Present day Hindu at Hindu Kush

The area of Hindu Kush - Khyber pass is presently the war zone of Taliban. Here is some information about a minority group in the area numbering just 3000!
Rumour has it the blue-eyed, fair-skinned "Kalasha" are the descendants of the armies of Alexander the Great. They are the Pakistan's smallest minority group - called KALASH.

The Kalash is a minority ethnic group in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The main ethnic group, the Khow, speak Khowar, one of the Dardic languages (similar as Kashmiri), which is also spoken in parts of Yasin, Gilgit, Ghizer and Swat.

Kalash culture is one that pays heavy emphasis on poetry, song and dance. Kalash people also have a great respect of law and order. This in contrast to the generally lawless traditions of almost all of the neighboring regions. Much of this can be attributed to the Kalash being a stable kingdom for most of its history, where the rule of law and the will of the ruler came before tribal concepts such as revenge and isolationism.

In years gone by the Kalasha were threatened with forcible conversion to Islam.

They have braved all that . . . and those 3000 have survived . . . 

Left to get on with living life to the brim, the Kalasha do just that, with compelling devotion.

To the world Muslims

I tried to see the film on Mohammed on YouTube. And my message should be taken as a call to all the human being on the earth . . . Muslims . . . . as well as non Muslim . . . The problem is when half cooked half baked people go berserk . . . go mad on the streets, the intellectuals/ middle class, who is the ultimate loser in any turbulence, remains quite . . . we must be vocal . . . So, I request people to decide and come out of their houses . . . decide as a human being . . .

Most of the movie is in Arabic – not possible for me to understand. The three slides in the beginning – that I am a Christian born in Iraq . . . and I am an Iraqi – and this movie is made by a jew . . . . gives lot of indications to me . . . I don’t know if people remember – but when American/ European forces were bombing Iraq – Baghadad in 2002, in one of the videos – a lady popping out of her car and showing cross sign . . .  was enough indication regarding the people who were happy with the invasion. To me it reflected the pathetic situation of the minorities in Muslim countries which had made this lady happy when Americans and Europeans had invaded Iraq . . . and now if an Iraqi - the Christian - makes a movie on Islamic prophet, I can guess his feelings. . . Gandhis are not born everyday . . .  usually people respond in tit for tat . . .

I respect any and every great person and as a Hindu I believe that every religion in this world is true – every religion in this world is just to spread the knowledge of the almighty . . .

About Prophet Mohammed, one must appreciate that an orphan had climbed up to the king/ axis of the largest empire of the contemporary world still he was living as a simple man . . . any other man . . .

I believe we must respect personal lives of any one especially great people . . . We must look at the good things . . . especially sex and food habit is too personal to be discussed in public specially to give judgment on that . . . to conclude based on that . . .

About monogamy and polygamy – I am still trying to learn from where this concept of STRICT monogamy started . . . sex being highly personal issue at the same time one of the most important weapons of the rulers since time immemorial. . . when a ruler married some one – we don’t know whether it was for sex of as a diplomatic decision!

Coming to Islam as a religion, as I have told earlier – I believe that every religion is true . . . and so is Islam . . . not even single leaf in this world moves without the will and wish of the almighty . . . but the problem arise when people say or think that only their leaf moved with the wish of the almighty . . . Islam is more aggressive than any other religion because prophet Mohammed escaped the life threat and he had to live like a fugitive. . . a road side robber in Medina . . .

Quran, as usual like any other ancient text/ law book (like present day law of any country) is full of ifs and buts . . . gives contradictory statements for similar instances . . . probably depending upon situation . . . People – selfish people have used those statements to ignite the poor, uneducated mass to create troubles for others . . .

I feel western world is squarely responsible for the growth of the so called Islamic fundamentalists . . .  I feel they should be better called as misguided people . . . misguided at the behest of the powerful of the region. . .

I know there are people who can discuss and will like to discuss the issues in Quran . . . or other religions . . . but I suggest – please don’t get trapped . . . please don’t get trapped because this trap has been there for thousands of years . . . no one could solve it . . . no one could finish it . . . not even the prophet Mohammed . . . remember – there were revolts even in his rule! And I am saying it not because I don’t about Quran/ Sharia . . . I am saying it as I am fed up of discussing it . . .

