NGI Opinions

Yes, terrorism in our modern era has arrived on September 11, 2001. I still remember the days at the airport.  I did not have to take off my shoes or belt. I could carry water bottles with me. I still remember the days when we did not have to go through security scans, while entering a government building, bus terminals and hotels. For some time, I’m thinking about violence and war. Is it really inevitable? Our beliefs motivate us to do things. Is it to establish the power of ego – that only my way is right, that the only ...

15 years ago – I remember the day vividly; that memory is framed in the darkest abyss of my being! It was an early Tuesday September morning in Boston. Very pleasant weather – the grass in my lawn was wet with dew. The school bus came and picked up all the kids. The birds were singing as usual. The only noticeable change was the ivy plant climbing up the pine tree in my back yard, which had a few leaves bright yellow and some red – announcing the coming of the fall season. I was going to take my car ...

By Haimanti Banerjee   Happy 70th Independence Day! New Global Indian was launched in 2008 as a networking and information sharing platform for people living in India and 30 plus million Indian origin people living across the globe. We have been serving the Indian Diaspora ever since. We have shared information from around the world to them.  Our portal and magazine has been instrumental to connect thousands of people from over 70 countries. NGI is a forum of forward thinking Indians that strives to bring about increased interaction among the Global Indian community along with people living in India and ...

By Kanchan Banerjee The globe which India calls ‘one large family’ is truly a village today due to advancement of technology. Happenings in the remotest of places on earth are reported instantly to the rest of the world. We have now what we call information saturation and fatigue. Yet, we sometimes struggle to get the right information on many occasions. Over eight years ago we started the journey of New Global Indian. We have met many many great people from around the world. Many of you have contributed significantly to make NGI a platform for our rich Diaspora.  You may ...

  One wonders why gun battles in the 21st century seem as frequent as the tribal conflicts of the stone age. Is our civilization more barbaric? Today the world should worry more about the elimination of poverty and focus on the pursuit of higher goals in life. Ideologies of violence and monsters of war seem to be staying with us for a long time to come! Just like you, I’ve been following the Pathankot, Mazar-e-Sharif and Jalalabad terror campaigns, but with an open mind. Frustratingly, PM Modi is silent after his initial statement! Speculations and commentaries are far and wide. ...

  The noise and hungama of ‘intolerance’ is sheer craziness both on part of those who created it and those who are responding to it! The debate and discussion about actor Aamir Khan’s (the man who signed a public petition in 2005 against PM Manmohan Singh for criticizing the US VISA ban on CM Modi) statement has reached a point which proves that craze for the celebrities by a section of the society overrides everyday problems, as if they are going to solve those film-style! Can you imagine how many pages of print and social media and other media have ...

Before we get to the heart of the subject – the root cause of terrorism today, let us quickly review the terror attack on France in context, because many people are not feeling humanitarian enough without the addition of Kenya, Turkey, Libya, Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan to their sympathy list. Any loss of innocent life is a loss for all of humanity. It is also a fact that more Muslims are killed by Muslims themselves, than by any other group. (One study shows that 11 million Muslims have been killed since 1948 by Muslim groups). The visible transition from the ...

Some opposition politicians and sections of the Indian media have made a mountain out of a molehill! The unfortunate death of a Muslim by a mob for his alleged beef-eating has triggered the formation of an ‘intolerance’ bandwagon. Despite plenty of good work done by the NDA government, this provocative issue has been framed as the design of the government, the ruling party and its leaders! While the motive of these ‘beefists’ is very clear, my expectations for this government in the short term are also unequivocal (within the limits of the past sixty plus years of ineffective governance and ...

Modi is ‘the man of the moment’. ‘Landslide’ and ‘Tsunami’ are the two most frequently used words to describe the victory of Modi-led NDA or BJP - in the historical Indian 2014 elections. It’s historical not just for India, but for the world.

