Excerpt from: http://exclusives.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1548748.cms Do you think secular individuals and group will have a different view on such issues? Shahi Imam: Our problem is that we misinterpret secularism. No individual is secular. It is that states that are secular. States must not discriminate one religious community from the other. Thus the Christians and Muslims have the right to protest and request the government to follow equal treatment, to be called secular. Religious matters should be restrained. In the name of creativity, innovation, freedom of speech and thought, one has no right to hurt anyone of another faith. I usually don't agree even a speck with Shahi Imam - but I think I agree with a part of the above statement. Individuals have faiths - hence they cannot be secular in every sense of the word - even Gandhiji went on record to state that -'I prefer Hinduism to other religions'. However, I don't think secularism means not preferring any one f

The most frequented debate nowadays in India is the new reservation law in central government institutions. Casteism as a system has continued since ages in India - and post independence an effort was made to correct the anomaly by offering reservations to backward classes. However, instead of uprooting the problem, the government has ended up systematically recognizing the very caste that it aimed to de-recognize. So during one debate, someone suggested that the only solution to the problem was for everyone to renounce his/her caste so that the very root of the evil is removed. I quote - Lets us give up our caste and second-names/surnames that indicate our castes. Lets pledge that we will not give any castse and surname to our offsprings. Lets appeal it to everyone to display their belief in equality by giving up their caste, surnames and destroying the inequalities that were thrust upon. But I have a different view; in my opinion castiesm is not a system that can be or should be u

"Nikhil is a sanskrit term meaning 'complete' and hence the name of this blog... ....it has nothing to do with my self-perception...nobody can be complete..and definitely not me..." I wrote this text exactly 2 years ago as the first few words on this blog. And the next two years were quite action-packed - Summers, MastishK, Prerana, Ethics Committee, Placements, KPMG, Travelogues .... this blog revolved around all this. I have meanwhile changed a lot - my lifestyle, beliefs, language ... and I have added a lot many friends along the way - Good friends? No. Great friends. Looking back, one realizes how much education and companionship can change the course of one's life. While MBA taught me how to think big - it was friends who helped me cement the belief. It was like curing a cement plaster - the end result has been that my growth path has changed. When I started this blog, I had a plan to start-up an enterprize immediately after my MBA - however small it might b

I frankly don't know what the title means - but have seen it on many a bangaloreans' blog ;-). I wrote quite critically of Bangalore when I first visited the city . I have visited it umpteen times after that and slowly I have started appreciating a more balanced view of the city. The first positive with Bangalore is its a.www.some climate. You especially realize this when you land in here from a wet-and-hot Chennai at 10 P.M. after it has 'just-rained' in Bengaluru. Traffic remains a problem with Bangalore, but finally the much awaited flyover on the Airport road seems to be nearing completion and with the metro rail project at the end of the tunnel - future does seem bright for Bangalore. However, as compared to other cities, Bangalore I think moves very slowly on its infrastructure projects. Then again, Bangalore looks much more impressive than other older metros like Mumbai and Delhi. Firstly, there aren't as many slums; comparing against Mumbai where there are s

It's been another year of life - I turned 25 yesterday. It feels great to acknowledge to yourself on such days that you have a place on earth and in hearts of few people as well. I personally am slightly careless and forgetful person when it comes to my own self ;-) and there have been more than one occasion when I forgot my own birthday. But yesterday was not so, thanks to my parents, relatives and friends who kept reminding me of the occasion since past 2 weeks. And the number of phone calls I received from midnight till midnight made my day. Payal called up from the US, and what was meant to be a 2 minute call to wish me turned out to be a 45 minute chat from Professional Life to Indian Politics. Same was the case when Hemant called up from Geneva - we discussed projects, dreams and more - I felt that I have rolled a few balls in the past 25 years. 'Twas a great feeling to get all expected calls from relatives, friends and acquaintances. To add were the many mails that kept

I got this amusingly ridiculous forward yesterday .... Petrol in Pakistan Rs17 per liter Malaysia Rs 18 per liter In India it's 48 per liter Why this difference in Asia itself ? It has been calculated that if everyone did not purchase a drop of petrol for one day and all at the same time, the oil companies would choke on their stockpiles. At the same time it would hit the entire industry with a net loss over 4.6 billion dollars which affects the bottom lines of the oil companies. Therefore "Thursday September 22nd " the people of this nation should not buy a single drop of petrol that day. My response to it ... Growth rate of Malaysia 7.8% Growth rate of Pakistan 6.4% For India it's 8.2 % Why should Indian's alone work hard?? Lets all sit and relax in our home - lets stop coming to office, stop going to markets, stop buying stocks, stop earning bonuses .... I would have loved to avoid petrol on September 22 had they raised the cause of energy conservation or envir

I am not someone whom you could expect to write on the above topic. Firstly because I am usually miles away from romantic excursions and for those who know me well - I do not believe in concepts like 'Love at First Sight'. But the credit of getting me thinking about this subject goes to two near and dear ones who in my eyes would classify as an ideal couple. In my opinion love is a feeling that one develops after spending a considerable amount of time; it is a point where you accept the individual with his/her faults and qualities - and while you may want to change the negatives - you would still love the person irrespective of whether the changes happen or not. In simple words, there is no expectation - just a selfless give away of affection and service. I have been witness to more than one affairs, but few have looked (in my terms as described above) true and authentic Love. This one did qualify - and God knows I wanted it to reach its deserved conclusion from the bottom of m