Boycott Israel? Start with Facebook

I noticed that some of Facebook users have recently circulated pictures like the above in Facebook. They have been suggesting that the Malaysian Muslims boycott those companies. 

So no more buka puasa (break fast) in places like McD. No more Nestle products. Forget about Huggies diapers for your babies. 

The list of things to avoid goes on.

Well I respect your choice to criticize Israel but the call for a boycott of Israel/Jewish linked products in Malaysia is just a waste of time because there is no benefit in it.

To make it worse, some Muslims even asked if I am supporting Israel's action in Gaza because I eat McD. I mean like what the......

It is nothing but an emotional outburst with no outcome for our community in Malaysia.

Why do I say this?

Because those who are calling for a boycott are still using Facebook. They are still uploading selfies and enjoying the free service provided by Facebook. They are still giving Facebook the income it needs.

The creator of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, is a Jew. Zuckerberg appeared in Jerusalem post as the most influential Jew. I am sure he gives money to the state of Israel. Every single rich Jewish company does it. 

To add on, Zuckerberg is an active member of Alpha Epsilon Pi Fraternity (AEPi). This is a fraternity of Jewish people in America. They are hardcore supporters of Israel.

The younger Zuckerberg.

Zuckerberg and former Israeli PM Shimon Perez.

Zuckerberg and current Israeli PM Netanyahu.

As long as you stay in Facebook, you are helping Israel make money. So if you really want to boycott Israel, why still use Facebook?

My HINDRAF Experience

To know more about HINDRAF check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HINDRAF . All pictures taken from Google.

The rally organised by the Hindu Rights Action Force (HINDRAF) on 25 November 2007, created a political tsunami that affected the Indian votes in the 12th Malaysian General Election in 2008.

However, it was not the first of its kind. We did have the Klang Indian Riots of the 1940s and Thondar Padai movement of Kedah in the past. There was also strong trade union movement among Indians during colonial times. I will write about it on another day.

HINDRAF was the first of its kind in the new century. Although I disagree with HINDRAF with their ideology, I decided to join the rally back then because at that time, it was crucial for the Indians in this country to be part of it. The Indians needed something like this to knock some sense into them.

I got up early on 25 November 2007 and told my parents that I am meeting up with some friends. They actually believed me. While most people chose Orange as their colour (signifying Hindu saffron), I wore Red for the rally.

My first rally experience started in Kampung Baru. I called up my friend Jullian and told him that I will SMS the updates. He decided to post my updates in Friendster so that our friends get to know the latest happenings from my side. Some could not make it to the rally because of roadblocks.

Federal Reserve Unit (FRU) a.k.a Malaysian Riot Police

The FRU surrounded that area. They issued warning and requested the crowd to disperse. People did not listen. So they fired tear gas to disperse the crowd. 

Many Indians ran into Kampung Baru which is a Malay Muslim majority housing area. The Malays even tried negotiating on their behalf.

Some of us continued with our "cat and mouse" game with the FRU. People ran in all directions. The crowd then moved to the area near Ampang Park to join another bigger crowd. There were at least 30,000 people there.

Once again, the FRU started shooting tear gas. Some of the protesters threw the canisters back at them. We were also sprayed with chemical laced water. At that moment I was already near the Tun Razak Police Station.

One tear gas canister fell near my left foot. I started suffocating and I could not see anything. My eyes and skin were burning. I inhaled too much of the gas and I knew I had to run from that place a.s.a.p. I am asthmatic and that is definitely not good.

Somehow, I managed to move away from the crowd and walked into the police station. The protesters were getting arrested at this time. Some, like me, escaped.

I saw many policemen nearby and also a group of journalist. Since I had my office lanyard and tag in my pocket, I wore it around my neck and pretended like a journalist. It saved me for a good 30 minutes.

Another crowd then emerged at Ampang Park, they decided to face the FRU batallion. The police were getting ready to charge at them. 
I didn't want to miss the action so I left my "journalist team" and joined the crowd. 

I would say that it was one of the stupidest thing I have ever done in my life. Should have just stayed quiet and enjoyed the show as a "journalist"

Once again, tear gas....chemical water......tear gas.......chemical water.

