Indo-UK News & Discussion 9th Aug 2011

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 03 Oct 2012 16:58

The way the UK media went to town about the Froggie's pic of topless Kate must be contrasted with the way in which an Indian Gen. was brutally attacked .No evidence of it being a terror attack.Wit till a Brit dilpoduck gets attacked in India and see the hypoctritcal Brit press/establishment scream blue murder!

sum · Post by **sum** » 03 Oct 2012 18:38

^^ Briturds really deserve every bamboo they get. Imagine the hungama if the hair of any other Amriki/W.European big wig had been touched by some rebel from their home land.

sudarshan · Post by **sudarshan** » 03 Oct 2012 19:31

sum wrote:^^ Briturds really deserve every bamboo they get. Imagine the hungama if the hair of any other Amriki/W.European big wig had been touched by some rebel from their home land.

No need to imagine. Didn't we see it with Assange? The guy merely let out a few secrets, that's all.

Karan Dixit · Post by **Karan Dixit** » 04 Oct 2012 10:05

Following things to note:

- A high profile Indian guest to UK was attacked in the broad day light in UK
- UK police has not made any effort to arrest the perpetrators
- UK is not making any attempt to curtail the activities of Khalistani terrorists operating from their territory

It is very easy to draw the conclusion that Khalistani terrorists may have the blessing of UK government. Just a thought!

svenkat · Post by **svenkat** » 04 Oct 2012 16:37

Any one familiar with Punjab history will be aware of bri-turd role in the problem.

member_23677 · Post by **member_23677** » 05 Oct 2012 01:39

Let`s not repeat what posters above us has just said, getting the idea of big game is much important here,given that many khalistanis are breeding in raniland and unkilstan...

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 05 Oct 2012 02:18

That Telegraph India report is a INC mouthpiece. The Indian diplomats seems to be blaming Brar for getting himself attacked.

Karan Dixit · Post by **Karan Dixit** » 05 Oct 2012 08:44

I do not believe even for a second that British government has no knowledge of those Khalistanis who committed attempted murder. We need to push the Brits to investigate this issue. We should even send our own investigators there. Under these kind of circumstances, Brits would have sent their own investigators in addition to making all sorts of hai toiba.

g.sarkar · Post by **g.sarkar** » 05 Oct 2012 09:53

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/four ... 23482.html
PTI London, October 5, 2012 | UPDATED 09:24 IST
"Four arrested for attack on Lt Gen K S Brar in London
The Metropolitan Police have arrested four persons, including a 40-year-old woman, in connection with the stabbing of retired Lt Gen K S Brar, who had led Operation Bluestar 28 years ago to flush out pro-Khalistani militants from the Golden Temple.
"Officers from the MPS have this evening arrested three men and one woman on suspicion of conspiracy to murder in connection with the investigation into the attempted murder of an Indian man (Brar) in central London on September 30," a spokesperson of the Metropolitan Police Service said on Thursday.
"All the four are being taken to a central London police station where they will be interviewed by detectives," he added.
In the first arrest, one 33-year-old man and a 40-year-old woman were held from Wolverhampton at about 17:00 BST (2230 IST), the spokesperson said.
Another 34-year-old man was arrested after being stopped in a car in West Bromwich about 30 minutes later, while a 25-year-old man was arrested in the same circumstances at 19:00 BST (0030 IST), he said.
"All four are being taken to a central London police station where they will be interviewed by detectives. Inquiries are ongoing and police continue to appeal for information into the incident," he said.
Brar (78) was on a private visit when he was attacked by four men in Old Quebec Street near Oxford Street on Sunday night when he was returning to his hotel with his wife.
Brar, who was assaulted with a knife or a sharp implement, suffered a wound on his neck but his wife was not injured in the attack, police had said......"
Gautam

Raja Bose · Post by **Raja Bose** » 05 Oct 2012 10:20

4 strong muscular Khalistani men could not overcome a lone 78 year old retired Indian soldier! What do these Khalistani terrorists need? A 10:1 numerical advantage like their Paki terrorist brothers?

