So why did he shoot? Reports suggest that he was apoplectic when he discovered that his girl friend was cheating on him. But few questions baffles me

1. How did he manage to get a gun, being a foreign student? If he got it from his friend then how on earth he entered the university premises without getting detected? Or is it allowed to keep guns in dormitories?

2. Why wasn’t he stopped after the first shootout?

3. Where was Jack Bauer when all this was happening on US soil?

Cho Seung-Hui, the killer, was a shy guy who never looked to make friendships with others. He was an introvert who had something in his mind greatly disturbing him. Often people don’t realise this that the more introvert the guy is, the more chances are that he is overwhelmed with prejudices and grudges. Being shy, he never gets to speak his heart out. He keeps burning in the fire of vengeance which never would quench itself. He would try to vent out his anger in the form of his writing, basically an indirect way to express his feelings to others in hope that he could be empathized with. The resentment grows each day and often it translates to suicide or more violent ways like killing of others.

Speaking one’s heart out is very important as it help clear prejudices. One could become highly biased against someone just because of communication gap. He never tries to clear the misconceptions and the other too neglects it. His prejudices help him create the victimized mentality in which everyone tries to bully him, everyone is an evil and the only respite is death! Mixing with people could help do away with such nefarious feelings as socializing makes someone a human!

Cho had past problems

Autumn 2005 – Dr. Lucinda Roy, chairwoman of the Virginia Tech English department, told Virginia Tech police of her concerns about Cho’s disturbing and angry writing assignments.

November 27, 2005 – Cho contacted a female student through telephone calls and in person. There was no direct threat made, but she notified the Virginia Tech police about what she termed his “annoying” communication, declining to press charges. Officers spoke with Cho about it and he was referred to the university disciplinary system.

December 12, 2005 – Cho sent instant messages to a second female student who complained to the campus police. There also was no direct threat.

December 12, 2005 – Later the same day, an acquaintance of Cho contacted the campus police, concerned that Cho might be suicidal. Officers met with Cho again and talked with him at length, and asked him to speak to a counselor.

That was on personal front, but what the US culture in general? I have never been to US and nor intend to as it now seems a remote possibility after PWC hiked my basic salary. This also means that I would never get to feel the student culture I have seen so much in movies and serials. I would love to do study in a US university but not now as something else in life is important right now . I have a feel that the culture has been corrupted to the extreme with frivolous concepts like girl friend-boy friend, appearing and pretending what you are not just to impress others, drugs, bullying the not so good looking, etc etc… But concepts like these characterizes youth. We had so many killing because of love and lust even in India. So what makes US students take the extreme step of killing others? Virginia tech shooting is not the first time it has happened in US, such incidents keep showing its ugly face every now and then. I don’t want to assume things here as I am unequipped to present my views. I welcome any explanation of this peculiar behavior.

Rahul Banerjee did not make his millions in the Silicon Valley. In fact, he has never been to the Silicon Valley. He hasn’t made his millions either.

Instead he has written a book- and the book has not found a publisher. So he did not make his millions this way either.

But Rahul Banerjee found a wealth of experience and inner satisfaction of having spent a life among the poorest of the poor in the country. He represents that diminishing tribe of middle- class young men and women fired with an empathy for the downtrodden, forsake what could have been more comfortable lives, to work for, and with what Dostoevsky’s called the ‘insulted and the humiliated’.

Bhupinder points this out.

There are many such IITians who have forsaken the big bucks so as to follow their hearts. I know quiet few of them who have returned to India after PhD, in the US, to work as  social worker. Its not about making big money but its all about doing what you like the best. I must admit that this won’t have been an easy step to take because money does matter and especially if all your classmates are making million dollars an year. But then living life the way it pleases is more important than living lavishly but still suffering from infinite diseases of mind, body and soul. What say?

