"War is over Mom...!"

Suicides among veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan are reaching epidemic proportions. More than 6,000 veterans took their lives in 2005 alone, according to a study by CBS News. By some estimates, veterans are attempting suicide 1,000 times a month. Marine Corporal James Jenkins of New Jersey was one of these unsung casualties of war. A decorated veteran of the Iraq invasion and the Battle of Najaf, he took his own life after serving 22 months overseas. His mother, Cynthia Fleming, shares his story with ANP - a tragedy that is being repeated 15 times a day in this country. ( Source: American News Project)

Un aankhon main...

Bichadte Wakt Un Aankhon Main thi Hamari Ghazal
Ghazal Bhi Woh jo Kisi ki Abhi Sunayi Na Thi......!

Adawaten thi, Taghaful tha, Ranjhishen Thin Magar
Bichadne Waale main Sab kuch tha Be-Wafayi Na thi.

Woh Humsafar tha Magar Us se Hum-Nawayi Na Thi...
Ke Dhoop Chaoon Ka Alam Raha Judayi Na Thi...

Pfc Joseph Dwyer, (1977-2008)

"The photo above captures everything that Americans wanted to believe about the Iraq war in the earliest days of the invasion in 2003. Pfc. Joseph Dwyer, an Army medic whose unit was fighting its way up the Euphrates to Baghdad, cradles a wounded boy. The child is half-naked and helpless, but trusting. Private Dwyer’s face is strained but calm.

That story turned bitter years ago, of course. And the mountain of sorrows keeps growing: Mr. Dwyer died last month in North Carolina. He was 31 and very sick. For years he had been in and out of treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder and addiction. He was seized by fearful delusions and fits of violence and rage. His wife left him to save herself and their young daughter. When the police were called to Mr. Dwyer’s apartment on June 28, he was alone. They broke down the door and found him dying among pill bottles and cans of cleaning solvent that friends said he sniffed to deaden his pain"....(New York Times Editorial, July 15, 2008)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/military_the_enemy_within

"When people would teasingly call him "war hero" and ask him to tell about his experiences, or about the famous photo, he would steer the conversation toward the others he'd served with. But Dwyer once confided that another image, also involving a child, disturbed him.

He was standing next to a soldier during a firefight when a boy rode up on a bicycle and stopped beside a weapon lying in the dirt. Under his breath, the soldier beside Dwyer whispered, "Don't pick it up, kid. Don't pick it up."

The boy reached for the weapon and was blasted off his bike." - Yahoo news

It is unfortunate that a day after my last blog entry I found this news about Pfc Joe Dwyer. Dwyer told Newsday that he'd lied on a post-deployment questionnaire that asked whether he'd been disturbed by what he'd seen and done in Iraq.

Sad indeed...

Old men start wars...

Jaane kiya Soch ke Rota Raha Qatil Tanha...

"Old men start wars. Young men fight them. And everyone in the middle gets killed. War is natural. Peace is an accident. We're animals." - A dialogue from Sylvester Stallone’s last movie Rambo (2008). Sylvester Stallone edited this dialogue out and you don’t see him say those lines anymore.

Artists are the conscience of any society and no artist should be afraid to tell the truth, otherwise he or she is not an artist but a glorified baniya!

Above an American GI holding a dead baby in Iraq after the bombing that killed her. It is apparent that the baby is dead but a little sensitivity can conclude that a part of this GI is also killed along with her.

No amount of training can prepare you for this and you just can't walk away from this experience "alive". This guy or gal will be in the US whenever his/her time is done and would re-join the civilian life. Everything will go back to normal like parties, shopping, graduation and ball games - only he or she would know that he or she is a "dead man walking!"

War will come to an end sometime. Deads will be counted, memorials on both sides of Atlantic will be built and re-construction will begin. But war will never end for this GI as long as he/she is alive!

This is how it is in the death lane...

She...

My mind is jumping from one thought to another after experiencing this picture. While we went about our business of living life, God knows what happened to this poor thing.

Looks at her closely. It seems like she has not take bath for days. Notice her dress, shoes and hair. Apparently someone did her hair a few weeks before this picture was taken. Her brother has no shoes, no proper cloth, and the reason he is in his senses is because she is taking care of him- somehow. She has her arms over him indicating protection and love.........

