The Struggle for a Strong Lokpal

This is the Story till Now guys…. For those who are STILL SLEEPING!!

 

 

Some brave men (and women) came forward to fight this situation..

Not for their OWN GAIN!!

Not to EXTORT something out of the Govt.!!

Not to derive POLITICAL MILEAGE out of this situation!!

 

But to fight the spreading tentacles of Corruption..

FOR A BETTER FUTURE FOR ALL OF US!!!

 

 

And what was the Govt.’s RESPONSE????

An entire NATION has been UNITED for the FIRST time in our lives, yet the Govt. can’t hear their voice..

A 74 year old Gandhian is FASTING for Nation’s future, while the country's PM enjoys sumptuous food at Iftaar parties..

 

 

Till when will we keep thinking this is not MY problem??

Till when will we avoid taking charge of OUR destiny??

Till when will we keep accepting the system INSTEAD of changing it??

Till when will we let such initiatives FIZZLE out coz of our LETHARGY??

Wake up people!

 

This is MY fight, this is YOUR fight..

Not a fight in support of ANNA, a fight in support of YOUR OWN RIGHTS!!
Even if you don't AGREE with the JAN-LOKPAL,
At least remember this fight is much bigger than being about just a Bill!
Its the ENTIRE country getting together for the 
RIGHT to live in a 
CORRUPTION-FREE NATION!

 

Be the change if u have the GUTS to face the system..

Be the change for the sake of Your OWN FUTURE...

Be the change to preserve the future of Your KIDS!!!

 

Jaago India Jaago!!

Master Stroke by Anna!

As the ANNA WAVE sweeps across the Nation, a high-risk gamble by the Govt. to arrest Anna early yesterday morning turned out to be an ill-fated move! Government cronies must have thought that their Knee-jerk reaction would nip the movement in the bud; but they failed to foresee both the extent of support for Anna as well as the intensity of the backlash that such an action would generate!!

As Anna Hazare was being whisked away in a SUV, it was the day for GANDHIGIRI as a Rajouri Garden trader turned to the cops wrestling with the crowd to ensure smooth passage for the activist's vehicle, and said with folded hands "Thank you so much sir". Red-faced, the cops had no option but to look away!

As a fresh truckload of cops came in, a young man crying "Bharat Mata Ki" joked with them "Bhai Jai to bol de". There were attempts to fraternize with the force deployed to control them and aggression was only towards the government. High on Anna's message of Non-Violence, protesters have shun the stone to embrace peaceful SATYAGRAHA. Delhi University students cajoled the Policewallahs to revolt "Delhi Police bagawat karo, hum tumhare saaath hain" (Delhi Police rebel now we are there with you)!!

A strike of auto-rickshaws has been called in Delhi on Wednesday as a mark of support for Hazare: a sure sign that his camp has now spread beyond the middle class. At Civil Lines, a young couple braved the rain to shout slogans for "Mother India". As policemen started hustling them into the waiting buses, the woman looked at the man uncertainly. "Get in, they are taking everybody," the man said with a reassuring pat!!

In the northern region, protests were held in Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Jammu and Uttar Pradesh. Punjab Chief Minister Badal condemned the police action against Hazare and termed it a “Murder of democracy.”

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his Jharkhand counterpart Arjun Munda said one cannot snatch one’s right to protest peacefully. The police crackdown is “Rehearsal of Emergency and murder of democracy which people will never tolerate,” Kumar said, while Munda described the incident as “Dangerous for democracy.” The mood seemed to be reflected throughout the length and breadth of the Nation!
 

Anna’s village Ralegan Siddhi in Ahmednagar district in Maharashtra witnessed protests with people coming out on the roads along with their cattle and blocking the traffic. “The entire village is observing a bandh today,” 73-year-old Hazare’s associate Datta Awari said, adding that villagers have decided to observe a fast to express solidarity with him.

In Pune, supporters of Hazare gathered at a square in the city to condemn the police action and his detention, while in Nashik, a rally was taken out. In Nagpur, a large number of people courted arrest. Donning ‘Gandhi’ caps with slogans ‘I am Anna’ supporters gathered at the Reserve Bank of India Square in Civil Lines on busy Nagpur-Jabalpur national highway.

 

In Assam, rights activists sat on a dharna in Guwahati demanding Hazare and other leaders be released immediately. Demonstrations and dharnas were also held in several places of Orissa. In the south, protests were staged in several parts of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala.

