How ugly is too ugly

I have been reading the travel diaries of an American who travelled in India during the middle of the last century. Amongst his observations, one which particularly got my attention was his remark on 'How ugly Indian women are'.

Now, our traveller must be really disappointed and frustrated about the lack of quality in an Indian women's beauty to make such a statement. Taking the statement with all seriousness (that it no doubt deserves), there must be a scientific reason behind such a natural phenomenon. In defence of the Indian woman's ugliness, the men aren't really at the top of the social ladder either, so this malady affects the entire indian population.

In my opinion, the blame lies fair and square on the Indian tradition of arranged marriages.

Here in the Western world, the ugly women (or men for that matter) end up alone and lonely. Since the family line is not continued, the ugly gene dies right there leaving the beautiful people to repopulate and spread the beauty gene - as is their right. It's basically evolution working to make this world a better and more beautiful world.

Due to the prevalence of arranged marriage in India, even ugly people get a chance to marry and carry forward the ugly gene. Hence, unfortunately evolution hasn't yet had an oppurtunity to clean up the apparent ugliness so rampant in the Indian population. The Indian government must hence abolish arranged marriages to boost tourism, so that future travellers are always greeted with beautiful people.

On a side note, President Bush must take note too so as not to back intelligent creation over evolution, as how can God commit such a mistake as creating ugly people. After all if evolution doesn't run its due course, America will also suffer the same misfortunes plaguing India currently.

Once an outcast always an outcast

The Indian government acting on either vested interests or bureaucratic bungling failed to renew Taslima Nasreen’s visa (author of “Lajja: Shame”). As a cruel joke, they issued a tourist visa valid for 6 months.

Ms. Nasreen fled her home in Bangladesh due to a fatwa issued against her life by an Islamic cleric. Even after repeatedly expressing her desire to settle down permanently in India, the government has effectively denied her citizenship. They have decided to play into the hands of fundamental extremists and put her life in danger.

The myopic government stand has negated traditional Indian hospitality extended to political and humanitarian refugees like the Dalai Lama and condemned Taslima Nasreen to the life lived by Salman Rushdie – always on the lookout for the next extremist to take her life.

The war has come home

America has always fought its wars away so that they dont have to fight it at home, this is now coming to an end.

The western world got up today morning with the news of a new terror plot, based out of britain, being foiled. 9/11 came as a shock, the train bombings in madrid, london and bombay served as a warning and the latest news brings in a realization of, not if there will be a new attack but when.
The war being fought in a small area is slowly spreading into a global one.

President Bush stated that the fight against Islamic fascists will continue and irrespective of sentimentalities, this war is slowly and surely being polarized between muslims and the rest. After today, all airlines have rightly banned all carry on items as each side tries to identify future areas of concern. The battle for control of a mind will continue.

Sooner or later this war had to come home.