So I am not here to clarify about the statements in Quran . . . or about Mohammed – ok I think one thing which I can say that about Mohammed being pedophile . . . that was not abnormal those days . . . Aisha – the daughter of Abu Bakar – was betrothed first at the age of 6 years by IBN MUTIM – to whom she was supposed to get married – and please also remember that IBN MUTIM was not a Muslim! About all of his wives – no one was betrothed by Mohammed . . . all were widows/ divorcees/ slaves . . . I think one should appreciate his intent to give a woman a statue of some one’s wife rather than being a kept/ divorcee/ widow . . .

But my purpose is to give the common person – Muslim or non Muslim . . .the message that these are petty issues . . . have no significance in today’s’ life . . . What we must oppose is DESTRUCTION . . . . VIOLENCE . . . by any one . . . for any reason . . . if you don’t oppose one violence . . . you will face other violence . . . that’s my fear . . .

Friends . . . anyone who has made a house . . . bought a window pane of his own money knows the cost of constructing a house . . . the sweat one has to put in to it . . .

But what I have seen, Muslim middle class . . . intellectuals . . . refrain from opposing the mindless action of destruction or violence . . . I have met many patients coming from Arab countries . . . they do say that Jehad is a personal issue – but they stop at that . . . I talk to many Indian Muslim friends – they are shocked at my idea of opposing the violence!!! I am surprised . . .

I request and suggest one and all . . . please come out of your houses . . . . To oppose the violence . . . . which is being spreaded by people who feel thay are protecting mohammed . . . protecting Islam . . . DO YOU THINK THE ALMIGHTY NEEDS OUR HELP???? If he needs our help then he cant be almighty . . . so just relax . . .

I suggest you must oppose the violence and destruction . . . if you could not stop/ oppose it today . . . you will be at loss . . . 

Why I will not oppose beef eating

(1) Food is too personal for any one, even law, to dictate.
(2) Human being has been basically non vegetarian - surly everyone's' forefathers have taken enough beef/ pork . . . everything . . . before understanding the usefulness of cow/ bull.
(3) At present if we see all accumulative human food behavior of the world - human being are eating everything - somewhere or other . . .
(4) In India, many Hindu castes/ groups take beef
(5) Although there is enough possibility to create confusion regarding Vedic/ Puranik description of life, sacrifice of Buffalo and Bulls are enough indication of beef eating in the ancient times - if not necessarily by Brahmins, by others . . . obviously Hindus . . .
(6) India has enough number of beef eaters - it cant be stopped.
(7) In thousands of years of human history - specially of Indian history, vegetarianism, non - vegeteriansim, shaivism, vaishvnaism . . . . Buddhism . . . Islam . . . Hinduism . . . at least in India - everything is surviving . . . in almost its pure form . . . we could not stop chamars from eating beef or other communities from non vegeterianism . . . despite of 1500 years of Buddhism . . . . how can it change now???
(8) Anything, you try to stop against the nature - it will grow more . . . if its not the nature - it will anyway not survive . . . . many states in our country - or few Muslim countries - try to stop alcoholism . . . did it stop?

Why did Maratha army sell RED FORT in 1761?

Maratha Army under commander Raghunathji Rao and Peshava Balaji Baji Rao, had captured Delhi in 1757 and continued pushing the Afgan  Ahmed Shah Abdali . . . 

4 May 1758 status - Lahore, Multan, Kashmir and other subhas on this side of Attock were under Maratha rule for the most part. 

On 14th January 1761 - Maratha army lost the third war of Panipat - and - after that they could never come up to that strength in history till date . . . .

But why did they lose the third war at Panipat???

The main reason for the failure of the Marathas was that they went to war without good allies. They were expecting support from their allies- Rajputs, Jats and Sikhs, but none of them supported Marathas in the battle. The Marathas had interfered in the internal affairs of the Rajput states (present-day Rajasthan) and levied heavy taxes and huge fines on them. They had also made large territorial and monetary claims upon Awadh. Their raids in the Jat territory had resulted in the loss of trust of Jat chiefs like Suraj Mal. They had, therefore, to fight their enemies alone. Marathas treated Sikhs, who assisted them in their north-west conquest as a non-entity in Punjab affairs.Sikhs were ever ready to co-operate with the Marathas, but it goes to the discredit of the Marathas that they did not make a proper confederacy with Sikhs.

In such a hostile condition, when surrounded by the Afgans, they no one to help . . . no local support 1000 km away from their capital Pune . . . . the Maratha army had to sell the silver bricks and other valuable items in side the Red Fort for their daily expenses . . . . 