From the interview it is evident that Brar seems to have lost none of his vigour and strength. Most people at his age are either dead, on the death bed or unable to lift a spoon without dropping it. And here he defended himself and saved his wife's life. Truly a shining example of an Indian soldier!

Lalmohan · Post by **Lalmohan** » 05 Oct 2012 11:57

i am sure that MI5 knows who the khalistanis are, however i expect that available manpower (which is less than 5000 agents as per radio interview with home secretary) has been focused on following the islamists

high time these guys were cleaned up

Hari Seldon · Post by **Hari Seldon** » 05 Oct 2012 16:30

litle bird murmur overheard.....perhaps the attackers of Gen Brar were MI5 only... which is why its all biz as usual in Briturdistan.

Suppiah · Post by **Suppiah** » 08 Oct 2012 07:12

"Hindutva" RAW behind Brar attack..

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indi ... 718213.cms

Interestingly, yet another case ...the steps are like this.

1. Stalinist rapist goons and their yellow media as well as fake intellectuals generate the hate propaganda, whip up anti-hindu hatred and provide the language and words.
2. EJs, Jehadi pigs, and now Khalistani terrorists promptly pick up the language and start using it
3. It becomes the truth so 'eminent historians' can turn it into history

shiv · Post by **shiv** » 08 Oct 2012 07:21

Suppiah wrote:"Hindutva" RAW behind Brar attack..

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indi ... 718213.cms

Interestingly, yet another case ...the steps are like this.

1. Stalinist rapist goons and their yellow media as well as fake intellectuals generate the hate propaganda, whip up anti-hindu hatred and provide the language and words.
2. EJs, Jehadi pigs, and now Khalistani terrorists promptly pick up the language and start using it
3. It becomes the truth so 'eminent historians' can turn it into history

This is an ISI planted and funded news item. The statement is by Dal Khalsa. Your hatred for Indian idiots goes so far that you shut down your mind to the obvious. It is OK to blame the groups you dislike, but not calling out the obvious source is negligence bordering on stunning ignorance.

member_23677 · Post by **member_23677** » 08 Oct 2012 07:27

Suppiah wrote:"Hindutva" RAW behind Brar attack..

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indi ... 718213.cms

Interestingly, yet another case ...the steps are like this.

1. Stalinist rapist goons and their yellow media as well as fake intellectuals generate the hate propaganda, whip up anti-hindu hatred and provide the language and words.
2. EJs, Jehadi pigs, and now Khalistani terrorists promptly pick up the language and start using it
3. It becomes the truth so 'eminent historians' can turn it into history

This is a classic response from muslim funded paki puppet organisations... blame the Indian intelligence for the crimes committed on Indians... This is what was exactly done after 26/11, blame the incompetency of RAW and IB , blame a fictious hindu organisation and wait for the media to cleverly set up the trap.

Suppiah · Post by **Suppiah** » 08 Oct 2012 07:36

shiv wrote: This is an ISI planted and funded news item. The statement is by Dal Khalsa. Your hatred for Indian idiots goes so far that you shut down your mind to the obvious. It is OK to blame the groups you dislike, but not calling out the obvious source is negligence bordering on stunning ignorance.

Shiv I am referring to the language used and the wording...exactly as if it was drafted by our secular comrades....ISI may have funded it, but who provides the 'intellectual' struts and fabric? The leftist cabal is always happy to cooperate with and reinforce others with similar anti-hindu agendas, be it EJs or Jehadis

Added later: One has to also differentiate between the spy agency of a hostile power, whose main job is to do such things versus internal enemies who pretend to be 'progressive, pro-poor and secular'. One cant defeat the former without taking on the latter.

shiv · Post by **shiv** » 08 Oct 2012 08:46

Suppiah wrote: Shiv I am referring to the language used and the wording...exactly as if it was drafted by our secular comrades....ISI may have funded it, but who provides the 'intellectual' struts and fabric? The leftist cabal is always happy to cooperate with and reinforce others with similar anti-hindu agendas, be it EJs or Jehadis

I am not at all sure why you think the language must be blamed on someone, or that language used by someone will not be used by terrorists. I put it to you that your primary intent is to smear Indians whom you consider as traitors every time you get a chance by associating them with Pakistani terrorists. And when you do that without even mentioning the Pakistani connection (as you did above) you are absolving the Paki terrorists by failing to mention them. How are you any different from the traitors you curse in the manner in which you let Pakis off the hook and then vehemently argue that you are right?

