Life, Dreams and Reality -- Sohel's Blog

A compelling writing on Indian Sub-Continent and its widespread diasporas' literary activities in English language can be found from William Dalrymple's well articulated article published in The Guardian. Here is an interesting observation by the writer of "White Mughals": "There is even a relative absence of genuinely accessible, well-written and balanced general histories of India. The most widely available introductions to the subject - the two Penguin Histories by Romila Thapar and Percival Spear - are both fine, scholarly works, but pretty heavy-going. This as much as anything else, I think, has allowed Hindu nationalist myths to replace history among a large part of India's middle-class, who are keen consumers of desi fiction, but still have surprisingly little home-grown history to interest them." Regards, Sohel The Lost Sub-Continent Seven years ago, publishers descended on Delhi in search of the next Arundhati Roy. But, writes William Dalrymple,...

I am not still certain whether this "vegetarian meat" grown in laboratories could bring more unintended negative consequences or not, though the benefit is obviously there. The voracious human beings will surely could get more incentive in lessening his or her murderous assaults on our animal kingdom. Margaret Atwood's fabulous book Oryx and Crake portrayed a disturbing picture of similar laboratory meat, she named them "Chickienobs". In the beginning, there will be the natural resistance from the restless human population to such a "frightening" idea, I presume, but with the eventual growth of market and the possibility of immense profiteering from this new venture, may find our television screen and computer monitor to be inundated with hymn songs of laboraty meat, directed and produced by corporate mughals. Just a prediction, nothing more! Regards, Sohel When meat is not murder Would you eat steak if it had been grown in a petri dish? Ian Sample, sc...

The New Chauvinism The Ummah and the Anglosphere. The love for our own, and hatred for the others. We do it using various religious interpretations, and we do it using secular patriotism. The end result perhaps is the same. Historically, the concept of a global Christendom where the Jesus the Lord would rein upon the "unbelievers" and pagans, inspired crusades and conquests to send the heathens to purgatory or in some interpretations directly to hell for the eternity, while violent form of Jihad had taken over Islamic conquests around the globe centuries after Muhammad's death. Moses had such a supernatural power that he had sliced the surrounding water while he and his followers passed, but the oppositions were vanquished, water retained back its earthly gravitational force, crushing the enemies. In Hinduism, the Lord Krishna triumphed over Ravana, such a vicious entity whose killings were depicted as horrendous, while the Lord'...

Taste and preventability, that could be quite a beneficial quality. Many south Asian foods have lots of fat in them, but the spices may have hidden ingredients that could be protecting us against cancer and other diseases. Scientists are beginning to put more spotlight on it. Curcumin, the ingredient in curry spice can possibly "block a cancer-promoting protein." Other food items also emerged in the past as promising prospect against cancer, such as Vitamin E that had created somewhat frenzies among many parts of human population, propelling hoarding their Vitamin E supplies, but later scientific experiments proved this particular vitamin to be less effective, even detrimental in many cases. Let us hope that curcumin does not get the same negative fate. Regards, Sohel Curry spice may protect against cancer James Meikle Scientists hope they are unravelling the secrets of how a prime curry ingredient helps protect against cancer. They have found the ...

Peter Jennings By no means I was a regular viewer of Peter Jennings' daily news show in ABC. But growing up in America for many years now, like many others, made me see Peter Jennings, Dan Rather and Tom Brokaw as part of my life, as if they were close relatives from elderly generation. People dies everyday, every moment death shows its ultimate triumph over human flesh. One's dearest ones pass away from diseases, wars, famine, road accidents or other reasons. And grief overcomes us with its unforgettable sadness. Living in a world where symbolism shapes our daily existence, the symbol of these three great news anchors, no matter how one may feel opposed or agreed to their varied views and opinions, has profound influence over our growing up, especially in this corner of globe. Everyday, coming back from work or University, thirsty from scorching Texas sun, I used to turn on the television, while grabbing the quick evening meal and f...

Prejudging people with color, race, or whatever other silly criteria may become prelude to institutionalized racism and discrimination in their ugliest form. Not everyone looks like the "handsome" Tony Blair. Not everyone is an unapologetic liar. But does it make every White British who has the similar skin color and "handsome" demeanor a liar and vicious warmonger? Absolutely not. Hitler was a white supremacist Christian, that didn't make every god fearing, well meaning Christian to be a supremacist like him. Not every Tamils in Sri Lanka or India are suicide bombers. Not every atheists in Stalin's religion free mother Russia and now the defunct Soviet Union was as monstrous as him. These go on and on. There are good and there are bad. Every culture, race, creed and nations have them. Good outweighs bad in exponential manner. In the past few centuries the world has achieved quite a lot in furthering modernity and civilization. Slavery is abolished. Even m...

