Are There Lessons From the Divorce of Katie Holmes & Tom Cruise?

Marriage and divorce keep happening, but generally only the affair of celebrities make news headlines. And since celebrities get so much of publicity in other sphere of their life, even in this bitter experience like divorce news spread. Even in Bollywood, not just Hollywood, there have been cases of divorce, and sometimes we hear accusation of  'spouse snatching' from somewhere. 

Marriage is not something that can be considered a casual affair. Since there is an emotional entanglement in such a relationship, marriage that ends on a sour note will be painful. And more so for children who would be at a loss in such a state of affair. And unless one chooses spouse carefully, the pain of failed marriage can spread.

Katie Holmes was raised as a Christian of some sort till she got married, and Tom Cruise a Scientologist. Christianity and Scientology are different. It is reported that Katie converted to Scientology even as she got married to Tom. It never reports whether her conversion was casual or whether it was a result of genuine conviction that eventually led her to believe that Scientology is after all correct and Christianity has all along been wrong. If she truly is a genuine Scientologist why would she be afraid of her daughter being raised a Scientologist? I am a Christian, and I do want to raise my children as Christians! 

If you are serious about your religion or lack of it, marrying someone of different persuasion can create serious problem. If you are a Christian and your spouse is one not at all interested in your religious outlook,  you will have serious differences of opinion on various issues. Taking children to the church/Sunday school, giving money for missionary work, to involve in leading worship/service or church cleaning, to participate in get together like picnic, to open the house for Bible study etc are going to be some concerns of a Christian believer. And if your partner is least interested in such things, marriage will no longer be something about companionship. Since religious ideology/doctrine plays an important role in our outlook about life, it's important that your spouse shares similar outlook.

Apart from the point mentioned above, marriage also requires communication compatibility. Things that you say should make sense to your spouse or vice versa. Many a time, small issue can create tension. And unless both the couple learns to resolve the matter through proper communication, relationship can break down. If the line of communication is bad, misunderstanding at various levels will creep in. If you are so intelligent, and your would be spouse is an idiot, don't go for it. If you are well educated, and the other person is not, be careful. Education enhances our capacity to be able to talk various things intelligibly. And not being compatible on educational front can be a serious obstacle for a meaningful marriage.

Wait for the right time. Do not get married at a young age when you are financial not independent yet. Having children at a young age can put too much stress on the relationship between the husband and wife. Raising children is not an easy task. It requires brain, energy, money etc.

Operation Bluebird, Killing of Naxalites and Just War

It was on July 9th, 1987, a "battle was fought between Indian army and Naga armies at Oinam village in Shepoumaramth Region with the 3rd Assam Rifle. The entire company of the 3rd Assam Rifle was overrun by the Naga army. The full arsenal of the company was captured; ten who were on sentry duty were wiped out, the rest of the rank and file surrendered. " ( Naga Hoho in White Paper on Naga Integration). The Indian army launched Operation Bluebird to recover the lost weapon in the neighbouring villages for over a month. Unarmed and innocent men were tortured to death and women were made to deliver babies in public. People that I know personally were disabled for life by the torture. Many of the innocent villagers trembled in fear; while many went to join the Naga army to fight the Indian army. The Nagas till today have not forgotten the torture on the unarmed civilians by the Indian army. 

On June 28, 2012, seventeen people were killed in what policed termed as the "biggest Naxal encounter" in the Chhattisgarh. Naxals usually don't leave the dead bodies behind. But in this situation, the bodies of 16 people killed were recovered. ( One person died in the hospital later.) Despite report of "heavy firing" only three country-made firearms were found. Even after two days of the encounter police were unable to trace Naxal connection of most of the people who were killed. What has gone wrong? Are those people killed really Naxalite fighters? Oh, no. Most of those who died were innocent and unarmed civilians. 

