4600 m high Nathu La where the Indo China trade takes place and also to the nearby Tsomgo lake, a gem really. The more adventurous can go to Guru Dongmar Lake in the far north. At 5200 m, its the highest lake in the world and you need to acclimatise to the rarified atmosphere. But with views like this, I guess it’ll be worth it!

    

En route we came to Melli where one can have the ride of a lifetime on a bobbing raft down the white waters of the Teesta. Some distance ahead we see the Teesta Hydroelectric Project in full swing, proof that “development” has finally reached here. It is sad to think that this gorgeously magnificent beast of a river will now have an ugly concrete structure in its midst! We reached NJP at about 5 30 PM after a journey of 120 kms that took close to 5 hours. I looked at the hills from the guesthouse rooftop. The sky was slowly darkening and the hills appeared like a vast black monolith with lights twinkling in them here and there. I knew I would be back. I surely will be. Someday!

The Thackerays: SOBs all.

I usually dont comment on the same brand of morons more than once but the activities of a certain variety of pure bred a**holes compels me to repeat the above mentioned surname for a second time in “Musings”.

For any Indian, nay person, worth even an iota of decency and public sense, the activities of MNS hoodlums in Bombay is enough to inspire nausea. MNS (that’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena for the uninformed)  is a relatively new party but already its litany of misdeeds is threatening to overtake its illustrious parent Shiv Sena. From beating up the Chairman of Railway Rectt. Board, Bombay to collecting extortion money from North Indian shopkeepers to beating up poor taxi drivers and autowallahs for no fault of theirs (save that they are “biharis”) MNS has indeed carved out an ugly little niche for itself and also given the original Nazi SS (that’s Shiv Sena) a run for it’s money.

Who’s this sonofabitch?: Raj Thackeray not surprisingly is the nephew of Bal Thackeray, of I-love-Hitler and Maar-kaat fame. Angry over his Nazi uncle handing over the party to his son (Hitler Jr.), our hero branched out and formed what he called MNS, supposedly to “re”build Marathi society. This gang of Mumbai’s choicest gutter goons and lumpens has periodically shut down Mumbai, engaged in streetfights, run anti-”im”morality campaigns (read: beat up poor couples) and spawned a hate filled vitriolic campaign against “Biharis”.

What does he want?: Power, obviously!

What is the Govt doing?: Shitting in its pants as usual, afraid that targeting this anti-national would lead to its vote bank erosion. In the meanwhile one also hears that Raj’s fire-breathing dragon uncle is being let off by the Govt. in the Bombay Riots case….*sigh* Looks like we are gonna have this terrorist unleashed for a long long time.

The Indian State which is only too willing to unleash POTA, TADA and MCOCA on the poor is emasculated when it comes to powerful thugs like the Thackerays.

One had also thought that humanism and then nationalism always triumphed over narrow regional, caste and religious boundaries. With jerks like the Thackerays around, one is forced to do a rethink.

The shit has hit the fan. Now go hide!

Travelogue: Darjiling and Sikkim (Part II)

Darjiling was all misty and rainy when we reached. And that is the way the climate is throughout the year. From being a tiny holiday resort with a few thousand people, D’ling has today come a long way. It is a sprawling town with more than 100,000 inhabitants spread over more than 10 kms at an altitude of 2134 m. Unplanned growth and lack of restrictions on settling has made it like any other Indian town; dirty, smelly and crowded. The town is mostly populated by Gorkhas, the indigenous inhabitants of this place who share a lot in common with their brethren in Nepal. A Gorkhaland Movement demanding an autonomous hill state in Darjiling was in ascendancy throughout the 1980s and early 90s. Through a truce conducted with the Govt of India, an Autonomous Hill Council has been created with the leader of the Gorkhaland Movement, Subhash Ghisingh as the Chairman.

The rain prevented any sightseeing that day. From the balcony of my room in Craigmont, a guest house located about halfway up the hill overlooking D’ling, I could see towering mountains barely 5-6 kms in front of me. Tiny lights twinkled in the cottages spread throughout the tea gardens. Darjiling itself was awash in light with traffic in full flow. The temperature in Darjiling always hovers around the 10 C mark. It is never bone-chilling cold and snowfall is quite rare. Sadly, the much yearned for peace was nowhere to be sought. Honks of taxis and cars could be heard far below. I spent the night watching news channels interview a psycho who claimed to be Abhishek Bachchan’s girlfriend.