Incidents of eloping is not new to the Indian society and mostly committed to break the shackles of the society on caste, religion and economic grounds. Parents look for a suitable match among their own clan so as to avoid any fraud on the part of other party. They not only look for the same caste/religion (the similarity of which is assumed by default by the way) but also equality on economic grounds. The physical appearance is generally not given the same status as the above mentioned reason. Indian societies are more family oriented rather than being independent couple oriented. Parents expect the prospective bridegroom to continue their family legacy. They expect her to blend with their family tradition which is only possible if those equalities are satisfied. Any disparity in the match might lead to adjustment problems later on.

A love marriage is more independent couple oriented as family to them means just the 2 of them. There is nothing called continuation of family legacy or upholding the status in the society. Love is blind. The hoopla created by bollywood implies that all love stories end in success. Youth is fascinated by these love stories depicted in these movies which weighs love above everyone else. The hero of the movie eventually gets the girl after killing few gundas sent by heroine’s father, dancing around the trees and then eloping with her on the night of marriage, leaving the poor prospective groom to gawk and feel humiliated. No one feels for this humiliation of the parents because they are seen as villains trying to stop a pure/sweet/cute/young/novice couple from coming together. Anyway the story ends right there as future is a guaranteed fairytale. No one bothers about ‘shadi ke baad kya hoga’ (what after marriage?).

I have no problem with couples marrying against their family wishes but I am concerned about the repercussions of this decision, particularly in the Indian society. The court has recently passed judgement on a minor eloping with a guy

If a minor girl runs away with her lover to save herself from the onslaught of her parents opposed to the affair and gets married, she or her spouse cannot be deemed to have committed any offence, the Delhi High Court has said.[HT]

Well the big question is, is the minor matured enough to take this decision in life? These decisions are generally guided by youth passion more than anything else. So the chances that this marriage ends up in divorce is quite high as they will soon realise their differences. Arranged marriages are more resilient as families help cope up differences and plus its a matter of pride for the family that the couple stays together (divorce is seen as evil and humiliating). But then what good does it serve to suppress one’s desire just to save family pride? Adjustment leads to infidelity, which has far reaching consequences on the psyche of a child.

I really cannot answers these question as I am still to marry. But my experience so far tells me that marriage is more a family get-together rather than 2 individuals coming together, in the future obviously.

The Indian society is still to embrace such relationships, particularly when it comes to inter-religion marriage. A recent case in Bhopal brings this harsh reality to light

For Umar and Priyanka, a couple from Bhopal who wanted to get married despite being from different religions, the journey towards nuptial turned out to be a topsy-turvy ride.

With Hindu groups like RSS and the Bajrang Dal staunchly opposed to the idea of the couple getting married and threatening them with dire consequences, Umar and Priyanka had to flee to Mumbai to register a court marriage.[CNN IBN]

The media did a wonderful job in bringing this case up for a national debate. This again exposes the staunch stand of religious extremist on issue of marriage. I am sure that sister organizations, of the RSS/Bajrang Dal, in a Muslim country would have done the same. Why can’t religion be treated as a personal thing? I am totally opposed to religion being imposed by someone simply because it breaches personal independence.

But the big question remains, is our society ready for this phenomenon becoming widespread? I don’t see any immediate acceptance of this. I have seen my friends being forced to marry a family’s choice. Well obviously I am always on the losing side, be it the parents or the rebellious couple.  :neutral:

Imagine a database where you can find history of a person’s track record as far as infidelity is concerned. It will be great, isn’t it? Womansavers.com does exactly this. It has the world’s largest database, of nearly 25,000 men so far, created by concerned women so as to help others not get involved with a fraud. It’s a wonderful initiative to bring cheating men to the notice of other women. Here is a sample report which reveals the reality about a guy called Mike. These reports are submitted by women who have been involved with these men. Any editing in these reports have to be approved by the original author which ensures credibility of these reports. Removal of the report costs $25 which is donated to charity.
In addition to the database it also has-

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The discussion board helps members to discuss issues while maintaining one’s anonymity, which does brings out candor on the part of women. This anonymity is absolutely essential and also a bunch of helpful women who are experienced in relationships. The forum does a great job in bringing a novice face to face with realities of life. She can learn a lot for the experienced bunch. Members can also console an embittered woman by offering emotional support.

