All things Bharat

This visit of ours deserved a separate post. I had read about Lt Saurabh Kalia's gruesome treatment as PoW at the hands of Paxtani soldiers. May 15, 1999 was the day he and his jawans went missing. His mother suffered a heart attack upon hearing the news. On June 9, Paxtan returned the tortured remains of Lt Kalia and his men. This was from the book Kargil by Rachna Bisht Rawat. In the book she also mentioned that from that day till now, visitors visit the Smriti Kaksh (museum) built in Lt Kalia's memory, meet Vijaya ma'am ( his mother) and spend some time with them.  We visited their home sometime in May end 2022 after we finished our VaishnoDevi darshan in Jammu. We had a plan to go to Dharamshala. A tweet from another fallen soldier's mother Meghna Girish ma'am (mother of Major Akshay Girish) informed me about the events surrounding May 15. I was going to go to Dharamshala and upon checking the map I found Palampur where the Kalia family lived, was only 40 odd km...

Why Annamalai is the phenomenon that he is - reading his autobiography will help us understand that. As we leaf through his life and the challenges he faces, the learnings he draws out of each of these challenges, it all becomes clear (at least for me) why he receives such adulation. Right from how he cracked his CAT to successfully writing the civil services mains and his MBA final exams (the exams clash) on the same days left me speechless.  All through the book, he talks about making the police force better, the question of bribery and there are lessons he picked from each instance, each situation summarised at the end of each such chapter.  This book would be a great read for aspirants who wish to join the police force. But for civilians like you and me, it gives a peek into his thought process. The book is written in very simple English and I read it as though Annamalai was giving a lecture in his own voice (in my head).  He covers different aspects of the police for...

                                                      Image from Sunday Guardian A detailed thread on the truth about the Moplah Genocide of Malabar Hindus - Original Twitter thread here What we are witnessing today is history being turned into a graveyard of facts. Distortians are trying their best to wipe clean this tragic chapter of recent history in a bid to build an even more toxic narrative pertaining to the #MoplahGenocideOfMalabarHindus The first step is to correctly call it by its real name. It was not the 'Moplah "Rebellion" or "Riots" ' as distortians tell us. We must refer to it correctly, as: The Savage Moplah Genocide of Malabar Hindus How and why did things turn so horrific in Aug of 1921? Who were the Moplahs? This was no sudden or sporadic occurrence due to the sustained, inflammator...

                                                                               Image Source - Google So I finally gathered courage to watch #TheKashmirFiles yesterday. This post might be something some of you may not agree with so please scroll away, I do not wish to engage in a debate. Also, there may be spoilers so if you haven't watched, you've been warned. How I felt after the film ended - I went from being numb for a while, to feeling a pain in my heart and then anger seeped in, and that is when I wrote this.  I have heard many personal accounts of the genocide and exodus in various clubhouse rooms from Kashmiri Hindus who are currently living in exile in different parts of the world. They have been raising their voice for a very long time but li...

This is a thread I found on Twitter and curating it here after taking permission. Original tweet thread is here .  Mughals dismantled Thousands of Hindu Temples in India to wipe off the Historical Significance They were Radical Islamists & wanted Everyone to Accept Islam 1. The Ram Janmabhoomi Temple Ayodhya Mir Baqi, Mughal King Babur’s General, Destroyed Pre-Existing Temple of Prabhu Shri Ram & built a Mosque called Babri Masjid at Ayodya But, TRUTH ALONE CONQUERS & Today, Ram Mandir is being built at this site 2. Somnath Temple Somnath Temple is the First among Twelve Jyotirlinga Shrines of Shiva which is located in Gujarat Mahmud Ghazni First Looted the Temple, then came Afzal Khan, commander of Alauddin Khilji & Later Aurangzeb Today, The Temple has been Restored. 3. The Krishna Janmabhoomi Temple It is located in the Holy City of Mathura, Uttar Pradesh & was Built by Shri Krishna’s Grandson, Vajra It was also Destroyed by Aurangzeb & Shahi ...

After so many months of not reading, I finally finished a book and what a fantastic read it has been. This month we will commemorate yet another anniversary of Vijay Diwas and what a time to read about the raw courage, the exploits, the stomach-churning stories of our braves. I would recommend this book be read by everyone. We all need to remember our soldiers because and I quote, "Soldiers who put their lives at stake in wars and war-like situations expect nothing in return. But what the nation owes to them is recognition and gratitude. Soldiers don’t die on battlefields; they die when an ungrateful nation forgets their sacrifice. May the 527 martyrs of Kargil live in our hearts forever." Read this to find out what type of food and water they had to survive on during those months, during their missions. You will never waste another morsel in your life nor will you take your freedom for granted. We have to read these stories and tell them to our kids, they need to know. Kargi...

This is a rough translation/transcription of the interview between Major Madhan Kumar and Chanakya TV. For the uninitiated, Major Madhan Kumar is a retired Indian army officer and currently an entrepreneur. He also co-founded Armour of Care, an NGO along with several other ex-military and civilians whose prime focus is helping those in need of food and essentials; they did a lot of great work in the lockdown period. Major Madhan is an alumnus of the prestigious Officers' Training Academy in Chennai. He passed out of the Academy in 2003, and subsequently was commissioned into the Indian Army. Thereon he served the Army for six years, with a majority of his posting in the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir. The officer has also served in the Delta force, part of Rashtriya Rifles deployed in Doda district for counterterrorism operations. This interview has been translated for the viewers/followers of Major Madhan Kumar. Please leave a comment if you have anything to say. Thanks Q:...