Mahindra XUV 500 is Back With a Face Lift

 

XUV 500 gets a makeover to compete with Jeep Compass

Image Source - by author, Madan G Singh

I was among the first to own a Mahindra XUV 500 the flagship vehicle of Mahindra Motors. This vehicle comes in 5 variants and I bought the W-10 which is the top variant with a sunroof. It was the top model in its class and cost about Rs 20 Lakh. At that time and for the next two years this SUV held its own as the number one vehicle in its class on Indian roads. The vehicle was a little short on power as it generated 140 BHP with a 2299cc M-Hawk engine developed in-house by Mahindra. Patrons overlooked this and the vehicle is a familiar sight on Indian roads.

At that time there was no automatic transmission which was introduced later. Within limits, it was a good vehicle but things changed with the advent of the Jeep in India.

The new XUV has been made sleeker, with a better console and grill.  It is also having a 4X4 model and automatic transmission. The car is good but again it's difficult to match a cult vehicle like the Jeep. Mahindra is advertising the new model on TV and the press and one will have to see how much it will carry conviction in the light of the new SUVs launched.

My Review of the Mustang

 
I have a Mustang. Its a convertible model and the roof can be pulled back for an exhilarating drive. Mind you at anything above 150 MPH with the roof pulled down can be like Adrenalin in the blood. The Mustang has been christened as the original " Muscle Car" by auto enthusiasts. This is because of the immense power it packs under the hood. It is available in two engine specifications namely the V-6 and V-8 which means 6 and 8 cylinders. The V-8 has an output of 396 HP and a top speed of 200 MPH. I have personally driven the Mustang at 180 MPH and the car just breezed away without the trace of a ripple.

The car comes both as a convertible and a coupe and has only two doors. The model introduced in India is a coupe and the pleasure of driving with the roof pulled down cannot be savored. 

The Mustang is a low slung car and once you get in the driver's seat one will get the idea that you are hugging the road. This is inevitable, as its a racing car and the designers have designed it to keep the drag -coefficient low. The car has a six-speed automatic transmission that apart from a high BHP of over 300 and develops torque at 280@ 4000 RPM. The automatic transmission is a must for such a car so that the driver can concentrate on just handling the car and not worry about changing gears.

The car I own has 18-inch alloy wheels and manual AC. Frankly, if the hood is pulled up you don't need any air conditioning, as the wind whistles around your ear. The bucket seats are very comfortable and can seat 4 adults.  The car has a cruising speed of about 100MPH but sadly you can't run the car at that speed in India, except perhaps on the Pune-Panvel freeway. Maybe the Agra -Delhi freeway also. But you can still cruise around the city as it has an extremely powerful engine and the drive is effortless and will certainly make the eyes of the people turn, more so if you have an attractive passenger in the front with you. Lastly yes, the Mustang is an excellent advertisement for the owner to latch on to a good looking girl for company.

Imran Khan : The Lothario from Lahore is now Prime Minister of Pakistan

 

The Lothario who seduced innumerable women as well as led Pakistan cricket is now leading Pakistan.

 

The English dictionary has defined a Lothario as a man whose aim in life is to seduce women. Obviously, the name of the game is sex and Imran Khan certainly fits the title of the Lothario from Lahore. He was a  wonderful cricket player and he dominated the cricket world for over  2 decades. When he left cricket, he entered politics and formed the party Tehreek-e-Insaf political party. For two decades Imran Khan has been in politics, yet he  achieved nothing. But in the changed political circumstances with Nawaz  sidelined with not a little help from the army he has  become the prime minister of Pakistan.

Most of the opinion polls had been predicting that Imran's party will win the maximum number of seats in the Senate. This is so because the powerful political leader Nawaz Sharif had been sidelined and put in prison at the behest of the Army.

