It is based on mathematical zero, that was invented by an Indian. 

13 March, 2017

It was 1 AM past in Hauz Khaz village. Standing in the parking lot, she was prying at him slowly and steadily. His lips, his smile and his voice, all reminding her past memories she had. She does not care for right or wrong, good or bad. All she wanted was to hug him and cry for some 15 minutes. Neither she wanted to say anything, nor she wanted to listen up anything. Her eyes were saying what her lips could not speak. “Hug me please!”

Definitely this was not the kind of encounter she was planning before coming back to India on the eve of Holi. She wanted to meet him and explain things which were untold till now. For a long time she was waiting for this moment and now the opportunity knocked her door.

She really worked hard to get this moment. She met failures last time on the eve of Diwali and this time she did not left any stone unturned. She put all possible pressure from his friends so that he can’t deny on the question of Holi celebration. She did help him in his interview’s preparation as well, on the cost of putting her research paper aside for some time. She still mistakenly looks at his success as her own success.

She was tired, drunk and giggly. She already informed her parents that she would be staying at Ekta’s place on the eve of Holi-Day night. All through the day she tried to get along with him, sit beside him in Haldiram, Canaught Place or while travelling in cars. They did not have any talks as such even when they were together from last 12 hours. It left her wondering how this space came in between the two?

While walking in the parking lot of Hauz Khaz, surrounded by restro-bars and pubs, she was hobbling. Poor drunken fellow! He noticed her and hold her for the little 70 meter walk up to the main road.  It was for the first time he was holding her like this after 2 years and 4 months. She could still smell the fragrance of his old deodorant and she felt the firmness in her walk once he holds her. He was not changed, he was not drunk and that old smile was clearly visible on her face. Rests of the friends were also looking at the two. They all knew about their past and tried to deflect themselves so that the two can give some time to each other.

They reached outside the parking lot, where they were waiting for Ekta and Monty. Suddenly there was an array of cars and people who were walking and driving by.  She rested her head on his chest, holding him close, waiting for all of them to pass. It was a protective gesture like – he is trying to protect her and hide her from all the prying eyes coming out of pubs. She closed her eyes and was feeling his heart beats. This is exactly the moment for which she came to Delhi. She wanted the time to stop forever and they keep holding each other like this only.                                                         

After 1 minute the cars of Monty and Ekta also came there out of blue. Ekta was smiling. Ekta knew her pain and problems. Monty asked him to come into the car. Ekta opened the door for her. But she did not want to leave that place and that position. She asked him to accompany her to Mayur Vihar. But he denied. She was expecting the same from him but he did not even ask her for Karol Bagh.

The difficult moment had arrived. She was slowly moving towards Ekta’s car hoping that he will ask her to meet him tomorrow. She was looking into his eyes which were little wet now. May be not pretending but he was also crying. She did not know what was it that was stopping him from hugging her tightly and take her along with him to his place.

All the time from Hauz Khas to Mayur Vihar she was thinking why did not he ask the obvious? Why could not she say the things she planned to say while in US. Why could not she cry like a fish when she was into his arms? When she reached Ekta’s home she went straight to the bathroom. She locked it from inside and then cried for some 20 minutes looking at herself in the mirror. Ekta knew what is going on and she even did not knock the door.

Once her eyes were dry she washed her face with the cold water. She was feeling light headed now. She came out of bathroom and went to Ekta’s room directly to  check out the cell in the hope that he might have dropped some message for her. But there was nothing. It was Karl whose messages were flooding there and for next half an hour she replied before falling asleep beside her best friend Ekta. 

PS - Written by the girl herself, shared by Ekta and here displayed by me.

The concept of justice and equality is so inbuilt in my character that I want to see meritocracy winning everywhere! But that happens only occasionally. The problem with this technically right demand is that it leaves a person in hope and expectations. 

Hope and Expectations have a different face that we often do not discuss or try to ignore. That is despair and disappointment. If I invest time, emotions, money (although immaterial) and I work hard with sweat and blood that I do expect something in return. I do have a hope. I seek returns and when I do not get what I seek, I feel disappointed. 

Optimists say, "don't give us! keep trying buddy". Fair! But for how long? If I see things using my cognitive mind whether it even deserved my regret and pain. My mind say, "No", its not worth regretting. It says, "Dude, it's a long life, and regret is an expensive emotion. Don't waste it on people who don't even care". My problem is that I am an optimist and I use my brain as well. What happened to be my strengths are now conflicting with each other. I'm in the constant state of war with myself.

The irony is that I thought in past that, even the person for whom I am investing this much of time and emotions will be my strength one day. But sometimes, somethings are written by almighty, what people usually call destiny (Although I believe that we write our own destiny but here I concede that yes sometimes we can't). 

The benefit of bringing destiny in the game is that we can easily put the onus of defeat on the luck, time, circumstance etc (but not on my own or the other person of the story). I feel it's an euphemistic way to get rid of our responsibility. Yes! inherently I take responsibilities for my failures. I agree. I regret. I bounce back and I correct my mistakes. It's not easy to accept your mistake because in that process you have to kill your ego. But I do and in this way I ended up saving relations.

It's just not about relations. It's about every aspect of life. If I fail in waking up early I agree that I did mistake at night. If I fail in reaching late in classes, I agree that I was lazy in morning (and I don't say there was a lot of traffic). By doing so, I put a moral responsibility over myself of not repeating the mistakes. This is a quality I am usually proud of! Because it puts me in a self correcting mechanism where I can evaluate my self and I can correct myself. 

The unfortunate part of this trait which is reflected for the first time in my life is that I am blaming myself somewhere deep down the heart for something I strive hard. Here again my strength is my weakness. I want to take the responsibility and I don't want to bring the concept of luck and destiny. It looks like a vicious cycle sometimes. A never ending process and never ending feeling! 

I know no battles last forever. I know I will win one day. It's not about when I will win over myself, Its about how much time I have to fight this battle within? No doubt, there is a constrain, time constrain. I can't live for even in this state of mind. I have to bring my self out of it. The sooner I do it, the better I will be. 

I have to kill that "Hope". I have to introduce the concept of "destiny". I have to abandon the idea of "responsibility". This is the cost of a misadventure. But I have to pay for it! The values I am sacrificing right now are dear to my heart. But its the heart that pains and cries in the mid nights. May be for once its too much but tomorrow I will be careful. This is the only pledge I can take at this moment. So that I wont be weak in future because of my strengths. 

I often wondered why all the great love stories did not reach to their endings with a happy note. It took me some time and a hell lot of experience to understand that. But now I feel I am close to unravelling the puzzle. The probable answer that strikes me right now is that "It's not about getting them at the end. But its about striving hard in the process where you try to get your counterpart. And in that process you are even ready to lose your life". Yes this is what happened in Laila-Majnu and Heer-Ranjna legendary stories.

