Anna,an actress from Georgia and a regular visitor to our blog, is caught up in the war in Georgia’s capital Tblisi, and has sent us this note :
Stop Russia!
Say No To War!!!
It’s 4 AM at night and a frightening nightmare wakes me up. I am wearing outdoor clothes, that is not very comfortable in bed. But at that moment, I can’t feel it, since I am too scared…too scared that a huge noise might pierce my eardrums and brightness invade my whole vision. I stand up and look outside from the window. I look at the dark, cloudless sky and I look at the street lamps. I look at the deserted, empty pavement and then back at the sky. Then I turn around and go to bed. I hug my pillow tight and try to sleep as much as I can. But I can’t stop thinking about it…all those images of horrible scenes from the TV are flashing into my mind. Then I hear noise of a jet, flying above somewhere and I feel as my heart starts to beat faster and louder. Fortunately, that night goes well. Nothing happens in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia.
The next day, I wake up and I am happy to see the sunny day. I am happy to be alive.
I turn on the TV to see the news, hoping that the situation is getting better. But instead of that, it’s worsening. I see and hear how more and more villages and towns have been bombed and how more and more people have been killed. I see injured innocent people, crying, looking for their family members in ruins or on the list of dead people. I see young reservists, dead. I see blood and violence, grief and tragedy. My sister enters the room, crying. My niece is sleeping, so that’s why my sister has dared to cry. She won’t cry in front of her daughter. She does not want to scare her. I ask her what happened. And she tells me that a 19-year old cousin of her best friend has died due to the bomb explosion. I did not know him, but it still hurts me. It gives me a terrible pain inside, here, somewhere in the chest. It gives me a lump in a throat. The boy will never see his family and friends again. And his family and friends will never see him again. Because of what? What is the reason? Nothing! A complete absurd. I wonder how many young boys will never see their family again. Hundreds…thousands…
The time flows so imperceptibly fast. I have been watching the news since early morning. Now it’s midday. And suddenly I hear screams and cries from the neighbor’s house. The police is taking their son to the army. And his mother is crying and desperately begging them to let him stay. The father is not going to let his son die for a nonsense and he is shouting at them. But using force the police brings the youngster out of the house and puts him in the car with the rest of the boys. I am not a writer and I can’t describe what happened. I can’t express those emotions and feelings. I don’t know the exact words. The scene was … it was just… horrible… unspeakable…
News: The United Nations proclaims to Russia to stop the violence, stop the fire, stop bombing the territories of Georgia outside the conflicted area, South Ossetia. But Russia turns a deaf ear to them. They keep on bombing more and more places…
Vladimir Jirinovsky says: “Bomb the whole Georgia day and night!”…
US Vice President Dick Cheney says that “Russian aggression must not go unanswered, and that its continuation would have serious consequences for its relations with the United States.”…
Russia is “way out of line!”…
The USA and the EU needs to save Georgia from annihilation…
Russia is waging ‘terror’ against Georgia…
Russia wants the president of Georgia to resign, otherwise they won’t cease fire…
Russia wants to invade Georgia in 21st century…
What’s going to happen? Will it finally end? Will it stop soon?
I am packing rucksacks together with my sister and mother. It is expected that Tbilisi may also be bombed. So we should be ready for it. If it really is bombed, where should we run? Everything’s so crazy.
It’s night again. This time I am too exhausted to be dreaming nightmares. But I still wake up all of a sudden. I hear an awful, deafening noise of an enormous explosion. We all jump from our beds and leap to the windows. There’s another noise of a second explosion. My sister runs into the room all white as a sheet, asking what shall we do. We decide to go somewhere with her car. Outside there are so many people. Almost everybody has left their house. They are all so scared in a state of total panic. After some hours of drive into the city, we return home, since we don’t hear any more explosions. The things that’s scarier is that we are on the top floor, that means that if our house gets bombed, there’s no chance to survive. Heh… This fact always gives me a nervous, weird laughter.
The next day, we find out about it. Thanks god, nobody was harmed. Russian jets have bombed military base and radar installation. Suddenly I hear a telephone ring, that startles me. These days I feel so edgy, that everything startles me. I pick up and it’s my father, calling from the USA. He has heard about the Tbilisi bombing and wants to know how we are. From his shaky tone I notice that he is very nervous. He sounds so frightened. I have never heard my father in such state… Life is so strange.
And now I am sitting in front of a PC monitor and typing a boring, illogical article. I don’t know what I am trying to say…what I want to say… I just want to express my emotions somehow. I keep them bottled and it makes me feel like a heavy load.
I hope everything will get back to normal soon enough; soon before more thousands of people die; soon before Georgia completely collapses.
All these days, I have been receiving encouraging, supporting letters from my foreign friends. They filled me with so much joy and hope. It makes me realize that relationship and love of people are much more important and greater than every political ambition and we all should fight for this love not for the lands. I believe that most of the Russian citizens do not want such tension to be happening between Russia and Georgia. And I still believe that sometime in the future we will have a world, that is peaceful, friendly and generous.”
I am sure Anna would appreciate notes of support – please post them on this blog, and pray for her and her famly, and the war to stop before it goes further.