In Hyderabad, Chandrababu Naidu called the police action “Undemocratic and Unconstitutional", asking Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to apologise to the nation for action against Hazare and other social activists. In Bangalore, a counter was set up at Freedom Park, where 87,000 of 100,000 IT employees signed up to join the India Against Corruption movement, took a break from work for an hour and gathered at the Electronic City as a mark of support for the veteran activist.

There were salaried people who had taken a day off from work, DU students who had skipped classes and traders - many of whom were obviously uncomfortable with the rough and tumble of street protests. This protest has united the diverse sections of Indian Society everywhere, with supporters waving the national flag lending the movement a real patriotic flavour.

 

 

And while all this was happening in the nation, there was backdoor diplomacy taking place in Tihar jail with Rahul Gandhi meeting the PM and Home Minister to find a way to diffuse the situation. They decided to relase Anna and here came the Master Stroke by the venerable veteran!!

Anna rejected his release, saying he would leave Tihar Jail ONLY IF the Govt. ALLOWED THE PROTEST by Indian Citizens TO GO ON Unconditionally! 

Hats off to Anna who managed to turn the situation on its head and forced the Govt. to let the protest continue! Supporters of Hazare said they would sit on a hunger strike outside the jail gates if Anna was forcibly evicted from prison. Delhi police officials confirmed that Hazare and his associates were to be set free and some 1,500 persons detained through the day were also let off.

After having sought to nip the protest in the bud to prevent a repeat of the April surrender to the Gandhian, UPA has definitely compounded its woes. Hope they have the sense to let democracy bloom and deal with protests in a democratic fashion.

Jai Hind!

Read more details of the protests at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/anna-hazare-arrested-protests-planned-across-major-cities-126837&cp

Lokpal Bill vs. Jan Lokpal Bill!

The Jan Lokpal Bill is a proposed anti-corruption law designed to effectively deter corruption, redress grievances and protect whistleblowers. The law seeks to create an Ombudsman called the Lokpal which will be an independent body similar to the Election Commission of India and will have the power to prosecute politicians and bureaucrats WITHOUT prior permission from the Government!

Needless to say, the bill is being opposed tooth and nail by our beloved, overfed, over-pampered, over-paranoid politicians and they have their own tooth-less, fang-less power-less version called the Lokpal Bill as a substitute to this. The Govt. proposed bill wants the Lokpal to be just an ADVISORY BODY which will simply forward complaints to the respective departments with NO right to register and FIR complaints NOR execute Police Powers.

The Bill DOES NOT give powers to Lokpal for ANY investigation against the Prime Minister who deals with important portfolios such as Foreign affairs, Security and Defense and also NO jurisdiction over Bureaucrats and Govt. officers. These are the major LACUNAE of the current version of the bill hence we need a JAN LOKPAL BILL adressing the above issues!

 

The Jan Lokpal Bill gives the Lokpal COMPLETE POWERS to initiate suo-motu investigations in any case and also to directly entertain complaints from the public makin it an effective deterrent to all corrupt politicians. That is why we see ALL POLITICAL PARTIES finding this a threat to them!! Let us ensure we give the leaders spearheading this movement our complete support and do whatever we can to enhance the cause. CLICK ON THE TITLE OF THIS POST TO VOTE FOR THIS BILL.

You can click on the link on this post and send a message directly to the inboxes of Kapil Sibal, Pranab Mukherjee, Chidambaram, Moily, Khurshid, SOnia Gandhi and the Prime Minister and make your voices heard!!Lets join hands and take a step forward to make India CORRUPTION free!!

Assault on protesters, Assault on Democracy

Yet again the forces of anarchy prevailed in Delhi!!

As we watched in mute horror the treatment being meted out to people participating in Baba Ramdev's camp at Ramlila grounds, it again brought back memories from the past year when Security forces had brutally cracked down on protesters in Kashmir!!

The combat forces arrived late at night at the Ramlila ground where Baba and more than One lakh of his followers had camped protesting against the corruption rampant in the Govt. and demanding the return of Black money stashed abroad. At 1:30 am in the morning when most protesters were asleep, the forces descended on them and started rounding them up and throwing them out of the ground.

When people protested, they were LATHICHARGED(!!) and tear-gas shells were fired to disperse them! The pandal was VANDALIZED and put on FIRE! What the hell have people done to deserve this treatment??? No one, not even the Govt. has the right to stop people from protesting in a peaceful way.. its the violation of basic citizen's rights granted by the constitution to all Indians!!

