Leave Shashi Tharoor Alone:Nothing wrong in the cattle class!

Express”]Picture courtesy: The Indian Express[/caption

Mrs Big Bindi [Jayanti Natarajan] has raised too much fuss about Shashi Tharoor’s comments. Ashok Gehlot, CM of Rajasthan and Manish Tiwari have joined in. They are very upset with “cattle class” and “holy cows” comments.

Poor Shashi who is in Africa, has to say sorry. He is being distracted.

Mrs Big Bindi, please leave him alone as

  •  his comments are tongue-in-cheek.
  • there is nothing wrong in calling the economy class a “cattle class”. Many of us call it exactly that and sometime it is called a “Coolie class” too.
  • he is doing a good job as a minister.
  • we need to understand his sense of humour. 

UPA Gov ministers and Congress should devote more time in dealing with the pressing issues in India rather than wasting time on minor things. Look what a debacle India has been subjected to by China in the ADB recently. Even Japan voted in favour of China in regards to Arunachal Pradesh. Australia, SE Asians and Pakistan favoured China too.

Shashi Tharoor is an educated and intelligent person with a profile which many in Congress do not have. We need more like him in Indian politics. I remember him being interviewed on TV channels when he visited Australia a couple of years ago. He spoke so well. He knew how to communicate.

I also do not see anything wrong in it if he wanted to stay in a 5 star hotel at his expense. We all know now that he had travelled in economy class before the “Austerity stunts” became the currency in India.

I was also amused with the statement from BJP spokesperson Rajiv Pratap Rudy who has also jumped into the band wagon and said: “Tharoor has termed economy class in airlines as cattle class. (This reflects) the insensitivity of the minister. This tantamounts to (causing) deep injury to the self-respect and esteem of millions who travel economy class,”**

Are you kidding Mr Rajiv Pratap Rudy? This is not expected from you as you are an educated fellow and a good politician. You mean to suggest that people who travel in the “cattle class” will have a deep injury because Shashi Tharoor called the economy class the “cattle class” but would not have such injury if Shashi Tharoor did not call it a “cattle class”. For your info, I travel in “cattle class” and do not suffer any damage/injury to my self-respect. I continue to practise as a cardiologist in Sydney irrespective of whether I travelled in the “cattle class” or the “King class” last week end.

Brother Rudy, please give Indian public a break!  

If you want more, you can go to TimesNow with Arnab Goswami who had Amit Verma, Jug Suraiya and some one named Tom Vadakkan [I presume he is from Congress party] in his programme. Tom Vadakkan made a gem of a statement ” Tweet is a lonely person and needs counselling” . Well done Mr Vadakkan!

It is about time that we get to the real jobs rather than getting entangled in “Austerity hysteria and stunts”. I hope the “Holy Cows” of Indian politics would start doing the right things.

Yadu Singh/Sydney/19th Sept, 2009

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20th September, 2009

I now know that Tom Vadakkan is from Kerala and is a secretary of AICC.

Dr Yadu Singh

** Reported by IANS

Amitabh Bachchan Ji: we need your assistance!

Amitach Bachchan photographed by Studio Harcou...

Image via Wikipedia

We have a great admiration for Mr Amitabh Bachchan AKA Amit Ji. I have even more admiration for him because “CHHORA GANGA KINARE WALA” is from Allahabad and I am from Banda which is the adjascent district in Uttar Pradesh. He has some relatives in Banda too. I was in class 6 or 7 when he visited Banda. I was a kid then but I remember this very well. He visited a school called “Arya Kanya Intermediate College, Banda” whose principal was Mrs Indira Rajan who I believe is his relative. The function was huge and I remember almost whole Banda district [few lakhs] came out to see him. That is how popular he is!

Amit Ji is popular all over the world. He is an icon and we all are genuinely proud of him. We were very happy to know that he was going to be awarded a “Doctorate” by a Queensland University but unfortunately he could not accept it. We understood his reasons. We even agreed with him then. We know he is a great man and his heart beats for our great motherland, India and its people, irrespective of where ever they live.