Yes, even my story does not end on a happy note. It's was nowhere near the virtues of "selfless love". It has a lot of elements of ego, jingoism and fear. But I still feel it special. The most important part is it makes me happy when ever I think about it "that face".

A face that gets your attention at the first sight. A voice that you want to hear again and again. A call that you eagerly wait for. A person with whom you can share deepest secrets and all your fantasies. That moments that I wont forget and I want to life again by visiting the past. Even though it's not possible. But the thrill lies in trying impossible things!

She got a perfect face. Those identical eyes looking straight into your eyes (In pics only). A cute nose which is small like rabbit. Her one cheek got a dimple. Sufficient enough to distract me even when I am in my most focused states. Her long hairs that reaches to her waist. Her forehead that never frowns. Her fair color of which she is proud of. Her voice with high pitch and when she drags the words in last. It sounds so melodious that no can refuse to her call. Her beauty is her weapon. A weapon that excites you when ever hits you.

In talks she is romantic. She is kiddish but kids are cute. Just like kids she gets angry on small issues. But the fun lies is convincing her back. To get around her to apologize and to win her again. A person who is worth winning again and again. A person who makes you feel complete and happy. A person for whom you can push your limits. One can even dare to do the things beyond his reach. A person that you never want to lose.

Sometimes she is determined and other times she is confused. Only she knows what is cooking in her mind. Frequent vacillation makes her personality dynamic (lol I know it's weird). People like me keep puzzling what will be her next move. And in that curiosity there is thrill, there is patience and there is a hope! A hope that makes me write this blog. 

When she acts (or even reacts), I can explain it. And I find that action apt and right. Absolutely correct. But the irony is that I cant guess it. May be my definition of right and wrong has nothing to do with morality but it is based on the will to justify all her actions. And in all tests she stands vindicated, innocent and cheerful. 

One things that hurts me and hurts her even more, is that my other friends do not hold the view I hold. My friends have a lot of views, some say she is so-so other say she is shrewd. Some put it diplomatically, "there is nothing in this face, but the way you look at it, makes it so special". Some erstwhile friends show deep inbuilt racism of their mind by comparing that cute little face with North Eastern people.

Everyone has his/her own pride and prejudices. Some are jealous others are losers. Some don't try to understand others simply can't even understand even if they try. The world is complex so are the opinions.

If they judge what I got at last, then I am at losing end. But to get some one at last never defines the journey That is what I explained in my first paragraph as well.  What makes us happy at the end of the day is the memory that we hold. The thing that only I hold. Neither do they understand nor can they feel it. And the feeling that reside inside me is powerful enough to ignore such criticisms. 

Criticism is part of life. It often leads to growth. I just want it to continue. And I pray that such people keep coming in my life. I keep observing the small nuances and keep praising them. And the people keep doing what they are good at! 

It’s been almost 3:00 AM. I never saw this time in my watch as much as I have seen in last 1 month. I can hear the minute clock running against time. I can hear my fan rotating incessantly. I know after 2 hours the birds will wake up, the sun will move above the horizon and my friends will knock my door for a wonderful morning walk in a lush green park. But my sleep is still eluding. 

I always knew that I am alone responsible for the decisions I take. I have to bear the consequences if a wrong decision is taken. I will enjoy the benefits if I take a right one. We write our own destiny with a free hand and take risks, sometimes imprudent and sometimes worth taking. 

Considering above principle in mind, I wonder what that power is which is stopping me from falling asleep. Is it the love (or may be lust)? Is it the ignorance shown by people from whom I expect too much? Is it an illusion that will fade away with time? Am I emotionally dependent on someone to this extent they the person can control my sleeps and dreams? Is it me or a slave inside me?

All I know is that it’s a difficult time for me. Sometimes I want to cry other times I want someone who can listen me patiently. Someone you can understand me and tell me, “You will be fine. It’s just a passing phase dear. The end will be positive”. And I know I have no one right now to hear me! Some nights you have to spend alone. Every mistake has a price, and you have to pay it. I am paying mine!

Over the years I realized that optimism is a big factor that decides the fate of your journey. Probably more important than anything else. This is the reason I consciously tried to be positive for myself and remain positive for those who surround me. But tonight when the hour hand and minutes hands or the clock make this right angle, I find myself in despair. 

I was a vocal supporter of being “free bird”. To put it in simple words – Do what you feel right. Never force someone to do things according to your greed and desires, but let them decide their needs and take their own decisions. I myself tried to practice this in my life. And to a great extent I enjoyed it. But today in this dark night I feel caged (Me the free bird). The feeling of helplessness increases when you see that your masterwho has caged you hardly bothers. But again I think I am alone responsible for my acts and my deeds. I kill that tree of complain and criticism against my master before it find roots in my mind.

I never really regret on my past, because it had both the moments – Good and Bad. I feel proud of those good moments and they always bring a smile on my face even on the toughest day. When I remember bitter days, I try to seek the experience they provide to me. The lessons they taught to me. The experience that I hold because of those days and somehow I feel the maturity those days brought to my life. But tonight I feel I have a lot to learn yet. I am not mature enough to control my sentiments, turn down expectation and certainly not mature enough to accept my failures.  

The irony is that my failure is not anyone’s victory. Even if I would share my defeat with my master, it won’t yield anything. Sympathy? Nah! Empathy? May be. But, I want her to say that “it’s a defeat for both of us. We both are losers in this game”. And I know it is not the case. You are a loser when you lose something. Certainly my master was more mature than me. She got courage to trash me whenever she feels like. She got control over her thoughts and acts. She too has some rules (right or wrong, I wont judge it) and she is nowhere near a compromise. So the defeat is single sided for sure. I am alone loser.

I put my hand on my heart, I close my eyes and tell this line to myself, “No victory is permanent, neither any defeat last forever.” It’s a state of mind. One night when I will control my sleeps, I will win over myself again. The bird will fly high in the sky and this time it won’t be caged by any ruthless master. 

And god forbid, if its caged again by someone else, it will not be alone. There will not be any master. There will be 2 birds caged together. Two persons spending their sleepless nights together. This time there will be someone who will cry with you for your defeats. A person who will laugh with you for your victories. A person who will listen you patiently and offer her arm so that you can rest there if your sleep betrays you. 

I know it’s a hypothetical situation (An open eyes dream). But I want to live my dreams in optimism and want to go with my friends with a hope, not with regrets of the alone spent sleepless nights. May be I am heading toward another bitter experience and the hidden lesson inside this story. I keep my fingers crossed and pray to my god to give me strength so that I can break the cage as soon as possible!

The Preamble of worlds longest written constitution which belongs to worlds biggest democracy goes like this -

"WE, THE PEOPLE OF INDIA, having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a SOVEREIGN SOCIALIST SECULAR DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC and to secure to all its citizens:

JUSTICE, social, economic and political;

LIBERTY of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship;

EQUALITY of status and of opportunity; and to promote among them all

FRATERNITY assuring the dignity of the individual and the unity and integrity of the Nation;

IN OUR CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY this twenty-sixth day of November, 1949, do HEREBY ADOPT, ENACT AND GIVE TO OURSELVES THIS CONSTITUTION."