The mass arrest began.

One officer asked me "You buat apa kat sini?"
(What are you doing here?)
Me: Oh I am a tourist. What is happening here? 

You know what? He actually believed me and let me go. Probably because I spoke in English and pretended like I don't know Malay. He told me to avoid the crowd and even showed me how to get out.

Nice!

Just when I thought I was lucky and walked away, two young officers from behind grabbed me. They were shorter and smaller than me. They refuse to listen to my explanation. I even told them that their superior officer told me to go.

Nope. Not interested to listen.

I was finally caught and made to sit with the rest inside the police vehicle. My phone rang at that moment. Guess who? It was my wife (then friend) with details of people who can be contacted in the event of arrest. 

I hid my phone in my socks because some of the detainees told me that the police confiscated their phones. I didn't want to loose my phone. 

We were brought to PULAPOL at Jalan Semarak.

There were around 200 of us in the detention center. The police gave us drinks which I refused to take because of my ego. We were not ill treated but I did see some guys getting kicked during the rally.

I managed to call one of my uncles. He is a lawyer. He told me what to do. He advised me to inform the other detainees not to sign any papers and wait for lawyers to arrive. So I did some messenger work inside the detention center explaining to them on what needs to be done.

I was actually frustrated with some of them. They refused to listen and decided to make things hard. Others including some "community trash" who I think don't deserve to protest were also there.

There were also guys from the MIC Youth/Putra division. A few of them went on to become popular bloggers/social media personalities later. I don't wish to name them here.

I wondered......

What are these guys doing here? Is something going on and I am not aware of it? But never mind, it doesn't matter anymore.

A few hours later, Latheefa Koya and her team arrived. The police briefed us and informed that we can leave. There were no charges. I was among the few who refused to sign any papers. 

The policeman who spoke with me actually gave up. 

"Okay la. Tak mahu sign tak apalah. You pergilah" 
(Okay la. If you don't want to sign then it is okay. You leave)

I left the place after spending about 7 hours inside. 

News of my detention reached home even before me. I received numerous calls from friends and family members asking if I was alright. Did they beat me? etc.

I was okay, unharmed. Looks like Jullian did a good job :)

I can't write every single detail about that day here but it was one hell of an experience. 

Back before and after HINDRAF, I used to be quite active in Indian forums before blogs became popular. We used to have discussion via emails and online groups. 

Few months after the HINDRAF incident, I was approached by their overseas coordinator, Ravi Shan. We met in Seremban for a teh tarik session. 

Ravi found out that I do research on the Indian community. I used to visit the National Archives frequently. He knew that I could help their front line propaganda team. So he introduced me to few others in the HINDRAF team hoping that I will join their cause.

But our ideologies are different. If Ravi reads this and still remembers me, I want him to know why I never joined them.

HINDRAF was formed under the Hindu banner but it claimed to champion all Indians, which includes non-Hindus. There was a flaw in their foundation.

They were inconsistent in certain matters especially their decision to sue the British government which never saw any positive outcome. It was probably used as a bait to gain the support of the community. 

Their struggle was of a communal nature and not a class struggle. 

To make matters worse, they later joined hands with the same people they once fought against. This betrayed many of their own supporters.

Perhaps the movement was hijacked and that lead to its failure. One brother became Deputy Minister and the other went to prison. Whatever happened after that is history.

HINDRAF brothers Waythamoorty (left) and Uthayakumar (right). Waythamoorty later joined the BN government as a Deputy Minister while his brother went to prison. Ganabathi Rao (centre).

Many people who read my writings tend to judge me wrongly by assuming that I must be a hardcore right wing Indian-Hindu champion. 

There were even some who asked if I am interested to join their Indian organisation. This includes some friends from MIC. 

I never joined them. 

Because although I may do research on Indian related matters or talk about Hinduism in my blog, politically, I am inclined towards Left.

I believe in the ideals of Socialism within a proper democratic system. I believe in the separation of state and religion without any racial preference.

A Socialist who prefers Merit over Reservation.

So someone like me can never join HINDRAF or MIC as they are based on something which I think should never even be part of governance.

He Saw His Death Coming

Yama @ Dharmaraja, the Lord of Death on his buffalo.

