Didi’r Suraksha Kavach!

I have seldom seen as many party leaders’ vehicles, most of them SUVs with those tricolour VIP badges neatly displayed inside their windshields. Therefore, the telltale badges with the grass and flowers logo of the ruling party are more important than the thousands of blue beacons bearing vehicles of menial bureaucrats, secretaries of departments etc.

Again, the number of vehicles that day was mind-boggling and bore varied nameplates like Village- Pradhan, Panchayat member, Member-Zilla Parishad etc. They were from many districts of West Bengal and had converged at Nazrul Manch, an auditorium not far from my place. The CM of West Bengal would be preparing her team for the ‘Battle Royale,’ the Panchayat elections due in a couple of months.

I saw all who mattered raising their hands with a hand fan kind of placard that signified that the carriers were Didi’s ambassadors. The placard, called ‘Suraksha Kavach,’ will be carried by all the leaders to the villages, like the ambassadors between kingdoms carry their peace flags. The party leaders were directed to go to every village and hear out every difficulty and offer solutions. Her nephew, Abhishek Banerjee, an M.P. and the youth face of the party, had already begun his action by removing a few corrupt Panchayat leaders and even getting them arrested. They had misappropriated the housing scheme monies meant for the homeless poor.

If Abhishek has cleaned the tip of the iceberg, the extent of the misdemeanours at the village level is much larger, considering the raids by central agencies like the E.D., unearthing lofty hills of currency notes at the leaders’ homes. The attempt to pooh-pooh the corruption charges and to brave visits of party leaders to the villages may backfire, with the placard holders gheraoed and forced to hear the villagers’ narratives of corruption.

The opposition is readying for an all-out attack. The older but marginalized opposition parties like the CPI(M) and the Congress are joining hands. They had lost all their significance and could do anything to remain afloat. They have two adversaries to contend with, the Trinamool and the BJP. It is difficult to say who could be a greater threat to their survival.

In the last assembly polls, the cadres of the two parties, the CPI(M) and the Congress, had, in many constituencies, quietly lent their support to the BJP. It will not be surprising if a similar street policy of cadre-level understanding to defeat Trinamool, the most formidable and unpalatable of all, is quietly green-flagged by the left and Congress. The CPI(M) considers the BJP weak at the State level and could wither soon. But the TMC is a different party with a stronger grassroots following; therefore, they need to defeat the Trinamool wherever possible.

But can they? Didi has much clout and charisma, which the rural folks, particularly the women, trust. The BJP, CPI(M) and Congress may need someone to match Mamata in her bastion and may have none.

Sampath Kumar

Intrépide Voix

The storm in Tamil Nadu!

The relationship between Governors, the constitutional head for States appointed by the President (but under the advice of the Central Government), has often been varying with the State governments with opposing political views.

West Bengal had a long history of crossing swords with many governors in the past, who could, at the snap of their fingers, dismiss elected governments, often on flimsy grounds, under the garb of ‘deteriorating law and order.’ Such draconian provisions in the Constitution under Art 356 declaring the failure of constitutional machinery was enough to impose President’s rule. Such Governor’s actions have been put on leash with strict riders by the parliament and the courts. Despite the power tilting heavily in favour of the elected governments, the Centre often tries to utilize the services of their appointed Governors to embarrass the opposition-ruled States in every way they can.

The latest flash point is the Tamil Nadu Governor’s standoff with the ruling DMK party over the name of the State. Tamil Nadu, called earlier the Madras State, had its name changed in 1969 and has remained ever since. The State capital, also called Madras city, was changed to Chennai, in a countrywide name-changing spree, with States finding nothing else worthwhile to do. Interestingly of the 29 States and 9 Union Territories, Tamil Nadu is the only State to carry a ‘Nadu’ in its name, which can also be interpreted as ‘country.’

Governor Shri R.N. Ravi skipped portions of the speech customarily read at the beginning of the Assembly. The speech is always prepared by the State and sent to him for his approval, which must be read by him, which is the legal position. There is a consultative and corrective mechanism for a middle-line of approach. However, some Governors often add or leave out portions which contain questionable claims of achievements by the State. The Governor’s skipping portions of the government’s draft during his speech prompted immediate protests as His Excellency exited midway through his speech.