Womansavers.com also offers resources to keep track of your husband. Tricks like monitoring phone bills, computer usage and behavioral changes have been exhaustively analyses in this article. The online shopping store offers softwares essential for tracking with other goodies and clothing items. It even has a collection of real stories of infidelity. Emergency support address along with phone numbers is also listed out.

In all a great resource for women to avoid cheating men, Research & Rate B4 U Date!

Kanta ben, in Ahmedabad, lost her only son in the riots. She says that Muslims are not even worth keeping contact with. Firoze, a Muslim, and her son went out together but her son never returned back. Firoze has been absconding since.

Ahmed bhai, in Patna, lost his son few years ago. His son went out with his Hindu friends but was later found burnt to death in a remote location. Since his death the whole family is scared and they are planning to leave India forever.

A little girl, during the Gujarat pogrom, was praying that Amir Khan’s Lagaan shouldn’t win the Oscars as he is a Muslim.

Muslims are accused of supporting Pakistan in sports

Stories like these are so common. The bloody partition left the whole population too prejudiced against each other. Slightest of provocation cause riots. Deep down everyone’s heart lies this hatred towards the other religion. I could think of the following reasons-

1. British government’s deliberate distortion of history to depict Muslim rulers as hate mongers and destroyers of temples.

Eaton argues that British colonial historians were at pains to project the image of Muslim rulers as wholly oppressive and anti-Hindu, in order to present British rule as enlightened and civilized and thereby enlist Hindu support. For this they carefully selected from the earlier Persian chronicles those reports that glorified various Muslim Sultans as destroyers of temples and presented these as proof that Hindus and Muslims could not possibly live peacefully with each other without the presence of the British to rule over them to prevent them from massacring each other. Although some of these reports quoted in British texts were true, many others were simply the figment of the imagination of court chroniclers anxious to present their royal patrons as great champions of Islamic orthodoxy even if in actual fact these rulers were lax Muslims.[Yoginder Sikand]

This formed the basis of hatred towards Muslims. Hindus were already infuriated at being ruled by aliens for hundred of years and this image further added fuel to fire. Divide and Rule police was successful!

2. The bloody partition is still fresh in the minds of Indians. Thousands were killed in the riots that broke out during the partition. Stories of inhuman and barbaric tortures keep the hatred alive.

3. Politicians always wanted to exploit the situation for their advantage. VHP & RSS’s venomous speeches keep the Hindu hatred alive. Muslims, fortunately or unfortunately, still don’t have a political party of caliber of BJP which basically survives on this victimized mentality-

Muslims favour Pakistan and other Islamic countries based on religion, and they do not support India though they live in secular India. This is very obvious when India and Pakistan play cricket.

Muslims have support of underworld/Pakistan. This is visible from the kind of weapons were/are available to Muslims in riots, just look at the way Muslims carried out attack in last 10-15 years.
Attack on Hindus in a train near Godhra cannot be dismissed as attack by mobs, they were hundreds, not 10 or 20, and all were Muslims. If anyone says it was an accident, Gujaratis have nothing more to talk. Hindus and Muslims know well that legal system in India does not work. If one community hopes the system to catch and punish the guilty, nothing will happen and in future, the history will be repeated. The only way for survival is to fight back and attacker will think before attacking again.

4. Pakistan’s support to terrorists in Kashmir. Terrorism is the biggest allegation against Muslims all over the world. The attacks on Hindu temples and other blasts just widens the gap between the two communities. All Muslims are considered sympathizers to terrorists. Speedy judgement in case of a Muslim accused compared to slow, or no, action in case of arrest of Hindus accused of riots strengthens an Indian Muslim’s fear that India is definitely not a safe place to be in. I remember during the Gujarat pogrom a resident of chandi chowk remarked, “We are safe in here at least from the Bajrangis. Indian government can still kill us in air raid”

Indian Muslims are considered traitors. More here

This is a movie ‘Making of a Muslim Terrorist’ which won Best Documentary & Critic’s Choice at the Hong Kong International Film Festival, as well as the Wolfgang Staudte Award & Special Jury Award at the Berlin International Film Festival.