Lathicharge on sleeping protesters!

 

Its heartening to talk about India overtaking China economically in the next twenty years.. but its equally disheartening to realize that Human rights conditions in India are also going the China way!! Is this the way a democracy treats its citizens? Is India a functional democracy anymore? Will our politicians ever think of the country and its future? Does the life of a common man hold any value whatsoever in this country?

The India Today put it succinctly into words - 'A government that is forced to act because it has only one option lacks both leadership and statecraft.' Anna Hazare called the action 'A Blot on Democracy'.

Manhandling of old people in the middle of the night!

Meanwhile, taking suo motu cognizance of this forceful eviction, the Supreme Court has sought Centre's response on the incident. How flawed the Govt.'s action has been that the judiciary has to intervene and question them for it!

Corruption, Unaccountability, Misappropriation of resources, Bungling of funds, Frauds, Criminal cases have all become synonymous with Indian politics.. Now they even want to stifle the basic rights of citizens.. ALL citizens of the nation have constitutional right to protest in a peaceful manner.and NO authority in the nation can take away that right from us. But are We, the people, ready to fight for our rights?

These are the answers we need to ask ourselves as citizens of a nation with a great history and a brilliant future ahead.. The assault on citizens' basic rights are a step towards the end of our nation's democratic system.. Are we too gonna end up like the pseudo-democracies and military states in our neighborhood?

Are WE ready to FIND an ANSWER????

Jai Hind!

Human Rights Violations in Kashmir!!

India, the cradle of civilization.. India, the largest democracy in the world.. India, the epitome of tolerance and religious freedom. Do we ever look beyond the glossy 'India Shining' advertisements and feel beyond the 'feel-good' factor?

Do we stop and take notice of the problems facing our OWN brothers in other parts of the country?? Do we notice the pain our OWN security agencies put our OWN people through?? There's a lot happening in Kashmir that we are not aware of..

Right now whats happening is NOT abt Kashmir being a part of India or Pakistan or being Independent.. It is NOT about bashing security forces like the human rights people do.. Its NOT about what separatists or organizations from ACROSS the border do to instigate and infuriate the forces.. Its NOT about how the Kashmiri pandits were treated a decade ago.. All these issues are complex and need deeper insights and the political will to resolve them..

What it IS about though is the plight of INNOCENT kids.. 12 teenagers have died in the past month falling to police bullets/ tear gas shells and the like.. Its about what THEY have started thinking of Indians as and what THEY will grow up to be.. Its about how future generations will perceive US if we let this continue..

When Jessica Lal was murdered and her killer set free, there was a huge public outburst.. when Ruchika Girhotra's molester was let loose same thing happened.. but when 15 INNOCENT people are killed by the bullets of those who are supposed to maintain peace everybody is busy taking sides.. Security forces AND Kashmiri people are BOTH citizens of India.. the attacks on security forces are to be condemned but they did not lead to the death of TEENAGERS and KIDS!!

We totally justify the use of force.. but only against TERRORISTS and not against the Innocent civilians who are exercising their constitutional right in protesting against the killing of another innocent protester.. whether they want to stay with India or not, they are our own people and deserve to be dealt with dignity!

There's a time to stand up and support each other for a higher cause.. There's a time to stand up against the atrocities committed on innocents, There's a time to protect the Human rights of your own people in your own country.. And the time is NOW! We have to wake up to our realities and deal with them if we truly want to transform our Country into a true Nation..

If we still don't stand up for our own people's rights, one day WE will be at the receiving end and we'll have no one but OURSELVES to blame for it.. We OWE this to Humanity and our OWN idea of Our nation..

Like the famous Swades dialogue, 'Koi desh mahan nahi hota, usse mahan BANANA padta hai!" We need to recognize what's happening in our own backyard and try to help those who are suffering.. Hoping that we can at least start a dialogue and start building bridges.. Please take some time to sign the petition and forward it to your contacts.. http://www.petitiononline.com/AnIndian/petition.html

JAI HIND!

Give PEACE a CHANCE!!

Judgement Day arrives for Kasab!!

The fateful day did finally arrive for Mumbai!

Ajmal Amir Kasab got the death sentence by the Special courts judge Mr. M. L. Tahilyani on 6th May 2010, more than a year after the carnage he and his associates brought to the island city of Mumbai and horrified an entire nation with their depravity and absolute lack of any humanity.