One of the reasons that the army usually gives for killing unarmed civilians is that these civilians are sympathisers of the armed  group. Now if the villagers perceived the armed group to be fighting on their behalf or for a just cause, then sympathy is bound to arise. On the other hand, the army too have their own sympathisers. People pay tax so that these army personnel would fight on their behalf and defend the country.  Thus each armed group has their own sympathisers and support system. So this raises the question whether it's fair for armed personnel to torture and kill unarmed sympathisers of the rival armed group. Should the principle of JUST WAR exclude sympathisers of the rival armed group to be free from being harmed? Yes, it is a must. Just as the Naxalites should not harm any unarmed Indian civilians for paying tax to support the army, I expect the Indian military personnel too to refrain from harming Naxalite supporters. The respect should be mutual. 

Armed personnel who torture or kill innocent and unarmed civilians should be punished. And systematic torture or killing of unarmed civilians in the past should be apologised to and compensated appropriately. Someday I wish that someday the Indian army would apologise to the Nagas for its deliberate and systematic inhuman treatment on the unarmed civilians. If the army personnel do not want their children or wife being killed or bombed, then they should also refrained from harming innocent civilians though these people may in one way or the other show their support to rival armed group. If at all the armies want to deal with such civilians, let the police keep them in jail.

9.6 feet Long Hair

Chaone Poumai Naga w/o Veikhainii Poumai Naga
Address: Phuba Khuman, P.O. Maram ( Near Mao)
Senapati District, Manipur, India- 795105.

This picture was taken a week back. It is said that whenever she plans to get it cut, she would have bad dream or headache. So she carries this long strand of hair. 

What A Talent This Man Possesses!

Is the talent that this man possesses his doing or is it naturally gifted? Is it fair to say that if this talent is his doing, he deserves to keep the money he makes through such demonstration of the talent but if the talent is naturally gifted then he deserves to share the advantages/money he makes with those who are least gifted? Well, Michael Winslow is the name of this talented person.  And this is what John Rawls would say about the question raised above. The fact that Mr. Winslow lives in an age that prizes such demonstration is not his doing nor is it his doing that he was not born in Egypt in 2500 BC that would never provide him the chance to be famous. The kind of society that allows him to perform in TV or hears about effect/guitar is not his doing either. Since he happened to be living in a time such as this, he cannot claim exclusively for himself the advantages or privileges that accrue to him. He must therefore share the fruit of his talent with those who are least gifted. I do think Rawls has a point there. If we examine in detail how we have arrived  where we are now we may in for a surprise. The family we are born into; the society that prizes the career we have opted; the value system that society engenders etc are beyond our control. We just happen to reap the favourable conditions contingent factors have brought about. This should not totally undermine the willful decisions we have made. But one should not also undermine the other factors which are not our doing. This reality situates us in the position where failing to share the privileges we enjoy now with those who are least advantaged becomes a kind of injustice. And injustice is injustice. And we humans are made to continue living an unjust life.THE TAKE HOME LESSON IS THIS: WHETHER YOU ARE AN ENGINEER OR A DOCTOR OR A MANAGER, SHARE YOUR EARNINGS AND PRIVILEGES WITH THOSE WHO ARE LEAST PRIVILEGED.

Taming Nature: Artificial Rain & River Inter-linking

Making Rain: 

Delhi is facing power cut and water shortage as it experiences summer heat. June 29 is supposed to be the day monsoon arrives in Delhi. And till today monsoon is not yet arrived. The paper says water supply department is praying for rain as its reservoir is drying up. And with many ACs around, there has been power cut too. And in all of this it's the poor, who cannot even afford  inverter, who suffer the most. They face power cut and water shortage more acutely than the middle class families. Nights without adequate power supply is tormenting. And one has to get up in the morning and go for work. Delhi is desperately waiting for rain.

Now to solve this problem, how is it if artificial rain is created specially when the monsoon arrives late. Punjab, Haryana and Delhi would really be helped if such a thing is introduced as these places receive monsoon last. Toward evening, between 6-7 pm, if rain shower takes place for half an hour, till the following day, the weather would remain pleasant. Power demand would reduce and ground water would be replenished.  Inducing rain that way could be used only for a week or two till the monsoon arrives. And since  by June end there is much moisture in the air, creating rain would not be much difficult.

One silver iodide shell would cost less than a thousand rupees; and a rocket around fifteen thousand rupees.  The army could lend one of its plane for few trips to the sky. Beijing was believed to have shot 186 doses of silver iodide into the sky to produce 16 million tons of snow. This is not something that New Delhi could not afford or achieve technical know-how.