The army as we know in Pakistan call all the shots and General Zia ul Haq has the dubious distinction of having committed a judicial murder by hanging Zulfikar Ali Bhutto the erstwhile PM of Pakistan. His grandson Bilawal Bhutto is also not likely to win many seats and like Nawaz PML. The fact is the only party which could win ahead of these two is the party of Imran Khan. 

Imran Khan is made the right noises and in a  television interview when asked whether he was the support of the Pakistan army replied that he was not dependent on the support of the Pakistan army but the fact is that the army has a soft corner for Imran Khan and they have manipulated directions in such a way that this man become the prime minister of Pakistan.

Khan has led a colorful life. His second wife  published a book in which she has brought out many facts about Imran Khan and there are so many rumors that he had love affairs with many Bollywood actresses. Imran Khan fits the title of the lothario from Lahore. Imran is  not  a success but with Nawaz Sharif the main political force spending time in jail along with his daughter the army createda free field for him.

There is an old saying that a man who rides a tiger is eaten by the tiger. Imran may be feeling smug but this adage may well boomerang on him

Horoscope of Modi: Napoleonic House

Modi won a great victory when the BJP on its own steam won over 280 seats in the Lok Sabha( lower house). It was a victory that had happened after 30 years and nobody expected Modi to ride home to victory on his own. At that time many astrologers had forecast his win but a bigger lot had said he would be hard-pressed to cobble a majority. 

 Now, this is history and people are looking and Modi has replicate his 2014 win in 2019.

I will not go on what the political pundits are saying and will mention just one aspect of the horoscope of Modi and this I will say is alarming for him A look at the 12th house of Modi's chart shows that he has Saturn in a dominant position. Saturn, as we all know, is under certain circumstances a malefic planet. I will also add that the 12th house is also known as the "Napoleonic" house.  The great Napoleon Bonaparte had Saturn in the 12 house and everybody knows what happened to him.

Napoleon rose to great heights but had a precipitous fall. In other words, the 12 house with Saturn shows that a person rises to great glory and then has a sudden crash.

John Master's " Bhowani Junction" : Tribute to India and the RAJ

here is one man who epitomizes the Raj in his writings. He is John Masters (1914-83) an Anglo Indian writer who brought alive the Raj in his books. Masters wrote prolifically about his association with India and the Raj. One of his books, Bhowani Junction has captured the imagination of the public. Made into a movie with Ava Gardner in 1956, the novel is a swan song on the last days of the British Raj.

There is no denying the fact that a lot many English men made India their home and one of them was John Masters. Masters wrote Bhowani

Junction in 1952 when India had gained freedom. The book by John Masters wrote in a racy style is a de facto portrayal of the Anglo Indian community who had a close association with the Police and the Indian Railways. The Anglo Indian is a dwindling lot in India as most have migrated to Australia or the UK. Masters in his inimitable style brings out in this book, the dichotomy of the Anglo Indian community which could trace there pedigree to English blood, but were never entirely accepted by the English as their equal.

The story revolves around the period when the Second World War was over and the British under Attlee had decided to leave India and go away. This was a period of uncertainty for the Anglo Indian community who, to say the least, was bewildered. This is succinctly brought out by Masters through the character of the heroine, an Anglo Indian girl named Victoria. The girl is searching a niche for herself in the changing environment, which was to emerge after the English left India.
John Masters create a 28-year-old beautiful and restless heroine, who decides to

become an Indian and loves a Sikh. But the clash of cultures is poignantly brought out by Masters as the girl despite visiting the Gurudwara expects to be kissed by the Sikh, which never takes place. She ricochets from this relationship to love an English army officer Lt col Savage, who is the Officer Commanding of a Gurkha battalion of the British Indian army. But this relationship despite taking on a carnal hue still leaves the girl more bewildered. Masters however faithfully portrays the character of most Anglo girls and he brings out the fact that these girls were rather roughly treated by the English as sexual objects.