At about 3 AM the next morning we set out for Tiger Hill, a hill top at 2585 m about 11 kms from town which we were told offers great sunrise views. Apparently a lot of other tourists were told so too for the roads were chock-a-bloc with tourists at this unearthly hour. A drive of 45 mins through Ghoom and the Senchal Wildlife Sanctuary and a hike of 15 mins through a rock outcrop brought us to our destination. There were close to 300 people there, all waiting for the same sight. Soon the sun rose and painted in pink a massif that rose 8586 m in front of us, Kanchenjunga! The third highest peak in the world! Far to the right peeped out Mount Everest flanked by Mt. Makalu. The colour soon changed to a bright orange. The Teesta and its tributaries flowed towards the south. The snow-capped Chol range too made an appearance. People stood where they were…transfixed by this appearance of superb beauty.

         

When the spell broke we all proceeded back to D’ling. En route we stopped at Ghoom Monastery, a beautiful building with brilliant paintings whose entrance serves as a much sought after market for local goods. Further ahead we stopped at Batasia Loop, probably the most famous loop in the entire DHR system which too offers mind numbing views of Kanchenjunga. The track here looks down to a deep gorge on one side and the Gorkha War Memorial on the other. A recently planted garden here took away, in my opinion, much of the pristine beauty of this place. The rest of the day saw us exploring the Padmaja Naidu Zoological Park, a beautifully maintained zoo that is a treasure trove for people who want to know about Himalayan fauna. The elusive Red Panda and the Siberian Tiger are the prime attraction here. Adjoining the zoo is the Tenzing Norgay Himalayan Mountaneering Institute which was run by the great mountaineer himself. My favourite spot though was the untouched jungle that abutted the zoo and a trek into which was allowed. After barely walking for half a kilometre, you notice the utter loneliness around. There is no human sound to be heard. Cicadas and birds chirp. Thick Sal trees are all around. The ground is covered with fallen leaves. To your right the hillside descends steeply to a river flowing far below. For the third time that day I was bewitched! We also visited a beautiful butterfly museum and the ropeway site which was then sadly out of order. The hilltop is a particularly good place to check out the Mock Tudor Villas of the erstwhile British planters.

Darjiling is also the best place to have Momos, a tibetan speciality. It is a dumpling with a filling of either vegetables or meat (usually beef or pork).

     

The boiled vegetarian Momo was heavenly! And who can forget the Darjiling Tea? The locally available brew has a lingering aroma and a taste that is quite unlike the Darjiling we people have in our homes. Evening saw me visit Islamia restaurant in the main market for some taste of North Indian food. The return journey was a disaster. I walked back home in heavy rain (Darjiling has no public transport for city travel). Being unfamiliar with the route I took a longer route by mistake and was thoroughly drenched by the time I reached. The rain in the hills is nothing like the placid one we have here. It stings the skin and is cold, very cold. The wet Islamia dinner (Darjiling has no plastic bags) was what I had to make do with. Tomorrow would see me in Sikkim. 

Travelogue: Darjiling and Sikkim (Part I)

For some reason travelogues are the most read blogs. My previous one has almost double the readership of the others. So another one would do my hit-o-meter no harm! [:D]….So here comes my own Himalayan sojourn.

Darjiling (meaning the Land of the Thunderbolt) is a district in North Bengal. Before the 19th century, it was a forested uninhabited land, ruled alternatively by the Kingdoms of Sikkim and Nepal. Then came the British. Charmed by its climate and beauty, they made it their favoured summer getaway, a second Shimla for the Raj’s civil servants of Eastern India. They also introduced tea cultivation here, something that is synonymous with Darjiling now.

The journey from Hyderabad to New Jalpaiguri was a long one stretching for close to 40 hours. The Guwahati Express in which we travelled was maintained by the North East Frontier Railway and its condition, to put it mildly, was pathetic! Dirty curtains, hazy glass, soiled linen, old foam…and all this in AC 2 tier! What a contrast from the spic and span railways of South India. The journey till Calcutta was on familiar terrain and I wasnt very interested in the coutryside. However once we made our way into interior Bengal, the countryside changed. Flat paddy fields stretching till the horizon, tiny villages that wont look out of place in a Saratchandra novel and the smell of rain in the air! Ah! Heaven!