Suppiah · Post by **Suppiah** » 08 Oct 2012 09:23

Shivmullah, even though harshly put, I take your point. In my attempt to highlight the treachery of the lal jhanda cabal, I should not forget to condemn the original sinners nor should inadvertently give them any comfort..shall take care of this in the future.

On a separate note, I do admire and salute the fair minded mullahs and mujahids of this thread who are, like the proverbial hamsa of mythology, able to separate the milk from water and ready to accept the good things said by the lal jhandas, be it anti-unkil or whatever. As Lilo-ji put it, he can keep his feet firmly on the ground while reading about pro-China raves from them. You are, as CNA put it, willing to concede that the jasmine in a rivals garden smells good too..

I will humbly request you to pray think for one minute - how much consideration do these lal jhandas show to non-left view point? Let me just show one small example...which Stalinist yellow or fake intellectual is willing to, for instance, concede that Modi is a good administrator who has done good for Gujerat, even as he is perfectly entitled to rant against his anti-minority aspects? Are they willing to show any consideration for voluntary good work done by RSS (among others) instead of calling it conspiracy to 'radicalise' tribals?

Sorry OT, but wanted to provide the broader perspective and considerations behind some of what you may see as nonsensical rants

nakul · Post by **nakul** » 08 Oct 2012 17:43

^^^

Just a small observation. We must not behave like America where all anti American countries are put in one basket. There are different enemies and they should be identified as such. No need to drag in one enemy when a different enemy is being targetted. They hate India for different reasons and can be used to fight against each other. This is sometimes ignored in BRF where an M K Gandhi = = Nehru or Communists == Islamists.

g.sarkar · Post by **g.sarkar** » 08 Oct 2012 20:48

http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/two-m ... rar-276956
"Two men of Indian-origin charged with attempted murder of General KS Brar
London: Two men have been charged with the attempted murder of Lieutenant General (retired) Kuldip Singh Brar, the hero of the 1984 Operation Bluestar, British police said today.
Barjinder Singh Sangha, 33, of Wolverhampton and 34-year-old Mandeep Singh Sandhu of Great Barr, Birmingham will "appear in custody at Westminster Magistrates' Court today," the Metropolitan Police said in a statement.
"Two men have been charged with wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harm on Lieutenant-General Kuldip Singh Brar in Old Quebec Street," the statement said.
Sangha has also been charged with common assault of Meena Brar, wife of Lt Gen Brar....... In all 12 persons, including two women had been taken into custody following the assault on Lt Gen Brar. The police had also taken into custody three others on suspicion of immigration matters unconnected with investigation into the attempted murder....."
Gautam

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 09 Oct 2012 07:27

(Gruesome reading,not for the faint-hearted)

For all those apologists of "Empire":The Indian "Holocaust".

"A ruling class that had shut down its feelings to the extent that it could engineer a famine in India in the 1870s in which between 12 million and 29 million people died was capable of almost anything."

Colonised and coloniser, empire's poison infects us all
Ideas that underpinned Britain's imperial project led not only to torture in Kenya, but war and catastrophe in Europe

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree ... phe-europe

George Monbiot
The Guardian, Monday 8 October 2012

Last week three elderly Kenyans established the right to sue the British government for the torture that they suffered – castration, beating and rape – in the Kikuyu detention camps it ran in the 1950s.

Many tens of thousands were detained and tortured in the camps. I won't spare you the details: we have been sparing ourselves the details for far too long. Large numbers of men were castrated with pliers. Others were raped, sometimes with the use of knives, broken bottles, rifle barrels and scorpions. Women had similar instruments forced into their vaginas. The guards and officials sliced off ears and fingers, gouged out eyes, mutilated women's breasts with pliers, poured paraffin over people and set them alight. Untold thousands died.

The government's secret archive, revealed this April, shows that the attorney general, the colonial governor and the colonial secretary knew what was happening. The governor ensured that the perpetrators had legal immunity: including the British officers reported to him for roasting prisoners to death. In public the colonial secretary lied and kept lying.