"You have been sentenced to death on five counts. You will be hanged by the neck till you are dead." These were the words uttered by the esteemed judge who made a special note of the cruelty and sadism with which the baby-faced terrorist behaved while showering bullets mindlessly on everyone in his line of sight. Eye witnesses testified to him laughing in glee while killing so many innocents in cold blood!! In a message to terrorist organizations the honorable judge made it absolutely clear that “every man who wages war against India forfeits his life to the Indian state”. 

How much brain-washing must have gone into the process of turning an adolescent boy into a hardened criminal is anybody's guess and with all the proof that the prosecution has gathered and presented in the court to establish the crime and nationality of this beast, fingers are again lifting towards Pakistan. With the NY Times Square bomb scare again leading the authorities to arrest a Pakistan trained Pakistani national, the country has again emerged as the last haven of Islamic radicals who have twisted the basic tenets of Islam for their own benefit to fulfill their own twisted agenda.

Be that as it may, the judgment at least provides a semblance of closure to hundreds of people who lost their loved ones to this senseless carnage. The judge referred to recordings of telephonic conversations between the gunmen holed up at various locations and their handlers sitting in Pakistan. “There was no remorse at the killing of so many people. The gunmen had come prepared to die,” he said. And hence, the judge gave his FIRST death sentence in his 23 years legal career.

26/11/08 was the ill-fated day when Pakistani terrorists arrived on Mumbai shores and shook the nation up from its slumber. For three days we were all trapped inside our homes, afraid to get out of our homes and glued to our television sets to find out if there was an end in sight for the mindless violence that was happening in our own backyard. Today, we can all breathe a sigh of relief for justice has finally caught up with Kasab!

Although criticized by many as a wastage of national resources (more than 35 crores have been spent on this trial and keeping Kasab secure), the 18 month long trial was a tribute to the fairness of Indian judiciary in dealing with any perpetrator of crime on its soil. Tahaliyani made a special mention of the work done by the media in taking the news to the world. “This was not a closed court, like the one in Pakistan, where you don’t even know what’s happening,’’ he said.

One wish that everyone has on his lips now, is to swiftly execute this demon before another plane can be hijacked to rescue him from our captivity (aka the Gandhar hijack)! As the saying goes, 'Justice delayed is justice denied'; same holds true for the execution of the court's writ. 

Mumbaikars and indeed the entire nation will be waiting for the day when finally the ghost of 26/11 can be put to rest. Amen.

Online Grievance forum by Govt.

Can you imagine this is happening in INDIA?

The Government of India has started an online grievance forum at http://www.pgportal.gov.in/ This tool can be used to highlight the problems faced while dealing with Government officials and departments.

The various government departments falling under this provision are:

1) Railways
2) Posts
3) Telecom (incl. BSNL & MTNL)
4) Urban Development Authorities
5) Petroleum & Natural Gas
6) Civil Aviation (Air India, Airports Authority of India, etc)
7) Shipping, Road Transport & Highways
8) Tourism
9) Public Sector Banks like SBI

10) Public Sector Insurance Companies like LIC, GIC

11) National Saving Scheme of Ministry of Finance
12) Employees' Provident Fund Organization
13) Regional Passport Authorities
14) Central Government Health Scheme
15) Central Board of Secondary Education
16) Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan
17) National Institute of Open Schooling
18) Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti
19) Central Universities
20) ESI Hospitals and Dispensaries.

Many of us say that these things don't work in India. Couple of months back, the Faridabad Municipal Corporation laid new roads in his area and the residents were very happy about it. But 2 weeks later, BSNL dug up the newly laid roads to install new cables which annoyed all the residents. A resident used the above listed grievance forum to highlight his concern. To his surprise, BSNL and Municipal Corporation of Faridabad were served a show cause notice and the guy received a copy of the notice in one week.

Government has asked the MC and BSNL about the goof up as it's clear that both the government departments were not in sync at all. So use this grievance forum and educate others who don't know about this facility. This way we can at least raise our concerns instead of just talking about the bad system in India. It will be great if this 'system' improves even by a small percentage. Lets start using it..

Its all for our country... For us. :-)

Mumbai gets its own NSG

Finally Mumbai will get its own NSG unit. The effectiveness and efficiency of the National Security Guard commandos and their skilful handling of terrorists had made the Maharashtra state government realize that Mumbai which should have its own unit.