My maternal grandmother, Visalatchy, once told me a story. It is regarding her great grandfather (her mother's maternal grandfather). His name was Vaiyapuri Pillai.

So the late Vaiyapuri Pillai lived up to around 80 years of age. He was healthy. Like most of my maternal relatives, Vaiyapuri Pillai was also from Thanjavur.

On one evening, the late Vaiyapuri Pillai was having a chat with his wife outside their house. She was sweeping while listening to her husband's words.

Suddenly, he told his wife, "Look! I see a man riding a buffalo. He is coming towards our house!"

His wife turned and saw nothing. There was nobody at the entrance.

What happened the next moment shocked her. Vaiyapuri Pillai fell down and died......just like that!

He saw his death coming. The Hindus and Buddhist believe that death comes in the form of Yama on a buffalo. 

I have heard of many similar stories about death and afterlife. It is interesting to know that certain people are able to see their death coming. 

If you have a story, do share it :)

Housewives & Working Women - My Response To Chetan Bhagat

Chetan Bhagat

My mother worked for 40 years. My wife is the COO at an international bank. It makes me proud. She doesn't make phulkas for me. We outsource that work to our help, and it doesn't really bother me. If my wife had spent her life in the kitchen, it would have bothered me more. 

One,
a man who marries a career woman gets a partner to discuss his own career with. A working woman may be able to relate better to organizational issues than a housewife. A spouse who understands office politics and can give you good advice can be an asset.

Two,
a working woman diversifies the family income streams. In the era of expensive apartments and frequent lay-offs, a working spouse can help you afford a decent house and feel more secure about finances.

Three,
a working woman is better exposed to the world. She brings back knowledge and information that can be useful to the family. Whether it's the latest deals or the best mutual fund to invest in, or even new holiday destinations, a working woman can add to the quality of life.

Four,
the children of a working woman learn to be more independent and will do better than mollycoddled children.

Five,
working women often find some fulfillment in their jobs, apart from home. Hence, they may have better life satisfaction, and feel less dependent on the man. This in turn can lead to more harmony.

We must accept and even celebrate our successful women. They take our homes ahead and our country forward. We may have less hot phulkas, but we will have a better nation. — Chetan Bhagat


What you have just read is Chetan Bhagat's opinion about women's role. I respect his opinion and the choice made. For those of you (esp Malaysians) who have never heard of him, kindly Google about him and his writings.

Our living cost has shoot up and yes I do agree that under the present condition, it will be financially practical for both husband and wife to work. However, I disagree with his portrayal of housewives in the article above.

In his article, Chetan made it sound like housewives are naive people who are born to make phulkas for their family. He has underestimated the role of housewives to a mere cleaner and cook who does not know anything about the world outside her house.

Phulkas

Let me tell you why housewives are among the most awesome people to ever walk the earth.

Both my mother and wife are housewives but that does not mean they never had a fair share of life in the office. 

My mother quit her job when I was young. She was 34 when she quit. She used to win the annual best staff award in the company for more than a decade. She also represented her company in volleyball.

My wife who is the same age as me was a 1st class honors graduate. She is smarter than me. She worked in the bank and also as a teacher for many years before quitting her job. She still teaches part time and her students love her. The schools she worked for has on several occasions, requested her to consider working for them again.

My wife and mother

Like them, there are many women out there who became housewives.

Why do I think they are great?

Because despite having a bright future in their respective careers, women like these willingly make sacrifices for the sake of their family. They let go career life because they feel that family matters more to them. My wife prefers to raise our daughter by herself than to depend on a nanny.

A man who is married to such women is probably the luckiest in the planet. Because he is married to someone who loves her family more than her own career aspiration.

How many men are willing to let go a prospective career to be at home?

It is not easy being a housewife. I have seen how hard life can be for them. Not only do they need to manage the entire house, they also need to manage the people who live in that house. 

If you think you are great because you are some Senior Manager with a Phd in office politics, think again because the housewife manages both you and your money.

A housewife is the de factor Home Minister. She is the pillar of the family. 