The Governor, while addressing the newly elected civil servants the following day, further queered the situation by suggesting that they must all stand with the Centre and not with the State if there is a standoff between them. His indication that the Centre is a legal custodian of the constitution and the States are not is a wrong perception.

However, while sending the invitation for the Pongal celebrations, the Governor has changed the official name of Tamil Nadu to ‘Tamizhagam,’ literally meaning home of Tamil, which has been objected to by the ruling DMK party and its allies. The VCK party has demanded the Governor’s resignation, and senior DMK leaders visited the President of India to submit a memorandum over the Governor’s unconstitutional actions.

The backdoor entry of Hindi and the fear of losing a distinctive Tamil identity has always been the trump card for the Dravida parties to garner the support of the Tamil masses. The Centre seems to push its agenda, and the Governor’s actions seem to strengthen the feeling. Unity in diversity must not be confined to history books but must be practised. DMK, on its part, must not confuse periodically on its distorted views of cooperative federalism and that India is a federal democracy or union of states like in the USA. They must understand that India is a united country and shall stand as such.

Jai Hind

Sampath Kumar
Intrépide Voix

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‘Us and they’ games!

The other day I was speaking on fashion. Bikinis will be as objectionable for a temple visit as a three-piece suit for a beach visit. As another year dawns, India has never been as challenged by fundamentalists and terrorists as now. The divide between communities grows deeper and wider with every passing day. In the name of ‘jodo,’ to fix, contrarian ‘todo,’ breaking activities are with least concern for the country’s progress.

Something is seriously amiss, and corrective steps must be taken if India truly progresses as a developed nation. The role of the political opposition in understanding and appreciating the difference between opposing the BJP party and the Indian government must be reinvented. Doubting the valour of our army, doubting the procurement of defence needs, accusing conceding Indian territories to China etc., do not bring any laurel to the opposition unless the accusations are proven.

There is unstoppable machinery keeping the minorities in a constant agitated mood, the threat of insecurity etc., much of it unfounded. India is among very few countries considered a nucleus of religions. Most Hindus have never engaged in oppression or attacks over others, despite historical wrongs on them over centuries.

The militant Wahhabism overrunning every other religion must be curbed and regulated to alter their mindset. They are funded by a few gulf countries, who will continue their religious onslaught regardless. The fear of  a few Hindus that their religion is under grave threat of extinction is a lie propounded by a crafty few. For example, more Hindus visited the Churches for the Holy mass during this Christmas, which shows the Hindus’ religious tolerance and inclusive character.

There are foreign forces, who sell us arms to defend or wage wars, but include a few who do not want India to grow stronger economically or militarily. India must not be led into a trap of frittering away our hard-earned resources into wars. Growth can only be achieved if all Indians solidly stand behind the government. We all owe a better future to the next generation.

The youths and children must have a safe environment and peaceful lives. Therefore, removing toxicity from every walk of life becomes an indispensable duty of every citizen. If Pundits and Hindus are killed in Kashmir, it is not the army, but the Muslim majority living there, which must apprehend the culprits and help punish the offenders. If leaders spew venom, it is the job of the citizens to shut their mouths up. We, as patient and forbearing citizens, do deserve better lives. The game of us and they, dividing on religious grounds, must end forever.

Jai Hind

Sampath Kumar

Intrépide Voix

Green flag for Bengal!

PM Narendra Modi will be in Kolkata for the flagging off of the Vande-Bharat Train between Howrah and New Jalpaiguri and the Metro Joka-Taratolla line. Interestingly, there is mellowness from the ruling Trinamool party concerning Modi, while its sharpened knives were in a usual attack mode on BJP and RSS. Mamata’s famous election rhetoric of dragging Modi by a rope tied on his waist, or that she shall share a platform only with a new Prime Minister, have no doubt, hurt Bengal, which the CM seems to have realised now.

However, mood change to suit her short-term political gains is familiar to the TMC supremo. The Panchayat elections are not far away, and the ruling Trinamool seems to be on the defensive over the Prime Minister’s Awas Yojana scheme, with many party leaders turning out to be undue beneficiaries despite being ineligible. The investigating agencies have also found holes in the spending of MNREGA money and have tightened the screw by online attendance to the beneficiaries.