Two months after taking the decision, the state government and the Centre have finally agreed on 23 acres of land at Marol, Andheri (E), for the NSG to set up its base. However, considering that the city is already bursting at the seams, finding space for a Mumbai base for NSG was a difficult task. Several suggestions later, the land which was meant to house the Mumbai Police HQ, was found ideal for the purpose. Four top NSG officials recently inspected and approved the location at Tungwe village in Marol. They were joined by officers of the state police headquarters and Mantralaya officials. Mantralaya sources said that after the NSG approved the land, the state government had given its formal consent to the proposal. However, it will now be the Central government’s job to release funds for the base to be set up. Once the funds are released, the Maharashtra government will formally transfer the land to the NSG. The state police would assist the NSG in setting up the infrastructure at its new base.. I believe it is a step in the right direction as it will cover the southern part of the country effectively and reduce the delays that were seen in the case of 26/11 attacks. On 26/11, after the terrorists struck at around 10.30 pm, the Ministry of Home Affairs quickly decided to send the NSG to fight the terrorists. The orders were issued, but the NSG men were at their headquarters in Manesar in Haryana. They were first driven to Delhi, where an IAF transport aircraft flew them to Mumbai, wasting four precious hours. After the operation, the MHA as well as the state government decided that an NSG base in Mumbai was a must considering the city's history of terror attacks. The then CM Vilasrao Deshmukh immediately started the process and offered several places for a base and the site at Tungwe is in the heart of the city and strategically located close to the domestic and international airports. This would make it easy for the commandos to move even to places outside Mumbai. Also, the centre would act as a psychological deterrent for those indulging in such terror acts. Wishing all the best to everyone involved in the building of this the new centre and I hope that it will be completed soon to help avoid such an attack being repeated in Mumbai! Amen

Jaago Re in Campus :)

Hi all..

As we informed you on the Republic Day, the Voter's registration event took place in the NMIMS quadrangle yesterday and the event was a big success :) 'Raj' Anand Trivedi, the guy who stars in the Tata Tea commercial for Jaago Re was in the campus.. Yeah the same exuberance, the same ability to engage people in dialogue and the same confidence that he has in the ad were present today... after all, convincing our college crowd to take part in something they have been procrastinating since 18 yrs of age, is not a small thing! lol but yeah the crowd was decent and the registrations progressed throughout the 12 to 6 time period kept for the event.. Kudos to the efforts put by the Yi net team from our college especially Rashi, Vineet (not me silly the other one), Ankit, Priyanka, Jimit and other people too.. it was good for F.A.T.E.ians to work with the Yi guys and together strive to achieve a better future for ourselves.. Jaago India :)

Register to Vote

Where the mind is without Fear and The head is held high,
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake!

-Rabindranath Tagore

Wishing all F.A.T.E.ians a very Happy Republic Day :)

We, the youth of India always crib that the system is too corrupt to be trusted and think of a hundred reasons of not voting ranging from 'lack of good candidates' to 'total mistrust of the system'. With the elections approaching, we, the youth and especially the F.A.T.E.ians need to register to vote so that we can actually make a difference and bring about the change we so desire and crave for.. We had earlier sent out mailers to all members requesting all to register for voting at Jaagore.com. Jaago re! One Billion Votes is a nonprofit, nonpartisan campaign and does not support or endorse any political candidate or party..

With the help of our tie-up with Yi and CII, Jaagore has agreed to come to the campus themselves to physically register for NMIMS and SVKM people :) So let us all avail of this opportunity and do our bit to improve the conditions in our nation. For our members who are not present in Mumbai, you can register to vote on..

www.jaagore.com

Let us all take the pledge to cast our votes in the coming elections and 'Be The Change' ourselves..
Jai Hind!

Time for action India..

The TOI report in today's paper claims that India is finally on the diplomatic offensive by presenting Pakistan and some key countries with a dossier of incriminating ‘material’ from the probe into the Mumbai attacks, including telephone intercepts between the attackers and their Lashkar-e-Taiba handlers in Pakistan.

 This “Hard evidence’ was presented to the US, the UK and Israel, among other countries which had lost their citizens in the attacks. India will give copies of the documentation to members of the UN Security Council and the G-8 on Tuesday to mount pressure on Islamabad to acknowledge, as a first step, the involvement of its citizens in the attacks, and then follow that up with action against them.  

Whats in the Dossier???
 