Bardhhaman, Rampurhat and Malda town later, we finally reached the bustling town of New Jalpaiguri, the Gateway to the North-East and the guardian of the Chicken’s Neck, the 21 km border that India shares with its North East. NJP as it is called is named after Jalpaiguri, the district headquarters about 50 kms to the south on the old Saidpur-Calcutta line. In the pre-partition era, this was the route that trains used and Jalpaiguri throbbed with life. Today it is an outpost on an insignificant branch line, condemned to slow decay by the inexorable hand of history while its upstart cousin flourishes barely 50 kms away.

NJP is a widespread town. Soldiers, traders and smugglers all flock to it, trying to make their way to Assam and beyond. The climate is damp, humid and warm throughout the year. It is also the starting point of the 87 km long Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, a 127 year old Narrow gauge line that is a World Heritage Structure and for years was the only comfortable way of reaching Darjiling from the plains. We bundled into the first class bogie of the tiny train; hauled by a diesel loco, to my extreme disappointment! The train moves very slowly..Indeed for the first hour, it was a very uncomfortable and hot journey for the passengers as the train slowly made its way past the streets and bylanes of Siliguri, the largest town in this area and the former terminus for this line. Soon forests started appearing along the Hill Cart Road which is today the fastest way to reach D’ling and which accompanies the line all the way. Tea gardens also started appearing but there was no sign of any mountain nearby. And then came Sukna, suddenly the landscape changed dramatically. Gone were the flat plains and the rice fields…thick wooded forests became the norm…there was a marked increase in the gradient and the train journey was in full flow. Rangtong and Chunabati were soon left behind and we were surprised to find ourselves on a mountain with the Teesta flowing far away. The train huffed and puffed its way past Tindharia, the place where the loco repair and maintenance workshop is located. Soon followed the jaw dropping Agony Point, the tightest curve on the line.

There was a nip in the air now and high mountains could be seen all around. We sat fascinated by the gorgeous scenery. Powering its way past Gayabari and Mahanadi the train reached the large town of Kurseong (pronounced: Khar-Sang).

En route it passed 6 Z shaped curves where the train reverses and then moves up another line to a higher altitude, a real engineering marvel. We switched to the road in Kurseong after having lunch there. It’s a picure-postcard colonial town dotted with many boarding schools which give a distinct Oxford like aura to this place. At about 1458 metres above sea level, we had climbed over 1350 m in 57 kms.

The journey by road is quicker. Tung, Dilaram, Sonada, Rangbul and Jor Bungalow all went past in quick succession as the road climbed rapidly. Clouds and mist obscured the vision and beautiful tea gardens and forests covered the steep hill sides. We reached Ghoom, the highest point en route to Darjeeling a little while later. At 2225 m above MSL, the feeling is at the top of the world. It is almost always misty and drizzling in Ghoom and the town itself is dominated by the magnificent Ghoom Monastery (more of it later!)…A short descent and the awe-inspiring Batasia loop later, we had finally reached Darjiling, our destination as of now!

Hyderabadi Hindi

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBqB9h6Aayc

Poetry, anyone?

OK! At long last, I have been bitten by the poetry bug and have decided to take the plunge. This is my first attempt, so do excuse the trash. Am starting with romance! This one’s dedicated to the one true love of my life!

In the will o wisps of the night, when even dogs cease to fight!

Hush! There’s silence all around And glorious moonlight abounds,

Two iron serpents lie. Unmoving; Cold, unyielding, unbending, refusing.

Hark! What sound doth yonder come? That shakes the country and makes man numb!

I get up unsteadily and look into the haze; Cautious, optimistic, hoping to see her face.

A brilliant light makes all aglow; The shriek and the wind makes even trees bow!

A steady rhythm and a lovely voice; Sigh! It’s beauty who can despise?

I stand fascinated as she moves past me. Her beauty and grace only I can see!

The wind ruffles my hair and my eyes flinch from the strain; I turn again, and look, there it goes, the Train!

Feedback welcome!