I know there are many other reason but I felt that the above ones are the most important. But the big question still remains unanswered, what’s the solution to this hatred? I request the readers to drop in their views regarding this issue. I thank you all for the support via comments, emails and scraps.

As far as I can remember the news about the Godhra incident starting flashing in the morning of February 27th. It was a period when the news channels were slowly coming up. Aaj Tak was growing great guns and so were Star News and Zee News. Doordarshan, government run channel, was pushed to the background by the private channels so that meant there were no censors in the news items. It was left to the discretion of the dudes from US/UK to decide what’s best for us. Aaj Tak got all the publicity because it was marketed as India’s own channel. So our own Aaj Tak started flashing images from the train carnage uncensored. The blame was put on Muslims as they fell to the taunts of the returning Kar Sewaks and eventually burnt the train. My first reaction to the news was my utter shock at this inhuman punishment meted out after slightest of provocations. Even though independent fact finding teams have refuted this earlier claim and label it is a part of larger conspiracy of the state government, I am not getting into conspiracy theories.

We still had the same BPL TV but had shifted to Hazaribagh. I was 19 and was busy preparing for IIT-JEE. My brother had his final exams starting in few days so we couldn’t have taken the risk for an excursion. Most surprisingly my paranoid mom was totally not concerned about the gravity of the situation; she just rubbished the news as yet another case of religious fundamentalism by the Muslims. Situation had changed by 2002 as Muslim terrorism was on rise, it had moved out of Kashmir and such incidents were on the rise. I think this could have been the reason for her not reacting as she did during Barbri Masjid demolition. No one anticipated the kind of barbarism that was to follow.

We all had our eyes fixed to the TV set as that was the only source of news. As news of mob rioting started to come in, my parents started showing signs of concern. The nearest Muslim dominated area was a couple of miles away and this was decided to be our abode if riots break out in our locality. We lived in a central government maintained colony as my father occupied a high position in the central electricity department. We were so intermingled with our neighbours that any such reaction could never  have been imagined in the wildest our dreams. We used to visit each other’s place on Holi and Eids. We had so many invitations on Holi/Diwali that my father used to have a tough time managing his commitments. Everyone from our driver to housemaid, who were all hindus, were already a part of our lives. Our old driver ‘Muni Singh’ was much more than a driver to us. He was the driver who drove my mom to the nearest hospital, which was 100 kms away!, when this ‘sensitive boy’ came to this earth. Could he come now to burn us alive?

We were overwhelmed by the response we got from our neighbours (there were just 3 muslim families in the colony). We were assured of our security in case rioters take to the streets. Hooligans were already preparing for a treat but the elders calmed them down. Its usually the junk of the society who takes to rioting; people who are jobless as this offers them a perfect opportunity to vent out their anger. Ever wonder why women suffer the most? Its because those perverts get an opportunity to convert their sexual fantasies to reality. Who is going to stop them and particularly when the state police is with them.

And then the inevitable happened. An ex-MP of congress, Ehsan Jaferry, was burnt alive with his family. His wife and other members survived because they managed to hide. This came as a big shock to us and definitely a cause of worry as we were also in a similar position as they were in. I really can’t think of the reason because of which we decided to stay back. May be because of assurances and the fact that riots didn’t start in our town. Thankfully there were no major incidents of riots elsewhere in the country. This image to the left was the most highlighted at that time. He is a tailor who ran away from Ahmedabad to Calcutta. This image was shot in Calcutta but notice the fear in his eyes and expectedly so! There were men being burned live in front of women and children. Women being raped in front of their children. I cannot even imagine the kind of mental trauma it would have generated in my mind.