Check Anna at : http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2404113/
Dear Anna
I am very sorry to hear about the ordeal you and the people of georgia are being a subject to daily. It is so painful to witness such an era of meaningless wars and hatred. It almost appears like the human race is degrading. But it is also true that the number of people who wish peace and love out number the others and soon love will be victorious. Dont lose heart, we will all pray for all of you alls well being. Peace be with you.
Much love.
Dear Anna,
Hope you are well and our good wishes are with you as armed conflict is never good – political tensions take place on another domain and innocent people are made to suffer – that’s not how humans were supposed to co-exist and live in love and harmony.
I think what you are writing is just an expression of the helplessness we feel in the face of the big weapons and things beyound our control. All one can hope is for the blessings of Gos that all will be well and I’m sure it will be. The russians have declared a cease-fire today and things will calm down soon and the beautiful city of Tbilisi will be back to normal. I saw the pictures today and it is so pretty.
I wish you the best and hope this phase ends soon.
Best Regards,
Himanshu
Hey Anna…
Gurl you are brave….giving you few words of wisdom and what not will not take the real agony away from you nor can we really feel what you feel…
I dont know who you are, all I know is, there is suffering…
Here comes a HUge TEDDY HUG for you and your family, and to all those who really need a hug at this moment more than anything at all…
Please do try to shift away from the top floor, to a friends place maybe, please!!
Do take care, much love and hugsss
Dq
Anna,
I can’t beleive this is going on…I hope that the recent events and seize fire last and this gets resolves as quickly as possible…
My thoughts are with you and all of you over there
Hannah xxx
Thanks Shekhar for posting this cry of pain from Anna.
Anna, I am sorry to hear about what’s happening in beautiful Tbilisi, Georgia. Your words, “Because of what? What is the reason? Nothing! A complete absurd. I wonder how many young boys will never see their family again. Hundreds…thousands…” is heart wrenching. Every war is a result of absurdities on someone’s part and perceptions on the other. The outcome is a collective disaster for all those caught in between and for no fault of theirs. I am sharing the posting with my colleagues. Anna, you and the people of Georgia and the people from all war-ravaged countries are in my thoughts and prayers. -Vanmala
Dear Brave Anna,
YOU are heard in this part of India. Hope the tension eases out there. The villian is war and behind is politics. The effect are civilians.
Prayers…for you and all those people. Keep up…have a feeling things will ease out. You are brave
Dear Anna,
My hair are standing on the end after reading your post. I cannot even begin to imagine the fear and uncertainity you and your people are going through. Your fears, your loss of security, the gut-wrenching fear of your neighbours whose son has been forcefully taken away to the army, the pain of the family who lost a 19 year old boy, I could feel all of it in your post.
When one learns of things like this you feel like taking all the political leaders in the world, lining them up and sending them down to dungeons from which they would never emerge again. It is political strategy for them, and a matter of life,death and trauma for the common folks.
I feel guilty sitting here in the comfort of my work place when people in the world are suffering so much. But like the average person, I continue to feel occasional pangs of guilt without ever doing anything for it. But, now I really would like to do something. Do let all of us know if in any small miniscule way we can help ease the pain of your and yours people’s suffering.
I hope the international community wakes up soon and ends your misery. Do have hope, they will very soon. Just hang in there. Bad times will not last forever and all things including war come to an end.I hope and pray that your beautiful country sees peaceful times very very soon.
Till then hang in there and we are all praying for you.
As I write this the Russian and Georgian troops have resumed the pre-conflict peace.
Anna,
Hopefully you and everybody with you can breathe a little easy.My heartfelt wishes for all the strength and courage to you and all your dear ones.
Deepak
Thank you so much! Everybody. Your comments are so friendly and wonderful. And Shekhar thank you once again for posting my article here. You are a great person.
Love you everybody! May long, beautiful life bring you peace, love, health, luck, success, and everything else, that you wish for.
Seeing people like you, makes me feel like the happiest person on the earth. Because I realize that the world still has people, who can love, understand, care and feel.
Dear Anna:
May the good lord bless you and protect you. May you find the courage that you need from within you and may you soon have the peace that you so require.
Best,
Preeti
Anna-
I am very sorry to hear about your situation. I am an Associate Producer with CNN in New York. We are currently looking for people living in Georgia who would have access to Skype and willing to be interviewed for CNN domestic air.
If you are interested, would you mind contacting me at your earliest convenience?
Richard.Morris@turner.com
Regards,
Richard Morris
Dear Anna,
As I sit in front of my PC I ponder about the power of words in reaching out to you and to all who are faced with the agony of war…
yesterday a photo in the local newspaper stopped me in a second …
It is a photo of a young woman, holding her face with one hand .. a face of utmost depair…
while her other hand grasps her little girl, tightly against her chest…
noticing the contrast of her beautiful lively curls with the frozen expression of her face and empty eyes …
oh … the yearning to protect the innocent victims from the brutality and devastation of war …
Syncronistically, the article reflects a similar plea to your own…
as if reminding us how in these afflictions we become deeply connected to something so much bigger…
I lived through a war and memories show up every time I am reminded of its terrifying realities…
and yet …
as I stand here …
it is the tenderness of God’s voice that I hear …
ah …
the comfort …
in this knowingness that we are never alone …
that miracles shine forth …
when we least expect it …
I know this because I have been there.
Have faith dear Anna and please lets us know how you are doing and how can we best support you.
I wil ligth candles and I will pray for you and for the healing of nations.