Its not just the preamble but the life and soul of the country. These are the principles on which Indian forefathers wanted to run the country. The ideals which developed during the colonial struggle against the Britishers for long 200 years. Through these ideals they wrote a constitution that can achieve cherished goals in all the latitude and longitude of human sphere. 

Each word has its history in Indian context. Each date has a significance for this land. Many lines of this preamble took years, decades and even centuries to develop to its fullest. And it was their vision and wisdom that this country (which I consider still a nation in making) is thriving as a vibrant democracy.

Decisions were hard to take, given the economic, geopolitical and domestic circumstances. They knew that India is a mosaic of languages, cultures and ethenicities, not simply tolerating each other but accepting and harmonizing all the diversities as a part of composite whole. Yet they chose India as a modern state created upon ancient civilization and a secular one created upon profoundly religious society.

Some people called it the biggest gamble of 20th century. Many made obituraties of its balkanisation like Yugoslavia and Chekoslavia. But to the wonder of all it survived and thrived against all the odds. India hobbled with conflicts (both external and internal) at times. But absence conflicts (A Utopian notion) is a time impossible to reach and hence the maturity of society is to be measured not by absence of conflict but the capacity to resolve it. In which India did wonders with only a few exceptions.

It was Indian constitution which is a ransack of most of the worlds established democracies of the time (1940's) and acted a light house in the case of dead locks among institutions. It acted a watch dog against the wrong doing not only in legal aspect but also in moral aspect. It grew with time and changed itself as and when time required. It is still the most sacred holy book for all nationalist and patriots and this 26th January is its 67th  birthday! 

Language makes the core of a culture. So while other identities like religion and ethnicity can act like flesh and blood to the skeleton of culture which is language with its popular literature. While every language is like a river which propagates on them self, make their own way and expand in dialects and vocabulary on the course of development.  Like all rivers which are destined to meet an ocean/sea some day, languages serve the common goal (destined) of communication of ideas as their final purpose. 

Langues take centuries to develop to its fullest in script, literature, drama, stories and influence. Countless great writers and authors devote significant part of their life to enrich this medium of transferring ideas and thoughts. While languages originate at one place they do migrate when to other places as well. They inculcate words from far distant spoken other languages and in time these words foreign words become part and parcel of the majorly spoken indigenous language.

Languages often have a history of origin much like rivers. The people who speak them often find themselves nostalgic with those languages, their history merged with their geography. This is the reason it can be used to describe different civilizations and is often used as a symbol of nationalism in modern times. While the history of language thriving period becomes the history of nation’s evolution, the history of its depletion by other language becomes the history of turmoil and sometimes foreign influence.

Languages play an indispensable role in the evolution and growth of a society’s culture specifically and country’s identity by large. Since the treaty of Westphalia in 17 century, there is plethora of evidences where languages sometimes merged with sectarian lines reshaped boundaries of various nations and changed the demographics of various countries.

 This happened in England centuries ago where various dialects were abolished to promote English in consonance with the promotion of protestant churches. In retaliation French also eradicated other dialects and catholic churches got dominance there. So in some way they got a common religious sect, unique language and a common enemy. This model of promotion of national identity is seen in other parts of the world as well.

Language can act like a two sided sword if not used wisely. It got all the potential features to become bone of contention. History is testimony that plethora of nations came into existences on the basis of languages (much part of Europe). The countries which did not recognize its importance faced either bifurcation on the linguistic lines (Bangladesh) or faced internal tension (Sri Lanka). Its too necessary to accept the multilingual identity of a nation if there exist different communities with different languages.

While growth of mother tongue is a dream of every orator of that language but a development of link language is the need most often felt by intellectuals. Such a link language can fill the gap among the sons of different language. English is by far doing this work quite successfully and can be one in all practical sense in coming future.

It was 25 December, 1991 when the Soviet flag lost its high command in sky and 15 small or big nations came into being. It was a day when Soviet became history and Russian map was drawn on the globe. A lot of obituaries were made about the future of the Russia and other former USSR countries. But no one knew what was written in the fate of this mighty nation.

I would say the last chapter on turmoil of this great nation was yet to be written. And the final outcome is still in the womb of time. The story began with Lenin and rocked the world on February revolution of 1917. Stalin (with all his contradictions of Human Rights) was able to get the position for Russia it deserved long before. Successive leaders followed the path and made the world bipolar in the times of cold war. It was Gorbachev in whose rein the Berlin wall fell and Soviet broke like a glass and shattered!

But I would like to ask what makes a nation great? One can say its time tested ability to survive in the moments of crisis. Like the Japan did after World War II or Vietnam/Germany did in era of Cold war. Others may say its the ability of nation to stay united even having huge difference. India and China are more diverse than whole Europe or Latin America if it comes in difference of languages, religions or ethnicity. They have their internal and external issues but by and large they are capable to rise peacefully and deserve some credit for it.

Although being betrayed on the subject of NATO and the ever rising membership of that group even after disbanding of Warsaw Pact. Russia has been able to done something extraordinary. Russia undoubtedly passed all the test (of greatness) one want to apply on her. Nothing influenced the historian as much as Russian Revolution did at the time of Lenin. And today the popularity of Putin is more than Lenin (Forbes ranked him 1). Its no less than miracle that in less than 3 decades of her disintegration the Russia has risen like never before. 

In the last 2 years from annexation of Crimea to war against Syria, Russian influence has only risen in the bigger context of International arena. Western sanctions did hurt Ruble but were not able to stop Russia by any means. The recent UNFCCC meeting in Paris on climate change is the biggest testimony of Putin's dominance in the global matters. Even when what Turkey did with the Russian jet on Turkish borders!  

Russia was quick to find her new friends once the western powers rejected her. It was China that took maximum benefit of the European conflict. Russian have the largest reserve of natural gas. They are also the largest producer as well. Now China is developing pipeline to get these biggest assets. The increasing dependency of West European countries on gulf (for Oil and gas) which itself is a too volatile area can't be appreciated in diplomacy of economic and strategic interests. 

To say that Russia will again become a super power like before is surely an exaggeration but to say that Russia will a dominant pole of this coming Multi-Polar world is a perfect statement. Putin's vision for Russia is still a question that cant be predicted precisely. But what can be felt from outside Russia is that here is a leader (Putin) who is most popular in his country. A country which feels betrayed from much part of the world and is standing strongly behind that leader. 

When nations walk on such lines with such courage and leadership then such moments makes the glorifying history in the chapter of time! The whole world is in a churn and Russia is rising again. What will happen next is exciting and intriguing. 

