Hello!

I say hello to the world of blogging. Again. This is my third, or maybe fourth attempt at starting a blog. The last one was maybe the only one that went anywhere, 3 posts, after which it became my personal software testing centre. The others never even got off the ground, at all. An account was created… A draft saved…And then the password… and /or the username forgotten.

The current attempt is courtesy of two things. Primarily, the extremely thoughtful and well received actions of the Government of India, and two, the attempt at blogging that my friend, Varun ,has just commenced. May his blog flourish, unlike mine which has largely been barren.

The primary reason, though is the one that I would like anybody reading this to be concerned with. The attack on freedom of speech by semi-literate babus in the Department of IT/ Telecom (let them fight that one out) is what drives me to this. When I first read of this the first time, on Boingboing, I was literally driven out of my wits. If there is one thing I am even remotely proud of in India is the apparent strength of our democratic institutions and our quite remarkably unscarred, except for minor offences by the late Smt. Indira Gandhi and family record as far as freedom of speech is concerned. And the attack on this sacred right really struck a chord. The articles in the International press were embarassing to even read. Here is a country which has aspirations to being a global power, but is so insecure as to be significantly worried about the rantings and ravings of a couple of madmen on some obscure site, that most people will never even come across.

I will end this post now. I know it is a very blunt ending, but this is a very hastily written post. I started on the spur of a moment, If I may say so, and I haven’t really organised my thoughts. Here’s hoping for a longer more organised post!