Linking Brahmaputra: 

The mighty Brahmaputra is overflowing and  Assam is facing flood once again. Prime Minister has announced Rs. 500 crore to aid flooded Assam. Flood and relief package is not new for Assam. And whenever flood occurs hundreds die and thousands are displaced. And this is not going to be last time Brahmaputra overflows. This is going to happen again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again...unless something is done to stop the repetition. And not only Assam is affected; even Bangladesh too is affected when Brahmaputra overflows.

I see inter-linking Brahmaputra with some other river as the only solution to address this problem once and for all. If inter-linking different rivers in India is environmentally unfriendly, let Brahmaputra alone be linked with a river or two to divert its water. If digging is not feasible, let huge pipes carry the river water to some other region. Rivers like Krishna and Kaveri have too less water and states quarrel over water sharing of these rivers. So why not these few states, Assam and Central Govt share the cost and divert Brahmaputra's water? Rich politicians and philanthropists can also be roped in to share the cost. Too many lives have been lost due to flood that repeats every few years. Times of India reports that 77 lives have been lost this time, and many are reported missing, while millions have been displaced. More lives will perish still when water borne diseases strike. Property would have been destroyed in term of several thousands of crores. It is high time Government seriously considers linking Brahmaputra with some other river.

Farewell, my dear father, Farewell!

Ch. Veino Duomai ( 14th Sept. 1932- 29th June, 2012) was one of the five children born to my grandparents. His parents were pagans when he was born. On 12th Feb. 1944, his parents migrated and formed a new village along with six other families as they became followers of Jesus Christ. He obediently followed his parents to a new place and the God of his parents became his God too. His parents sent him to a very distant place to get education. Unfortunately his way to higher education was cut short as his father expired when the children were still young. He could finish his formal education only till High School!

My beloved parents in 2011

By the time he reached his twenties, he became a fine sportsperson. He participated in various sport items at the inter-village level competition. He composed several songs too. He served as the Director for the Khyoubuhamai church choir and also for the Paomata Choir. For over fifty years, he also provided medical care to several thousands of people. Even people from different neighbouring villages and communities came to get medical treatment from him. I have seen people coming to call him even in the middle of an icy cold winter night due to certain illness in their family. Many a time even people from other villages would call him home right after his school or from the church or from the field. How he came to posses such skill & knowledge on healthcare system remains a mystery. Whether it was God's gift or whether it was through sheer hard work or whether it was a combination of both, his contribution to healthcare in the surrounding area was significant. Of all the things he did he, however, earned his livelihood by teaching in a Government school. Since there were hardly educated people then, the few people who were as educated as he was contributed to the growth of literacy rate in the region tremendously.

My dad was a man of few words. He remained apolitical all his life. And because of his non-involvement in politics, he avoided controversy. One of the remarkable features is that he loved my mom so much. And yes, he loved his children too. I remember him putting me to sleep in his back ( piggyback) when I was ill. I was probably four or five then. I also remember him carrying me to the team of medical doctors who had once come to the village to vaccinate the children of the village. That was when I was just six or seven. All of his children, however, he must have cared Jethro the most. Jethro, his second son and who became a paralytic at the age of one and remained so till his death at 32. Ziirai Jethro truly deserved that much care. Dad, we knew that you were doing the right thing then! 

Ten days back I was in the village. Dad has then been sleeping for almost 17-18 hours a day. He was running out of energy to remain awake for long and talk with people. He asked me to support him sit up for sometime. This time, for a change, he leaned on me. We talked about Jesus. And I asked him once more if he has truly accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and God. " Yes, I truly do", he said. He breathed his last on this side of the world at 6.22 pm on 29th June,, 2012. 

Of all the things he achieved and performed, I regard his decision to follow Jesus Christ as his Lord and God to be the wisest one. I believe it is because of his faith in Jesus Christ, he did the good things he did. And it is because of this faith in Jesus Christ that his death is not the end though for now I say, "farewell, my dear father, farewell! Your children will miss you."