She is also the Premise Manager who takes care of the house. A Psychologist and Counselor  for her husband and children. Your 5 digit salary earned from the corporate world is actually managed by this Finance Manager who knows better on how to save and how to spend. She also knows what to buy and what not to buy, where to get the best deals, when it should be bought and for how often.

Whenever there is an event at home, be it a simple family gathering or a grand wedding, it is she who plans, organizes, and executes the tasks with military precision. If it was not for her, everything will be chaos or as what we Malaysians say, it will be kelam-kabut.

Chetan's claim that children raised by working women are more independent is actually a myth because it is a matter of how the child is raised. 

Most working women hire maids to do almost everything for their children. These children actually have a higher tendency to become more dependent than independent. 

But a good housewife mother will teach the children how to get things done in the house than to just do everything for them. She leads by example and that actually makes the children not only capable of taking care of themselves but also more appreciative of their mothers.

A housewife is not a naive person who does not know the world. In fact, she may know the world better than you do. If you want to know about the economy of a country, ask the housewives. They can give you more information on things like inflation, available goods, ration and living cost because they deal with it daily. 

Having said all these, I am not claiming that those career women are inferior or superior. But I wish to strongly make a point here that the housewives are not inferior to anyone. 

Many people are under the impression that women who work are much more capable. Let me tell you this, be it a woman or man, having a high position in a large multinational company does not make you better than others. 

I have met Senior Managers who are not able to even fix a simple problem at home. There was this guy who I know. He earns a 5 digit salary in a large company. He does not know how to bargain in a shop. He often gets cheated by paying more than he have to at the market. 

There was once a problem with the piping in his house after some renovation. I checked it out for him and asked him how were the pipes connected. He does not know because he just paid money and asked the contractor to deal with it. He did not even bother to take the ladder and check the piping for himself. He is too dependent on  others to work for him. Get what I mean?

There are also many corporate people out there who don't even know how to deal with people on the street. 

Although they may sound firm and authoritative in their offices, some become weak when confronted on the road. Many also do not know how to handle an emotional situation in life.

I am not saying that corporate people in general or corporate women are useless. I am only saying that success in corporate world does not guarantee you success in life outside the office.

Therefore, it is not right to stereotype housewives as less intelligent or less capable than those women who work. 

They are not phulka machines and they can manage life better than most of us. That makes corporate knowledge or office politics expertise sound really useless for a happy life at home.

Should Malaysian Tamils Support Israel?

To those Malaysian Tamils who are now openly declaring that they will support Israel, I would like to thank you for making us look like desperate fools. 

Now why am I writing this? It is because yesterday, a message was going viral in Facebook. The hardcore wannabe Tamils were angry because the Malaysian government invited the Sri Lankan Defence Secretary, Gotabaya Rajapaksa (brother of President Mahinda Rajapaksa) to Putrajaya. 

In response to this, certain Tamil NGOs had publicly announced that they will support Israel. Malaysia does not recognise Israel and does not have any diplomatic ties with this Jewish state.

I never liked the Sri Lankan government. They screwed up a once peaceful Ceylon with discriminatory policies. 

Many world government including ours were silent about the war atrocities committed in Sri Lanka. But that does not mean we Malaysian Tamils should support Israel to show our dissatisfaction. 

Unknown to the ignorant Tamils in Malaysia, Israel and Sri Lanka are in good terms. Although there were allegations by certain Sri Lanka Muslim clerics that the Israeli Mossad simultaneously trained both Sri Lanka Army and LTTE, the LTTE during 1980s actualy sent about 200 fighters to Lebanon for training. The training was done by Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). Their fighters were also used to fight against Israeli soldiers.

Israel then established strong military ties with Sri Lanka. Supplied them with weapons like fighter jets and missiles. They also provided military advice. Together, they crushed the LTTE.

Now you want Tamils to support Israel? The same Israel which helped Sri Lanka to not only crush LTTE but also kill thousands of innocent Tamils? That will be a wrong move. It is like poking our eyes with our own fingers. Sri Lanka would be laughing at us.

Sometimes I feel that some of these so called Tamil NGOs in Malaysia are taking all of us for a ride. They make emotional statements to display their stupidity. It is accompanied by some punch dialogs that even beats Tamil cinema. The only thing lacking here is self immolation. Add that and it will be a perfect emotional display of the highest order.

