Author Archives: Abhi

About Abhi

Abhi lives in Los Angeles and works to put things into space.

Gulab the Shepherd

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A number of years ago my younger brother went to study in Egypt. While there he decided to climb Mt. Sinai alone. My mother has been blessed with two nature-loving yet slightly imbalanced sons. Upon returning to the U.S. he told me that while on Sinai he got lost and took several of the wrong trails. Eventually he found himself trapped on a cliff in cold weather without a visible means to get back on to surer footing. He thought he was going to die and started yelling for help. Eventually, from out of nowhere came a shepherd and pulled him off the cliff. Months Two years later, back in Cairo, a stranger approached my brother on the street and hugged him. He wondered why a strange man would be hugging him until he realized it was the same shepherd.

Time magazine has an exclusive account of the heroics of a South Asian shepherd and his village, once again proving that sometimes the most modest of men/women are needed to guide the way:

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A crackle in the brush. That’s the sound the Afghan herder recalls hearing as he walked alone through a pine forest last month. When he looked up, he saw an American commando, his legs and shoulder bloodied. The commando pointed his gun at the Afghan. “Maybe he thought I was a Taliban,” says the shepherd, Gulab. “I remembered hearing that if an American sticks up his thumb, it is a friendly gesture. So that’s what I did.” To make sure the message was clear, Gulab lifted his tunic to show the American he wasn’t hiding a weapon. He then propped up the wounded commando, and together the pair hobbled down the steep mountain trail to Sabari-Minah, a cluster of adobe-and-wood homes–crossing, for the time being, to safety.

What Gulab did not know is that the commando he encountered was part of a team of Navy SEALs that had been missing for four days after being ambushed by Taliban insurgents during a reconnaissance mission in northeastern Afghanistan.

After taking the SEAL to Sabari-Minah, Gulab called a village council and explained that the American needed protection from Taliban hunters. It was the SEAL’s good fortune that the villagers were Pashtun, who are honor-bound never to refuse sanctuary to a stranger. By then, said Gulab, “the American understood that we were trying to save him, and he relaxed a bit.”

The Taliban was not so agreeable. That night the fighters sent a message to the villagers: “We want this infidel.” A firm reply from the village chief, Shinah, shot back. “The American is our guest, and we won’t give him up as long as there’s a man or a woman left alive in our village.”

…Gulab now fears that his act of compassion may mean his death warrant. After returning the SEAL, he went back to grab his family and flee before the Taliban would come round seeking revenge. In the mountains of Kunar, fear is rising again.

Ironic isn’t it? The same Pashtun honor code that some believe allows Osama Bin Laden to evade capture, also saved the life of one of our NAVY SEALS. Continue reading →

Oh no, Ayodhya again…but this time it’s different

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Time Magazine Asia wonders if the saffronists are losing their influence in India and if the hope for peace is turning the people off to their message:

If India and Pakistan are to make peace, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh noted a few days ago, people have to want it. An attack by six suspected Muslim militants on a contested religious site at Ayodhya in northern India triggered protests last week, as Hindus marched in New Delhi shouting “Down, down Pakistan!” and forced roads and shops to close across the country. Police used water cannons to disperse demonstrators and arrested some 3,000 people. “I have always maintained that we need to carry public opinion to make a success of the peace process,” Singh warned as he appealed for calm. “Anything that comes in the way of public opinion—and certainly these incidents, if they get repeated—has the potential to disrupt the peace process.”

The potential, yes. But not, as used to be the case, the probability. Despite the attack and ensuing protests—far from the worst India has seen—the mood on both sides of the border finally seems to be moving beyond a half-century of confrontation. Today, Indians and Pakistanis meet as friends in business, on movie screens and on the cricket pitch. And in contrast to the murderous outrage that used to follow suspected Islamic attacks on Indian soil, there were no reports of reprisals against Muslims in India last week.

Many ascribe this relative amity to the fading appeal of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Hindu nationalist party that won general elections in 1997 and 1998.

As if on cue, The RSS has delivered its promised message to BJP president L.K. Advani. The Hindu reports:

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh on Monday delivered its promised stern message to the Bharatiya Janata Party leadership, especially the president L.K. Advani, that it would not tolerate any deviation from its ideology or any “ideological erosion”.

Party sources said the message was unambiguous: No deviation would be allowed from the Sangh ideology and Mr. Advani should go for having shaken the very foundations of those beliefs with his Jinnah formulation during his Pakistan visit. It was now for the BJP to act.

Despite pressure from the RSS till late in the night, Mr. Advani did not oblige it with his resignation.