Meanwhile, Abhishek Banerjee, the youth icon and the party’s number two, had warned a few Trinamool village panchayat leaders, demanding their resignations. Some influential but corrupt leaders have been promptly arrested by the police, acting in alacrity over Banerjee’s charges. It may be recalled that the investigating agencies chased Abhishek Banerjee and his family over several allegations of being beneficiaries in the sand, coal and cow smuggling. But, at least for now, the charges have cooled down, giving rise to the oft-repeated charge that the Central government is using investigative agencies to suit their political goals.

Amid these, another piece of news has caught the attention of all. The abrupt cancellation of Arijit Singh. The detractors claim that the singer humming the lines from his hit song “Rang De Tu Mohe Gerua,” translated as ‘give me the colour saffron’ might have been, at best, a classic case of error of judgement of time and place. Senior TMC Minister and the Mayor of Kolkata has clarified that the organisers have not taken permission from the authorities, and the show would have clashed with an important G20 summit and thus could not be risked.

The cancellation of the much-hyped and much-expected show is no different than a case of a huge skyscraper built before the authorities realised that it was illegal, and the court ordered its razing. All forget that prevention is better than cure.

BTW, saffron affects different people differently. For example, the Hindutva zealots do not like saffron to be the colour of bikinis, whereas the utterance of the word saffron seems to upset the secularists.

The spokesperson of the ruling party who loves whiplashing Centre, Suvendu Adhikari, and everything to do with Modi seems lost, with the new axis of twist in State politics. The BJP claims that it will win 24 seats in the 2024 elections in West Bengal.

Let’s wait for Modi to return for our serial to resume.

Sampath Kumar

Intrépide Voix

Obnoxious India-hating Countries (OIC)!

Giving an international twist by the West Asian countries like Oman, Iran, Kuwait, and Saudi usual to the overstepping of a TV debate by lowly party functionaries is a politically immature act. By such an act, the Islamic countries, and organizations like OIC expose and alienate Indian Muslims, which must not be.

The prompt action by the BJP national headquarters on the offenders was extreme and must be enough to douse the anger of those who felt offended. However, it must be remembered by one and all that respect for other religions, other gods, or prophets must not confine only to the majority Hindu community. The sentiment must be reciprocated in letter and spirit by all others as well.

India was paupered by the British while leaving in 1947 amid starvation and famines. Our stride today has been largely due to social uplifting in every way, including the minorities. The realization of mosques built over demolished temples could be a well-crafted strategy to polarize communities, which may have some short-term political benefits, but will damage the fabric of Indian homogeneity. It must end.

Minorities must look for saner elements as their leaders. But unfortunately, its leadership often suffers from the hallucinations of a Muslim empire in parts of India. It is a fallacy. I am surprised that not a single Muslim leader from India has risen and reprimanded the West Asia nations reminding them that the matter is purely internal and must be resolved only by the aggrieved parties.

The targetted killings of Hindus in Kashmir did not attract the attention of the Muslim nations; the repeated incursions by Pak terrorists did not raise an eyebrow in the West Asian countries; the forcible abduction and conversion of minor girls in Pakistan did not warrant any criticism. They spring, however, as if the worst has happened whenever it comes to India, which is saddening.

I am happy that our external affairs minister, Dr Jaishankar, has strongly responded to the OIC that action has been taken on the regretful utterances of the party’s two spokespersons who have been shown the door. It seems now easier than ever to embarrass India by vested elements with provocative and irresponsible statements about other religions. The government of India must be more vigilant than ever over this new threat of trouble mongers who could falsely galvanize an international opinion about India.

The onus lies on the minority leaders, who must shun extremism and confrontationist attitudes to cling to power. They must stop dreaming of a resurrection of an Islamic rule anytime in the future in India. The joy of peaceful co-existence is not a one-sided game, and both teams must play fairly and nobly.

Demanding our country’s PM, Modi, to apologize for Nupur Sharma and Navin Kumar Jindal’s utterances is silly. The EAM, Dr Jaishankar, represents the Government of India as much and is qualified to respond, which he has done forcefully and with elan. Let’s move on!

Jai Hind!

Sampath Kumar

Intrépide Voix

For a better environment for all!

Today is world environment day, a day for introspection and commitment to our safe and sustainable future. Two BJP spokespersons, Nupur Sharma and Navin Kumar Jindal had caused a different kind of vitiation of the social environment by their derogatory remarks on Prophet Mohammed during a TV debate. TV debates have become vicious and hateful attacks, often egged on by the anchors, who gleefully watch their TRP ratings go high and revenues peak during acerbic exchanges.