Kids gets excited when their picture is taken.....but she is so depressed and down that she does not care anymore...

What the f***k they are debating F***g nuclear deal in the Parliament, when we have more urgent issues to attend?

Qatl ke Baad...

Sab ke Cheron pe Tabassum the Mere Qatl Ke Baad
Naa Jaane Kiya Soch ke Rota Raha Qaatil...Tanhaa?

And then...

This has been a traumatic month for me. Three deaths, two colleagues and a relative in two weeks have disturbed me tremendously. One died yesterday, second one died last week while driving home, and third one died in a hospital at a young age. One was an ex marine, the other was an engineer and the third was a professional in faith based programs.

Where have they gone? How come they just go like that? No good byes no see ya...nothing. I am trying to be normal but cant stop thinking about them. Mullah says" you think too much man and every generation will have to go one day", but that does not help......Its going to be some tough nights for me...

I am not scared of death, but I want a good exit strategy. An exit strategy that calls for thanking folks for loving me, leaving me and coming back to me. A strategy that calls for realizing the dreams and goals, of helping dreamy eyed orphans and adding some value in some lives before I call it quits.

An exit strategy that I do not have right now..

PS: The above grave stone sculpture called " Asleep" was commissioned by Ms. Christina Matheson in the memory of her late husband Mr. Laurence Matheson ( April 25, 1930-Jan 12, 1987) who died at the age of 57 in Australia.

(Artist Peter Schipperheyn, Location: Mt. Macedon Cemetery, Macedon, Victoria)

Yuvraj...

a 7th grader in Bhopal: If you were Prime Minister, what would you do to remove the line between the rich and the poor?

Rahul Gandhi: "There are two ways. First, connect the rural poor to the rest of the world. Part of the reason why people living in remote villages are poor is because they are not connected to the rest of the world. They can be connected by roads, internet and markets which would offer them better prices for their agricultural produce.

Second, seeing it from the human angle, I feel poverty is only a state of mind. Poverty does not mean you don't have money. Even a rich man can be poor if he has not opened his mind to perceive and understand people of different religions, castes and persons from other countries and cultures."

If spontaneous answers are anything to go by, then he sure sounds like a jebroni.

India will be in safe hands - me think....we shall see!

Sunita!

I am enjoying these words since the day they were spoken. The story goes like this: I had called her up a few weeks ago when she was feeling low. I tried to make her laugh by saying whatever I found necessary. This line mirrors my conversation with her that day...

This "Mishra ki Bacchi" can get away with these lines simply because she is one of those revolutionary types that believe in changing the world before their time is up. I suspect it is just a matter of time before she leads one. As you can see she loves good words, good music, good poetry and some not so good looking people as well...

A great friend to know and keep for as long as life permits...

Tanhaiyyan...

Kash Kabhi Zindagi main Yun hota
Sath Tera aye-Hum Nasheen Hota!

Hum Daryaft Aasman Se Ye Karte
"Chaand Tanhaa to Ab Nahi Hota?"

Bad Rukhsat woh Ghar Nahi Lauta
Dil Apna Ek Taraf Nahi Hota?

Itni Tanhaiyon Ka Aadi hoon
Khwabon ka Bhi Guzar Nahi Hota

Jaane Kahaan, Kis Haal Main Hoga?
Ek Chera Jo Dhundlaa Nahi Hota

Shahid, Wohi Manzilen, Wohi Hausle...
Uthaa Kadaam ke Dekh Kiya Nahi Hota?

(c) Shahid Sayed, July 1, 2008

a Jihad of my own...

Well, my film has run into troubles even before the shooting began. Here is what happened.

A noted journalist from mainstream media found my story "interesting" and was pitching for me to appear on a prestigious local news paper. When he called me a few months ago and said " I am going to make you a star" - I thought I must be doing something right.

But that was before I shared the you tube link of " A jihad of my own" with him. I was holding the line waiting for him to watch the teaser and react. He came back on the phone with a distinctly different tone and said' "NOW you are scaring me buddy!"

A sweet little Blondie FPN, 13 years younger to me who had agreed to play Jennifer and was all excited at the possibilities it will offer, until she saw the that teaser. She showed up the next day with " I am sorry , can't do it" written all over her face!

