Can a woman love her abductor? *. 72

One of the forms of marriage recognized in Hinduism is Asura Vivah or marriage by abduction. Perhaps the ancient Hindu saints recognized that a man may desire a woman so much that he could abduct her. So they sanctified it and accepted it as a form of marriage. This is a piquant situation and I wonder from the woman’s point of view of how she would feel if she was abducted and married by any man. Would she accept him? My thinking is positive on this issue, though I am aware as per the modern law; it is a crime to abduct a woman. Marriage is out of question.
Throughout history there are examples of women being kidnapped andabducted for marriage. the emperor Jahangir loved Noor Jahan so much that he got her husband killed and married her. History tells us that Noor Jahan became a favorite of Jahangir and advised him on all state matters as well as bearing his children. How did she forget her killed husband?

Perhaps it has something to do with psychology, mental makeup and sex. When all these add up, then a woman is likely to accept the man who may be her abductor. There was a peculiar case before the Madras High Court, where a woman who had accused a man of rape wanted to withdraw the charge as the man wanted to marry her. The court obviously did not accept her plea.

Women by nature are soft and whether in America or India the psychology is same. There are so many cases of women loving their abductors even in the west. The famous books on Angelique Series by Sergeanne Golan lucidly elucidate this point, where Angelique starts loving her abductors.

I feel if abduction is dictated by love, and then there is every chance that a woman will love back, but violence and force can leave a woman scarred for life. Islam in particular has a lot of abductions, but nothing is done about them

China puts the Dalai Lama in dog house: no justification !

The Dalai Lama is a respected figure who yearns for peace and some autonomy for his homeland Tibet. Unfortunately China has put him in the dog house. The Chinese follow such tactics  most of the time with anyone who opposes them. China has trampled on the freedom of the Tibet people and it is on record that many have imolated them to protest Chinese rule laced with terror.
In such a scenario the time spared by president Obama to meet  Dalai Lama is a godsend. It shows Tibetans are not forgotten. But more needs to be done to throw the Chinese jackboot out of the back of the Tibetan people.

Abolish ban on cow slaughter and beef eating

I have repeatedly said that there is nothing wrong in eating beef. Almost the whole world eats it---America, Europe, Africa, Arab countries, China, Japan, Australia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Thailand etc. In many of our own states beef is eaten, e.g. Kerala, Goa, North Eastern states, and West Bengal.
So are these beef eaters all wicked people, and we alone are sadhu saints?
And how can a cow be gowmata( mother cow) ? Can an animal be a mother of a human being ? Does it carry any sense ? A cow is just another animal, like a horse or goat.
Some people say that it is a matter of sentiments for Hindus.
But similarly, some Muslims say that Sharia and burqa are matters of sentiments for Muslims.
 In my opinion, these are all sentiments based on stupidity, and we should not bother about , or pamper sentiments based on stupidity.
 I call for repeal of laws banning cow slaughter and eating beef., just as I call for enactment a Uniform Civil Code and the  abolition of the burqa.

Lusting for the Hindu Woman *. 74

Lusting for Hindu Women/Girls:Sex is a Factor

Marriage

Lust is a word that means intense or unrestrained sexual craving. Sometimes the word does look vulgar or coarse but it defines a mindset that is dictated by desire and temptation. 

All over India and Pakistan the one fact that stands out is the number of Hindu girls with Muslim men has husbands. In Pakistan it takes a bizarre form with about 20-25 Hindu girls being kidnapped every month in Sind province and forcibly converted and married to Muslim men. In India there is no coercion but any numbers of Hindu girls marry Muslims. Even the film stars are into it and the most famous present day heroine Karina Kapoor is marrying a Muslim star who has 2 grown up children.

Hindu Muslim wedlock

I began to wonder why this is so after all just a few decades the Muslims and Hindus did not have much of intermarriages. Before independence and the advent of the Raj, the Muslims were the rulers and they could have their pick of Hindu girls. Even the warrior Timur selected 200 of the most beautiful Hindu girls for his harem. But it all ended with the Raj and independence.
So frankly I am intrigued to see so many Hindu girls marrying Muslim men. The contrast is stark as in all cases the Hindu girls convert to Islam. This is mandatory and is something that happens, but I suppose there is very little coercion involved, except in Pakistan where the situation is entirely different. I wonder what could be the psychology behind these marriages.