You are brave, graceful and inspirational.
Let this be a time where we live out our faith, weaving us into each other, like a shawl of healing and warmth of Gods grace…
here …
on Earth…
breathing us…
in unity…
Hi Anna,
I hope by now you and your family members are safe in Tibilisi. I am from Ireland and am very good friends with a group of Georgians who are currently living here. I understand how your father must have felt because the guys here are going out of their mind with worry especially because there was nothing they could do.They felt so helpless and stayed up most nights just to see what was happening next on the tv.
I feel so sad that in this day and age we have come no further in the field of diplomacy – bullying and power are the highest priorities.Why can we not communicate with each other??? The World sucks sometimes and people and countries are greedy.
When will it all end? Never probably but just so you know we are in your corner and I hope the rift is over and peace comes at last. Keep your chin up Georgia – I hope to visit your beautiful country next May!
Love and Peace
Brede
Though it is an inconvenient situation in Georgia, we do not know the politics going on there with the Georgian president as a puppet for other countries.
And it is disappointing to see a letter from a person from Georgia being posted here, while the current critical crisis in Jammu has found no say here on the blog. This is why India is getting destabilized because Indians seem to have a great flair to ignore the real issues.
At least the top ones such as Sri Sri Ravi Shankar have come out openly and supported the Amarnath cause.
The people in Jammu need support from the rest of the Indians..how many more bombings, ethnic cleansings, separatists and terrorism is needed for dumb Indians to wake up??
Hello Anna,
I wish you and your known friends and relatives remain safe as you read our prayers from this blog – Sharing creativity & Sharing Vision.
Most of whom I know, have witnessed war and its consequences on Television News and Documentaries. Apart from Cinema.
Though our country is seriously facing repeated threats of terrorism in different forms I feel we are lucky not to face consequences of War.
I seriously share your concern and try to emulate the fear and scare a war creates.
It is heartening to read your communication of Tv, telephone line and Internet is still alive in your own town. As you could talk to your dad.
The invent of any technology is to maintain Peace and not War.
Wishing you Peace!!
Vinod Agarwal – Against use of weapons in war of EGOS!!
Brahmastra:
Suffering is suffering whether it is in Georgia or Jammu & Kashmir. It is sad how you dismiss off the Georgia issue as ‘inconvenient’ and insist the Jammu issue is ‘real’. Or are you just baiting?.
People in this blog discuss Indian issues regularly, but being concerned about problems at home does not mean we close our eyes and put on blinker when it comes to the suffering of people over the world.
Glad to hear that a cease fire has been announced by both sides!!! Some peace for you Anna!!
God Bless!!
Gopi
GoOd Morning Shekhar….
***Well said ‘RITU CHANDRA’***
I do understand the gravity and intensity of your thought, at the same time, I hope you do understand its not the case with all!
Have a pleasant day….
YOooohOOo
****Anna ‘Buck Up Gurl’ **** ~~~HUGSSS~~~~
Care for a cup of tea? here comes tea for the lady and here r some cookies, right from grandads oven…eh! Eh! Did u brush?
No??
AW! gurl go brush furst…
In adversity we humans tend to flock together, wonder why we humans never learnt that, theres more growth in peace than in war, more pleasure in saving life than taking it….
I pray I’m a MONKIE in my next life!!!
Smilo!!!
Dear Anna,
What a nightmare it must be, waiting for a war to end ! I hope and pray that peace will reign soon and your family and Georgia will recover from this terrible times.
Regards
Rashmi
Hey DQ!
First, it is wonderful to see you back :). This place was becoming too ‘drudgy’ in your absence!
I am a little confused about which thought of mine you feel ‘might not be the case with all’. My note to Anna or my contention that suffering is suffering irrespective of country?
Anna: I am very happy to hear about the cease fire. Wish you all the best!
Regards,
Hey Anna,
It’s your friend Brad from Chicago. For the last few days you have been on my mind, hoping, wondering, worried. I’ve been so self-absorbed these last few days with my own pain and suffering and it’s been lifted after hearing your story. I can’t think about anything else other than your safety and I’m deeply concerned for it. I wish there was something I could do and if there is anything you know my number. At this point, know that you are constantly on my mind and my heart goes out to all those in Georgia. Don’t be discouraged by humanity. “Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirt.” That is a quote from Gandhi. We’re all here for you Anna. Be safe and be smart.
Love,
Your friend Brad.
Ritu:
I am not dismissing the situation in Georgia. I was just bringing attention to the fact that there has been zero mention here of the critical situation in J&K that has developed over the last few months.
And furthermore, i was just venting out a bit after watching the “Big Fight” on NDTV, at the end of which the pseudo-intellectual, immature people in the audience actually gave an applause to the anti-national separatists and PDP guys on the panel, while expressing annoyance at the fact that a distressed Kashmiri Pandit on the panel had actually committed the audacity of bringing up the issue of ethnic cleansing of 4 Lakh hindu pandits from the area by the islamic separatists. Can this issue of Pandits, an ethnic cleansing of a majority, really be forgotten so easily? This is exactly what the Amarnath thing is all about. Suppression of the majority is exponentially more disastrous than that of the minority. This is a tough lesson that the buffoons in the Congress and UPA are going to learn.