Nupur made the objectionable remarks on the Prophet during a debate on the Gyanvapi mosque issue on the 28th of May, and an FIR was lodged soon after that. On Friday, violence broke out in Kanpur, resulting in 800 booked and 40 arrested in arson over the remarks.

The BJP high command expelled their Delhi BJP media in-charge, Navin Kumar Jindal, from its primary membership and suspended Nupur Sharma while removing her as the party’s spokesperson. Nupur has since apologised. Nupur responded to mocking a Shivling as a fountain inside the mosque, which is a matter of sub-judice.

The prompt action by the party may irritate a few diehard Hindutvawadis but was timely and appropriate. Added to this is a weighty statement by the RSS leader, Mohan Bhagawat, advising Hindus not to search for Shivling or Hindu motifs in every mosque. The statement is far-reaching from the context of offering an olive branch to the minorities.

A silly few may shout that those minorities who cannot assimilate and adjust to Hindu ways of thinking and living must go to Pakistan. However, we must appreciate that such an option was open before them and their fathers and forefathers chose India over Pakistan. Therefore, the communities must find ways and means to live harmoniously, rather than imposing each one’s will on the other.

True, many temples have been ransacked during the Islamic rule of several centuries. Destruction of the religion of those vanquished was an established means of subjugation. Our kings also built temples in several South-East Asian countries as they foisted our victory flags. India did not suffer the fate of the vanished civilisations like Olmec, Mayan, Aztec, Inca etc. Hinduism survived and thrived and is alive and kicking now.

We must not hesitate to ask, ‘where went the Buddha viharas and Jain temples?’ How many temples were built on the demolished viharas and Jain temples? We consider that these could be normal or natural.

If proven a Shivling, the Hindu God of trinity must be given the respect and honour it deserves. I value the hurt sentiments of many Hindus, who think it is those minorities who are around now who are responsible for the arson and crimes perpetrated by the invading armies many centuries ago. Indians must exercise the two greatest human attributes, forgiveness and atonement.

The need to coexist in peace, with mutual admiration and respect, can happen only when the targeted killing ends and when people disengage from the wanton stone-throwing and violence.

India is different, tolerant and inclusive in its truest spirits, despite a few differing the fact.

Sampath Kumar
Intrépide Voix

Alpha male!

There used to be a time when I watched news channels non-stop, anytime I switched on the TV. I see less news now. My faith has eroded in the integrity of many stories, palmed off as factual.

The last that caught my attention was the news of Russian President Putin suffering ailments, varied as schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s, cancer, and whatnot. His walking style was faulty; his hands trembled, and his eyes quivered, the Western news channels confirmed. Putin has, at best, 2-3 years to live the channels predicted.

I could not resist more and browsed every channel to check the veracity of the claims. Putin seemed smart with his characteristic stride, labelled as an ‘alpha-male’ walk. The pro-Russian media clarified that he was earlier in combat and was used to carrying a heavy assault rifle in one hand and his style was a gunslinger’s gait. Thus, Putin’s one hand was static, and the other moved when he walked. I began watching Putin intensely, his walking style, eye movements, and twitching of his facial muscles, if any and if they reveal any hidden ailments, as if I was an expert. The CIA spending millions of dollars, studying Fidel Castro, and Col. Qaddafi gave me motivation. The long hours that I spent on Putin watch seemed to have impacted me, as I took to walking in Putin style, one hand glued to my body and the other swinging in a Russian ballet kind of movement, my one shoulder leaning on one side etc.

Triumphantly I did a bit of walking in front of my wife, who looked at me suspiciously. ‘Alpha male,’ I tried to explain and waited exultantly. Did you see that Telugu movie Pushpa again, or is the frozen shoulder back again? No! Women are women and need not know much about alpha males; I tried to assuage my hurt feelings. Perhaps, I lifted a shoulder much higher than necessary and needlessly pouted my lips. I might have forgotten moving my body, leaning slightly to the left and my head in a pendulum-like swing, left-right-left-right, matching my stride as Putin does.

I shall practice the Putin walk later when she is out on some errand. I adjusted all the mirrors to see myself walking from many angles. I walked, and I did not see Putin or Pushpa. Instead, I saw my style as similar to Joe Biden’s.