The riots lasted nearly a month. TV images of ground realities melted our hearts. My hatred for the Sangh Parivar grew beyond bounds. I never spoke out a word against them to my friends but still the tension during the talks was apparent. A fanatic even called once to express his pleasure at Muslims being butchered, he termed that as revenge. All these incidents left me with no hope of surviving in this country. The child within me was dead long back and I was about to kill the youth in me. If Muslims in India are destined to this then there is no point in whining to the government. Can’t we have our own army? Why are those morons at the OIC quiet? The repeated riots have shown that the Indian government can’t protect us. India was slowly becoming alien to me. All these cynicism at just being a spectator to the riots on TV, imagine how prejudiced someone actually effected would be!

The last part of this series will talk about this prejudiced mindset among Hindu and Muslim youth.

The demographics are completely different in Bihar, my home state. Biharis are completely against Bengalis and this animosity has triggered riots several times. Basically this animosity is fueled by lack of education among local Biharis, which leads to unemployment among the locals, and thus Bengali, being highly educated, dominate the job market.

Even though some of my best friends in school happen to be Hindus, I never talked to them about this controversial issue. I even thought that they, being children and definitely not as sensitive as me, would pay no heed to these frivolous, in their eyes, happenings around them. The period between 1992 and 2002 has been peaceful as no major riot broke out in the country. There few minor incidents; I was in my hometown Biharshareef. We were returning from Friday prayer and suddenly we could see stones flying all around us, we were under attack from the local Hindus who were angry at some political issue. It was scary. Few stones even hit me but we were still running. Within few minutes there was cross-pelting of the stones from the Muslims and things were then even. Police soon dropped in, thanks to Laloo’s able administration as far as containment of riots are concerned, to bring the situation under control. Such sporadic incidents plagued the country for years before 2002.

I left home after my 10th for a better school, which meant I had to live alone away from home for the first time in my life. And there I met a Hindu family which I will remember all my life for the care and affection they bestowed on me. I hate to categorize people based on their religion but as I am dealing with this cancer then I have to, sorry about that. One night few RSS workers came to my room, unaware that I am a Muslim, to distribute pamphlets for one of their gatherings in the city. I quietly listened to them and even let them paste one of their banners on the window pane. I wasn’t scared but wondered how they would have reacted if I told them that I am a Muslim. In the morning I saw uncle scrubbing off the banner from the window pane. My respect grew multi-folds for him. During my 2 years of stay there, I was known by the name ‘sunny’ and not my real name for obvious reasons.

I always tried to put aside this communal feeling and the tense atmosphere I was growing under because it would have further caused prejudice in my mind.  At times I used to feel victimized at being a Muslim in India. But those scars of 1992 were erased, at least from my mind, in the coming years. 

I will next talk about the Gujarat riots.

kyun ki saas bhi kabhi bahu thi‘ was written on it. (kyun ki saas bhi kabhi bahu thi is a famous Indian soap which moves like a snail’s pace. Basically its an hyperbolic display of emotions which is not even remotely pragmatic. Everyone exploits an emotional fool and that’s what Ekta Kapoor specializes in).

Bollywood stars are famous in Kabul with pictures of stars easily available on the streets. I wonder why India always fails to exploit these associations and always chooses to play safe. This Indian influence can easily foster stronger ties between the two countries. Pakistan is seen as evil because of it’s support to the Taliban.

Got this picture from an orkut community ‘I hate Ekta Kapoor‘

My journalist friend from Islamabad, Nusrat Javed, was surprised that my roaming Airtel mobile worked. His did not. The sole teashop owner at the airport accepted Indian currency but refused Pakistani notes. At Kabul Intercontinental where I spent three nights, the front office manager insisted on an advance deposit. But, he said: “We have no problems with Indians. Pay as much as you wish.� Urdu is the spoken language of most Afghans who had spent time in India and Pakistan during the war. Others have learnt it from Bollywood films and TV serials on local stations. Wedding halls in Kabul arrange for TV sets to enable guests to watch Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi. In the power-starved countryside, villagers save money to buy generators to watch soaps.