Of P.E.Ts and drunkards.

PET, for the people unacquainted with it, is not a creature. Rather it stands for Physical Education and Training (that’s a very roundabout way of saying Games period!)…Something that’s usually much enjoyed and looked forward to by all and sundry.

However in LFJ, Hyderabad, it takes on another meaning all together. Firstly you have to beg, plead and threaten the Princy, who finally says “Okay..Brrring dem daaon”. But that’s only half the battle. You still have Pivat to contend with.

Pivat is the student-given name of Prasad, our PET trainer. One look at him and all know why he is called pivat. He is this whisky drinking and gaanja smoking lecherous Sonofabitch with bloodshot eyes who thinks nothing of trying to grope girls and satisfying his voyeuristic tendencies in front of all.

This sex crazed maniac comes up and says “Gettt baak to the klass befour I Trassshh you!”.

We: We took permission sir!

Pivat: Vokay…only futbowl (football)…if you go nearr the basketball court I’ll trasssh you!

We: Saale Maad*****d! 

Pivat: VAT did you sayyy??

We: Kuch bhi to nahi sir!

Pivat: Gett Lost!! 

Some days later……

Pivat approaches me and Vaibhav

Pivat: Pssst….I need some money.

Vaibhav: Kitna sir??

P: 5

V: (hands him 5 hundred bills)

P: I’ll return it later

Same charade is repeated a month later

Me (to vaibhav): Kyon deta hai bey saale bhenc**d ko?

Vaibhav: Uski Maa bahan ko c****n! nahi diya to haraami mera mobile seize kar lega.

Dog and the bone.

Just had to write something. So here is one of those conversations that well, just happen with me

X: Abdaal bhai, you are a Bihari na?

Me: Umm..no

X: You look like that!

Me: I am not!

X: Dillee then?

Me: Nopes!

X: Where are you from?

Me: Orissa.

X (all clouded up): Orissa……

Me: Is a state in India

X: He he I know….where exactly is it?

Me: Between AP and Bengal…

X: (still confused)

Me: Puri temple, Konark temple, Cuttack…ODIs..Hirakud Dam, Ashoka…killings..Super cyclone…get it?

X: Oh you mean THAT Orissa!

Me: Right!!!

The intellectual bankruptcy of contemporary Communism.

It is close to a century and a half since the Communist ideology was developed and conceptualised by Marx and Engels. In this reletively short period, Communism has undergone massive changes and brought about earth shattering changes. Yet today, it finds itself a forsaken ideology. Today there are no authentic Communist states in the state. China is a capitalist state in all but name. North Korea is another example of family dictatorship. Vietnam too has embraced free market ideology and Cuba is facing economic ruin. Why have these changes occured? Perhaps the answer lies in observing the modern day Communist parties in the world’s largest democracy; India.

The Communist Party of India is the second oldest political party having been founded way back in 1925 during the heady days of post October revolution Russia. It drew it’s strength from the depressed and the peasants who then as today constitute the vast majority of the Indian populace. The party was a faithful follower of the USSR and never once did it raise its voice against Stalin’s decidedly un-communist acts. It led peasant movements and revolts throughout India, most notably in Telangana where it played a major role in whipping up popular discontent against the Nizam. It tried toying with extremist and violence based revolution but the firm crackdown of the Indian state ensured that it remained a democratic party. It even formed the world’s first democratically elected Communist Govt in Kerala in 1957 and did some real good work although it was dismissed in dubious circumstances by the then Union Govt.

The party faced its first split in 1964 when a splinter faction owing allegiance to Maoist China separated from the main party and took on the name of CPI(Marxist). Leaders like Jyoti Basu, EMS Namboodiripad along with most of the party’s cadre joined the new party which however remained a democratic one. The second split occured in 1967 when the Naxalite movement started and took the nation by storm. Even today the Naxalites effectively control more than 100 of India’s 600 districts. They are a formidable force in Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa, parts of Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and most importantly of all Chattisgarh where they killed more than 700 people last year. Operating under the name of CPI (Marxist-Leninist) and also known as Maoists, these people have effectively uprooted the authority of the Indian State in vast swathes of territory. The mainstream CPI-M meanwhile rules West Bengal, Kerala and Tripura while the original CPI has been limited to barely 10 Lok Sabha seats for many years now. There are also many small parties like RSP, Forward Block etc which are mostly limited to West Bengal, the hotbed of Indian Communism for 40 years now.