‘Democracy’ in the modern sense, is the victory of majority opinion. America is the oldest democratic state in modern era and India is the largest. Many people know that the % of Indian voters, who exercise their power in the ballot box are among the highest in the world. Also, India has the largest number of eligible voters - 814 million, out of which 550 million (67%) people exercised their duties. This data is something that India can take pride in.

However, the most important factors in this election are as follows:

There was no sympathy vote (like the death of Indira Gandhi or Rajiv Gandhi), but a ‘faith’ vote for Mr. Modi.

Most pundits said that this election was going to divide the electorate – they factored too much on the boogey of communalism which people of India abandoned long back, yet political and media gurus with self-interest kept on parroting in vain. In a way, Modi was imaged as a pariah. Finally, the ‘real’ Modi - Modi the humanitarian, Modi the leader, Modi the patriot, Modi, the ‘servant’ of people will be revealed!

Even within BJP there were some who were not Modi fans nor supporters! Actually, many did not believe in his possible success.

No other land in the world is so diverse like India.

No other land in the world has such extremities, especially in terms of basic needs of life. The largest number of poor, illiterate and malnourished people live in India, a fallacy created by past governments, especially the ones lead by the Congress Party. Yet, the largest number of youth in one single country with so much potential, almost gave up all hopes; suddenly hope finds a place in all hearts, even among the doubting Thomas’s!

Yet, this election demolished the artificial vote-politics’ divides - using caste, creed, jati, regionalism and religion.

Modi has proven that democracy represents all people of a nation, and not just any particular party or alliance.

‘Good days are here’ – if this oft used optimistic slogan is to become true, then there are few post-election indications. The very first thing is, Modi has set a non-partisan message – every MP represents 1.25 billion people, does not matter which political party he belongs to, is ready to work with them all. He also has said that India will move ahead by the cooperative work of the Center and the Chief Ministers - as a team.

India has given so much to the world, never invaded any country, yet gave historically the maximum price for its own people and humanity. Invasions after invasions destroyed much of its physical greatness. The British rule gave the final blow to India’s economy - by increasing her poverty, ridiculed her heritage; ‘divide and rule’ was established as norm and much of her wealth was taken away after the destruction of indigenous industries, ultimately creating a divided, weakened India, establishing an education system that was to create ‘clerks’ and loyal sepoys for the ruling class. That realization which worried many in India during the first few years of Independence, slowly evaporated in last 67 years.

After a long gap, India finally has a leader who has roots in the soil, who breathes the real air of India and bathes in the ever-flowing sacred waters of India. He knows the pulse of India – what it is today and what it ought to become.

There are four key factors that are identified in the so called ‘Democracy Index’.

"Whether national elections are free and fair". India has proven this time and should get full marks.

"The security of voters". Except a few pockets, like the state of West Bengal – India has scored very high as well.

The other two factors were in question during past government(s): "The influence of foreign powers on government" & "The capability of the civil servants to implement policies". It is to be seen how India proves its mettle in these two areas. It is indeed possible that India will succeed under the leadership of Modi!

Those who doubted Modi’s goal of 272+, even some of his followers, will now believe more in his intuition, judgment, leadership and statesmanship. India has not seen a man for long, who can actually promise and deliver. Though he has not promised specific deliverables – he has promised some things which are pre-conditions to any definitive, realistic and measurable goals: ‘Good governance’, the best majdoor (dedicated servant for the nation) and chowkidar (watchdog and custodian of the people) India can have: Shri NarendraModi.

Therein lies the chance of ‘hope’ to become ‘real’.

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The Internet, social media and all of the related technology are here to stay. This new technological landscape does add a sparkle to our lives. But, this impact has a dark side, observes Rohit Kumar The power of social media that springs to life with a click of the mouse. And, lo and behold, you are connected with the world at large. This obviously, is the amazing part. In the last decade, it can be observed that the popularity of social networking sites has spread like wild fire. It spelt sheer magic. The youth brigade – students, teenagers indeed, got ...