Little distinguishes the British imperial project from any other. In all cases the purpose of empire was loot, land and labour. When people resisted (as some of the Kikuyu did during the Mau Mau rebellion), the response everywhere was the same: extreme and indiscriminate brutality, hidden from public view by distance and official lies.

Successive governments have sought to deny the Kikuyu justice: destroying most of the paperwork, lying about the existence of the rest, seeking to have the case dismissed on technicalities. Their handling of this issue, and the widespread British disavowal of what happened in Kenya, reflects the way this country has been brutalised by its colonial history. Empire did almost as much harm to the imperial nations as it did to their subject peoples.

In his book Exterminate All the Brutes, Sven Lindqvist shows how the ideology that led to Hitler's war and the Holocaust was developed by the colonial powers. Imperialism required an exculpatory myth. It was supplied, primarily, by British theorists.

In 1799 Charles White began the process of identifying Europeans as inherently superior to other peoples. By 1850 the disgraced anatomist Robert Knox had developed the theme into fully fledged racism. His book The Races of Man asserted that dark-skinned people were destined to be enslaved and then annihilated by the "lighter races". Dark meant almost everyone: "What a field of extermination lies before the Saxon, Celtic and Sarmatian races!"

Remarkable as it may sound, this view soon came to dominate British thought. In common with most of the political class, W Winwood Reade, Alfred Russell Wallace, Herbert Spencer, Frederick Farrar, Francis Galton, Benjamin Kidd and even Charles Darwin saw the extermination of dark-skinned people as an inevitable law of nature. Some of them argued that Europeans had a duty to speed it up: both to save the integrity of the species and to put the inferior "races" out of their misery.

These themes were picked up by German theorists. In 1893 Alexander Tille, drawing on British writers, claimed that "it is the right of the stronger race to annihilate the lower". In 1901 Friedrich Ratzel argued in Der Lebensraum that Germany had a right and duty, like Europeans in the Americas, to displace "primitive peoples". In Mein Kampf, Hitler explained that the German empire's eastward expansion would mirror the western and southern extension of British interests. He systematised and industrialised what imperial nations had been doing for five centuries. The scale was greater, the location different, the ideology broadly the same.

I believe that the brutalisation of empire also made the pointless slaughter of the first world war possible. A ruling class that had shut down its feelings to the extent that it could engineer a famine in India in the 1870s in which between 12 million and 29 million people died was capable of almost anything. Empire had tested not only the long-range weaponry that would be deployed in northern France, but also the ideas.

member_23677 · Post by **member_23677** » 09 Oct 2012 07:40

Philip wrote:(Gruesome reading,not for the faint-hearted)

For all those apologists of "Empire":The Indian "Holocaust".

"A ruling class that had shut down its feelings to the extent that it could engineer a famine in India in the 1870s in which between 12 million and 29 million people died was capable of almost anything."
.

[/quote]

Although I understand you are being sarcastic, this is no laughing matter and must be produced in a serious mannner. Many o our own were tortured and mutiated by britards. And then there are morons in our country who say they don't have anything against the tards

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 09 Oct 2012 13:53

Please Bhagat,I am NOT being sarcastic.It is why I've posted this horrific facts of British Imperialist rule.I am apalled and stunned by the barbarity of a so-called civilised "Christian" country.The details of the torture of the Kenyans rivals that of the Nazis in their concentration camps in WW2,and the millions of Indians starved to death through an orchestrated famine rivals the millions also killed by the Nazis during the war.It is why I've coined the phrase "Indian Holocaust",similar in context to the "First Indian War for Freedom ",the so-called "Sepoy Mutiny",which was actually a national battle to boot out the British.

RamaY · Post by **RamaY** » 09 Oct 2012 19:53

civilised "Christian/Abrahamic" country is an Oxymoron!

There is no place for civility in Abrahamic culture, even after renaissance.

The renaissance just allowed these societies to pursue scientific progress. But all that progress is again used to spread their Asuricness. Before renaissance they lived like barbarians. The renaissance brought them together to build an empire that would later destroy the rest of the world.