Love Jihad

Obviously there is some background to it. One thing that strikes me is that after loss of political power by the Muslimsthe Hindu girls became unattainable. So the Muslim men with encouragement from the Mullahs began to assiduously woo Hindu girls. The idea was to marry them and beget children. It’s like a victory in battle, after all in ancient wars the women were the prize.
These are harsh thoughts, but I suppose there is some truth in it. Thus the Muslim man will go out of his way to court a Hindu girl. What about the Hindu girl? There is a new found freedom given by independent India and the Hindu girl is exercising it to the hilt. One manifestation is these marriages. In contrast the reverse of Muslim girls marrying Hindu boys is just a trickle. Rigidity in Islam is intense?

Kissing on the 146th Floor of the Burj Khaifa

The Burj Khalifa is located in Dubai. Presently, it is the tallest tower in the world. Visitors are allowed to the 146th floor for a fee of 100 AED (about $25). The floor is partly open to the inclement weather. In winter, it can get pretty cold there. If it starts to rain, the charm of being on this floor is greatly increased. The covered portion houses coffee shops and snack counters.

I last visited the tower in January, a few months back. I took my English girlfriend who is a teacher here, up the tower at night. The tower is open on a 24-hour basis. We had just entered the uncovered porch when it began to rain. In addition, a cold wind blew and it ended with us hugging each other for warmth. Frankly, it was fun and then we kissed with the cold wind blowing and rain falling. How exhilarating it was with the rain and the tongue of my girl enmeshed together.Down below we could see the lights of Dubai. It was a magical moment, never to be forgotten. A tap on the shoulder brought us back to reality. A security guard stood with an umbrella and he whispered “Sir, no kissing. It's not allowed”. I will say we were lucky as people have been put behind bars for less.

Kissing on the 146th Floor of the Burj Khaifa

The Burj Khalifa is located in Dubai. Presently, it is the tallest tower in the world. Visitors are allowed to the 146th floor for a fee of 100 AED (about $25). The floor is partly open to the inclement weather. In winter, it can get pretty cold there. If it starts to rain, the charm of being on this floor is greatly increased. The covered portion houses coffee shops and snack counters.

I last visited the tower in January, a few months back. I took my English girlfriend who is a teacher here, up the tower at night. The tower is open on a 24-hour basis. We had just entered the uncovered porch when it began to rain. In addition, a cold wind blew and it ended with us hugging each other for warmth. Frankly it was fun and then we kissed with the cold wind blowing and rain falling. How exhilarating it was with  the rain and the tongue of my girl enmeshed together.Down below we could see the lights of Dubai. It was a magical moment, never to be forgotten. A tap on the shoulder brought us back to reality. A security guard stood with an umbrella and he whispered “Sir, no kissing. It's not allowed”. I will say we were lucky as people have been put behind bars for less.

Death Railway of Siam during World War II * 60

I am a history buff and love to read about the Second World war. One incident in World War II has fascinated me is the death railway made immortal by Sir Alec Guinness in the movie ” Bridge on the River Kwai”. When I visited Thailand for a holiday, I resolved to visit the death railway, a name used for a bridge which was built by the Japanese over the river Kwai to connect Thailand to Rangoon.

After the battle of Midway where the Imperial navy suffered a catastrophic defeat, the Japanese had great difficulty in transporting men and material to Burma, where the Imperial army was fighting the British Indian army by sea, as their carrier fleet had been annihilated. This led them to construct a rail line through the thick jungles to Rangoon. It was an arduous task and the Japanese thought it fit to use Allied Prisoners of War as labor for this construction. One of the most difficult stretches was across the river at Kwai. All around the river there were dense tropical forests and cutting through the forest and constructing the bridge over the river was a very difficult task.

The Japanese had a paucity of time and they wanted the bridge and rail line ready in as a short time as possible. this led a very harsh regimen for the prisoners who were made to work 12 hours a day with hardly any food to eat. This aspect of Japanese character has baffled me as they studiously ignored the Geneva Convention on POWs. The Japanese soldiers overseeing the construction treated the prisoners badly and many died during the course of the construction. it was a terrible time and after the war, the Allies tried many of the Imperial army officers and soldiers and hanged many of them.

The Bridge is still there and is a tourist site. There is also an excellent museum that showcases the construction of the bridge. All in all, it’s a place worth visiting.