Indian international students have chosen Australia for their training/education and we have around 97000 students in Australia. They are spread around the country but most are in Melbourne and Sydney. They have several issues and some of them have been assaulted/robbed. Things have quietened down to a large extent but their problems have not disappeared completely. Some of our Indian students have to go through  very stressful times which could be due to so many issues. It is often not very easy to find jobs here either. Worst of  all this is the fact that some of our own Indians exploit them by under-paying and sometimes, not paying them at all. Some of these rascals then try to project themselves as the “leaders” or “NETA JI”. On top of all this, it is not unusual to find out that the school they were in has gone out of business, leaving them in lurch. They thus end up in a hopeless situation. It is these times when they need all the help they can get.

I should know their predicament as I am a medical practitioner and have been involved in providing such support. Some of the students of a Flying School in Australia are having a horrendous time. I have been with them, sometimes right up to midnight, talking, counselling and keeping them in a positive frame of mind. Their stories are indeed heart-moving. We are working through the system here which, akin to the system in India, some times does not work fast enough.

To be able to help our students in all sorts of situations and to provide the emergency assistance, we need “DHAN” or money. While we can collect some money from ourselves which is what we did when we were requested by the Indian Consulate to help arrange accommodation for the relatives of Mr Rajesh Kumar[Petrol Bomb victim in Sydney], we need lot more money to do these things effectively. That is where we need a generous help from every one in Australia and India. Some of this money, thus generated, could be used for something like “India House” which would not only function as the centre for the social/cultural activities for Indian Australians but also as the place for emergency accommodation for those who are in desperate need for such help.

It does not have to be money only. It could be the help in the form of their presence in a function, encouraging Indians to open their heart and purse. While “purse” is the right approach for our Indian Govt of PM Mr Manmohan Singh which would allow the Indian Consulate to have some money to help the students, the “Heart” would be sufficient for our Icon, Amit Ji.

It would be wonderful and helpful if Amit Ji were to agree to visit Australia, not only to take the “Doctorate” but more importantly, to participate in the Indian community functions in Melbourne and Sydney to help generate money for “Indian students’ Emergency Assistance and Benevolent Fund”.

Knowing Amit Ji for what he stands for, I am quite hopeful that he would respond quickly and positively. 

 Amit Ji, we need your help, counselling and encouragement!

We hope you would not disappoint us!

Dr Yadu Singh

Sydney, Australia

singhyadu@gmail.com

My views on other sites

 

http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/thelostmaven/entry/first-class-ministers-third-class

http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/jugglebandhi/entry/nuclear-republic

http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/jugglebandhi/entry/are-we-losing-the-race

http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/jugglebandhi/entry/chinese-checkers

http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Globespotting/entry/lessons-for-the-mea

http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/jugglebandhi/entry/sock-it-to-oz-where

 

Please do a google  on “Dr Yadu Singh” for more info.

Thanks

Dr Yadu Singh, Sydney, Australia

Welcome to my site!

Let me introduce myself. I live in Sydney, Australia.  I am also a Physician or Internal Medicine specialist with MD. I obtained my basic medical degrees and training [MBBS and MD]  from the prestigious medical institutions in India. My specialist training as a cardiologist was in Australia which led to FRACP [Fellow of The Royal Australasian College of Physicians].  I work as cardiologist in Sydney, NSW.

In addition to being a doctor, I have a keen interest in any matter which has anything to do with Australia, India and Indian-Australians. I consider myself well-informed about what is happening in Australia, India and the World. I love my community, which includes not just Indian Australians, but also all Australians, irrespective of their ethnicity, religion and gender. I am in the community work and leadership because I enjoy doing it and wish the best for the community. It is definitely not for any personal benefit.

This Blog is not about medicine. This is all about my political and social views on a variety of relevant issues. I urge you to not drag my profession while debating with me on political/social views. I am not a member of any political party. I am a keen observer of politics, however. I am often a social and political commentator, and my comments are often sought by the media.