Organized slavery, colonization, world-wars and current international organizations/treaties are transformation of that Asuric empire.

krisna · Post by **krisna** » 11 Oct 2012 08:12

Archduke Joseph diamond to go up for auction

One of the world's most historic diamonds, the 76.02 Archduke Joseph, is expected to make well in excess of $15 million (£9 million) when it goes up for sale in Geneva.

"It's a 76.02 carat cushion-shaped D-colour diamond (considered to be the most flawless), from the famous Golconda mines in India," Christie's senior international specialist Jean-Marc Lunel said.

The diamond has the same provenance as other illustrious jewels including the Koh-i-noor – part of the crown jewels held in the Tower of London – and the Regent, believed by many to be the finest diamond in the French crown jewels and now in the Louvre museum in Paris.

All three jewels come from the now closed Golconda mines, which produced the purest gems, Mr Lunel said.

stolen loot from India.

nakul · Post by **nakul** » 11 Oct 2012 15:49

http://www.narendramodi.in/cm-welcomes- ... k-gujarat/

he Government of the United Kingdom has made a major announcement regarding their active engagement and strengthening ties with Gujarat.

In a press release, Mr. Hugo Swire, Minister of State on the Foreign Office has asked the British High Commissioner to India to visit Gujarat and meet the Chief Minister and other senior functionaries to discuss a wide range of issues of mutual interest and explore opportunities for closer cooperation.

habal · Post by **habal** » 11 Oct 2012 17:56

they are sensing this guy is going to do something big ...

nakul · Post by **nakul** » 11 Oct 2012 17:58

They are always on the lookout for power centers. For long, it was Congress party. Now that the rats have started to jump off the sinking ship, they are eager to latch on to something big. He is currently the best placed person to replace MMS.

Suppiah · Post by **Suppiah** » 11 Oct 2012 19:57

I dont know why Modi has to react post-haste....must have waited for the ambassador to come, and until then responded with a terse 'we have noted the UK press release' and nothing else...that too only if asked by journos..

Gives them too much importance to start jumping about like this celebrating as if some prodigal son has returned, that too bearing gifts of gold and diamonds..

Sree · Post by **Sree** » 11 Oct 2012 22:01

Guys:

This isn't quite a news item, but on the basis that this thread is the right place to find people with connections to both India and the UK, hopefully adminullahs will permit ...

Most of you probably know the story of Section Officer (roughly, Flying Officer-equivalent) Noor Inayat Khan, the Indian WAAF officer and SOE operative who went into Occupied France during World War II, operated heroically under particularly dangerous circumstances, was captured by the Gestapo in 1943, and eventually executed in the concentration camp at Dachau the following year.

There is a move to install a memorial to Noor Inayat Khan, in the form of a bust, in Gordon Square (near Euston, and close to a house where Noor once lived) in London. The bust has already been sculpted, by Karen Newman, who also did the already-established sculpture of Noor's better-known SOE colleague Violette Szabo, on the South Bank. The proposal was accepted, the sculpture has been prepared, the British Prime Minister and 30-odd other MPs signed letters of support, and Princess Anne had consented to unveil the sculpture on 8 November this year.

I am now hearing, through a Trustee on the Noor Inayat Khan Foundation, that at this late stage, Camden Council (the Council for the London borough in which Gordon Square is located) are actually questioning whether the bust should be installed at all. The Council have advised that the Foundation needs to show that "many more people" support this idea, though there is documented support from the Prime Minister, the Royal Family, 30-odd MPs, the University of London (who own Gordon Square), and others who in different ways have supported and contributed to the process up to this point. Camden Council are meeting on 18th October (just a week from today), and need to see significant support by that date.

The Trustees of the Noor Inayat Khan Foundation are trying to collect signatures, as a large number of signatures, even on-line, will definitely help make the case. Will you consent to sign the petition, at the following link? It will only take (literally) a minute of your time, and might be a major factor in helping to establish this memorial in a central location in London, to a heroic and under-recognised Indian participant in World War II:

Petition to Camden Council on Noor Inayat Khan memorial

If you feel able to support this, please forward the link above to any other friends who might be interested and willing to sign the petition as well. Grassroots campaigns succeed only because people like us are willing to spread the word.