Masters brings out the dichotomy of the Anglo Indian who was not completely accepted by the British and at the same time felt he was superior to a native. The writer creates some excellent portrayals of an Indian revolutionary, political leader, and the general atmosphere that pervaded the last days of the Raj. More important his description of the caste conflict between the higher and lower castes is certainly worth its weight in gold.
Masters writes in simple English. The book is easy to read and I dare say one can finish it in one sitting. The writer certainly captures the imagination of the reader. There are a lot many books written on the Raj, but a novel with the theme of Independence and the raj is a rarity. The book is certainly recommended for all readers who have a nostalgic feeling for the Raj and also love a good and straight love story.
 In the same vein is the latest by MG Singh " Romance of the Frontier"

General Ayub Khan and Christine Keeler

Field Marshal Ayub Khan was the first military general to lead Pakistan. This is certainly a well-deserved title, but the General was also a flamboyant man who lived life to the hilt. He frequently traveled abroad and one of his favorite places was London.

In London, he was often the guest at the imposing estate of Clivedon in Buckinghamshire. One may wonder what the Pakistan president was doing at this estate. ? Unlike later Pakistan presidents like Zia and Mushraff who dabbled in sending Jihadi fighters into Kashmir, Ayub Khan was more interested in other matters. This concerned a string of girls who frequented the swimming pool at Buckinghamshire. The girls were allowed to swim in the pool with the condition that to swim it had to be in the nude. This was loved by the girls who frolicked nude in the pool.

This was to the liking of general Ayub Khan who loved to swim and have fun in this pool. It was here he met Christine Keeler. This girl was a beautiful and sexy model. In addition, she was not averse to sex with anybody and one of her lovers was the war minister John Profumo.

Christine Keeler met Ayub Khan at this pool and she was mighty impressed with the tall and heavily built Punjabi. In fact in an interview later she complimented the looks and masculine charm of Ayub Khan. He may have also swum with Rice Mandy Davis, a girl one third his age.

Christine Keeler was involved in the sex scandal of the early sixties that led to the suicide of Dr. Ward. But Ayub had nothing to do with the suicide of Dr. Ward. He was a simple man, out for fun. One can't grudge him that! 

Hindu Scriptures Forecast the Arrival of Muhammad

Puranas are as old as HINDUISM and date from prehistoric times. The authorship of the Puranas is attributed to Maharishi Vyasa and he compiled his knowledge in 18 volumes. In 1935, Dr. Pran Nath carried out extensive research and published his research in leading newspapers of the day. He proved that the Rig Veda contains events of the Babylonian and Egyptian kings and their wars. He also believed that 20% of the Vedas were derived from Babylonian Scriptures. This is accepted by most history students, 

Many Hindu books prophesy about Prophet Mohammad. In addition, many important references to

him like Abraham, Kaaba, Bakkah (Makkah), and Arabia are also mentioned. They mention about him and refer him as Mahamad, Mamah, and Ahmad. The name Mahamad appears in the Puranas, Mamah in Kuntap Sukt (in Atharva Veda), and Ahmad in Sama Veda. Prophecy in The Puranas The compiler of the Puranas, Maharishi Vyas wrote eighteen volumes of rare wisdom

the Puranas and one by the title ‘Bhavishya Puran,’ means future events. 

The prophecy containing Prophet Muhammad by name is found in Prati Sarg Parv III: 3, 3, Verse 5. The Bhavishya Puran says that a Malechha a spiritual leader will come and his name will be Mahamad. The prophesy further states in verses 5-27 of the Prati Sarg Parv III: 3, 3 that the man will be a dweller of Arabia.

 His followers will be circumcised and he will eat all meats except swine. The book also states that this man will fight all evil and his followers will spread all over the world. The Vedas also contain many references to Prophet Muhammad. Atharva Veda and Sama Veda III: 10, Mantra 1. relate about Muhammad. 

 The mention of Muhammad is undeniable in the Hindu scriptures, but one wonders if people will accept it.