Australia is my home since 1991. I live in Australia physically, mentally and socially. Australia is my “Karm Bhumi or Place of work”, but India will always remain my “Matra Bhumi or Birth place”, with a significant emotional bonding, and a place deep inside my heart. I love Australia and India both. I support Australian cricket team in every match except when they play with the Indian team. When that happens, I become neutral and rejoice with either winning team! [Just kidding!].

I identify myself as an Australian when choosing between Australian and any other identity as I share my value system with Australian value system and Australia is my home. When dealing with regions, religions or languages from India, I am an “Indian” first and anything else much later. I love India dearly as it is the place of my birth, but I love Australia no less because it is a great country and it has given me so much. I have no doubt that Australia is a great place to live and work, and Australians are fantastic people. Australia has my total loyalty!

Unlike some, I do not believe that Australia is a racist nation, although I recognize that there are some people who hold racist views, just like some people in any other country of the world. Such people are however a tiny minority. Vast majority of Australian people, like any other country, are fair-minded people. Systems, rules, Laws, regulations and Governance in Australia are not based on racism or racist agenda.

I wish to see Indian-Australians to be well-integrated among themselves and within Australian general community socially and politically. I want to see Indian Australians in the state and federal parliaments. I will not support an Indian Australian politician however if he/she is not a good person, lacks ability and if there is a better alternative candidate in the contest, irrespective of race, religion or gender of that candidate.

I am a strong advocate of good Australia-India relations. I want to see these relations go to newer heights.

I am comfortable with people who have integrity and decency, irrespective of their race, religion, gender or political views, but  I detest those who exploit vulnerable people like students and new immigrants. I am not a fan of those who do not have any idea or understanding of “conflict of interest”.

I am a strong believer and a supporter of the multiculturalism and Multicultural Australia. To put it simply, multiculturalism to me is about freedom to practise and enjoy my own culture, enjoy other cultures, let others enjoy their own cultures and to integrate with the general Australian culture, ethos  and values, which must always remain supreme. I believe in integration, not segregation. I like good and decent people from all sections of the Australian society, irrespective of their race, religion, beliefs, culture or political persuasion.

I have been active  in the community over the years. Details of my community work can be found here.  http://tinyurl.com/7opu4tv

ABC Radio National Video about me is here. https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fradionational%2Fvideos%2F10154646233077378%2F&show_text=0&width=560

ABC Radio National Audio “How one immigrant fell in love with Australia” is here: http://ab.co/2f9zQfe

ABC article is here: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-10-25/indian-doctors-immigration-experience-he-learnt-about-a-fair-go/7960734

I encourage you to go through my Blog posts and make comments, if necessary. I want to network with you and encourage you to join me via Twitter, Facebook or  this Blog.

I recognize that you may not agree with every thing I say, have said, do, or have done. Irrespective of that, I encourage you to join me in debating on these matters, provided you have something positive to contribute. I am reasonably open-minded and have learnt to see merits in a well-argued point of view. I value your views, as long as you identify yourself while making your comments. I respect even those views which are not aligned with mine, provided they are advancing a debate on a topic. I believe that diversity of views and opinions is a positive thing for the community. I believe in the concept of “agree to disagree” when we are unable to have the same view on a subject. 

I am keen to network with people from wide spectrum of fields, using face to face interactions and social media.

I can  be reached via Email  dryadusingh@gmail.com, Twitter  www.twitter.com/dryadusingh, Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/DoctorYaduSingh, Facebook personal profile www.facebook.com/dryadusingh and Linkedin http://au.linkedin.com/pub/yadu-singh/52/581/864.  

Thank you for visiting my site.

With best regards

Dr Yadu Singh/Sydney/Australia

www.twitter.com/dryadusingh

http://www.facebook.com/DoctorYaduSingh

www.facebook.com/dryadusingh

http://www.linkedin.com/in/dryadusingh

(Edited 11 May, 2021)