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September 18, 1998
ELECTIONS '98
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Rajeev Srinivasan
How Readers responded to Rajiv Srinivasan's recent columns
Date sent: Wed, 09 Sep 1998 18:17:52 -0400
Hello, That was an excellent article. I liked your pro-active ideas very much. India conferred Nelson Mandela a Bharat Ratna and helped boost his image, which won him a Nobel Prize. And in return he breaks every norm of the NAM against India! Some time ago, our prime minister went with a plan to our northern neighbours. In return, they captured part of our land - Arunachal and Aksai Chin -- with an armed aggression. Foreigners have raided India for a thousand years, yet we follow a passive foreign policy. We fail to learn from our past. It is high time that Indians realised that the rest of the world does not know about shanti and the Vedas. What we need are some aggressive moves that can make attackers think twice before they plan any more misadventures with India. What we need are pro-active strategies like the ones you suggest. Hope that these are the kind of ideas that L K Advani was talking about. Would love to read more of your articles. Sunil Kanekal
Date sent: Tue, 08 Sep 1998 14:43:00 PDT
Good work, Rajiv. Excellent. I wish all the columnists think and write like you. Unfortunately most of them like to criticise our system, which drags us back by miles. I congratulate you on your bold views. We Indians must not give a damn to any First Worlders. We must think and do only what is beneficial and in the interest of our country. Once again GOOD WORK! KEEP IT UP! Shashi
Date sent: Tue, 08 Sep 1998 08:59:57 -0500
Nice article. But wouldn't it be better to use simple words? Like Schadenfeude (unholy glee?), omphalos (navel grazing)... Wouldn't it have been simpler to just write unholy glee or navel grazing? We'll soon have people writing words like GGrrrrzlplk or Mdrezzyyy and such...
Date sent: Tue, 08 Sep 1998 13:54:43 +0100
I am staying here in Northern Ireland, Belfast, which is very close to Omagh where the bombing occurred. This is not the only incident. A few days before the bombing in Omagh, on July 3, children were burnt to death in ethnic violence. Though the government has initiated the peace process, incidences of terrorism keep happening. The bombings have been a setback to the peace process, which was started after a referendum about the status of NI. The article did make interesting reading, and does convey a point about hypocrisy in US policies. Regards BR> Udayan Sathe
Date sent: Tue, 08 Sep 1998 05:33:16 PDT
Hi, Hilarious, satirical, to the point. Excellent article about Yanks, Brits and Indians. It shows how one can kill two birds (in fact, much more that two) with just a single stone. Keep it up, Rajeev, you make wonderful reading. Sunil
Date sent: Tue, 08 Sep 1998 12:21:23 +0700
Excellent article.
Date sent: Wed, 12 Aug 1998 13:13:34 -0700
I agree with a lot of your comments regarding nuclear deterrence and victimisation of Japan at the end of Second World War. I also agree with your view as to how much the "body bag" issue affects current US military policy. And personally, I think that is the way it should be in every country. Your view on British colonisation has also been well documented. But, I have an issue with your asking India to form alliance with Japan. This is based purely on Japan being the common enemy of China and their wealth. First of all, how do you justify being friends with a country that has committed maximum atrocities to an Asian nation? To date, they haven't even acknowledged the Nanking massacres (ref: "Rape of Nanking"). They still haven't settled issues with the Korean war brides. So we should just form a relationship based on convenience, is that it? Why haven't you ever questioned the Japanese foreign policies, the way you have attacked the Americans and the British? Why is it bad for the English to be civilised racists and okay for Japan to be an outright fascist? Just because they helped Indians patch together a rag-tag army to fight for Independence? Sandeep A Aji
Date sent: Thu, 30 Jul 1998 14:12:03 -0700
The ramblings of an utter crackpot. Where did you dig up this conspiracy theory?