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A perverse hypocrisy

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Suketu Mehta provides his take on the outsourcing debate in Tuesday’s New York Times:

The outsourcing debate seems to have mutated into a contest between the country of my birth and the country of my nationality. Of course I feel a loyalty to America: it gave my parents a new life and my sons were born here. I have a vested interest in seeing America prosper. But I am here because the country of my ancestors didn’t understand the changing world; it couldn’t change its technology and its philosophy and its notions of social mobility fast enough to fight off the European colonists, who won not so much with the might of advanced weaponry as with the clear logical philosophy of the Enlightenment. Their systems of thinking conquered our own. So, since independence, Indians have had to learn; we have had to slog for long hours in the classroom while the children of other countries went out to play.

When I moved to Queens, in New York City, at the age of 14, I found myself, for the first time in my life, considered good at math. In Bombay, math was my worst subject, and I regularly found my place near the bottom of the class rankings in that rigorous subject. But in my American school, so low were their standards that I was – to my parents’ disbelief – near the top of the class. It was the same in English and, unexpectedly, in American history, for my school in Bombay included a detailed study of the American Revolution. My American school curriculum had, of course, almost nothing on the subcontinent’s freedom struggle. I was mercilessly bullied during the 1979-80 hostage crisis, because my classmates couldn’t tell the difference between Iran and India. If I were now to move with my family to India, my children – who go to one of the best private schools in New York – would have to take remedial math and science courses to get into a good school in Bombay.

Outsourcing is sure to be an issue in the midterm elections next year, even more so than the last Presidential election. The Democrats shamelessly pander to their base while the Republicans avoid the issue like the plague. Nobody bothers to admit that fixing our education system is the best way to prevent the “problem” in the first place. Mehta describes that the “logical philosophy of the Enlightenment” that allowed Europeans to dominate in the first place is now being ignored by them. He beautifully points out that turnabout is only fair:

There is a perverse hypocrisy about the whole jobs debate, especially in Europe. The colonial powers invaded countries like India and China, pillaged them of their treasures and commodities and made sure their industries weren’t allowed to develop, so they would stay impoverished and unable to compete. Then the imperialists complained when the destitute people of the former colonies came to their shores to clean their toilets and dig their sewers; they complained when later generations came to earn high wages as doctors and engineers; and now they’re complaining when their jobs are being lost to children of the empire who are working harder than they are. My grandfather was once confronted by an elderly Englishman in a London park who asked, “Why are you here?” My grandfather responded, “We are the creditors.” We are here because you were there.

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“…is worth the risk of life”

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For the last seven years I have kept this picture in a frame on my desk. It is a picture I took of the Astronaut memorial wall in Florida. I’m sure my family isn’t going to appreciate the fact that there are no pictures of them 🙂

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After nearly two and a half years NASA will be launching a shuttle back into space (scheduled for Wednesday). Anna emailed me the fact that the shuttle will be carrying symbolic mementos of the seven astronauts that perished aboard Columbia in February of 2003. The Hindu reports:

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Countdown began today for the launch of Discovery, the first shuttle to be launched since the Columbia crash two years ago, which will carry a photograph of India-born astrologer Kalpana Chawla, and mementos from her colleagues who perished in the tragedy.

Jean P Harrison, widower of Chawla said he was sending a photograph of his wife aboard Discovery, which is poised for liftoff day with five-man, two-woman crew on Wednesday.

The picture of Kalpana is from her college days in India, where she is sitting in her dorm room surrounded by photographs of aircraft and one of a space shuttle.

Wow. I never even knew she was an astrologer as well. Continue reading →

The “B” word

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After every terrorist attack in the Western World I look for the “B” word in the news the next day. Here we go:

The San Jose Mercury News– Among London’s Muslims, fears of backlash linger, but quietly

Newsday– U.S. Muslims denounce London bombings, brace for backlash

Vive le Canada– Canuck Muslims dread backlash

Monsters & Critics– Australian Moslems fear backlash after London bombs

India Monitor– Muslims cower in fear of backlash

See, here is the thing. Whenever a terrorist attack like this occurs, the cold, dispassionate, analytical side of me asks, “why is the average citizen so afraid to get back aboard that plane, train, or bus the very next day?” The attack was temporally and spatially isolated and not something they must continue to cower in fear of. Aside from not giving the terrorists what they want, the probability that there will be another attack within days or months of the original is just not backed up by the data. The compassionate side of me realizes however, that humans are humans. Fear, real or imagined, is part of who we are and keeps us alive.

For people with brown skin, and especially Muslims, the actual attack is just the beginning of a terrorist incident however. For this group an attack is not a temporally or spatially isolated event. The moment that the physical attack ends is when the real fear begins for a sizeable portion of the population (as shown by the headlines above). With a terrorist attack you don’t know when it’s going to come. You realize that you shouldn’t live your life in fear so you go about your day quite normally, perhaps being slightly more attentive. The general population has a Homeland Security Department to warn them of a possible terrorist attack by means of a color coded system. After a terrorist attack however, if you are brown or Muslim, you need your own system. You have knowledge of credible but unspecified threats.