If you have any questions, or would like any more information, please do not hesitate to contact me, or the Noor Inayat Khan Memorial Trust at noor dot memorial at gmail dot com.

Thank you for helping others remember. Warm regards,

Sree

Rupesh · Post by **Rupesh** » 12 Oct 2012 03:34

Sree,

Noor Inayat Khan was not an Indian ( though born to an India Father ). I don't think she has spent even a single day in India. If UKstanis feel they need to honour her for her services to their queen, then Its for them to take the initiative. This does not concern India or Indian's.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 12 Oct 2012 08:53

Suppiah wrote:I dont know why Modi has to react post-haste....must have waited for the ambassador to come, and until then responded with a terse 'we have noted the UK press release' and nothing else...that too only if asked by journos..

Gives them too much importance to start jumping about like this celebrating as if some prodigal son has returned, that too bearing gifts of gold and diamonds..

Suppiah, that was exactly my sense too. Isolating a state in India diplomatically and re-establishing contacts are problems of the UK & the US. Any positive reaction to the latest developments legitimizes the earlier actions of these States and hence must not be resorted too. Modi missed an opportunity to subtly pay back the 'Third Rate Power'.

Hari Seldon · Post by **Hari Seldon** » 12 Oct 2012 09:24

Dumb post. Now shaheedized.

Pratyush · Post by **Pratyush** » 12 Oct 2012 10:07

Sree wrote:Guys:

SNIP......................

Sree

Noor, was executed by the Germans, for Spying. That makes her a hero, how. It was her own failure to understand her instructions, that gave the Germans all the proof they needed against her.

She was a tragic failure. If she is getting a memorial and recognition. It is because of no other reason, but the fact, that she was a descendent of Tipu Sultan.

Please draw you conclusions from that.

Suppiah · Post by **Suppiah** » 12 Oct 2012 10:17

Hari Seldon wrote:^^Or perhaps the reaction was overdone. Anyway, with Dilli treating Guj like a pariah, its welcome to get recognition from somewhere, even 3rd rate powers, perhaps.

Even if it was for purely election purposes, Modi should have left it to junior jingos to brag about it in small town meetings and himself keep quiet.

I think our netas and babus need some training in Beijing for this sort of thing...much though I hate the Beijing commies, I love their press statements and releases, that don't yield and inch and ask for the world.. it is always the other side's fault, be it Philllipines, India, Japan, Unkil, whoever.

Sree · Post by **Sree** » 12 Oct 2012 14:22

Phew

Rupesh wrote: ... Noor Inayat Khan was not an Indian ( though born to an India Father ). I don't think she has spent even a single day in India. If UKstanis feel they need to honour her for her services to their queen, then Its for them to take the initiative. This does not concern India or Indian's.

Rupesh - Noor Inayat Khan has as much claim to be considered Indian as many of the others we celebrate on this Forum. Many of the Indians who served in senior positions (and by senior positions, in this context, I mean commissioned officers, from Second Lieutenant onwards) during WW2, and served India loyally and well after '47, had some involvement in Empire, pre-Independence. There is a little more nuance, to the question of their nationalism, than you seem to be suggesting.

Noor Inayat Khan certainly has spent time in India; I know another distinguished Indian family (with impeccably nationalist credentials) that personally knew her, her brother Vilayat and others of their family while they were in India.

I respectfully disagree that this doesn't concern India or Indians, but have no wish to convert anyone. Let's you & me agree to disagree, between ourselves.

To anyone else who feels able to support the petition, I hope you will do so. Recognising Noor Inayat Khan's heroism, at a venue within UKstan, does do a little something for all of us who bear a skin tone similar to hers, the next time we hand our passports to an immigration officer at Heathrow; or sit down opposite a client, a vendor, a teacher, a student, a patient, or simply a drinking buddy from there.