Rules that govern us as a society, country and world. Even rules are organic and they grow with time. Principles are dynamic and they change with time. A little look on the growth of constitutionalism with time.

At the inceptions of every civilization it was ruled by some king or head of the community who derived their legitimacy with some commonly established norms. Caliphs got their authority from religions, English from Queen, Indians from Kinds, Chinese had dynasties and tribals around the world had community leaders. What was common in most of the above forms of ruling along the spectrum is that all the power was concentrated in single person. The king was law maker, the king was law implementer and he himself was judge as well. We call it trinity of power.

With the advent of Magna Carta and Rule of law (By Dicey) there came certain element of principle in this absolute power that tented to be despotism most of the time. At one place it checked the limits of jurisdiction of king at other end there started a conscience about rights in different parts of the world. French hailed Liberty, Equality and Fraternity. Americans hailed Justice and separation of power among the three pillars of democracy. Russia revolution attracted more than anything. The idea or Socialism and Communism thrilled the world. Maoism from China has altogether different dimension. Non violence with Satyagrah from India continue to inspire many around the world.

What was common in all of the above? The rise of common man in principle (Wont go into practicality). The fall of might rulers on some laws and norms. Introductions of check and balance in the system where the system is left to evolve itself. Some time they were codified (written) other times they survived in scattered form and conventions. Sometimes they were rigid like US other times they were flexible like UK. 

In modern day new concept of Governance, Transparency, Accountability, Probity of public offices has attracted the attention of most of the democratic setup. The cocktail of these modern idea with the revolution of internet has made it to reach every corner of the country and world. The sudden rise in demands of rights and opportunities have opened the new vistas of discussion. Awareness among people and reluctance of government in change as per public will led to regime change many times. 

The wave of globalization affected games of rule more than anything. Integration of economy, dependency on trade and commerce, rise in strategic positions significance, developing more sophisticated arms and ammunition along with the older historical ties of religion, language and culture complicated the system. This vertical and horizontal diffusion is new to this world order as we know. The mutual dependence of all the key sectors and countries made a complex cobweb relations.

This diffusion of power and relations has led to further deterioration of jurisdiction of rulers. Now its the rise of expertise in every field whose suggestions and recommendations matter. It has bind the hands of those who used to take decisions on their discretion earlier. The codifications of laws along with powers has reduced anarchy and brought a system of conditions basically. 

The rise of constitutionalism in not limited in polity of country but extended to  almost all institutions of state. In fact in private sector also there are certain set of norms which refrain the power of managers, bosses and even so CEO or Board of governors. 

Ethics and morals are an integral part of constitutionalism. Values that matters a lot in deciding the faith of individual responsibilities and obligations have changed the whole scenario of working in all the firms. 

In short Constitutionalism abhors Absolutism. 

Sometimes I wonder, is it mere a coincidence that Osama Bin Laden, Hafeez Saeed, Tashfeen Malik, Syed Farook, Al-queda, Jaish-e-Mohammed, Haqqani Network, Kasab etc. all either belong to Pakistan or have a very close link with Pakistan. Sometimes I think that may be we are discussing over the issue superficially and not putting the enough efforts to dig down and find out the basic roots of all violence. Statements from the leadership and authorities around the world look hollow, their chorus is just a demagogy in public discourse. 

The proper way to understand such topics is to put your ego, pride and prejudice aside and think rationally. But human beings been driven by emotions rarely do that. So let me make it more easy for my readers by making it explicitly clear that I do not find true muslims to be terrorist or any relation between them at all. And statements like, "Complete shutdown for Muslims entering US" by Donald Trump will marginalize the global Islamic community and will exacerbate the fears of state minority. Instead they should have talked about the factories they produce such sick minds (terrorists).

If we turn the pages of modern history in light of recent events we will find a pattern. A pattern that still continues. There are some pockets which have become global hub of terrorism ideology. And terrorists killed or ever targeted are just the pawn send by those real kings in this game of chess. There have been much efforts (undoubtedly) to clean up those pawns but little has been done to shut down the factories that produce it (real king of terrorism). 

These pockets are area covered by ISIS in Syria/Iraq, Libya and much noticed Pakistan including the region of adjoining borders of Afghanistan. The problem becomes more acute considering the fact that latter country is nuclear arsenal enabled and civilian government is often hostage to military leadership which has overtly or covertly supported radical groups, terrorist organization. Crippled with dooming economy the almost failed state is already in a civil war like situation and can have serious spill over effects on the whole world. 

The history of terrorism we see today is not old. Paris, Peshawar, WTO, Mumbai or recently California type attacks have stated taking place only in last 2 decades. And the genesis of its core thinking is merely 6-7 decades old in tandem with a sequence of events all around the world. The major events that accelerated the process of defaming Islam, unfortunately started on the very land that was made on the name of Islam. Wahabi in Saudi Arabia and calling non muslims Na-Pak in Pakistan are some of the some of the enlightening examples. Results were clear, the population of minority in those areas decreased exponentially so was (exponential) increase of fanatics. 

The people of no country brutal or want violence, in fact they are innocent (so are Pakistanis). Its just they are brainwashed  and feed with wrong content in the tender age of upbringing. Many times state governments are involved in it directly other times they support such organizations from outside. Its high time when the whole world should take a cognizance just like Paris talks on climate change and start targeting the factories of venom production (for long term benefits) instead of using whole force on the venom already produced.

It will benefit the future generation of Pakistan to be less radical and can decrease the global frequency of terrorist attacks substantially. What we need is a combined world efforts today for the sake of better future so that no more Tashfeen Malik can be produced from Madarsas of Multan. 

PS - The problem of middle east is more entangled so it will take more time. But the problem of Pakistan is a low hanging fruit which can reduce this global problem substantially. 

She yelled at him, “I did not hurt you, you hurt yourself”.  Yes it’s another fight between husband and wife. That is what usually they do after the initial period of romance.

Well, this particular couple had differences. Differences not only in the way of living life, but also in the way they perceive it. Ideological differences! And maybe this is the reason they tried to avoid each other. Their silence speaks with them not their words. Did not share the things they were supposed to be. They were like those tracks of railways which run parallel all the time but never meet anywhere.

In such circumstances what creates in between is vacuum. An emotional vacuum and a physical vacuum. It’s not uncommon. Sigmund Freud said that everything you and I do spring from two motives: the sex urge and the desire to be great. It’s the second urge I am talking about. People sometimes go for extramarital affair once they do not meet the basic human needs from their legitimate partners.  Studies suggest that while female have an emotional need, males have physical need!

People may find this topic ridiculous, some may find it waste of time others may call it unethical to discuss (sorry for those who find it offending as well). But for me what lies inside is the deep human craving. A craving of being free that could not be realized openly due to institutions like marriage, social responsibility and public imposed ethics. Oprah Winfrey said, “If a man wants you, nothing can keep it away, if he does not want you nothing can keep him stay.” The same happens here and the individual goes against the established norms of the society. They start living two lives and it’s the beginning of hypocrisy.