Your ox won't be gored. Mine would be. And millions of other brown skinned, young Muslim men and women, who will be put into that unique category of people just like the "unwanted" Jewish folks in Hitler's Germany, or Japanese immigrants during the height of second world war. Treading on this slippery path of hypocrisy will bring more autocratic policies, as if George Orwell's 1984 or Animal Farm would come alive, thwarting back "we are all created equal" motto of America's founding fathers. This is not far fetched. History has plenty of precedence to site examples of. Racial profiling and its uplifting decorums must not be the guidance of a democratic nation. Regards, Sohel A Shameful Hypocrisy By Colbert I. King Saturday, August 6, 2005; Page A19 I am mystified by the conservative commentators who voice their support for racial profiling as a way to catch terrorist suspects. These pundits support the authorities screening or otherwise keeping...

Replying to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MuktoChinta/message/14655 Related Message: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MuktoChinta/message/14640 Alamgir Hussain Wrote: A strange world! Mr. Reinhardt and his ilk were predicting a windfall of huge oil-money when Bush was going to the War in Iraq. Well, that was the motive we were told too often. Now the same band of pundits seem to have changed their tone completely. Still they have been acting as brilliant accountants albeit, to their surprize, counting a "huge cost", instead of a "giant windfall of illegal profits". Truly strange? Or it's the pundits' display of outstanding brilliance? Respond to Mr. Hussain: World is strange, indeed! Oh yeah, and it is not flat. Thank you for acknowledging it. Neocons and their dizygotic creatures that you and many put their (blind) trust into for various earthly or medieval reasons (material or immaterial), is quite astounding considering the unfolding world events and histor...

This incisive article by Sabaa Saleem provides a glimpse of a practicing Muslim's mind in North America. The writer is resourceful in her portrayal of contrasting tensions in views from two opposite sides. Regards, Sohel Being Muslim in a Mad, Sad World There's Right, There's Wrong, and More Than One Way to See Things By Sabaa Saleem Sunday, July 31, 2005; B03 Since I began working as an editor in The Post's foreign section a year ago, I have come into the office every day hoping only one thing: Please do not let there be another story about a bloody attack perpetrated by extremist Muslims. Not in Iraq, Britain, Egypt, not anywhere. I'm often disappointed. Raised in the United States, I have felt fear in my heart as an American treading the vicious new world we all inhabit in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. As the daughter of Pakistani-Muslim parents, I have ached at seeing an entire faith -- my faith -- often vilified because of the actions of a few. ...

I thought you knew Mr. Reinhardt, who is paying for "Our Patriotism". Don't you know your son whom you did give a fatherly advice will be the one paying the ultimate price for this and other adventurous wars of coming days? Your advice was sound: "Do what you must, but be advised that, flourishing rhetoric notwithstanding, this nation will never truly honor your service, and it will condemn you to the bottom of the economic scrap heap should you ever get seriously wounded." Mr. Reinhardt, your observation was correct, Americans are insulated from this bloody war, media is playing the tune of sacrilege euphoria though unabashed in their selective promotion of faith, and the moral hazard is indeed lurking in the shadow, while American tax payers are not biting the dust (yet) from their government's ballooning war. "if all but a handful of Americans are completely insulated against the emotional -- and financial -- cost of war, is it not natural to suspect...

Karen Armstrong's writings fascinate me. Her well crafted, well thought and unbiased articles on issues pertinent to our contemporary strife filled world give us hope. When the nutcases are flaunting their naked hatred and inciting more racial and religious tensions by mentioning their wistful wishes that include bombing and incinerating sacred places around the world, killing unknown many, Karen Armstrong's is the voice of sanity and moderation that our world needs in such a desperate time. Regards, Sohel Land rites In our secular, sceptical society, sacred spaces remind people of their true spiritual orientation Karen Armstrong Long before human beings began to map the earth scientifically, they created a sacred geography. Certain features of the landscape - a rock or river that was particularly arresting - stood out from their surroundings and spoke of something else: people experienced a richer, more potent reality there. Men and women have formulat...

There are Paul Sperry, Charles Krauthammer, Daniel Pipes, and there are Colbert I. King, Paul Krugman, Bob Herbert amidst the myriad of other contrasting columnists. Some writes with hatred disguised in pious liberty, and some writes with genuine integrity. In America, the land of freedom and opportunities for immigrants for the last few centuries, the voice of malevolence is growing, but the hope is not dead, it is still thriving in the voice and words of sincere men and women whose conscience propel them lashing out to those bigots who want to see a demented America. These repugnant scribes want to see an America where hatred triumphs over sanity and tolerance. But don't you worry, dear readers. The voice of pure innocence is still bold and proudly erected in America over bigots and bigotry. Regards, Sohel You Can't Fight Terrorism With Racism By Colbert I. King Saturday, July 30, 2005; Page A19 During my day job I work under the title of deputy editorial page editor. Th...