Don’t believe all that you hear and see on the media.

Sampath Kumar

No, Mr. Blinken!

Yesterday the U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken yet again donned the role of the torch-bearer of human rights or its abuses around the world. The irony was, as he spoke, the U.S. President Joe Biden was paying a visit to Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, where 19 students and two staff were gunned down in a frenzy of intolerance towards minorities. Because the unharmed George Floyd was black, he was pinned down and killed by cops two years ago.

On May 14, 2022, a mass shooting occurred in Buffalo, New York, United States, at a Tops Friendly Markets store, a supermarket in the East Side neighbourhood. Ten Black people were killed, and three other people were injured.

The Buffalo gunman emulated the 28-year-old anti-Muslim terrorist who massacred 51 people in Christchurch, New Zealand, three years ago. He live-streamed the killings of the shoppers because they were Black.

The U.S. Government is helpless against an obnoxiously strong gun lobby, which has succeeded in waving the 2nd Amendment and the right to own guns by one and all. It is, therefore, not surprising that it may be difficult to buy a can of beer without an ID or a strip of paracetamol without a prescription. However, an underage can buy a military-grade assault rifle without trouble.

The U.S. must constantly remember its history, which came into being after destroying millions of local Indian tribes. It had enslaved almost the whole continent of Africa, bought and sold men and women like one would do cattle until the other day. More recently, the torture stories of prisoners from Guantanamo prison do not elevate the status of the U.S. as a moral guardian against human rights abuses. The U.S. has been a silent spectator of the Chinese atrocities imprisoning a million Uighurs, fearing trade reprisals.

I do not deny that there are hardcore Hindu outfits like Ram Sene, Bajrang dal etc., who periodically give acerbic and inflammatory statements. But they are mostly reactive against onslaughts on Hinduism, its temples and gods from a few militant minority groups like the PFI and cross-border outfits. The report does not whisper even as a passing reference to the target killings of Hindus, minorities in Kashmir.

The annual report by the state department, also known as the International Religious Freedom Report on violations of human rights, is selective and targeted at sitting ducks like India to drive a hard bargain in the tumultuous situation of a need to build an anti-Russian stand in the region.

India’s foreign minister Jaishankar responded later by saying that India too has its views about human rights in the U.S.

Press persons are gunned down by the dozens for mocking or doing a caricature of the Prophet in an increasingly religiously intolerant world. Artists in India enjoy the freedom to depict Hindu gods and goddesses in the nude, write objectionable material, etc. If most Indians silently steer clear of these provocations, many also cherish these as part of secularism. If the offended react, immediately a rejoinder comes from the U.S. State department and none less than the Secretary himself.

India cherishes its diversity and is the true melting pot of every religion. The country must not be branded as an abuser of human rights for the statements or actions of a minuscule few imbeciles. I hope the U.S. State Secretary installs mirrors in his office to watch his true form and style.

Sampath Kumar

Intrépide Voix

The temples-mosques cauldron!

I usually try to avoid sub-judice matters, but I breach in the case of mosques to temple issue that has kept the nation busy for a while.

Of the many conquerors of India, which was rich culturally and economically, many looted tons of priceless treasures, antiques, and artefacts. There was a usual and more gruesome aspect, to subjugate the people and buy their unwavering loyalty. The latter could only be done by public torture and killing Sikh and Hindu gurus. As an extension of their cruel methods, the looted temples were targeted, ransacked, and demolished either partly or razed completely without a trace, like in the case of Kashmir’s Marthanda Sun temple, Sharada Peetam and many other temples in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Many temples meekly surrendered, handing over their wealth to the invaders and thus escaped death and destruction of their places of worship, though the numbers were few. Damage to temple statues by the invaders, as opposed to idolatry, is witnessed today in many places of worship, from the remotest North to the deep south of our country.

The post-Independent Indian government of India harped on a never existing secularism, even while polarising and dividing the country into religious lines. The appeasement of the minorities and cultivating as a vote-bank, scaring them that any other rightwing party would annihilate them into obscurity, kept their cart rolling. For Seventy-five years, the minorities have lived in a relative sub-optimality compared to the majority of Hindus despite two-country presidents, several governors and high officials.