-Confession of arrested terrorist Ajmal Kasab,
-Details on his family in Pakistan’s Okhara district,
-Details of the training camps run by LeT,
-Details of the journey to Mumbai,
-Identities of 9 dead LeT terrorists,
-Details of GPS readings from a device recovered from the landing raft on how terrorists navigated from Karachi,
-Satellite phone locations inside Pak from where LeT handlers talked to terrorists,
-Intercepts of Voice Over Internet Protocol through US-based Callphonix between terrorists and Pakbased commanders Zarar Shah, Muzammil, Abu Al Qafa and Abu Hamza,
-Mail ID in Pakistan used by Zarar Shah to open deccanmujahideen@yahoo.com account through which he owned up the attacks..

The question remains whether all this is sufficient?? Should we just sit and wait for the FBI and other international agencies do the dirty work or should we ourselves get into the fray and demand access to the masterminds behind this attack..

As a nation we need to assert ourselves and show the world that we are as keen on saving the lives of our citizens as perhaps the US or Israel are.. Is it sufficient for us to let these countries carry out the investigations for us? Even if Pakistan's reluctance in allowing India access to the alleged terrorists, shouldn't we ask the international powers to help us in getting justice for our citizens ourselves?

Under a SAARC agreement in 1987 on suppression of terrorism and the 2004 additional protocol to that convention, the treaty confers discretion to extradite terrorists even in a situation where the requested state makes extradition “conditional on the existence of a treaty.’’ As its preamble put it, the whole purpose of the 1987 convention, drafted against the backdrop of the Punjab insurgency, was “to ensure that perpetrators of terrorist acts do not escape prosecution and punishment by providing for their extradition or prosecution.’’ 

 The 2004 additional protocol enlarged the scope of the extraditable offences under the 1987 Saarc convention. One of the new extraditable offences is any violent act when its purpose, “by its nature or context, is to intimidate a population, or to compel a government to do or to abstain from doing’’ something. Since international obligations undertaken by a country are deemed to be part of its domestic law, the 1987 convention and 2004 protocol show that there is no legal impediment to the extradition of terrorists from Pakistan despite the absence of an extradition treaty with India.

Pakistan’s claim to have a prior right to prosecute the wanted terrorists is also contrary to the SAARC instruments. The govt. needs to invoke its rights and take investigation in its own hands.. India owes it to its citizens.. 

JAI HIND

One month since Mumbai Attacks..

Dear F.A.T.E.ians, Its been one month since the attacks rocked Mumbai and the country... to change us and our perception of our safety forever.. this month saw many events take place, many protest marches, many candle light vigils.. yet nothing much seems to have changed!! The Government is yet to make a central Intelligence Agency to regulate Intel info, the families of the martyrs have yet not received enough compensation, the corrupt politicians are still being given Z security and the common man still spends each day running around the city with his mind full of anxiety and heart full of grief.. People who survived the carnage at the Taj, Oberoi, CST, Cama Hospital and Nariman House will never be the same again. People who lost people in the attacks, will also never be the same again. And we, the vast multitude who witnessed in horror how terror rode the waves into Mumbai on an inflatable dinghy; we who were glued to our television sets as 26/11 was brought into our living rooms; we who tut-tutted in sympathy when heart-rending stories of heroism and sacrifice and cold-blooded murder made the rounds; we who stood in vigils, signed petitions, formed human-chains, wore black armbands... we the people of Mumbai, too, will never be the same again.

Till when will this go on.. let us renew our pledge to fight against this menace that threatens to engulf our lives and make our futures safer.. We will be kicking off the new year with a fresh perspective and more determination to change the things as they stand..

Support us in the endeavor and be the masters of your own destiny.. Remember, our Fate is in our hands..

Like a Phoenix, they rise from ashes..

We hail the resilient Mumbai spirit and salute all those who are responsible for the hotels to bounce back so soon after the attack... it is not even a month after the terror attacks rocked Mumbai (still 5 more days to the day) and they are already on their feet... good work people.. Even though the 105-year-old palace wing of the Taj, which was badly damaged by fire and gunshots during the 60-hour siege, is still closed, pending painstaking renovations to ornate wood and marble work and lavish furnishings, we hope the day will come soon when Mr. Ratan Tata can inaugurate the Symbol of Mumbai too! "It's the best thing that could have happened," the general manager of Trident, Sanju Soni, said in the media interview when asked about the swift reopening. "A hotel without guests is very depressing, especially after what happened. The sooner life gets back to normal the better."