It is flabbergasting to see that after so many years of a state of war imposed by Pakistan and its ISI, bombings, terrorism and such, a lot of Indians are still living in some bubble made of a misguided idea of do-goodership, complacency and lack of wisdom which is bringing more harm on their own future and that of their offsprings.
Dear Anna,
I wish you and your country all the best. It is an awful situation that highlights how pitifully far our world has evolved this millennium, and how too many men in power continue to be stupid and oppressive. I hope something good for the future of your country and region comes out of all this.
Thanks Shekhar for giving Anna’s voice a place to be heard.
JP.
Brahmastra:
Knowing a couple of people who are natives of Jammu, my understanding on the issue is that more than a majority/minority issue, this is a divide between Jammu and Kashmir. The Jammu region is culturally closer to Punjab than Kashmir and don’t identify with them. They feel that they have been getting the short-end of the stick for too long. And the sentiment that I have seen coming forth is that in Jammu they are more anti-Kashmiri Pandit than they are anti Kashmiri muslims.
Infact, they blame the mnonopoly and nepotism of Kashmiri Pandits that led to the dissatisfaction amongst the Kashmiri muslims and their eventual ouster from the valley. Mind you, this is not my opinion, but just a school of thought I have encountered in the recent past and think it to be interesting enough to offer to the discussion. Personally, I sympathise with the Pandits for having become refugees in their own land ( I have even linked to a touching story of a KP’s flight from Kashmir on my blog), yet seeing other points of view gives a more detailed picture.
I don’t think the whole situation at a ground level is as cut and dry as it seems.
Ans yes, I am a ‘Pseudo-secularist’ and I wear that credential proudly on my sleeves. And I am convinced it is the moral high ground.
Cheers!
hey Anna,
Georgian athletes r doing so good in the olympics, i’ve witnessed the performance of ur wrestlers and judokas. They have struck golds. It shows how tough Georgian people are. And i’m sure u r as tough. Wutsoever is happening in Georgia will end soon coz nobody likes it and people all around the world r raising their words and concerns for u people. It will end soon, so just hang on. PEACE:)
IZAQ
Hello Anna,
My name is Joshua and I am a friend of Brad Lamar, lol who I understand is a friend of yours. He sent me the story you wrote about what is occuring in your country. First I am a writer and I think you did an excellent job describing your thoughts and emotions. I really like your perspective on how we should fight for the love running between us, person to person instead of fighting over land, money, or potential gain. I happen to also have many friends from many different countries. Both residing in their home lands and in the united states. we have for sure learned alot from eachother’s differences and value the same love you speak of in your letter. I wish the best for you and those around you as you deal with the uncertain situation at hand. God bless and protect you. – Joshua
Dear Anna,
I just got tears when I was reading this and I felt like hugging you. I just don’t know who you are, but I really felt like higging you. I can understand what must be going through you. All my sincere prayers are with you. This kind of articles definately move people and say ‘NO’ to these bloody wars. Who are these people to kill us? What right they have? World is becoming a mad place with wars.
My prayers are with you dear. Keep the faith.
Shyam
God, what a piece!
It should be given to a prominent newspaper.
How well Anna has shown the tragedy of individuals in this invasion which is run up to the realignment of superpowers.
yes. that’s what’s happening. the USA has got too close to Russia with Bhai bhai terms with Czeck and Poland. the warsaw group is being dismantled systematically. Georgia was the next potential state -too close to Russia but in uncle sam’s agenda, it’s not just Russia, but China too – to keep a hawk’s eye on the region in case of an alignment between China nad Russia.
Our Nuke deal is an attempt to pre empt India joining this possible 21st century alignment of superpowers – which was possible considering India’s traditional affinity to Russia.
Russia’s invasion of Georgia is, after 5 decades, a reenactment of the Cuban blockade in kennedy’s time.
Anna’s post makes one wonder- for whom is this? why inflict sufferings on hapless citizens who care two hoots for cold or hot war!
Ritu:
I wonder what kind of nepotism could so easily justify the forced exodus of 400,000 Hindu Pandits from the Valley with thousands of them being victims of mass murder and other atrocities at the hands of islamic separatists whose main task is to annexe Kashmir for Pakistan. We all know that Hindus are not capable of inflicting the kind of violent action needed for such a strong reaction. Hindus are capable of a range of negative human traits but their age-old genetically embedded spirituality and dietary habits do not allow them to be the kind of ruthless mass-murdering dictators as say, some of the Mughals.
How is it that so many Indians are so ignorant about the fact that the expansionist Mughals are the basic root of this whole Hindu/Muslim hoopla? They sneaked their way into Hindu India by taking advantage of the hospitality of the Indian kings as most foriegn invaders have, then systematically started destroying temples, killing people, defacing indian art and culture and converting millions which is the reason for the huge muslim population in the sub-continent. So when is it supposed to sink into the “pseudo-secular” Indians that, as morally low as it may seem for them to accept, a significant percentage of islam has been, and currently is, highly expansionist and will go to great lengths to enforce their beliefs on the “infidels and kafirs”?
Kashmir has never been a muslim-majority state..until these lakhs of Hindu pandits were driven away to demographically alter the region..and now those very same separatists are calling the Amarnath thing a conspiracy to put Hindus in the valley..when will you guys ever wake up, at least to the facts as they are? With anti-nationals and terrorism on the rise, this is not just a matter of philosophical debate anymore you see.