The one community which has always supported the Sri Lankan Tamils financially are the Malaysian Ceylonese Tamil community. They just don't hoo haa about it like the other Tamil NGOs. 

Ask your Ceylonese friends if their parents have contributed a portion of their salary for the benefit of their relatives in Sri Lanka. Till today, it is this Ceylonese Tamil community which is actively helping the Tamil refugees from Sri Lanka. I personally know a few people who do that. To know more, go mingle with the Ceylonese community. 

Some of the Tamil NGOs who are potraying themselves as champions of Sri Lankan issue are not the real heroes. They are just trying to steal the show from the Ceylonese community by doing publicity stunts. They want to make themselves look like "the one and only" organisation that cares for Sri Lankan Tamils. This became very obvious after Prabhakaran's death. 

If you think my write up is considered as a betrayal then so be it. Truth has to be spoken even if it hurts our own kind. I rather call a spade as a spade than to "jingcha" with the rest of the crowd. 

Dr.S.Jayabarathi - A Living Legend

Dr.S.Jayabarathi during his younger days

I am fortunate to say that I am among the few youngsters in this country who have met the genius Dr.S.Jayabarathi. I still keep in touch with him over the phone.

It was back in 2008 when we first interacted. I had a query regarding the Panchakshra NaMaSiVaYa and he called me to explain over the telephone. Our friendship kicked started from there.

Fondly known as DrJaybee, he was born to the late Sinnamuthu Pillai and Alagurethinam Ammal. He comes from a family of geniuses and aristocrats. His father knew India's freedom fighter, Subash Chandra Bose.

He is 73 this year and I am turning 30. Being much younger than him, I have always considered him as one of my elderly uncles. Both our ancestors came from Sivagangai, a district known for its martial past. 

Dr.Jaybee's web articles can be found at the following links:

https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/agathiyar/info
http://www.treasurehouseofagathiyar.net/index.html 
https://www.facebook.com/drjaya.barathi
http://jaybeesnotebook.blogspot.com/
http://kadaaramweb.blogspot.com/
http://kadaaramnet.blogspot.com/
http://jaybeetrident.blogspot.com/
http://www.skandaweb.visvacomplex.com/
http://www.visvacomplex.com/
http://www.chandraweb.net/

Although a medical doctor by profession, DrJaybee is also well versed in ancient Tamil literature, the Vedas and Agamas. He is also a Historian. It was DrJaybee who discovered the lost city of Ariviyur back in India. 

He has also done extensive research on ancient Malay civilizations. The good old Dr is also well versed in Music and Arts. There are many things which he knows. This is why he is addressed as The Grandmaster.

It is quite sad to learn that scholars like him are not appreciated in a country like Malaysia. The Hindu and Tamil organisations of this country have not done much to publish his works. 

I hope that things will turn out better. The world needs to know that Malaysia has a genius.

Please read the following article which was published by The Star on Saturday, 30 September 2006.

Forecasts come true for Tamil scholar

LITTLE did Tamil scholar Dr S. Jayabarathi know that the predictions of sages in India would turn out to be true for him.  

The sages told him that he was destined to work with ancient relics and metaphysics. He was then pursuing a medical degree in south India in the 1960s. 

”I met with some sages and scholars (in India) who stressed that my destiny was not simple,” said the former Sungai Petani hospital director. 

INTEREST IN ANCIENT RELICS: Dr Jayabarathi reading his favorite book.  

“I was to collect, analyse, research, document and preserve heritage things to be passed on to the future generation.” 

He has spent the past 45 years doing research on Indian relics, metaphysics, cosmology, ancient Indian medicine and plastic surgery, with special interest in history and Tamil mysticism. 

Affectionately known as Jay-bee, Dr Jayabarathi, 65, has written 9,000 postings on Tamil culture, literature, religion, arts, science and tradition in his website, TreasureHouse of Agathiyar @ yahoo.com. 

He has authored two books – ‘JayBee in the Internet’ and ‘Naadi Jothidam’ (a Tamil book on astrology). 

He is also a linguist, painter, poet and musician. 

MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu recently honoured him with ‘The Grand Master of Tamil in Kedah’ award. 

After retiring in 1996, Dr Jayabarathi studied the artifacts found among the ruins of the lost kingdom in Bujang Valley in Merbok near Sungai Petani. 

An authority in Shakthi worship (Shakti means goddess in the Hindu pantheon) and certain aspects of Tamil history, Dr Jayabarathi hails from a long line of scholars, artistes and musicians.  

“My father, K.Sinnamuthu, was a social reformist and authored a Tamil book ‘Kadavulin Unmai Thotram’ (True Revelations of God),” he said.  

“I have about 5,000 books, including some rare ones, in my collection,” he added. 

Keen on archaeology, Dr Jayabarathi discovered an ancient township of a merchant community while at the medical college in South India. This was widely reported in the Indian press. 

His son Suganandha Bharathi, 36, graduated from Indian Institute of Technology from Kanpur, North India, and is now a scientific officer at Asian Institute of Medicine, Science and Technology (Aimst) in Sungai Petani, Kedah. 

His daughter Alagurethina Bairavi, 33, is an Information Technology graduate from southern Australia and a former Stamford College lecturer in Kuala Lumpur.  

On whether his children share his passion for research, he said: “Their interests are in their respective fields. But I do not want them to be like me.” 

“I am saying this because the public generally shun people like me whom they consider to very peculiar,” he said. 

He said his wife, J. Chandra, 58, had always inspired him to continue his research. 

On plans to write other books, he said: “I have plans for 22 more on metaphysics, cosmology, ancient Indian medicine and plastic surgery.” 

He said he was in midst of creating a new website ‘Jaybee’s Viswacomplex.com’ which would act as a huge database with interlinking sites containing various topics and articles mainly on Indian studies.  

UPDATE
Dr.S.Jayabarathi passed away in the morning of 2 June 2015 leaving behind a legacy for the Tamil community.

Karpal's Death & Keyboard Warriors

Once again, our Malaysian drama king Zulkifli Nordin is making headlines. The people of the country are currently mourning the death of Karpal Singh. 

A legendary politician, Karpal Singh has gone through many hardship during his political career. All because he believed in justice and upheld the supremacy of our national constitution. 

But we have some in the country who not only lack the basic intelligence a human needs, but also lacks empathy. They choose to attack the deceased Karpal Singh in social media. 

TRANSLATION : In this time of chaos, the PAS government of Kelantan wants to implement Hudud with the help of UMNO. Allah has killed Karpal Singh who was the main opponent of its implementation.

Here is a story which I think people like Zulkifli should learn from....

During the Ramayana war, thousands of enemies were slaughtered. The dead soldiers of Rama and that of his enemy Ravana, were cremated side by side.

Upon seeing this, his loyal brother, Lakshmana, asked Rama 

"How can you cremate the bodies of our enemy soldiers with full honor right beside our own dead soldiers?"

For this Rama responded

"Lakshmana, they were soldiers of Ravana when they were alive. They were our enemies. But upon death they are mere bodies with no affiliation. Isn't it our duty to honor their death?"

Well most probably some will ignore this story because it is a Kafir story told to you by another Kafir like me although elements of this Kafir religion of ours is still used in your daily lives.

Here is another story for you people....

Once, a funeral procession passed by in front of Prophet Muhammad. He stood up in respect for the dead. The deceased was a Jew. As you all know, Muslims and Jews were never in good terms. Yet the Prophet stood up in respect for the humanity of the deceased.

So even when the great Prophet himself is able to be humble, why can't ordinary people do it?

Looks like people like Zulkifli Noordin and like minded ones in our country will never learn. They will never learn from Kafirs like us and they will also never learn from their own people.

The more these politicians comment in such way, the more the Malaysian voters are going to reject them in the next GE. This is like digging a grave for themselves. The leaders of the relevant party should ensure that people like him never stand in election.

The sad mental condition of the keyboard warriors

These keyboard warriors chose to attack Karpal Singh only when the man is dead. They had no guts to do anything when he was alive. It is like school kids scoring brownie points "Ye! Ye! I have hit you now!"

Because they know that they are nothing when compared with the Tiger himself!