Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Saira Banu- Dilip Kumar celebrate Eid



Saira Banu and Dilip Kumar are busy wishing friends and family 'Eid Mubarak' today. "It’s always great to share your special days with people who are close to you. Not just friends and family but we also have fans dropping in. Mubarak baad dene ke liye aate hain (Fans come over to wish us on the occasion of Eid) and Dilip Sahab chats with them," revealed Saira.

"I thank and pray to god. I have nothing to ask as god has already gifted me Yusuf Khan and sahab has given himself to me wholeheartedly," she added.

Talking about the celebrations, Saira revealed, "Chicken Biryani, Mutton Biryani and Sevaiyan are must-have food delicacies in our house during Eid. Our friends like Farida Jalal, Nanda and even Dharamji (Dharmendra) often come over to celebrate this festival with us."

Saira concluded, "I wish all my fans Eid Mubarak and let peace and happiness prevail on the occasion of this auspicious festival."

Salman, Govinda celebrate Ganesh immersion

MUMBAI: Bollywood actors Salman Khan and Govinda on Monday joined several Mumbaikars in biding emotional adieu to Lord Ganesh on first day of `visarjan' (immersion).


Salman Khan and his mother perform pooja during Ganesh Chaturthi at their residence. (TOI Photo)

Among the prominent personalities who visited Salman's residence at suburban Bandra for the Ganesh puja ahead of immersion were MNS chief Raj Thackeray, cricketer Yuvraj Singh and actress Katrina Kaif.

Thousands of Ganpati idols, mostly household ones, were immersed at beaches and lakes like Girgaum Chowpatty, Juhu, Marve, Gorai and Dadar admist chants of `Ganpati Bappa Morya, Pudchya Varshi Lavkar Ya' (a popular slogan hailing the elephant-headed God and urging him to come early next year).

Nearly 40,000 civic employees and 500 life guards have been deployed across mandals and beaches for smooth conduct of processions and immersion.

Nearly 44 motorboats and 12 fire brigade boats with necessary equipment have been stationed at major immersion sites across the metropolis.

The annual Ganeshotsav celebrations, that began yesterday, did not dampen the spirits of Mumbaikars as they welcomed their beloved deity despite swine flu scare and terror alerts in the metropolis.

Braving rains, devotees formed a beeline to offer prayers at the Ganesh idol set up by one of the richest and famous mandals, 'Lalbaugcha Raja' in Parel.

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Dear Mr Prime Minister



To the Honourable Prime Minister of 1Malaysia.

Sir,

I don't know if I speak for the others, but there are a few things I would like you to explain - since it was you who created this 1Malaysia.

Please explain what 1Malaysia means - before a lot of us misconstrue your meaning and give our interpretation to others.

I really do not know and am in the lurch as to what exactly 1Malaysia stands for.

To think on a positive perspective - it means - all races, Malays, Indians, Chinese, Kadazans, Ibans - and all the different races - are now Malaysians. Am I right?

One big step was the abolition of the quota system. Then I read and heared it on TV - for all Malaysians to see - that word ... 'bumiputra'.

1Malaysia has no place for 'bumiputra'. That goes against the very essence of 1Malaysia - as I perceive it to be.

Who are these 'bumiputras'?

Can you please go on the air - on TV preferably, and clear the confusion?

I give credit where it is due. I see you as a good leader but I also see a possibilty of a good leader just shouting slogans of 'we are all one' but not doing much about it.

We need mutual respect and mutual respect can only surface with ALL races being equal.

No 'ketuanan' attached to any race, eradication of corruption, no terrorists or harbouring any of them, wiping out poverty, and above all, no race and religion stated in our Identity Cards. All that should be stated is ... Malaysian.

Freedom of worship, no using the ISA on any Malaysian or the OSA, No NEP, Freedom of speech, Freedom of a peaceful demonstration ( which will never occur if it is indeed 1Malaysia ), Freedom of thought and expression - Freedom of the Press, Seperation of Powers, Justice for all and other attributes relating to a 1Malaysia.

The ISA should be used only on criminals. The communists have gone but now we have the infiltration of unwanted racists with ethnic cleansing on their perverted minds.

I see a few positive changes - even on TV - now more of 1Malaysia is being used - salam satu Malaysia ... nice to hear it. But is that the end of 1Malaysia? Does 1Malaysia end there - just talk?

I feel one of the first things you should do is to get rid of BN's component parties - UMNO, MCA and MIC. Here lies the root cause of all problems.

Just weeks after you launched the concept of 1Malaysia came a whole lot of uncouth people - blatantly flouting the 1Malaysia concept - and these people are from the grassroots to MIC, MCA and UMNO.

Either these people do not respect your 1Malaysia or they know something I don't.

Please Mr Prime Minister, Let us think of our children and generations to come - that this land is for all Malaysians. I had a glimpse of it in the 50s. My friends were from different ethnic backgrounds. We never once thought of the other as Malay, Indian or Chinese.

We ate together, played together - fought among each other without making it a racial issue - there was never a thought of a racial issue when we quarreled or fought. There was no Malay who mentioned that he was the master and he belonged to the Master race. We did not even know what that meant. There were no derogatory racial remarks hurled at each other.

The 60s too saw racial unity - but then it was the beginning of 'Islamization' or should I say 'Arabisation', the ketuanan Melayu and claims of Malays being the 'indigenous' people and the other races being migrants - the Landlords vs the Tenants.

Lately, a few days ago, I heard that word again ... the indigenous' people, meaning the Malays. There goes 1Malaysia, I thought.

Sir, surely you must know that Malays, Chinese and Indians are ALL migrants. The Orang Asli is the native of this land.

So please Mr Prime Minister, please educate me on what 1Malaysia really is - what does it really mean.

I am trying so hard to hang on to my interpretation that I am a Malaysian first and then my race. I pray to God Almighty that I am right.

If I am, then I salute you as being the very first Prime Minister of this country who tried to unite all races - you will have made history - you will be remembered as just that and respected the world over.

You have a daunting task ahead of you as I believe that certain quarters ( who are even around you ) do not want this 1Malaysia concept. Being the man at the helm, please get rid of these cretinous cockroaches.

No more hegemony, discrimination, racial and religious bigotry - I believe all of us - and I dare say, even my Malay ( Malaysian ) friends - had enough of this infighting and silly racial prejudice.

I saw and heard you say, 'maaf zahir dan batin', and I hope you sincerely meant it and begin a new era of uniting the multi-ethnic race of Malaysia.

Mr Prime Minister, if it is not you, then someday, there will be a leader in this country, who will release us all from the chains of oppression and free us from the shackles of servitude.

Let us all work together and live in peace and harmony.

P.S. TDM came up with the NEP and deluded the Malays into thinking they were being 'robbed' by the other races, thus creating confusion and animosity among the races. The beginning of a social and cultural milieu.

TAAB woke up one day and came up with Islam Hadhari - which confused the Malays even more.

Then you came up with 1Malaysia - which is driving all of us into an implicit state of confusion.

Is it a some kind of a trend that all PMs should come up with some kind of a dictum to please and give hope to the Rakyat?

Here is one that I believe will be true if this country is not ruled by a dauntless PM:

Things Fall Apart, the center never holds. Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world.

Inventing catchy phrases is one thing ... enforcing it is another.

I am, no matter what anyone says, still optimistic about the country's future. I still believe that someday, this country will indeed be Malaysia Truly Asia.