Against fuel price hike in India

India's opposition parties called a nation wide strike (Bharat Bandh) on 5th of July 2010 for opposing the hike of fuel prices in India. I was going through people's responses in various Indian and International sites (Thanks to holiday in USA on 5th of July owing to USA's independence day) and I found that response among the masses who have access to Computers and Internet is fractured, just like the mandate after every 5 years during parliamentary elections in India.
I decided not to go by views of others, did some calculations of my own and here is what I chanced upon:-
Current price of Crude oil in World market = USD 72.14 per barrel
1 Barrel = 117.34 Litres
So actual cost of 1 Litre of crude oil = USD 0.614
The price of 1 Litre of Petrol in Bangalore = Rs. 59 = USD 1.26
Indians are paying more than double of the actual Crude oil price for 1 Litre of Petrol.
I understand that there are costs involved in importing, converting the crude oil and distributing the Petrol, but it can't be more than 50% of the actual price.
Now, surprise surprise....
In USA gas costs somewhere around USD 2.75 to USD 3 per Gallon.
1 Gallon = 3.785 Litres, which makes the price of petrol in USA ~= USD 0.726 per Litre
Which means, the price of 1 Ltr of Petrol in USA is 0.54 USD less than that in Bangalore, India.
Again, to counter the argument about world prices and all, Indian Government comes out with logic that when prices are high, they provide subsidies. That's true but didn't the Indian government get any better time to raise the prices. Whole of India is burdened with high prices of food items and now the hike in fuel prices as well. You first hit below the belt and then you hit below the belt to the paramedics as well, who came to save the poor soul...WOW...
And only God knows what will happen if Monsoons don't show up with their full vigor this time in India.
Anyways, I recently came to know that an egg now costs Rs. 5 in Bangalore. If this kind of price rise continues, it won't be long when every mango man (common man) in India will be singing "Sunday ho ya Monday, kabhi nahi kha paoge ande... FANTASTIC!!!"

My place of birth - The Earth

When the rivers were holy and pristine,
when the land was pure and full of divine.
Where the Gods lived and walked with us,
where there was no pain and sadness.

It wasn't a country, it wasn't a state,
it had no barriers, it had no gate.
It had place for the whole humanity,
it believed that every faith was worthy.

It had no wars, it had no plague,
there was righteousness at every stage.
Where people respected and loved others,
where there was greenery for acres and acres.

What terrible hast befallen thou,
where is the unity and brotherhood now?
You have been divided and ravaged,
your beauty has been severely damaged.

I feel melancholy whenever I think of you,
my heart just cries out for your rescue.
How crestfallen today is the land of my birth,
I am saddened, for my motherland Earth.

--Subeer

Khuda ke nawaaze anmol lamhe

"Hamesha be-qabil nahi hota har guzara hua lamha,
kabhi kabhi dhoondne pe khuda bhi mil jaaya karte hain....."

"Kyon beetein lamhon ko pal-pal qaid karta hai Zafar,
kho jaane de beetein lamhon ko agar khote hain,
dekh Khuda naye lamhe har pal banata hai tere liye..."

A poem dedicated to my wife

Whenever you look at me and smile,
it makes my life worthwhile.
Whenever you are not around,
life is dull and pain unbound,
To you I dedicate my love and heart,
to you I dedicate my spirit and art.
For you, is every word I write,
for you, is my day and night.
I wish that you are always with me,
and we are together for eternity....

-- Subeer

Afternoon

With heavy heart and moist eyes,
I miss those beautiful moments of my life.
Not the wonder years of college or school,
But I miss the unforgettable time of afternoon.

Playing under the hot burning summer sun,
Not caring about which corner life will turn.
Believing school home-work is not for me,
Until Mom used to shout from balcony.

With all my plastic pistols and the cool spy acting,
Aiming to be the next James Bond in the making.
Reading comics and listening to songs on tape recorder,
The moments, my heart still longs for, years after.

Now I am grown up and afternoon is just some time,
Wasting it has become some sort of crime.
Seldom do I realize, that very very soon,
I will forget that I lived those lovely afternoons.

--Subeer

Love and brotherhood

Listening to Kabir's dohe, so true even after centuries have passed when he spoke them. When these dohe's were taught in school the only thought which used to flash in mind was to somehow mug them with their meaning and then vomit them out in the exams. No one tried to explain the real meaning of these poems except my mother but with time nothing was retained by me.
After so many years, thanks to Youtube, when I can listen to them it really strikes a chord in my mind, oh so beautiful and so thought provoking!!!
Wish world would have understood the message of love and brotherhood which Kabir gave to this world. And why just Kabir, we Indians are lucky to have so many such saints who spoke not about following the religion but about following the path of humanity which eventually leads to God as well.