However it is the Communists’ actions now that are a cause of concern. The Communists support the UPA Govt at the Centre to keep the communal BJP at bay but they are infact turning out to be the main obstacle in the path of reforms and progress. They have no qualms in inviting “dirty” capitalists to West Bengal and disinvest PSUs there but will not tolerate that if it happens in the Centre. What sort of double standards are those? Comrades Karat, Yechury and Co. will not allow India to take nuclear energy from US as it purportedly will make India an American lap dog (which it anyway already is). Pray, how then will India fulfil her burgeoning energy demand? India has an installed electricity production capacity of barely 116,000 MW, a mere fifth of China’s 635,000 MW. They dont want the Govt to raise Petrol prices even though Indians today pay the cheapest prices for petrol in the whole of South Asia. How then do they hope to wipe out the losses of BPCL, HPCL, Indian Oil and OIL? While international oil prices skyrocket, the Indian Govt still subsidizes 88% of the oil cost.  Do these armchair thinkers have any alternative plans? Or do they oppose something just for the heck of it!

The Communists atrocties in Nandigram are well documented to be recollected here. They only go towards showing the hypocrisy and double standards of present day Indian Communism. By trying to stop the Govt from taking India down the path of progress they are infact towing the China line. The same China which has no compulsions in shamelessly pandering to “dirty” capitalists. The less said about the Naxalites the better it is. So rose tinted are their glasses and so braindead are they, that they think they can bring about changes through the gun. They may terrorize a sixth of India today but terrorizing and controlling Govt policy are two very different cups of tea. What do they get by murdering hapless policemen, who are anyway poor people desperately trying to make their ends meet. Such cold blooded barbarity can only arouse revulsion and hate among the common people. India isnt a banana republic that it’ll bow down to thugs like them. If they really want to bring change they should do so democratically. There is every chance that if their concerns are genuine and their actions encouraging, the people will surely vote them to power. But they wont do that. The truth is that the Naxalites today are nothing but a ragtag bunch of lumpen goons. They have long forsaken the Communist ideals and work not for the people but themselves!

There is no disputing the fact that Communism has led to many positive results. Minimum Pay, Right against Exploitation, Separation of religion from state etc are all the fruits of Communism. However what it needs today is reform. Market economy is a reality today. It has to be embraced but at the same time people’s interests too must be protected. Mere knee-jerk anti capitalism wont benefit anybody. The sooner the Indian Communists realise this the better it will be for them, us and the Indian State as a  whole. Marx would have approved.

VajPAYEE.

Lal Krishna Advani has written a letter to the PM, Manmohan Singh asking him to confer this year’s Bharat Ratna Award on Atal Bihari Vajpayee for his “contributions to democracy”. The Bharat Ratna Award hasnt been given to anybody since 2001. The Late Ustad Bismillah Khan and Lata Mangeshkar were the last to receive it.

We all know mAdvani is prone to periodic balderdash, hence his comments usually arent taken seriously. However this letter of his has attracted considerable attention because of its content and the motive behind it. Critics feel that this is a sort of quid-pro-quo, as Vajpayee owing to his ill health and increasing senility has finally woken up and decided to allow AdolfVani (who is supposedly a bit less senile) to become the NDA’s PM nominee. In return, Vajpayee wants mAdvani to ensure that he can lay his hands on the nation’s highest honour.

Now there are three reasons why Vajpayee doesnt deserve this award. We all know them pretty well. I’ll try to sum them up

The Bad: VajPAYEE to put it mildly, is corrupt. Exceedingly so. What else can explain his Kargil dealings? He and his NDA sidekick, the pseudo-socialist George Fernandes made handsome amounts by taking kickbacks on the coffins made for India’s martyrs. Cargillgate shall live on in India’s corruption history as one of its worst chapters, far exceeding Bofors or Fodder scam. Even after Tehelka exposed the corrupt underbelly of Payee’s Govt, he refused to act against the ministers and politicians involved. Shall we besmirch the name of an award that has been bestowed on Radhakrishnan and Nelson Mandela among others, by linking the name of Payee to it?

