"Mumbai: we will not be divided"

Avaaz is an international organization that acts as vox populi. More about Avaaz and their excellent campaigns and impact. They want signatories for a message calling for unity following the attacks in Mumbai. If you would like to support this cause, pls have a look below.

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Dear friends across India and the world,

We're all feeling the shock of the awful attacks in Mumbai. All our hearts go out to the victims and their families.

The attacks were aimed at our people, our prosperity and our peace. But their top target was something else: our unity. If these attacks cause us to turn on each other in hatred and conflict, the terrorists will have won. They know that hatred and chaos feed on division. As radical extremists, their only hope of winning is by turning the rest of us against each other.

Let's deny them that victory. We're launching a message to extremists on all sides and all our political leaders, one that will soon be published in newspapers across India and Pakistan. The message is that these tactics have failed, that we're more united than ever, united in our love and support to each other, determined to work together against terror and call on our leaders to do the same. If millions of people sign it, our message will be unmistakable, click below to sign it and please forward this email widely:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/india_undivided/98.php/?cl_tf_sign=1

It's time to speak out, let's do it together.

Thanks
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ABOUT AVAAZ
Avaaz.org is an independent, not-for-profit global campaigning organization that works to ensure that the views and values of the world's people inform global decision-making. (Avaaz means "voice" in many languages.) Avaaz receives no money from governments or corporations, and is staffed by a global team based in Ottawa, London, Rio de Janeiro, New York, Paris, Sydney and Geneva. Call us at: +1 888 922 8229.

What is Purdafash upto?

A while ago I'd posted about Purdafash, a self proclaimed website to "solve everyday problems by bringing together people, etc etc" and I'd even contributed the odd "report" to it. But 4 months later, the website still seems to be strung together with pieces of tape and thread, the interface sucks, the people behind it seem to be hibernating and there is not one example of the sour piss and vinegar that I thought the creators were bringing to such an ambitious project.

Did I hear someone asking about the reports? The less said about the reports, the better. From reports about "bird flu killings inside wipro" complete with... um... icky things like punctuation and SMS style abbreviations to a story about a local bus that stops too long in "Guwahati, Bus no. 2", to a report about why we need more temples and less pandals during pujas (Durga puja reaches scintillating heights) and even one about the old hoohoo, wearing t-shirts to school, blah blah boo in "College or Taliban?" Entertaining stuff this.

To be honest I must balance this story by pointing out that there are many valid issues pointed out on the website. But who wants another website with stories about issues? This hungry Indian wants to know what Purdafash is doing to fulfil its philosophy, other than presenting one more dreary blog platform. Perhaps what Purdafash needs to do is start a social networking platform where people can come together and discuss and debate the many aches and pains of farty old India, and promise to do something about over a cuppa chai (ramu, jaldi laana, pakoda ke saath, mat bhoolna) or a shaken martini, until next time, cheerio, sleep well and don't forget the rubber. Reminds me of a post I did a while ago "Blogging in India for socio-political causes? Ok. Good joke."...

"North Indians love to violate law. Do you agree?"

Over at the Times of India, a newspaper I hold in the cheapest regard, the Resident Editor of the Lucknow edition wants to know if people agree with Delhi Lt Governor's statement "North Indians love to violate law."

My comment to this editor:

Are you mad, sir? Do you have the slightest bit of common sense, or do you insist on proving time and again that the Times of India is another tabloid, no better than toilet paper and more soiled if truth be told? Khanna spoke out of turn, but you, sir should know better than to misquote his statements, turn it around and present it in black and while and ask people to give their useless opinions on it. And what will you do with such opinions? Publish them with graphs and charts and show that such and such community "loves to violates laws" on the basis of people's nonsensical opinions and personal biases? And what will that prove, other than give national importance to a statement that should have merited a footnote at best? You, sir, are an imbecile for running such silly opinion polls.

Interview on another blog

My interview published over at Visceral Observations on consumer rights and other stories in two parts: Interview with consumer rights activist: part 1 and Interview with consumer rights activist: part 2.

And a synopsis of Overcharging on MRP published at Purdafash.