Rgds

Sree

Lalmohan · Post by **Lalmohan** » 12 Oct 2012 14:40

the role of indians in ww2 is largely unknown to brits and yanks - noor worked covert ops in paris under very dangerous conditions, she was caught by the gestapo, tortured and eventually executed. her body was cremated in an 'industrial crematorium' within the dachau concentration camp near munich.

a memorial to her is to remind the goras the debt they owe to india

brihaspati · Post by **brihaspati** » 12 Oct 2012 17:09

But the small group of people who singlehandedly brought freedom to India, were opposed to the war effort by Indians - weren't they, at least officially? So, by the rhetoric of our national foundations, those who supported the British in their WW2 war [Indians supporting the British in WWI were "nationalists" by definition, from the same source] - were betrayers to the national cause.

Noor Inayat Khan's personal bravery is to be applauded. But how much of India was in her? There are a few lines from her letters that seem to indicate that her "Indianness" was inseparable from Islam and her father's interpretations of "sufism", and that she wanted to support the British war effort primarily out of her opposition to Nazism. In India, and in UK - Indian communists supported the British war effort on the same line. Noor's letter in only one instance suggests that she also saw it as a potential "bridge" between the Indian and British people. In this - she is at least partially in tune with the official MKG+Nehru line that India and Britain must "part as firends" [even if Brits were foisting criminals through the Partition plans to the last minute].

So it is not very clear, as to how much her efforts on behalf of the British should be identified with Indianness. Consistently, both her brother's foundation, as well as the British press - are characterizing her with the keywords :

"princess/aristocratic", "Muslim", "Sufi"

When "India/Indian" is coming up - it is as an adjunct to these other qualifiers. The criticism of her methods/lapses, is a very subtle indirect revelation about how the Brits always, in the past and forever in the future - will continue to cast even the remotest connections to India racially, and racist-ically. They will never see anyone with the remotest tag of Indianness - at par with someone from among themselves. Hence the Brit representations of her carefully weaken the Indian bit and promote her other adjuncts that are more comofrtable/acceptable for the Brit mindset.

I would have been able to bow to Noor's "sufi-humanism" if it not only found Nazism as guilty against humanity, but also British treatment of Indians on numerous occasions when she was growing up - as guilty too. Anyone who did not or could not condemn the British regime on its role in India, while finding motivation to condemn the Nazis onlee - should not be treated as an Indian, or having India as her/his primary identity.

She identified with and served the British cause, and she should be lauded for her personal courage and determination - but not as an Indian. It is time we cease to secretly yearn for this Raj-master's approval and recognition. It matters no longer.

Pratyush · Post by **Pratyush** » 12 Oct 2012 17:30

B Ji,

+ 1 to that.

Sushupti · Post by **Sushupti** » 12 Oct 2012 18:10

Hugging him close

The British decision is said to be in the British national interest, for the sake of commercial and consular gains. But it also obviously in Mr Modi’s interest. Coming shortly before the state poll, the clear indication is that old opprobrium is being wiped away. Britain could, of course, have waited until January and made this move once the state election was out of the way. That would have avoided inevitable suspicion from the Congress party, which rules in Delhi, that Britain is allowing Mr Modi to take direct electoral advantage. Mr Modi has already been issuing gleeful tweets. By deciding to act now, the British authorities seem to suggest that an unhappy Congress party is not a big problem.

Just possibly the timing has been driven by domestic British factors. Perhaps Conservative figures are keen to show that trade with India can grow fast, and Gujarat as a pro-business and relatively wealthy state is a natural place to focus on. And for all Mr Modi’s alleged sins (he denies them all, and points out that no court has convicted him of anything) Britain happily has close diplomatic and other relations with the leaders of China and Rwanda, for example, where human-rights records are much worse yet.

As likely, however, is the fact that Mr Modi has a decent chance of becoming India’s next prime minister. The most probable date of the next election is early 2014, but it could come much sooner, if coalition allies of the Congress-led government in Delhi decide to walk out. Mr Modi is the single-most popular candidate in the country to be the next leader, and within the national opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) he is a likely PM candidate (even if many inside the party and beyond are still wary of him). Probably Britain, and many other countries, reckon it is better to restore regular contact with Mr Modi now, rather than next year when a general election campaign could suddenly be announced. As awkward as it looks now to be cosying up to Mr Modi just before a state election, it would look more craven yet to do so as a national one gets under way.

http://www.economist.com/blogs/banyan/2 ... endra-modi