Overall an eventful day. Had serious disagreements with my wife and at one point of time it seemed that things might go out of hand. However, she took a step in the right direction and I went forward to meet her.
Things were fine by 4pm. We actually went out (all three of us - Maa, my wife, and I) for a walk and had a pretty good time.
Some of my comments which got published in the Indian Express site are given below:
On the issue of 3G licenses: The inability of the EGoM in taking a decision about the release of 3G spectrum is not only going to cause the Govt. a huge loss of revenue, but it will also deprive the public of this much awaited service. 3G (Video calls)is not only for the rich and the mighty. It will actually end up helping the common man, especially the rural folk, to actively enjoy the benefits of mobile telephony which is not a luxury any longer. How? Well, as soon as 3G services are started, the cost of the current 2G services (Voice calls) will go down drastically. While one can understand that issues of national security is of paramount importance (which is most likely why the Ministry of Defence had objections), the EGoM must find a solution to the deadlock soon. I would like to point out here that Motorola has already rolled out 4G services in the US! Surely we can roll out 3G???!
On the issue of the Copenhagen Summit on Environment: Its good to see that India is finally beginning to realise that no matter which country says what, it is we who must make our mark in the world stage on our own steam - even if it means taking some of the most developed countries head-on. We can not let countries like the US and the UK to force our hands and make us sign deals to make huge emission cuts while they (the ones who are most responsible for playing with the climate pattern) get away with promises of only minor cuts in emissions. Good going, Mr. Ramesh. The nation is with you.
On the issue of China trying to play Big Brother: The Chinese should be told very clearly and forcefully that they would do better to concentrate on their internal matters and not try to play Big Brother. The US President may say what he wants - Obama went out of his way to please China and said that he wanted the Chinese to look after Indo-Pak disputes - but India must stick to its guns and not let its guard down even for a second. The Chinese are known back-stabbers and the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang's contention that "China highly values its bilateral ties" with both India and Pakistan is nothing short of a blatant lie. If the Chinese were sincere then they would not have engaged in providing high-tech military support & supplies to Pakistan knowing full well that such weapons would be used against India. Time and again this has been found to be the case: arms recovered by our security forces from Pak militants often turn out to be of Chinese origin. Whatever Beijing says should be taken with a pinch of salt.
On Pakistan supporting militants:Simply put, Pakistan can not be trusted. We have committed this blunder several times in the past and have paid dearly for it. The most outrageous being the 26/11 attacks on Mumbai. The PM should take this up with the US President when he goes to the US on a state visit later this month and tell him clearly that India will be forced to take serious action against Pakistan if such activities continue from its soil.
My flat-mate while I was in Pune, Saumen, is getting married and has sent invitation via mail. I am happy for him.
Downloaded GNR's classic "November Rain"
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