The paradox is that while most of the people including those who are finding guilty do agree on the note that it’s morally wrong, but they still do it. May be is an obsession or addiction that is hard to come out of. It’s not easy for leaving creatures to go against the hormonal secretions of the body for the sake of rules made by society.

Let’s go into genesis of the institution marriage. Most of the historians agree that is developed when due to property rights. To get the legitimate heir of a person and so the women was not allowed to conceive from anyone except her husband. The husband had a faith that the son his own and he can pass on his property to that boy.

But what if in the time of DNA testing where one can easily know whether the son is his own or not? What in the time when there are 100 ways to avoid pregnancy? It would not be correct to use marriage institution as a way of getting children only. In fact in many liberal countries, some couples have children though they are not married and its legitimacy is accepted by the legal bodies.

It would be imprudent for me to neglect the institution of marriage altogether. There are emotional attachments, a commitment and the most important aspect is that it’s a symbol of love. But in this argument the inherent fallacy is that if the couple had love then there would not be any (secret) extra marital affair (and hence hypocrisy). In fact in such cases there is a marriage only with dearth of love. To say in one line love does not need certificate of marriage. If there is honesty and there is trust no matter whether you are married or not there will be faithfulness. So in true sense I want to discard a marriage in which love is absent.

And if there is no love, lack of affection and feeling then it won’t be right to call an extramarital affair as morally wrong. This is what happens most of the time. People do it secretly, behind the curtain. And those who do it are afraid of this society, although logically they are not doing anything wrong as such. It’s just they are stuck in between the old values of society/civilizations and basic human needs as the body demands for it.

I do not know how far my defense to extra marital affair is right. Some people might say that it hurts the family members and the partner who is betrayed in such cases. But I want them to look at it once again. We feel hurt not because we got betrayed by loving once. We got hurt when we expect too much from people whom we think we love. And it does not mean that they also love us. So it does not stop them from hurting us. As they lady said in the beginning, “I did not hurt you, you’re hurt yourself”. 

"You can't teach a man anything; you can just help him to find within himself". Said Galileo. The essence and impartiality of this statement has passed the testimonies of time. 500 years down the line, the message has become more and more important with time. The reason behind the firmness of this principle on human timeline lies in the tenets of human psychology.

Homosepians, undoubtedly got better brain and cognitive skills as compared to other species but most of the important decision of life are still taken on emotional considerations. Teaching is cognitive and learning makes it complete with a feeling of fulfillment. A great teacher is not the one who put the facts in front and tell the reason behind it. But the one who make students realize the facts and instigate the curiosity to find the answers themselves and resulting in an intriguing process. 

Learning should be subtle and adroit, moving swiftly like a river and collected like an ocean of knowledge. Only that knowledge sticks to mind that is being used in some part of life. Other stuff keep on evaporating and condensing (on revising) in a cyclical way. 

In the process of teaching humanities subject, students get familiar with facts and figures put by the author. They might agree with it or there may be difference in opinion. After all things are not always black and white, there are sometimes shades of grey. In fact an honest disagreement is a proof of working and thinking brain. Such opinions if have credibility and viability, then should be appreciated and debated considering the myriad dimensions possible. 

There is no stark line that differentiate between confrontation and disagreement. Its the intent behind the opinions. While disagreement (liberal in nature) have space of working together and taking minority opinion as well. Confrontation (rigid in nature) is a dead lock and there one has to make choice in between. But the two path diverges too much in long run and confrontations can have horrendous impact of the life of organizations, societies, counties and ideologies.

Great leaders could unite diverse people and opinions because of their very nature of respecting difference in opinions. When pacifist Martin Luther King was asked about his opinion on then Army general who was a black, Martin showed respect for the army man. And the justification given by Gandhian was that he judges people based on their own ideals on his ideals. 

This is the reason why civilizations survived for thousands of years. And why they still flourish. At time it may look like a dead end but in these situations one should step back and think over the situation all again.

A perfect anecdote I remember from a famous Arab tale in which a father having decided to divide his 17  camels among his 3 sons before death. He said that the eldest son should get 1/2 of all the camels, the second son should get 1/3 of the total and the youngest should get 1/9 of total. Since 17 does not divide either by 2, 3, or 9. The matter stated boiling as brothers loosing their tampers and moving toward confrontation. But they avoided the fight at last minute and reached to an agreement to ask any wise man for solution (Avoiding confrontation and coming to disagreement). A wise man heard the whole case and suggested them to take his camel if it can help them anyway. Now the total camels reaching 18, with 9 going to eldest son, 6 going to younger one and 2 going to the youngest son. Making a total of 17. Then they returned back that last camel to the wise man.

The moral of this whole story is that a meaningful is life is all about avoiding confrontations, allowing disagreements and keep looking for that last camel to solve dead locks. 

"The only country with low IQ citizens on this entire earth are actually India - I sorry, if I am going to offend some friends here - First you take care of dirty, old, filthy, perverse men raping small girls..then dare to talk...we hear everyday about this disgusting behavior from people of your country. Raping a little baby girl who was only two years old, that is high IQ behavior? Do not ever dare to write such blog again, I will report you if you do!"From a well know face of this EC club. I wont name her.
This was the comment that came on my blog in which I was trying to defend the US. Although everyone knows that US does not need any defense given the economic, military and political might of her! But my fight was ideological. I have read recently US basing comments and blogs here (For eg. Imagine World without US written by James bond). Even before this blog there were people using their right to freedom as right to criticize USA for middle east crisis, Syria problem and its spill over effects.
The issues are sensitive, we all agree on it! Issues are important there is no deny over it. Nationalism is an issue very close to our hearts and people usually forget what they are saying. For example the comment written by that "well know face of EC club", was out of context and had nothing to do with the blog I wrote. It was reply to self assumed derogatory remark. What ever I wrote, I have factual evidences on it. In fact I personally believe that people who pass hasty comments without thinking over it prudently manifests their immatureness. As done by the commentator above. One should always think well before passing such comments.
Well, the topic I want to raise in this blog is far bigger and more indispensable. There is a trend among youth of getting hyper sensitive over certain issues. Though studies suggest the reason as well. As people pass their teenage/adolescence, they get exposure to new things. While their hormonal secretions is on peak, their start getting responsibility not only at home but also at colleges and society level. Its a state of transition.
A state in which you are more prone to changes. Changes not only biological (puberty) or mental but also psychological and Philosophical (ideological). In fact the personality of human as we know start developing at late teen (17-18 years) and start crystallizing by late mid 20's. Its the time most of the people chose their life partners, their career options and take all big decision of the life. Its the time when people are more energetic and enthusiastic toward their life.
But as every phase of life has two aspects one benign and other brutal. Its also the age when certain brainwashed kids become terrorists. People fall in the trap of drug abuse and start doing heinous crimes on regular basis. It is true that this youth by and large determine the future of a society, state and on larger scale country.
I personally believe that elders and olders of families and society should have a especial watch over their children at this age. So that they can get a balanced view of life. Extreme of everything is biased, as an old adage goes, "excess of everything is bad". Over nationalism is no exception. I personally think that nothing is bigger than truth and facts. Those who embrace truth, understand and analyze it and learn from it get an insight of history. And History repeats itself. One should always be open to new ideas and should examine them for larger benefits and purposes.
PS - I have not replied to the derogatory remarks passed by the commentator, because I do not want to fall in the blame game that my fragile ego person could not understand. But I do not want to turn off my eyes from the issue she raised. Rapes! As its an issue I see more frequently in a country of 1.25 billion people. My opinion over it have been already expressed in blog http://www.myenglishclub.com/profiles/blogs/indian-women-in-the-changing-time
Please visit it and put your opinion. I will welcome all constructive criticism based on logic and reasoning (not emotions) :)