Date sent: Thu, 30 Jul 1998 13:05:38 -0700
EXCELLENT. Good recap of the past and look into the future of American designs. Racism against brown people is alive and well in the US. Just be involved in any court system from small claims to superior and you will find that your chances of winning with a jury against a white person are nil and nil. I have heard a case where a Pakistani living with a white woman had a kid - and the judge referred to the guy as a PAKI. Try using the word nigger and see what happens. He would be debarred and sued for millions. Ratan Lalchandani
Date sent: Thu, 30 Jul 1998 12:03:56 -0400
I must say that it was good and thought-provoking. One thing we Indians should realise is that the American policy is not based on ideology or morals as the US government and media portrays. The biggest variable in the formulation of their foreign policy is commerce and monetary profit. The Chinese realised it sooner than us and started a campaign of positive trade relations. In spite of the human rights blunders (Tianamen Square, political assassinations, religious persecution etc) and adverse reaction from anti-Chinese, neo-Buddhist Hollywood stars they (the Chinese government) have been able to contain and befriend the real policy-makers. We must realise that presidents and the likes of Albright come and go, but the real players in the game are the only constants in US politics. Recently we have seen as to how the Tobacco Tax Bill and Medical Care Reform Bill were squarely defeated in the US senate, in spite of their enormous mass appeal, by a few rich and influential people. Believe it or not, bribing is very common in US politics, just that it is called lobbying. The rich and influential believe -- and have proven themselves correct -- that if you repeatedly throw a morally defunct idea at the TV watching population in the US, then over a period of time they (the populace) will believe it to be true. So if we want real results then we should consider Albright's antics as that of a growling dog on a very short leash, and target the important decision-makers. One last point I want to comment on is the growing influence of Sonia Gandhi in Indian politics. Why? Why are we so apologetic to say that she is a person of foreign descent and has very little experience in politics and is thus unsuitable to be considered as a contender for prime ministership? In the US if you are not a NATURAL BORN CITIZEN then you cannot run for president-ship. How come a country of 1 billion people is unable to produce one reliable leader? I tell you that if Sonia Gandhi ever becomes the prime minister of the country then we (Indians as people and society) will be the laughing stock of the whole world. From that point onwards no one will take us seriously. Pawan
Date sent: Thu, 30 Jul 1998 08:13:24 -0700
America believes in democracy but supports dictatorship in all the parts of the world, because it is convenient for them to deal with one person rather than a bunch of people. The Big Banks run America. Their motive is Profit and they achieve it by influencing the best possible candidate for their purpose. This is where the CIA is active, inciting, writing articles, supporting one news organisation over the other, arms running, assassinations, bomb plots, etc. Many of our own upright Indian citizens are involved in establishing undercover and covert help to the CIA for money and Green Cards. Many Indians will sell themselves to a White. This is clearly evident with today's Congress, the way they suck up to Sonia. The thing that is to India's advantage is the scientific pool we have in India and our total stranglehold on the software industry. There is enough hardware floating in the world, it is the software that makes a computer work. I agree with Rajeev's theory that Albright has no bright opinion about India. But I do not see any immediate threat to Indians in America. The average red neck in America sits in front of his TV and even has his God delivered through the tubes. Most Americans do not know much about geography unless they were in one of the Armed forces units and had the opportunity to travel to other countries. The average American is happy watching his baseball, football and basketball with a BUD in his hand. He has no culture and so understands none. If Pakistan can get technology from China, so can India. I would warn the Chidambarams to be careful as we all know that Homi Bhaba's plane crash was no ACCIDENT.
Date sent: Thu, 30 Jul 1998 12:29:27 EDT
An absolutely amazing article! Is this man let off without being on medication? This is the most paranoid outpouring of conspiracy theories I have ever read! As an American of Indian origin, I suppose I should now be getting ready to be transported to a detention camp. The whole article is full of half-baked ideas combined with an unhealthy dose of racist paranoia. It cannot be taken seriously at all. He accuses the Indian-American community of being apathetic, but fails to mention what exactly he would have us do to avoid being interned as "undesirables" in the United States. (I was looking forward to some good paranoid-delusional advice on this matter.) I am sick and tired of all the scribes who write scathingly about Indian Americans and their alleged lack of political wisdom either in relation to India or the U S. These writers and columnists are grossly misguided if they think that the socio-political survival of Indian Americans of all kinds lies in their return to India either physically or emotionally. I feel that people like Rajeev need to realise a few things: First, the fact that Indian Americans are not very supportive of most Indian governmental policies in general may not actually signify apathy, but a difference of opinion on these issues. Second, to most younger Americans of Indian origin, issues in America (their country of birth or citizenship) are of more immediate concern. Most of these Indian Americans have neither the wish to go back to India nor are they interested in the unrewarding and childish political games that Indian political parties indulge in all the time. Some of them are even turned off by what they perceive as a succession of illogical incompetent and corrupt governments. Third, Indian Americans, irrespective of whether they are citizens by birth or by naturalisation, have one of the highest participatory rates in all types of electoral processes in the USA. The fact that they are not excited about events in India, Mr Srinivasan, just means that they are just being good Americans; it is for Indian citizens to be excited about or depressed about events in India. Fourth, the majority of Indian Americans do not feel that America is out to deprive them of their rights or liberties; this is the reason why they do not much care for isolating themselves in Montana or sleeping with a confirmed ticket to India under their pillow every night. Most Indian Americans (including this one) feel more wanted, respected and fairly treated in the USA than in the land of our forefathers. This is absence of paranoia, not evidence of apathy. As for Rajeev himself, I suggest that he obtain medical help. I sincerely hope that he is on a plane heading back to good ol' India to escape persecution at the hands of American Nazis!!! Sikander Adeni |
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