Kabul Intercontinental’s staff-members proudly introduce themselves as Munnabhai fans: “Hum Sanjay Dutt ki filmein dekhtey hain.� One could watch Doordarshan but not PTV in the $70 per night room. In fact, Nusrat and I phoned in to participate in a Doordarshan discussion on the Samjhauta Express bombing. Our pitch: India and Pakistan should jointly combat terrorism and reconstruct Afghanistan. Shining in contrast THAT India is a friend in need, that Massoud fell to forces sheltered across the Durand Line and hell-bent on destroying Kabul’s tenuous peace, give our country an image that has come cheap for our $650 million assistance. In comparison, incidents like the one at Bagram — where the Americans have an Indian caterer — deepen suspicions about Pakistan.

Rasheeda (L), 17, and her mother Nooran cry as they beg for help in Hyderabad, 160 km (100 miles) from Karachi February 26, 2007. Rasheeda whose late father lost her in a poker game when she was 2 years old, has asked authorities to save her from being handed over to middle-aged relative. [Reuters]

Dawn adds

Speaking at a news conference at the press club here on Monday, Ms Nooran, of Zeal Pak Colony, Latifabad, said her late husband Rahib was a gambler and he had sold their one-year-old daughter Rasheeda for Rs10,000 to one Lal Hyder after incurring heavy debt in gambling. She said that her parents gave her Rs10,000 and she returned the money to Lal.
She said that Lal was pressuring her to marry off Rasheeda to his son. She said her sons Peeral and Abdul Wahab were receiving threats.

Taking notice of the press conference, Hyderabad District Police Officer Ali Ahmed Junejo ordered registration of a case and the Site police station registered an FIR under Sections 147, 148, 149, 504 and 506(2) of the Pakistan Penal Code against 10 people.
Police teams have been constituted for the arrest of the accused.

Poverty is a vicious circle…you keep falling in it the more you try to get out of it via short cut methods.

A MAN killed his 17-year-old daughter for having an affair with a boy in Banwaripur village in Meerut. Kulbhusan, according to the police, was upset over the relationship and had told his daughter Rajni to stop meeting the boy. When the girl refused, he strangled her. His brother Mahendra and son Dushyant helped him dump the body. The three allegedly burnt the body to hide their crime.

The Meerut police have collected Rajni’s bones from the spot and have sent them for forensic tests. According to the police, Rajni was having an affair with one Ravindra. Both of them were class 12 students at Rasna inter college. Ravindra told the police that they wanted to marry but their families were against the relationship.

Kulbhusan, Ravindra alleged, tried to implicate him in the murder but later broke down before the police and confessed to the crime.

“Kulbhusan’s brother and his son are absconding,” said the police. We have sent special police teams to nab the two,” he added.

Before killing her, Kulbhusan and his brother Mahendra forced Rajni to write a suicide note, said the SP. But he broke down and admitted to the crime. According to Kulbhushan’s statement, his family was upset over the affair and had told Rajni to stop meeting the boy. But she would keep meeting him.

They even told Ravindra to stay away from Rajni. “Kulbhusan and his family told me that they would kill me if I did not stop seeing her,” said Ravindra.

But that did not stop the lovers. Peeved, Kulbhusan along with his brother and son hatched a plan to kill Rajni and implicate Ravindra for her murder.[HT]

Honor killing, eh? This is completely insane. Just to satiate one’s ego, a father kills her daughter and plus her brother even contributed to it. All this just because women are still not treated at par with men. Any suspicion of infidelity and not adhering to family norms leads to the killing. But the question is, are lives of women so cheap that anyone can murder at will and that too one’s own blood? It’s got to do with the atmosphere we are groomed in; an atmosphere where family is above everyone else.

If you are watching the TV series 24 then you would know that even education doesn’t eliminates this sense of pride. Mr. Bouer murders his own son and nearly his grandson just to cover up facts. His statement- “your lives are not precision as the empire I have built all my life” clearly indicates his egoistic views. I know its just a serial but this is highly possible even in a educated and rational society. Pride and ego insinuates evil in the minds which no education can eradicate.