The Trident hotel opened its doors to the media on Saturday, allowing access to its gallery of high-end shops, reception and restaurant areas, as finishing touches were put to the decor and fittings.

Female hotel workers in saris handed out yellow roses to reporters after stringent checks on identification, bags and frisking by security guards. Armed police were positioned behind sandbags at the entrance and access roads were blocked off..

Ratan tata also got emotional while holding a press conference, "We dedicate the restored hotel to those who have lost their lives," Tata, who is the Chairman of Indian Hotels, the company that owns the Taj, said just before the reopening of Tower Wing of the hotel. "We cannot be knocked down, this is a memorable day and a tribute to those who saved many lives," an emotional Tata said, adding "It gives me a great sense of pride, this is the start of a new era. To us, it was a challenge to have the hotel reopen within one month from attack," he said. The heritage wing of the hotel, badly damaged in the attack, will be opened in phases starting from February, he said, adding that the entire hotel will be opened by the end of next year.

Amen to that!

Jai Hind

F.A.T.E. Signup Campaign

Today was the Sign-up campaign for F.A.T.E. in the University for the official launch of our society, and am delighted to say that the movement received an overwhelming response!!

What started as a project for IMC class, turned out into a much bigger thing.. After a lot of deliberations over what project we should do, the unanimous decision was to start a campaign against terrorism.. the recent attack on Mumbai had shaken us all and we thought it was a great opportunity to launch something which could make a difference to the society and which we could take forward even after the project was over..

After the initial hiccups we faced in getting our leaflets and posters published, we finally set up the desk in quadrangle at the time of afternoon break. Not a moment had passed when we had our first signatory ready.. the chap was highly motivated and I have to thank him personally for further motivating his friends and classmates to come and sign up for the society!

Thanx to the teaser mails I had been sending for the past two days plus the posters we had been posting in the college campus, there were quite a lot of people who were aware of F.A.T.E. which, by the way, was a pleasant surprise for us :) we had decided to use the colors of the Indian flag for taking thumb impressions of the people and it turned out to be a huge hit!

The sheets for signing up were full of saffron and green and so were the hands of people in the University ;) At the last count we have received at least 400 sign ups and the number of people joining the online community is also steadily growing..

Finally today we had a human chain which was planned by the SVKM management (after a lot of cajoling by the F.A.T.E. team).. all colleges under the Mandal came together to form a human chain defying the bomb scare in the city.. With this, we have taken our first baby step and we hope to take more steps in the right direction.. Do check the video guys.. a solemn reminder of why we are doing what we are doing..
 

 Jai Hind!

Mumbai Under Seige

It has happened again... the hand of terror has hit Mumbai with such power and force that the city is still reeling from its effects.. more than 190 are dead and 300 injured, there have been blasts at Ville Parle, Hilton towers, Taj hotel and even Cama & GT Hospitals(!!) two taxis have been blown to smithereens, there was firing still going on at CST and Taj for two days and terrorists were throwing grenades out of a five star hotel while holding hostages inside!!

I was numbed into silence and cudn't seem to get myself out of this trance like state... didnt feel like talking to anyone, just wanted to sit and cry... and vent out my anger for these dastardly acts of terror... so many dead, so many injured...





What action or motive justifies this killing of innocent people??? which god gives these people the sanction to take the lives of innocent men and women?? does the agony and trauma of the common man not mean anything?? how does one wrong correct another wrong??? there are so many questions but no one to answer them.. In fact there are no answers... and while politicians start the blame game and play politics with the current tragedy, commandos risk their lives trying to flush out terrorists, people keep dying and Mumbai keeps burning..  Policemen helplessly watch Taj break into flames  Taj burns.. its like a nightmare!

Ambulance vans outside the Taj, hostages escaping through the windows, Army outside the Taj corridor,  Injured being brought out to the ambulance, hostages running for their lives at Trident Hotel and snipers pointing at Nariman house.. all these scenes thrown at us from the television screens just filled everyone with more despair than hope!!




With all this happening once again in our country, the question remains.. what are we going to do about it.. this question is for you.. and for me.. are we, the youth of India, again going to just sit back and watch the events unfold in front of our eyes, or are we going to take things in our hands and do something about it!!


Will we keep watching our brothers and sisters being killed mercilessly everytime a psychopath decides to fling a gun and throw grenades at us?? Or will we decide to take things in our hands to make sure something like this never happens again?

Our FATE is in our Hands.