My point? This is exactly what Reza Aslan stresses. This isn’t a war between Islam and the West. This is a war between Islam and Islam. Brown-on-Brown violence. The West is often just caught in the crossfire because they provide the most dramatic field of battle. Continue reading →

It’s safe over there now

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My friend Anji M. alerts me to the case of Gokal and Sheila Kapoor. The couple and their son came to America in 1997 illegally in order to escape persecution by the Taliban. Gokal then filed papers appealing for political asylum. Surely a Hindu fleeing from a brutal fundamentalist regime would qualify, no? Newsweek reports:

…four years after his case first made its way into the system, it was finally dismissed on the basis that the TalibanÂ’s removal from power meant that the family did not have a well-founded fear of future persecution. By then the septuagenarian had a Social Security number, worked as a baggage handler at Dulles Airport, paid taxes and had hoped to be included in a U.S. program that routinely granted asylum to Hindu refugees from Afghanistan. What he didnÂ’t take into account was the extra scrutiny he would receive in the post-9/11 world.

The immigration judge who initially turned down his application was critical of the fact that KapoorÂ’s prominent brother, Dr. Wishwa Kapoor, chief of general internal medicine at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, did not attend the immigration hearing. For this reason, the judge apparently believed he must have aided and abetted his brotherÂ’s illegal entry into the United States.

The judge was wrong on both counts. Hindus do not believe they can live in Afghanistan without being persecuted, and there are so few left in the country itÂ’s hard to prove otherwise. And Dr. Kapoor didnÂ’t testify because his older brother, now 70, was too proud to ask him. The judge could have summoned the doctor to testify, rather than smear him, a man of impeccable reputation who was not there to defend himself, let alone his brother.

Ten days ago, Dr. Kapoor got a 10 p.m. call from his sister in Virginia to say that their brother and his wife, Shiela, 69, had been taken from their home by immigration officials. The officials told the coupleÂ’s son–who had graduated from high school earlier that day–that his parents would be back in a few hours. They were not, and it took two days before a lawyer hired by Dr. Kapoor found out that the couple were in Pamunkey prison, north of Richmond, Va.

Well sure. Everyone knows we’ve won the war against terror in Afghanistan so they should be just fine. Continue reading →

Posted in Law

“The only easy day was yesterday!”

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I have been intently following the plight of the four missing U.S. Navy SEALS over the past weekend. Knowing that they were out there on the 4th of July just trying to survive in the mountains was pretty moving. As of today, one of them has been rescued, the bodies of two were recovered, and a fourth is still missing. I have a tremendous amount of respect for people who exhibit such extreme self-discipline and self-reliance. Soldiers in mountainous areas epitomize these qualities regardless of the rationale behind their orders.

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The most brutal mountain fighting in the world has been along the India-Pakistan-China border at 19,000 ft. high on the Siachen Glacier, in the Karakoram. This classic 2003 article in Outside Magazine is essential reading for anyone who is a student of the absurdity of war:

Here’s what is beyond dispute: Never before have troops fought for such extended periods in such extreme physical conditions. At least twice a week a man dies, occasionally from bullets or artillery, but more often from an avalanche, a tumble into a crevasse, or a high-altitude sickness—perils usually faced only by elite climbers. Not surprisingly, the men who serve in the war regard it as the supreme challenge for a soldier.

“Minus 50 at 21,000 feet—it’s beyond anything the human body is designed to endure,” an Indian officer on the Siachen told me. “This is the ultimate test of human willpower. It’s also an environmental catastrophe. And—no doubt about it—things can only get worse.”

…Life at such forward positions is brutal, and the Indians begrudgingly admit that the Pakistanis are tough customers. “They are sitting right underneath us on an 80-degree slope,” one Indian officer who was stationed above Tabish would tell me later. “We can throw grenades just like pebbles on top of them. It really takes guts to be there.” Captain Waqas Malik, 26, who served at Tabish, grimly described the hopeless feeling of such positions. “Once a ridge has been occupied,” he said, “you require a heart with the capacity of the ocean to accept the casualties you will incur in the taking of it.“

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Never shake your bucket of nuts too soon!