The situation on the ground is in fact quite cut and dry right now, and the main issues that lay buried have now come out in the open. Indians needs to think a little more deeply than accepting some pseudo-secular deluded equal religion crap. Hinduism and Vedic wisdom is exponentially superior than many of these newer fanatic religions, and the spiritually advanced people of the world are being increasingly drawn to it. So there is no question of equality of people here. Though the inner self is the same, the minds are not at the same frequencies..many of these fanatics have several lifetimes to go before they can be upgraded to comprehend the depth of Hinduism. But in the meantime, wouldn’t you want some spiritually advanced, sophisticated people ruling India even if they happen to be Hindu upper caste? Reality is not that easy to be cozy with you see. What has happened is egos are on the rise, and as such people cannot deal with the tough facts of life..the caste system was a tough fact of life, but it was for the benefit of all..these days people want instant gratification in any which way, and the greater good is hardly a priority.
As usual, i’m trying to pack a lot into the post, so please excuse that.
This whole world is wounded with wars, every continent, every country….everywhere…
We need to find a peaceful solution to it all…
Am I talking of utopia I don’t know…
Who is the terrorist..what makes him that ?
Economy ? Marxcist what ? who ? how ?
I think like every age in the Human History…this civilization is coming to its end…new enemies in every civilization…
Mehul,
Some of the reasons for this widespread chaos are:
A) The fact that a majority of the world consumes pigs, cows, goats, chicken etc. and that too ones that are killed in the most gruesome manner. As such, the majority are consuming a lot of low-level sub-human emotions of greed, gluttony, territorialism, fear, lust and violence. You are what you eat!!
B) A possible reincarnation of a large number of animal souls into the human form. Older human souls may be lesser in number. These younger souls are automatically drawn to low-level shallow fanatic ideologies as well.
C) An increasing rate of drug and alcohol abuse.
D) A constant bombardment of sexual and other mentally draining stuff through media.
A mix of the last 2 points is somehow more predominant in the “developed” nations, and as they have more control over the rest of the world, it is also gaining ground in the “developing” countries.
All these buffoons who have propagated these various types of governments such as Marxism, communism, capitalism, socialism, etc etc are champions of half-truths and pseudo-intellectualism. The ancient Vedic Rishis had it right through their deep inner connection to the Universe, and as such, the resultant societies specially during the Satya Yugas were the closest humanity can ever get to Utopia. But as the sages say, there will never be a time when there will be no wars and such.
@ brahmastra
permit me to give my take on this issue:
to begin with, going back to a past we cannot change, then brooding over it and getting bitter about it simply does not help in a pluralistic democracy like india.
on the other hand, going back to the past with the intention of rectifying the mistakes/unjust systems is a constructive attitude. The reservation for the traditionally oppressed castes is an effort in this direction.
talking about the Moghuls, history of man is the history of wars, conquests, migrations and intermingling of races. This is something we have to accept, specially as Indians who, at the moment, are feeling the impact of communalised perceptions.
when we call mughals the invaders we must remember that Aryans before them too were invaders, but since this invasion happened in prehistoric times and have not been recorded, we comfortably ignore that fact. But there are a lot of Dravidian scholars who make a song of this invasion, and attibute plunder and looting with the Aryan invasion. If we go back still, the Dravidians too may not stand the test of being the natural inhabitants of the subcontinent.
who is to decided how far we should put back the clock of history?
‘But in the meantime, wouldn’t you want some spiritually advanced, sophisticated people ruling India even if they happen to be Hindu upper caste?’
most certainly, if they are democratically elected, and if such spititually advanced sophisticated people NEVER EVER forget that they are but a neglible minority, and that the malority(not religious)are marginalised. The alarming spread of maoists and naxal groups is the surest indication of this marginalisation. That is a very serious problem that we should address. When we have such a mammoth class problem, why should politicians and vested interest and we citizens too create/add fuel to communal crisis?
While we indians battle out the communal drama, a class rising is going to surprise us.
@ Kochuthresiamma P J
Not many things in the world are more refreshing than some fresh filter coffee with a good dose of fluid Malayali wisdom.
Personally it seems that, collectively, the Tamilian and Malayali brahmins are some of the most advanced people in the world. The Aryan invasion theory has been repeatedly proven to be a hoax and does not stand up to any factual evidence. It is deemed as a deeper version of the “divide and conquer” strategy of the British to produce more “brown sahibs” from the lot of Indians with low self-esteem. According to the theory, the invasion is supposed to have happened around 1500 BC which is completely contrary to the largely accepted facts (as per many realized sages and ancient scriptures) that the Ramayana was supposed to have been around 10000 BC and the Maharbharata around 3000 BC. So, the Vedic civilizations of India are temporally deep rooted. Of course, there have been several smaller migrations in more recent times such as the Parsis, Moghals etc. from some middle-eastern and european regions.
There are many other theories about the history of India, but one that i am drawn to is that there is supposed to have been a continent called Rutas south of India all the way to Madagascar which is now under the ocean. People say this could also be the famed Lemuria or Mu, some of the remnant people of which are supposed to be the Indian brahmins, and some went on to form the Mayan and Egyptian civilizations. But this is really way back in time, and so there are only bits and pieces of evidence.