Sometimes silence speaks better than words. In fact silence speaks what words can't even. What one needs is not the ears to listen that untold story but a soul to feel the emotions. Sometimes some eyes ask some questions. And at other times all the answer lie in our small smiles. Smiles which come from within, without immediate reason. You are happy, not because you got something, not because you achieve something. But because you saw those eyes which were happy.
The story of life is not written by us. Yes we play a dominant character but there are other players as well. And so every happening, every event is not completely within our reach. We mold it, we influence it, we shape it and we nurture it. But we do not make it. And those who make it (almighty) do not make it according to us.
I had a story, a story in which I was the dominant character but not the finisher. I did make some commitments but could not fulfill those due to some other reason. I had to make choice. A choice between will and deontology, a choice between present and future. A choice about which I am still wondering, was that right choice or wrong.
Time came and time went. People came around, and lost in the crowd again. But a pair of eyes still ask me why I promised them for the thing I could not get. What right did I had to betray those eyes for my own benefit? Did I had rights to shatter those dream which were designed by hard work and constant efforts.
10 years down the line, I encountered those eyes again. Again things went in front of me. And the whole story repeated itself with in a fraction of seconds. Before I could think anything else. The question revived as if they did not die ever. It was just those tough questions were looking for right opportunity to get caught me red handed.
Those eyes provided the right time to those question so as to make me feel guilty again. Wish I could go back in time again and change the decision take long back. And then I could face these eyes with a confidence and sense of responsibility rather than regret. Wish I could told these eyes thing things for which I do not have words. Wish these eyes had ignored me the way I ignored them 10 years ago. But no wish was fulfilled and those eyes get stuck in my eyes, for now and for ever...

What it takes to be the most powerful country in the world? For how long and how much does it take to remain at the top of the world? There are choices, some really hard to make. And how does it feel when you know that these choices affect the people living in frigid Siberia to hot and dry Sahara? Its not easy to understand these serious questions. It needs patience to listen others and get the things from their point of view.

I am writing this blog after reading a lot of blogs condemning USA. Many people have made it hobby to condemn, complain and criticize American government for every problem they see around. From Palestinian crisis to ISIS formation. From law and order problem in Iraq/Libia to Yemen attacks. From Osama hideout in failed nation of Pakistan to internally destabilized Afganistan due to Alkayeda. Generally people blame single country for all this USA. 

Before going to argumentative part I want to make certain points clear. One is that every country works for her benefit only. No one cares a damm, about anyone else. Second smart survives and dumb are doomed to die in a race where resources are in crunch. Third its takes plan, strategy, timing and above all patriotism from the people of your country to win in this world order, which all takes time and brain. Fourth the most easy part of life is to complain, criticize and condemn others. The most difficult part of life is to accept the challenge, compete and hard work.

Unites Nations of America, a place which the hegemony of colonial rule was shaken when American revolution ousted colonial powers. A place where 13 colonies came together to make a country united. Its the place where idea of Republic, liberty and individual freedom got publicity. The country that fought against racism and is still fighting. The place which is heaven for entrepreneurs and is the biggest source of innovation. A country from many of the other countries derived their constitution. The oldest democracy. 

All these principles are equally applicable to all countries including USA. USA invented computers and internet, they invented airplanes and jets, they discovered life saving drugs and sophisticated surgeries. They were first to make atom bomb and even first to use it.

What rest of the world did? To put it in one line. They all copied what the most advanced nation was doing. Why some one copy you? The reason is simple - because you are better than others. There is a reason we are using English here. Why not Chinese, Russian, Arabic or Hindi? because English solves more purposes than any other language does. I personally think the world we know today should be thankful to USA for making the life so easy.

If USA is really so much great then why people condemn her? Well lets go into its detail. People condemn others to shrug off their responsibility. Islamic world condemn USA because even after having so much of oil they are not able to rule the world. As they used to do at the time of Ottoman empire. But the truth is that Shria laws are much more outdated. And now the world is ruled by scientific research not by verses of Quran. The Islamic world (with certain exceptions like Iran and Turkey) is not ready to accept this fact.

And after that middle east has a history of bloody fights. From Turks to Arabs, from Afgans to Persian. A really complicated barbaric history. Its wrong to say that US conspired. But even if they conspired against middle east then I will say that they (Americans) got brain to conspire. Why dont you guys do the same. You cant! because you do not have united people. The internal differences of Shia and Sunni, the differences in Wahabi and Sufis etc. So forget about defeating other country, if you can save yourself then it will be a great achievement. This logic is applicable to Pakistan as well who tries to show herself as a victim of terrorism created by US to fight USSR. My argument is that were Pakistani dumb that they did what their master US asked them to do so? No one is dumb, its your creation  and accept the facts/mistakes of past.

The Russians, the second most resilient country I know. There challenged Americans hegemony quite successfully and quite wonderfully. No revolution has influenced the historians as much as Russian did. They got the equal talent and equal resources. But the only problem I see is that there can be only one king in a kingdom. And this is the reason US tried to collapse USSR. To get a continued supply from middle east they intervened there. Now when they have vast resources of shell gas they are leaving that conflict zone and mess in its original state.

Europeans well they got cordial relation with US. And in fact Europe is learning from United states. The coming up of Euro zone reminds me how once 13 colonies of United states came together to make one country. They understood that "united we stand, divided we fall". It took some time for China to understand this thing, but now they also have understood it. This is the reason they are challenging the hegemony of US from corners. 

Today China is using North Korea, Pakistan and some middle east countries for their benefits. Tomorrow when china will be successful and these countries (with low IQ and victim like attitude ) will condemn it as they are used in the fight of the might. History repeats itself. What goes around always comes around.