My friends, here and in India advised me against going ahead with the project. "Make some comedy" one said, "people have spent lives doing research on politico/ religious topic, make sure you don't screw up" said the other. One of them even informed me about how cast and crew of " Khuda ke Liye" have went into hiding fearing retribution...

As usual I called Mullah to make sense of why these guys are reacting like this. Mullah too was unsymphtatic, "you are touching the nerves with that word man, don't do it".

I am aghast at these events. What is going on world? How come a word became so dirty that no one wants to associate with it? Even though this film is all about love with a universal massage and absolute minimum violence, why this knee jerk reaction?

There are 1.3 billion Muslims in this World. They are available in every shape, form and colors. 1 out of 5 person on this planet is a Muslim. We interact with them on a daily basis yet we don't know much about them. When in 2005 Americans were asked" what they thought of Muslim and Islam?", a majority 57% responded with "NOTHING". Shouldn't this be a cause of concern for the Muslim world in particular and the entire world in general?

We are living in a different world today and ignoring thy neigbour is not going to cut. Are we going to paint the entire civilization with the color of a few? Then what do we do? What is the way forward?

Ironically these were the questions my film was going to explore....

ps: It ain't that bad folks. I still have Rafiq Batcha, Jeff Shipman and others that are waiting for me to start shooting this film....Don't go away....I will find a way!

War, Inc.

"In 2008, if you are not going to be an activist now, I don't know if you ever are gonna be!" - JohnCusac, a certified jebroni while promoting his latest film War Inc.

War Inc., is a political satire set in Turaqistan, a country occupied by an American private corporation run by a former US Vice-President (Aykroyd). In an effort to monopolize the opportunities the war-torn nation offers, the corporation's CEO hires a troubled hit man (Cusack), to kill a Middle East oil minister.

You may not wanna miss this one...

a Jihad of my own...

Folks,
Here it the teaser. Please let me know what you think....it will be a help!

Woh Humsafar tha...

Woh Humsafar tha magar us se Hum - Nawayi na thi
Ke Dhoop Chaoon ka Alam raha Judai na Thi....

Adawaten thi, Taghaful tha, Ranjishen thin magar...
Bichadne Wale main sabhi kcuh tha Be-Wafayi na thi

Bichadte Waqt Un Aankhon main thi Hamari Ghazal
Ghazal bhi woh jo kisi ko abhi Sunayi na thi...

(Poet: Naseer Turabi, Sung by Aabida Parveen)

Betrayal...

"War is always about betrayal: betrayal of the young by the old, of idealists by cynics, and of troops by politicians.

This bitter knowledge of betrayal has seeped into the ranks of America's Iraq War veterans. It has unleashed a new wave of disillusioned veterans not seen since the Vietnam War. "

"War is the pornography of violence. It has a dark beauty, filled with the monstrous and the grotesque. The Bible calls it "the lust of the eye" and warns believers against it.

War allows us to engage in lusts and passions we keep hidden in the deepest, most private interiors of our fantasy lives. It allows us to destroy not only things and ideas but human beings. "

Chris Hedges is the former Middle East Bureau Chief of the New York Times, a Pulitzer Prize winner, and a senior fellow at the Nation Institute. These lines are from the introduction of his new book, Collateral Damage: America's War Against Iraqi Civilians (Nation Books), which he has co-authored with Laila al-Arian.

Send me your stereotypes…

As guru Javed Akhtar predicted that the change the in the Muslim world will come through women. Here is someone one who is doing her part. She is an MBA and used to work for Apple and Citgroup.

Queen Rania of Jordan, in order to promote dialogue between cultures and civilizations is requesting information on Arab and Muslim stereotypes from March 30 to August 12, 2008. She says she will " break those barriers down and help people see the real Arab world".....

Interesting times indeed...Awesome!

Deewane ka Khwaab...

It sounds like some jebroni poetic mind scripted the scenes that have happened on the World stage in the last few Weeks. Here is a short list...

1: For the first time in the US history a woman or a black person would become the official nominee of the Democratic party and most likely be the next President.

2: Canadian Solar is a Chinese company, based in Canada but listed on NASDAQ. The day I was asked by a friend to buy it, to today it has gone up from $24 to $39.71 a jump of 53% in just a few weeks. I did not buy it , but that is another story!

3: Sterlite Industries out bid other international firms to buy US based copper mining company Asarco for a record breaking tab of $2.6Billions.