The Worse: Payee is communal. Period. All his life he has presented an image of himself as a Nehruvite, a “right man in the wrong party”, a “liberal” etc etc. Nothing can be farther from the truth. Vajpayee has always been a dyed in the wool knickerwala. He’s a person whose loyalty to the RSS (Reprobates’ Sinful Syndicate) was always more than his loyalty to India. The Constitutional principles of Liberty, Equality, Secularism and tolerance have never meant anything to him. He along with his lumpen scum, the goons of the Sangh Parivar, are single handedly responsible for dirtying India’s political waters with religion. In his earlier avatar as a Jana Sanghi, Payee along with Balraj Madhok and mAdvani played a stellar role in inciting communal violence in the Gujarat of late 1960s. Who can forget the poison laced speeches he made throughout the 1970s and 80s where he blamed the minorities for all the ills facing India and shrieked “Mandir wahin banayenge” and “Babur ki santaan chhodo Hindustan”. The Babri Masjid demolition of 1992 and the large scale all India riots that followed were stage managed by Payee and his Nazi colleagues while a castrated Indian Govt watched meekly. Payee’s stint as PM saw the Nazification of large tracts of the Indian hinterland. Starting from the brutal Graham Staines burning incident to the destruction of churches in Dangs to the piece-de-resistance, Godhra & Gujarat-02, Payee’s 6 year long tenure was one soaked in blood and gore, an episode largely whitewashed by the contemporary media and information agencies, all of which were hand in glove with the HinduTaliban. A small incident illustrates this. When Payee visited a church in Dangs devastated by RSS thugs, instead of sympathizing with the nuns, he scolded them! For not cleaning the debris from the church floor!

The Worst: The least one expects of a Bharat Ratna Awardee is patriotism. Payee sadly lacks this virtue too. When millions were being stuffed in jails by the British tyrants during the Quit India movement in 1942, Payee was offering his services to the Govt as an informer! During his term as PM, Payee oversaw the deification of “Veer” Savarkar, a self-confessed HinduNazi and one who beat Jinnah to the Two-nation theory. Savarkar was also the person who wrote a mercy letter to the Brits and offered to serve them in any capacity. An ideal guru to a person like Payee. Payee’s Pokhran II was a mere eyewash. India already had nuclear knowhow since 1974. To augment his own electoral prospects, Payee presented himself as some sort of Indian rejuvenator, while his shockingly stupid action provoked an Arms race in South Asia. Not surprising for a knickerwallah who has anyways been brainwashed and injected with a hatred for all things “foreign” (ie Muslims, Christians, Dalits, Socialists etc)

Vajpayee is no patriot, certainly not democratic and evidently does’nt deserve any award. Infact he along with his partners-in-crime should be tried for crimes against humanity and the Indian State. Payee worships the troika of Manu, Mill and Mussolini and abhors Marx, Minorities and Multiculturalism. VajPayee’s devotion to Hinduism is a farce. He was never really a Hindu. What he follows is Hindutva, the Indian couterpart of the Inquisition of the Catholics and the Kharijis of Islam. His hands are still reeking with the blood of thousands of innocent citizens and brave jawans, all of them sacrificed to satisfy Payee’s lust for power and money.

Yehi Paaoge mahshar mein Zabaan meri, bayaan mera (On the Judgement day, this shall be my statement)

Main bandaa Hind waalon ka hoon, hai Hindustan mera (I am a servant of Indians and India is mine)

Main Hindi, theth Hindi, Khoon Hindi, Zaat Hindi hai (I am an Indian, a Pure Indian, My blood is Indian and so is my caste)

Yehi Mazhab, yahi firqaa, yehi khandaan mera (India is my religion, my sect and my family)

Kartar Singh Sarabha, age 19. Last words before being hanged.

By idolizing the Swastika over the Tiranga and the khaki knicker over India, it’s martyrs like Sarabha, Bismil, Azad and Ashfaq that Payee is insulting. Asatya Bhashee Vajpayee (Liar Vajpayee) should be placed in a cage along with the Taliban, Jean Marie le Pen, George W Bush, Mussolini and Hitler in the Museum of Human Abominations who have brought only misery and sorrow to the people.