Anyway, coming back to right now, it would be a lot easier to forget the oppressive past were it not for an ever increasing attempt on the part of fanatics from other religions to step up their expansionist, separatist and conversion agenda in India. You say that the Hindu upper caste are a “negligible minority” which may be true but you have to keep in mind that an Emperor is but one person who rules millions, so it is definitely quality over quantity in this case. And there has also been a natural ethnic cleansing of the upper caste who have flocked overseas to heavily aid the development of the rest of the world..many of them still have strong roots in India and are energizing politically as well. You see, India is still very young actually, and it will be interesting to see how things turn out. I don’t think the class rising through Naxalities and Communists is going to survive anywhere beyond villages of east and central India. Nepal, Burma, etc. were soft targets for these monkeys but India is a sleeping giant these guys are trying to wake up. All it will take is one Modi or Thackeray to come to power as what happened in Maharashtra and Gujarat. The cause of these Naxals would seem more earnest if they had not donned it with so much animalistic violence.
And as far as adding fuel to communalism, as in psychology, buried crap will surface sooner or later. Do you really expect the VHP, RSS and BJP to be mute spectators while the Congress is repeatedly assaulting nationalistic and Hindu beliefs through the Sethu, Pandits, Amarnath issues while continuously going soft on terrorists and playing corrupt vote-bank politics. History (and the present) will tell you that the “fanatic percentage” of those born into Islam will not live and let live, they are brain-washed since young to be expansionist and aggressive..today Kashmir, tomorrow Jammu, then Delhi..that is why Israel has had to be so strong..they have recognized this long back. Everywhere in the world, these fanatics are causing a problem. It is not the real Islam meant for spiritual advancement..this present day Islam is an highly corrupted control tool for the power-hungry…and their dietary habits really make it a mess for them.
@ brahmastra
‘fluid Malayali wisdom’.’collectively, the Tamilian and Malayali brahmins are some of the most advanced people in the world’ – my my! what streoetyped notons:-)
ok-am not going into the veracity of these notions – –
‘I don’t think the class rising through Naxalities and Communists is going to survive anywhere beyond villages of east and central India. Nepal, Burma, etc. were soft targets for these monkeys but India is a sleeping giant these guys are trying to wake up.’
‘these monkeys’!!?? well, you cant wish or will them away. if you think they can be snuffed out, i think you are a little out of touch with ground zero. by the way, these ‘monkeys’ are as much indians as anyone else. They are also part of the sleeping giant that is India.they are victims of our mode of development.that does not make them children of a lesser god.I wish we wouldn’t indulge in branding and othering our own people. Now please dont accuse me of being left :-). you’ll never find a stronger anti left than me. But leftists too have their points.
‘All it will take is one Modi or Thackeray to come to power as what happened in Maharashtra and Gujarat’
you scare me!
‘The cause of these Naxals would seem more earnest if they had not donned it with so much animalistic violence’
would you use the expression ‘animalistic violence’to describe the gujarat riots?
i’m not competent enough to dispute the Aryan invasion hoax theory. it suits me, i guess to believe the invasion theory as it suits you to believe the hoax theory. After all we live in tmes which believe that history is a pack of official lies, and that it is textual & not absolute or sacrosanct.so let us agree to disagree.i thinks if we Indians can hold out an olive branch as we shake our heads in disagreement, life would be much simpler.
I accept your right to think diferently. That’s my olive branch:-)
@ brahmastra
‘fluid Malayali wisdom’.’collectively, the Tamilian and Malayali brahmins are some of the most advanced people in the world’ – my my! what streoetyped notons:-)
ok-am not going into the veracity of these notions – –
‘I don’t think the class rising through Naxalities and Communists is going to survive anywhere beyond villages of east and central India. Nepal, Burma, etc. were soft targets for these monkeys but India is a sleeping giant these guys are trying to wake up.’
‘these monkeys’!!?? well, you cant wish or will them away. if you think they can be snuffed out, i think you are a little out of touch with ground zero. by the way, these ‘monkeys’ are as much indians as anyone else. They are also part of the sleeping giant that is India.they are victims of our mode of development.that does not make them children of a lesser god.I wish we wouldn’t indulge in branding and othering our own people. Now please dont accuse me of being left :-). you’ll never find a stronger anti left than me. But leftists too have their points.
‘All it will take is one Modi or Thackeray to come to power as what happened in Maharashtra and Gujarat’
you scare me!
‘The cause of these Naxals would seem more earnest if they had not donned it with so much animalistic violence’
would you use the expression ‘animalistic violence’to describe the gujarat riots?
i’m not competent enough to dispute the Aryan invasion hoax theory. it suits me, i guess to believe the invasion theory as it suits you to believe the hoax theory. After all we live in tmes which believe that history is a pack of official lies, and that it is textual & not absolute or sacrosanct.so let us agree to disagree.i thinks if we Indians can hold out an olive branch as we shake our heads in disagreement, life would be much simpler.
I accept your right to think diferently. That’s my olive branch:-)
@ kochuthresiamma P J
My my, it’s interesting to see your eloquent definition to my “monkeys” label. Yes, they are indians, they are humans, and they are potentially divine. But, since you are seeing them as the underdogs, it may be sentient to refresh the body count that these communists further their cause upon. Do not for one second be fooled into thinking that the people driving these monkeys on are selfless missionaries.