The pro-minority parties have done the worse, causing a constant fear-psychosis and creating a disruptive and seditionary feeling among the youths and ghettoising them. There would have been no Kashmir problem had the Pandits returned and lived in amity and peace with the Muslims. There would have been better and more graceful means to return the disputed places of worship, which have telltale signs of overbuilt mosques on razed temples.

The other day, I wrote that this is an opportunity for the minority leaders to rise to the occasion and atone for the invaders’ crimes, though committed several centuries ago. The present generation has no contribution whatsoever. I fail to understand why the Gyan Vapi Mosque trust hid the fact of the Shiv Linga being dumped into the well. If the Shiv Linga was found, why did they have to hurry to the Supreme Court to find a solution when a nobler solution lay in their hands?

The leaders of the minorities may not want a solution to the predicament of a religious divide over which their political fortunes exist. But, they must realise that Ayodhya and Gyanvapi are not the end but merely a beginning. High on the temple retrieval plan is freeing Lord Krishna’s birthplace in Mathura and Brindavan. It will follow India’s nook and corners, each case and instance going to the court and each reconversion extending the tenure of the BJP, which the secularists, left, and the minorities detest.

The quiet, peace-loving Hindus are now merely onlookers from the sidelines. Still, most wouldn’t mind the return of the forcibly converted temples to their faith, which is enough to glide the Hindutva party, the BJP, back into power in 2024 unless obstinacy finds its way out in unsubstantiated claims over forcibly converted religious places.

Sampath Kumar

Intrépide Voix

What’s in a name?

There cannot be a better place on earth like India to claim the title of a melting pot of cultural diversity. The way of life vastly varies from the North to the South, from the East to the West, and the Indian States are largely demarcated by their major linguistic usance.

With a much lesser population, the Western world could maintain records of family trees, which was not possible in a large country like India. Roots were, therefore, embedded in personal names, which often contained the village of origin, office of authority of their ancestors, trade of their ancestors, first name, which often was the father’s, given name, caste and clan. The names were, thus, a unique identity system of ancient times. A few had titles added to their names, like Agnihotri and Bharadwaj, which also denoted their gotra, their ancient lineage, dating to the sages with the names. Avoidance of same gotra marriage prevented genetic mismatch like a marriage between siblings.

My forefathers were reformists, offloading progressively the long names, which otherwise would have made opening a bank account difficult for me with my full name printed on the chequebook. My name, unaltered, would have read, “Vilanguppam-Gattam-Srinivasa Tatachari-Sampath-Kumara-Iyengar.” Thankfully, it was Srinivasan Sampath Kumar and further shortened as S. S. Kumar, for the convenience of the many I come across around the world.

Many Indians did not use surnames when the British landed in India. Many names explain the trades the persons are engaged in. A few examples: Tiwari-scholar versed in three Vedas, Agarwal-merchants, Kapadia-textile trade-related, Patel-Village headman, Saini-landowners, Singh-(Lion) for most Sikhs, Kumar-hill dweller or potter and also the son of Lord Shiva, Ram-charming, Ray or Rai-King.

The Parsees who landed in Mumbai took to various trades. Their trade became their family names like Engineer, Batliwala, Gheewala, Daruwala, or their place of living like Tarapore Wala, Kalyani Wala, or Thane Wala, which are not uncommon. I am yet to meet a Sodabottleopener Wala and do not know what a Screw Wala ever did!

Some surnames sound like abuse, like Chutia, Chodha, and Swine but are still prevalent. Parkarvarkar (lift your petticoat), Zurle (cockroach), Bhoote (Ghost), Makde (monkey), Undhir (rat), Gadhve (donkey), Kutte (dog), Landge (wolf are also some embarrassing surnames in use.

In Tamil Nadu, one can frequently come across surnames like Napoleon, Kennedy, Gandhi, Nehru, Subhas Chandra Bose, Tagore, Lenin and Stalin (the current CM of Tamil Nadu). A few also have complicated names like Azakiyamanavalan, Kazakakanmanidasan etc., with usual prefixes and suffixes.

A clerk in the Edn. Deptt. In M.P. has a name 26 January Tailor. He was born on the 26th of January and thus named as such, Tailor being his surname.

In all, names are given and are carried by persons, often without alteration and with pride, regardless of how it may sound otherwise. That is the uniqueness of India as a nation.

Sampath Kumar
Intrépide Voix