4: An Australian Shane Warne lead Rajhstan Royals to victory in IPL finals today. The winning runs came from a Pakistani cricketer Suhail Tanveer.

5:A Maulana from an Indian Madarsa made it to UP Civil services thanks to RSS run coaching school called Sankalp in Delhi.

6: Washington Redskins cheer leaders not only cheered the teams halfway around the world for a game they had no clue about, but also enjoyed the Indian hospitality. The wrost part is they had to "hide" their USPs ( I wish they had Dallas Cowboy Squad instead!!)

I enjoyed witnessing these events unfold. Could not ask for a more gratifying week. Now, there is no risk to your life and property if you decide to celebrate sixer from a Pakistani player, or to be lead by a white man on the field against home-boys. It is kosher now to go to a Madarsa, grow a beard and still be admitted in a RSS run coaching classes to serve your nation...

It seems like what was not achieved by Socialism, Communism and communalism combined is delivered by Capitalism.

What a wonderful World...

ps: The only regret would be a loss of 1 million Iraqi and other lives for no fault of theirs...

Dinasours...

My immediate reaction to this photograph was to laugh out loud, and then thank Allah that finally these guys acknowledged the existence of "dinosaurs" in their countries. We knew it all along...

Now, can we expect these countries to support woman's rights, education and freedom of speech? Can we expect them to realize that wars are fought and won on TV and print media even before a single shots gets fired?

Would it be hard for them to realize that they missed the bus on many fronts of civilizational leadership by romanticizing the past, and by not changing with times? Would it be fair to assume that they will now join the dance of humanity and come out of that "me-victim" mentality?

We shall see...

ps: I apoligize dear reader for going from a french FPN to Diansours in a few days....

2,588,810 and counting...

This is a french TV investigative journalist Melissa Theuriau. Mullah sent me this link with a wish that should "not" be printed nor granted under any circumstances!!

There is something about French woman when they speak french. She is married to an Arab Muslim of Moroccan decent, actor Jamel Debbouze who does comedy for a living. Mullah wonders how these comedians always end up with the Front Page News on the circuit? ( Example: our own Kishor Kumar who edged out Dilip Kumar to win Madhubala).

I reckon making others laugh does have some smiling benefits after all....

Please smile....

Thanks Yaraa...

Friends. Right from nursery days to college and beyond friends contribute so much in our lives, yet we don't recognize them enough. We get stuck with whatever relatives we were born with, but, we choose our friends. We choose them on their merits, goodness of their heart or just for the simple reasons that they were there for us when chips were down. They teach us so much, yet they learn from us, they fight with us and yet they make peace with us. They get critical of us yet they remain non judgmental. Man they are awesome people!

If a jebroni by the name of Mushtaq Singh had not helped poet and script writer Javed Akhtar, the world would not have seen Veeru and Jay's friendship in Sholay. Mushtaq Singh used to pay Javed Akhtar's tuition and boarding expenses when he was attending college in Bhopal. These incidents and many more like thses have had such a profound impression on Javed Saab's mind that in many of his films you see some extra ordinary friendships. One would have to read "Tarkash" to know how his friends created a Javed Akhtar out of a Javed Akhtar....

I am blessed to have some awesome bunch of Friends on both the sides of the Atlantic. When I was leaving India for America several years ago my major fear was not having enough friends in a distant land. My friends back in Mumbai had spoiled me so much that I was scared of not finding someone like them.

I was wrong. I did find them and more...and Jeff Shipman is one of them.

The reason I am writing this post is because I wanted to celebrate my friends and their friendships. All of our friends say something that we enjoy for a long time. I want to record these one liners so that we all can enjoy them. From now on, if any of my friends say something "original" and worth quoting then I am going to post it on this blog. I am beginning this celebration with Jeff "Jadu" Shipman and this is what he said the other day...

"I was at the Virginia Highland and saw this girl jogging next to me. Man, she was sooo beautiful...so beautiful that I could NOT see her face!"

I am willing to live anywhere in the World, endure any kind of hardship provided I am allowed some friends, a library and a tea stall that remains open late at night. I always believed that since beginning of time there is only one woman, one man, one friend and one enemy in our lives. They keep showing up with different names, colors and country of origin but they all are same - the Friends!