I have several friends from Nepal, and got to know the most ruthless manner in which the Maoists there butchered government officials, villagers and other civilians who came in their way of quest for power. Such things never seem to attract the attention of the pseudo-secularists as does a relatively miniscule incident as Godhra which was a “reactionary” happenstance caused by the burning of Hindu women and children in the train by terrorists. The mindset of these pseudo-secularists and “upa-padma-bushan” journalists is so narrow that, in comparison, they easily dismiss the killing of around 30000+ Hindu Pandits from the Kashmir Valley and the exodus of more than 4 Lakh at gunpoint. How cleverly this issue is trying to be swept aside and never hs this cause been taken up earnestly by the media..but like I said, as is happening in Jammu, the suppression of the majority is, well, a major mistake..something that you guys didn’t see in the Indian media is that even in the US, Indians were out on the streets in major cities to protest against the Amarnath revocation..and mind you, these are all doctors, engineers, and other white-collared folks. And it has come as a plesant surprise to me to see a realized sage as Sri Sri Ravi Shankhar actually speaking in favor of the Amarnath guys and show inclination towards the BJP. Only the wisest ones realize that Hindutva/Vedic consciousness has to prevail in India..real secularism..others are all skimming the surface wallowing in their limited minds.
‘All it will take is one Modi or Thackeray to come to power as what happened in Maharashtra and Gujarat’
you scare me!
– What you said earlier: “history of man is the history of wars, conquests, migrations and intermingling of races.” So i don’t see why you need to be scared if i said the same thing in a different way.
About the Aryan theory, please google up Kumari Kandam and Lemuria..and you will find some real interesting stuff (including a map of India from 30000 BC) if you’ve known about continetal drifting, ancient civizations, root races etc. LOL..Reality IS stranger than fiction!!
THE ARYAN-DRAVIDIAN CONTROVERSY By DAVID FRAWLEY
The British ruled India, as they did other lands, by a divide-and-conquer strategy. They promoted religious, ethnic and cultural divisions among their colonies to keep them under control. Unfortunately some of these policies also entered into the intellectual realm. The same simplistic and divisive ideas that were used for interpreting the culture and history of India. Regrettably many Hindus have come to believe these ideas, even though a deeper examination reveals they may have no real objective or scientific basis.
One of these ideas is that India is a land of two races – the lighter- skinned Aryans and the darker-skinned Dravidians – and that the Dravidians were the original inhabitants of India whom the invading Aryans conquered and dominated. From this came the additional idea that much of what we call Hindu culture was in fact Dravidian, and later borrowed by Aryans who, however, never gave the Dravidians proper credit for it. This idea has been used to turn the people of south India against the people of north India, as if the southern ers were a different race.
Aryan and Dravidian Races:
The idea of Aryan and Dravidian races is the product of an unscientific, culturally biased form of thinking that saw race in terms of color. There are scientifically speaking, no such things as Aryan or Dravidian races. The three primary races are Caucasian, the Mangolian and the Negroid. Both the Aryans and Dravidians are related branches of the Caucasian race generally placed in the same Mediterranean sub-branch. The difference between the so-called Aryans of the north and Dravidians of the south is not a racial division. Biologically bo th the north and south Indians are of the same Caucasian race, only when closer to the equator the skin becomes darker, and under the influence of constant heat the bodily frame tends to become a little smaller. While we can speak of some racial differences between north and south Indian people, they are only secondary.
For example, if we take a typical person from Punjab, another from Maharash- tra, and a third from Tamilnadu we will find that the Maharashtrians generally fall in between the other two in terms of build and skin color. We see a gradual shift of characteristics from north to south, but no real different race. An Aryan and Dravidian race in India is no more real than a north and a south European race. Those who use such terms are misusing language. We would just as well place the blond Swede of Europe in a different race from the darker haired and skinned person of southern Italy.
Nor is the Caucasian race the “white” race. Caucasians can be of any color from pure white to almost pure black, with every shade of brown in between. The predominent Caucasian type found in the world is not the blond-blue-eyes northern European but the black hair, brown-eyed darker skinned Mediterranean type that we find from southern Europe to north India. Similarly the Mongolian race is not yellow. Many Chinese have skin whiter than many so-called Cauca- sians. In fact of all the races, the Caucasian is the most variable in its skin color. Yet many identification forms that people fill out today in the world still define race in terms of color.
Dravidians as Preservers of Vedic Culture
Through the long and cruel Islamic assault on India, south India became the land of refuge for Vedic culture, and to a great extent remains so to the present day. The best Vedic chanting, rituals and other traditions are preser- ved in south India. It is ironic therefore that the best preservers of Aryan culture in India have been branded as non-Aryan. This again was not something part of the Aryan tradition of India, as part of the misinterpretation of the term Aryan fostered by European thought which often had a political or religi- ous bias, and which led to the Nazis. To equate such racism and violence with the Vedic and Hindu religion, the least aggressive of all religions, is a rather sad thing, not to say very questionable scholarship.
Dravidians do not have to feel that Vedic culture is any more foreign to them than it is to the people of north India. They need not feel that they are racially different than the people of the north. They need not feel that they are losing their culture by using Sanskrit. Nor need they feel that they have to assert themselves against north India or Vedic culture to protect their real heritage.