An act will be wrong if it harming the country who is doing this act. The leaders of countries are committed to their own people. If you are fooled by some one, if you are betrayed by some one, if you do not have the technology others got and the life, culture, art others got, then blame your leaders (who might not be elected at all, may be some sheikh or some army general or some banana government). Stop blaming Americans who made a black their president which is testimony of their faith in democratic and equality values. Instead of criticizing the most smart country make yourself smart and accept the challenge in the field of science and technology. In the field of Economy and commerce. In the field of military and social justice.

There are countries who have made it, China proved herself. Japan rose even after defeat in WWII, Iran is rising like never before. Turkey has proved herself. Whole Europe is doing wonderful by and large. Russia is again targeting high. BRICS and AIIB are coming up to challenge IMF and World Bank. Learn from them.

A lot of essays have been written on love/romance by many youngsters. Conservative Muslims (Sunni) seldom lose any chance of highlighting Islam as best way of life and quotations of Quran to prove it. Nationalist took Luci's challenge quite seriously and wrote about respective nations. Helen fictions full of emotions and suspense are no where near end. Terrorism! Putin! and other sensational news always get due recognization among people especially Setareh. Except romance,religion and nationalism (In which writers have vested interest usually) everything I encountered either did not end conclusively or ended pessimistically. An important aspect, probably most important and need of hour is still eluding the discussion fora of EC is environmental degradation and sustainable development.

Human civilizations survived for thousands of years. There were great empires/civilizations and world wars. Cultures came and became extinct in time memory. Religions flourished, languages developed and then people converted to different religions and languages get modified as well (if not replaced). Nothing is static, looks like everything is dynamic. What begins one day is doomed to die some day.

The invaluable gift of Science and technology is already too much appreciated and I wont repeat it anymore. But I will highlight the level of industrialization that western (developed) counties have. The per capita fuel consumption and CO2 emission they make. Data are available and it reaches 20 times more than developing countries (Ratio of US vs India in CO2 emission). This high level of materialism make them high on GDP numbers. It is reflected in their military strength (when they wage war against terrorism in Af-Pak or Iraq/Syria region) 

Great powers come with greater responsibilities. These countries basic philosophy is based on materialism and utilitarianism concepts which seeks organic satisfaction. It is different from East's philosophy of Spritual depth dimensions and "middle path" Buddhist philosophy. Powerful countries take steps on the name of humanitarian grounds but generally its their national interest that is hidden behind them. And in all this what suffers most is Environment and eventually the poor people across the globe.

"There is enough for everyone's need but not for everyone's greed" said Gandhi. He visualized the concept of sustainable development long before Kyoto Protocol and UNFCCC formation or Ozone layer discussions. 8-9 decades down the line there is a hot debate among scientific community regarding whose share of CO2 we all are paying for? What will the possible consequences of this pollution and climate change? And whose responsibility is there to bring down the level? Questions are obvious and debatable. Lets try to search their answers. 

The world from which we belong there are numerous challenges in economical, social, political, cultural and environmental arenas. All these coalesce in dominant imperative of alleviation of mass poverty, reckoned in the multiple dimension of livelihood security, health care, education and empowerment of the disadvantaged, and elimination of gender disparities. All the policies makers and government have recognized the need for sustainable development and have formulated necessary strategies to give effect to such recognizations. 

This planet belong to everyone. And so we share a common responsibility to saving it from all possible dangers. As underdeveloped (African) and developing (Asia) countries emit nothing in comparison to Europe and US, the share of their responsibilities automatically increases. Probably they do not know that the pollution they make leads to sea level rise and its the maldives that will submerge in water. Its the Bengal that will not be finding its place in map in next few decades. 

Yes US too will have problems but given the level of sophisticated technology they will be able to manage it for sure. The point I am trying to make is that if you cant give some one a new life (Maldives, Bengal and all other low lying areas) then please do not take their life as well. 

The thing I abhor most since birth is "giving up". The feeling that comes inside when I think "I can't do it" is disgusting and most fearful. I did lose. I have met failures in life quite often, but I seldomly gave up. And the moments when I gave up, the feelings of regret and guilt are quite young. With time I developed an attitude to hate the habit of giving up.

This trait is not about academics or physical strength only. Its about intellect as well. If I can't appreciate Shakespeare's hamlet then its my dumbness. If can't understand Nobel laurent Amaratya sen "argumentative Indian", then its problem with my comprehending capability, not with them for sure. 

In the movie 'the peaceful warrior'  the old trainer says "there is never, nothing going on". It was true. If we cant notice something does not mean its not happening. What may look chaotic to us is a pattern we are unable to comprehend. There are always moves and counter moves. Its just we should endeavour to notice those nuances. They are phantom to notice and requires special wisdom to notice it. A wisdom go getting right leverage at the right time and right place. 

And this is probably the life is all about. The journey, the idea of keep loving the path you travel. The idea of knowing what you are doing , why you are doing the things you are doing? After all it's the reason behind the actions that reveal our true character than the action itself. Nothing happens without reasons. Reasons reveal the sequence of events. Events which results in issuse. Issues which create difference in lives ...

There are dots which make a line. A line that makes sense. A pattern in a direction with predictable behaviour. Behaviour is reflection of attitude. The idea of giving up is like of not trying to decipher randomness. Not appreciating the beauty god spent time to make. We limit ourself thinking that its all random. We give up! One should always think deep to get something worthy out of the thoughts. 

It’s a question that I asked to myself when I read the line “Prepare your mind to receive the best that life has to offer” by Earnest Holmes. In my fantasy she is an invaluable gift given by life for sure. I am trying to comprehend her looks, her intellect and the relationship (real or virtual) we share….

I don’t know. No one knows what cooks inside her mind. There is a perpetual smile on her face. And behind that smile, there is something fishy. She portrays as being determined on ideology, but she acts as realistic, so looks like vacillating apparently (at least to me). No one notices her as closely as I do. She is responsible for my high class attendances and low class marks. Only because of her I believe in god. She is the reason I do not see another girls. She is the motivation for my clam and placid disposition. She is the person that helped me to find myself.

I never talk to her for a long time.  In fact the reality is that we never chatted for 10 minutes. I know the reasons. All failures are because of me and whatever interaction is due to her nature. I am a keen observer, a stoic sufferer and silent admirer of that girl. Even after knowing, that I will not be able to explain her looks, behavior and thoughts, I am doing it (actually enjoying it).

She is tall in height with a long neck (like Germans). She got dark hairs and big eyes. Her face has an attracting shine and a dimple on her cheek, makes it epitome of concentration distracter for those who see it carefully (her beauty is basically her weapon). Her nose got a proper slope and face is a little elliptical. Her nails are small, stills she bites them (I don’t know why?).

 She is bold when it comes to her personal rights. She has a lot of ego (self respect for her point of view). She has the manners of articulation and trick of manipulations. She is quick in her decision making and a little assertive (if not bigotry) on those choices. Being a realist she does go for compromises for long term benefits.