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I am always keeping an eye out for that next rush, even during the periods of my life where the money isn’t all that available. The key to any great adventure is long term planning, patience, and positive visualization. Visualization in my case includes marrying rich. Time Magazine’s Asia edition has a list of the best adventures in Asia. Two of them in particular stood out (thanks for the tip Punbaji Boi):

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In the Indian hill resort of Manali, Tibetan Peter Dorje runs an operation dedicated to the most implausible extreme sport in the world: yak skiing. In winter, he takes up to five skiers and his herd of beasts to the hills above town, making overnight camp. Come morning, Pete heads to a high slope with the yaks, trailing out a rope behind him. You wait below, wearing your skis and holding a bucket of pony nuts. When Pete reaches the top, he ties a large pulley to a tree, loops the rope through it and onto a stamping, snorting yak. Now it’s your turn—and this is the important part. First tie yourself onto the other end of the rope, then shake the bucket of nuts and quickly put it down. The yak charges down the mountain after the nuts, pulling you up it at rocket speed. If you forget yourself in the excitement and shake the bucket too soon, you’ll be flattened by two hairy tons of behemoth. Or as Pete says, “Never shake the bucket of nuts before you’re tied to the yak rope.” This piece of Himalayan sagacity can be restated in many ways that apply to everyday life: do things in their proper order, make adequate preparations before embarking on a risky venture, and so on.

Yak skiing not your thing my friend? Well how about Discharging Firearms in Darra Adam Khel, Pakistan?

Forty kilometers south of Peshawar, deep inside Pakistan’s tribal belt, lies the village of Darra Adam Khel. It’s an area few foreigners will ever visit—unless, of course, they are surreptitiously waging the U.S.-led war on terror or trying to elude it. Yet for anyone else who manages to pass through the roadblocks to enter Darra, it’s the perfect place to release pent-up stress. The village has just one industry of note: ordnance. Darra is the arms factory of the tribal areas, and pumps out everything from pistols to anti-aircraft weaponry. Wander into any of the many mom-and-pop-style workshops, choose your weapon, haggle over the price of bullets or shells, and stroll out with the equipment into the bush. Besides being rather nice to look at, the surrounding rocks and trees also make for excellent target practice. Once you’ve finished debarking a tree with an AK-47, you can head back to civilization a better, calmer person for this cathartic experience. Think of it as a harmless outlet for the warrior that lurks within you.

Ummm. No. I’ll pass thank you. It is true that a warrior does lurk within me, however, I already got pre-selected for additional security screening both to and from Atlanta this past weekend. I have no intention of making things worse for myself.

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My Alyssa Milano fantasy is dead

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In the 80s, whenever I was asked the question, “Who’s the Boss?” I had only one answer: Alyssa! The perfect combination of spunk, smarts, and good looks. Or so I thought. My dream is officially dead. ExpressIndia.com reports:

SheÂ’s the fourth sexiest woman in the world according to FHM magazine and popularly known as the seductive Phoebe Haliwell of the witch trio in Charmed. But for the past four days, actor Alyssa Milano has shed her screen image to step into the role of UNICEFÂ’s ambassador to India.

Hair held back with a white crochet band, palms decorated with bridal henna she strolls out of a Chillout session with Cyrus Broacha at MTV’s Parel studio. ‘‘I’ve wanted to come to India ever since I was young,’’ says the Pandit Ravi Shankar fan, who also dabbles in Buddhism and Hinduism.

While in Los Angeles, the actor regularly visits a regression therapist who told her that in a past life, she was friends with Lord Krishna. ‘‘I was also completely at ease with my wardrobe here, because I wear a lot of kurtas back home as well,’’ says the yoga addict who read five books on Indian history in preparation for her visit.

With nine-hour work schedules, this was no pleasure trip. The only party she attended was a small do, attended by Rahul Bose and Farooque Shaikh. ‘‘I couldn’t believe actors from Bollywood were so short,’’ she laughs.

Ugh. Who will I lust for now? I hope Alyssa’s mom doesn’t sue me for this like she has others.

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Killer Bees

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The last two days there has been a bee stuck in my office. I fear nothing in this life except for bees. Everyone has a phobia. Mine can be traced to the honey suckle bushes surrounding my childhood home. The bees traumatized me. While learning martial arts in Tibet I thought of a career as a “Beeman” which would entail returning to the U.S. and fighting criminals as a vigilante dressed in a bee outfit. I would make my fear my enemy’s fear.

With the bee in my office I suffered a classic “fight or flight” response. The hairs on my neck stood up, my pupils dilated and my breathing shallowed. No joke. Coincidentally the same thing happened for an entirely different reason when I saw this obnoxious commercial last night while watching 30 Days.

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I can imagine Dairy Queen ad-executives now. “Umm, could you like…try and speak even more Indian-like.” The accents are so over the top and seemingly pointless that it makes you wonder what the hell they were thinking when they authorized this. “The bee concept is funny but do you know what would make it funnier?” In fact, I haven’t seen a caricature this bad since “Ben Jabituya’s” in the movie Short Circuit.

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Posted in TV