Vedic and Hindu culture has never suppressed indigenous cultures or been opposed to cultral variations, as have the monolithic conversion religions of Christianity and Islam. The Vedic rishis and yogis encouraged the develop- ment of local traditions. They established sacred places in all the regions in which their culture spread. They did not make everyone have to visit a single holy place like Meca, Rome or Jerusalem. Nor did they find local or tribal deities as something to be eliminated as heathen or pagan. They respected the common human aspiration for the Divine that we find in all cultures and encouraged diversity and uniqueness in our approach to it.
Meanwhile the people of north India also need not take this north-south division as something fundamental. It is not a racial difference that makes the skin of south Indians darker but merely the effect of climate. Any Caucasian race group living in the tropics for some centuries or millennia would eventually turn dark. And whatever color a person’s skin may be has nothing to do with their true nature according to the Vedas that see the same Self or Atman in all.
It is also not necessary to turn various Vedic gods into Dravidian gods to give the Dravidians equality with the so-called Aryans in terms of the numbers or antiquity of their gods. This only gives credence to what is superficial distinction in the first place. What is necessary is to assert what is truly Aryan in the culture of India, north or south, which is high or spiritual values in character and action. These occur not only in the Vedas but also the Agamas and other scriptures within the greater tradition.
The Aryans and Dravidians are part of the came culture and we need not speak of them as separate. Dividing them and placing them at odds with each other serves the interests of neither but only serves to damage their common culture (which is what most of those who propound these ideas are often seek- ing). Perhaps the saddest thing is that modern Indian politicians have also used this division to promote their own ambitions, though it is harmful to the unity of the country.
– You can find the entire superb article if you google it up.
@ brahmastra
Theories, theories, theories – – –
‘truth is what I believe. truth is what I say’-don’t know who said it-but someone did-not my original.
the theory about the continental drift that is doing the rounds in my part of the world points out the similarity between the original inhabitants of the Indian subcontinent, the aborigines of australia and the negroid race of africa – so there’s another theory .
by the way, can we completely and totally ignore what linguistic evidence throws up regarding race? without doubt, Sanskrit is one of the indo aryan languages (indo europeon, to be politically correct), and the languages descended from Sanskrit-the languages of north India- are spoken by this Aryan race. dravidian must be a different race, ‘cos Dravidian language is fundamentally dissimilar to Sanskrit. since the speakers of Malayalam were not too particular about maintaining the purity of the language, malayalm has been influence by Sanskrit- but mostly in the aspect of vocabulary. I am one of those who believes that linguistic eveidence is a very dependable proof while dealing with the grey areas of history.
bloggers with whom I indulge in this type of discussions find me cereberally challenged :-). I have a sinking feeling that they are right.’cos this is the last drop of fuel in my think tank.
bye. don’t forget the olive branch
@ kochuthresiamma p j
These theories that I’ve posted are increasingly being supported by hard evidences and facts with the evolution of modern technology. And linguistically as well, south and north indian languages are very similiar. And I do think that there is a good possiblity of Ancient Tamil being the mother of Sanskrit. From above article:
ARYAN AND DRAVIDIAN LANGUAGES:
The Indo-European languages and the Dravidian do have important differences. Their ways of developing words and grammer are different. However, it is a misnomer to call all Indo-European languages Aryan. The Sanskrit term Aryan would not apply to European languages, which are materialistic in orientation, bacause Aryan in Sanskrit means spiritual. When the term Aryan is used as indicating certain languages, the term is being used in a Western or European sense that we should remember is quite apart from its traditional Sanskrit meaning, and implies a racial bias that the Sanskrit term does not have.
We can speak of Indo-European and Dravidian languages, but this does not necessarily mean that Aryan and Dravidian must differ in culture, race or religion. The Hungarians and Finns of Europe are of a different language group than the other Europeans, but we do not speak of them as of a Finnish race, or the Finns as being non-Europeans, nor do we consider that their religious beliefs must therefore be unrelated to those of the rest of Europe.
Even though Dravidian languages are based on a different model than Sanskrit there are thirty to seventy per cent Sanskrit words in south Indian languages like Telugu and Tamil, which is much higher percentage than north Indian languages like Hindi. In addition both north and south Indian languages have a similar construction and phraseology that links them close together, which European languages often do not share. This has caused some linguists even to propose that Hindi was a Dravidian language. In short, the language compart- ments, like the racial ones, are not as rigid as has been thought.
In fact if we examine the oldest Vedic Sanskrit, we find similar sounds to Dravidian languages (the cerebral letters, for example), which are not present in other Indo-European tongues. This shows either that there were already Drvidians in the same region as the Vedic people, and part of the same culture with them, or that Dravidian languages could also have been early off-shoots of Sanskrit, which was the theory of the modern rishi, Sri Aurobindo. In addition the traditional inventor of the Dravidian languages was said to have been none other than Agastya, one of the most important rishis of the Rig Veda, the oldest Sanskrit text.
@ kochuthresiamma p j
And, it seems that this Aryan invasion hoax theories come as a blessing for certain fanatic south-indian minorities and politicians so they can use it to deepen the divide between north-indian and south-indian Hindus for their vested interests of votes and devious religious conversions of the downtrodden. But, these guys forget that they are in “Hindustan”, and are the actual negligible minorities messing with the collective tolerance of the majority.
Come to Canada .The Canada help you and my too my love