When my wife shook me out of some kind of a nightmare I couldn't quite recollect, it was 1:30 in the morning, the first of November, 1984. “Satnam is on the phone,” she said. “Karnail-ji has not come home.” Satnam Kaur was the wife of Karnail Singh Ahluwalia, whom I had nicknamed the Saint Sardar, … Continue reading FOUR DAYS OF TERROR
Was everything dark from space except Mecca and Medina?
Answer to a question posed to me on quora.com Broadly stated, the brightest place on earth as viewed from the ISS is the Las Vegas strip. All major the cities of the world are visible as clusters of bright spots from the ISS which is at an average altitude of 405 kilometers from earth. The … Continue reading Was everything dark from space except Mecca and Medina?
Sam D’Cruz tale retold
Sam D’Cruz was a friend and neighbour. He lived by, among other things, arranging fake degrees for youngsters who were trying to go abroad for a job. Soon as he was out of jail the third time, he wangled a diploma in automobile engineering by paying Rupees 2000 to a free-lance broker, and then … Continue reading Sam D’Cruz tale retold
WHY REPENTING WOMEN MUST BE STONED
These are three stories, all historic events, which are often repeated separately with pride by many Scholars as a proof of virtues of women and the kindness of the Messenger of God. Linking of the stories, pardon me, is my handiwork. A young woman approached Prophet Mohammed and confessed to him that she had … Continue reading WHY REPENTING WOMEN MUST BE STONED
Is It Better To Be A Martyr Than A Revolutionay?
It is easy to be a martyr for any cause - mostly a stupid cause. One doesn’t serve any intelligent cause by erasing oneself from the scene. One might find ‘cause’ in the loss of a love (which would be forgotten if six months if one chose not to be a martyr) or to blast … Continue reading Is It Better To Be A Martyr Than A Revolutionay?
Thingamajic : An Old Air Force Story
Nearly eight months after India kicked out Portuguese dictator Salazar’s horde from Goa in December 1961, a still jubilant VK Krishna Menon had visited our Air Force Station in Bangalore, a training school for technical airmen. Though the ‘armed action’ against Goa was only a little harder than swatting a fly for the Indian … Continue reading Thingamajic : An Old Air Force Story
How to Keep Kashmir and Flourish
Article370 of the Constitution of India is a solemn pledge India gave to the citizens of Kashmir State under a unique agreement on its accession to India. Mountbatten signed it, Nehru and Patel assented to it, Sheikh Abdullah agreed to it, the Constituent Assembly sealed it. The article is temporary and transitional in the sense … Continue reading How to Keep Kashmir and Flourish