The worst reflection was - a jat worker showed the Afgan army the easiest way to cross Yamuna so that they can surround the Maratha . . . .
Sikhs kept themselves busy making their first huge Gurudwara in Delhi.
Jats army left the Maratha army after they wanted to make Vilasarao - son of Baji Rao as the Delhi ruler!!!

Result - loss of the third war of Panipat . . . 
Followed - 

Mass of surrendered Maratha soldiers were handcuffed and then murdered, their heads chopped off by Afghans. The Afghan cavalry and pikemen ran wild through the streets of Panipat, killing tens of thousands of Maratha soldiers and civilians. The women and children seeking refuge in streets of Panipat were hounded back in Afghan camps as slaves. Children were beheaded before their own mothers and sisters. Afghan officers arranged victory mounds of severed heads outside their camps. According to the single best eye-witness chronicle- the bakhar by Shuja-ud-Daula's Diwan Kashi Raj, about 40,000 Maratha prisoners were slaughtered in cold blood the day after the battle. According to Mr. Hamilton of Bombay Gazette about half a million Marathi people were present there in Panipat town and he gives a figure of 70,000 prisoners as executed by Afghans. Many of the fleeing Maratha women jumped into the Panipat wells rather than risk rape and dishonour.

Abdali's soldiers took about 22,000 Hindu women and young children and brought them to their camps. The women were raped in the camp, many committed suicide because of constant rapes perpetrated on them. All of the prisoners were exchanged or sold as sex slaves in Afghanistan, transported on bullock carts, camels and elephants in bamboo cages.

Siyar-ut-Mutakhirin says :

“	The unhappy prisoners were paraded in long lines, given a little parched grain and a drink of water, and beheaded... and the women and children who survived were driven off as slaves - twenty-two thousand, many of them of the highest rank in the land.

Conclusion - Maratha is only a Maratha - not an Indian . . . . they cant save or rule India . . . .

Preventive Neurosurgery

Prevention in healthcare is attracting more and more attention. Early identification and correction of anomalies harbouring the risk of a catastrophic event such as aneurysms is the principal rationale for brain check-up programmes. The other aim of preventive screening is to identify progressive lesions with little reversibility such as gliomas.

 RATIONALE FOR CHECK-UP IMAGING AND PREVENTIVE TREATMENT: The average prevalence of asymptomatic intracranial benign tumours, aneurysms and carotid stenoses must be estimated as approximately 1% each. Meningiomas, aneurysms and carotid stenosis become more frequent with increasing age. Mainly vascular anomalies harbour a risk of a catastrophic event, i.e. carotid stenosis and intracranial aneurysms. Only gliomas potentially lose reversibility with time passing. The case of glioma appears to be lost since asymptomatic gliomas are extremely rarely identified on screening examinations, and on the other hand current treatment series do not support that infiltrating gliomas can be cured if only treated early enough. Treatment of the benign tumours, hydrocephalus and arachnoid cysts in the asymptomatic stage does not appear to provide any benefit.

RATIONALE FOR GENETIC SCREENING: A number of intracranial tumours, vascular anomalies and degenerative changes are genetically determined. Examples are neurofibromatosis, tuberous sclerosis, von Hippel-Lindau disease and Rendu-Osler's disease. Although familial clustering of aneurysms is well known, the exact genetic anomaly is unknown and probably several genes play a role. Because of the variable penetrance of the inherited disorders with known genetic alterations, screening of affected families is recommended. The conditions are too rare to justify screening of the entire population. Apolipoprotein E genotype is the only accepted predictor of dementia. Routine screening APOE may be considered today, but is highly problematic due to the lack of clear consequences and the potentially negative psychological impact.

Cost factor - Implementation of population-wide screening programmes and preventive measures would lead to a substantial additional financial burden. Brain-check-up programmes cannot be considered in isolation. Cardiovascular and oncological programmes would also have to be included from that point of view.

Conclusion - Population-wide screening with regard to intracranial aneurysms or carotid stenosis with non-invasive imaging techniques and preventive surgery/endovascular therapy can be justified, provided that treatment-associated morbidity is very low. There is no evidence for the rationale of screening for asymptomatic intracranial tumours, cysts or hydrocephalus. Genetic screening cannot be generally recommended, except among families affected by inherited conditions.