Even in hard times and delicate situations she tries to find the best option ignoring the possible ignominious consequences. She ignores the dismal dimensions at those junctures (as they are inevitable) and looks forward for better available options possible. Nothing is more important for her than her career. She is optimist, and rigorously hardworking in her field.

She is consistent with her commitment and with activities related to that vow. She strives hard for things which she seriously likes and does not get disappointment usually. For her life is a journey and she tries to enjoy every episode of it. She tries to make herself the poignant of the real screen in this play. And she tries to act heroic in every play she performs.

Initially I thought I was infatuated with her, but when the affection goes for long it becomes addiction followed by love (one sided). There is no confusion that love is the equity that I can’t afford at this moment of my life. I am on the line which divides addiction and infatuation. My heart says she can be the biggest achievement of your life. My mind says “think rationally”!

My friends say it’s not her, but the way I look at her makes her so special for me. For others she is just another “girl”. Others ask (pessimistically) “why you are looking for some who is not made for you?” They put the logic that we are poles apart. Caste, class, regional and religious lines that divide my society. Some say. "don’t walk the path where success is sure to elude". Rest of them taunt “what kind of love (one sided) is it when it distracts you?” The questions asked are serious. My cognitive mind understands the consequence based arguments my near and dears make.

Pondering over issues which are related to my dreams somewhere deep down my heart. Dwelling on the subjects which affect me and my surroundings. Putting my hand on the emotionally infatuated innocent heart I said to myself, “Let’s move on, Earnest wisdom can’t give me the license to go against the norms.”! We may like 1000 things in the game but there are rules and I have to abide them. I can try hard to change those rules (when I will hold good cards in my hand) but one thing is sure, I won’t break those rules…. Ever!

History has a habit of repeating itself. Events have happened in different eras and centuries, but the underlying concept remains more or less same. We need a macroscopic view to watch the sequence of historical underpinning to understand the flow of events with logical reasoning. In this blog I would constrain my self up to the natural home of Indian maritime, sometimes called as India's backyard, "Indian Ocean". 

Indian Ocean and Indian History are intermingled in a way just like the dissolved salt in the water of Indian ocean. It was Indiana plate that collided with Eurasian plate giving rise to the mighty Himalayas/Hindu Kush in North, Sulaiman ranges in west and Poorvanchal in East. The same ocean provided way for trade between Indus valley people and Mesopotamia civilization. It also become gateway for Buddhism that enlightened Eastern and South Eastern Asia for long time (Until Islam arrived from Arabia in Indonesia and Malaysia etc). And many countries of Indo china are still Buddhist dominance. 

The Indian ocean was not a one way transit from India to others. But it was a 2 way process in which Indians did get influenced and impressed by different cultures. Christianity came to India first through sea route. The advent of Islam in south India was also through Indian ocean. 

The old spice route, the maritime silk route, the trade winds of Indian ocean that gave the name of "Mausam" to Indian Monsoon by Arabian traders. Chola's did try to rule/influence south eastern countries through Navy. It was weak Navy of Mughals that detered them to fight against English in Indian Ocean. 

History is full of examples in which Indian ocean has played a central role in deciding India's cultural, economical, religious and regional dominance and character. 

The current position of Indian ocean is very much strategic and has many players involved with many variables. Each with their own concern, sometimes legitimate and sometimes superficial. Although there are many countries like Bangladesh, Srilanka, Maldives, India, Iran, Pakistan, Mauritius, Seychelles, Oman etc and if we include Indian ocean rim then South Africa, Malayasia, Indonesia and Australia also come into the play. Given the population, economic might, Naval supremacy, Historical importance and most importantly Strategic location makes India most important in this geography. 

Its India's responsibility to maintain peace, security, security and protection of small islands and if possible joint operations against Pirates/ terrorists. India's own interest are linked to this blue water more than anyone else. And its a gate way for 1.25 billion Indian who depend on Indian Ocean for fisheries/food, energies/petroleum, minerals and trade & transport. And certainly Indian navy is playing its part that is why there is peace in waters. 

But what if a second player, much bigger in size i.e. human resource, economy and one of the fastest rising military power, having considerable interests in the region suddenly starts expansionary diplomacy in the Indian Ocean?

Yes you are right its China. For those who do not know, let me make it clear that more than 80% of China's energy requirement passes through Indian ocean. And there are two choke points strait of Hormuz and strait of Malacca. More than 70% of China trading good passes through it. China has a export based economy and ocean is life line for it. Any blockade to strait of Malacca (which is mostly dominated by US Navy) natural or man made can have serious implications on China's long dream of being world's great power!

After getting sufficient foothold in West Pacific region its turning toward Indian Ocean and failed to get hold in strait of Malacca (controlled by tripartite of Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia and under influence of US) now the red dragon is turning toward small Asian countries. On the name of commercial and economic interest the main focus of China is to get considerable military presence in Indian ocean to solve dual purposes. One is to safeguard its maritime security and second the long dream of great power can be visualized by having presence in every important part of the world.

But Indian ocean is not a natural backyard of China. It might have legitimate interests but it also have a long history of expansionism. Just after its independence it annexed Tibet forcefully and Dalai Lama's life is still in danger. It annexed considerable part of Jammu and Kashmir (Aksai chin and Aghil hills of Kashmiris gifted to China by Pakistan from PoK). China claims on Arunachal Pradesh. China has disputes with Japan and South Korea for a group of Islands (senkaku) mainly due to Under water resources in East China sea. China also has disputes with Vietnam in south China sea over petroleum reserves.  

The China's rise is convinced peaceful only by Chinese. Rest other countries immediate or extended are either anxious or dismayed by China. Of course there are exceptions like Pakistan and North Korea for obvious reason. Pakistan already gifted its Gwadar port, Aghil Hills and now the ongoing Pak-China economic corridor. So in one line China need not to annex anything from China. Rather Pakistan will gift all its resources automatically. 

North Korea is a complicated case. Enemity with South Korea, Japan, US and presence of communist government makes China and N. Korea natural allies. Neither has N. Korean any option nor China has any ally in that region. 

Last year China's Nuclear submarines were found near to Colombo (not more than 200 nautical miles from India). Its was criticized world wide and it dragged India into Naval competition automatically. It was this concern that made Indians to put pressure on Maldives and Srilanka to dismiss their deal of sea port development with China. Indian PM's visit to Seychelles, Mauritius and Sri Lanka to reinforce Indian dominance and commitment toward smaller island nation in Indian backyard. While Iran and Oman are already on Indian side and Bangladesh is in the process. 

India is following the strategy of Iron curtain against China's string of pearls and  it has lead to a naval competition among the two rising a billion plus old great civilizations. And here is the lesson from History. Arm such race always lead to destruction of one another. India and China should learn from past and rather than influencing smaller nations they should come on diplomatic table directly. Signing Sino-Indian maritime pact for Indian Ocean security will be the best and long term solution. The more early they realize the better blue water will be!