Three Cups of Tea - A worthy Read

Post 9/11, the words “War on Terror” and “Weapons of Mass Destruction” have been the most used and abused phrases in modern history. Numerous wars (success or failure depends on which side of the war you were on) have been raged. Countries have been toppled (quite literally and structurally).

"Three Cups of Tea ...One Man's Mission to Promote Peace...One School at a Time" authored by Greg Mortenson with David Oliver’s support is a very interesting book that shows a very different perspective of these wars and how best they can be won. I started reading this book at the same time the book got into controversy. But having read the book, I can safely say even if 50% of the book is true and this man Greg has even built half of the number of schools, medical facilties, vocation centers that he talks about in the book, it is still worth it. He still deserves all the accolades and appreciation for having dedicated his life, his family and his entire youth to this self-less cause.

Coming back to the book, Three Cups of Tea (or as the elongated title suggests), is a book of 1 man’s journey towards bring peace in some of the most hostile and “so-called” terrorist regions in the world be it Northern Pakistan – The Baltistan region or the Afghanistan regions. After his failed attempt to conquer the most dangerous peaks in the world (K2 – karakoram), he finds himself spending a month in Northern Pakistan’s most neglected areas and witnesses the people’s warmth and hospitality. This is where the title makes shape. Basically it is a phrase in that part of Pakistan... The first time you share tea with them, you are a stranger. The second time, you are an honored guest and the third time you share a cup of tea, you become a family.

Having witnessed the need for education, he decides to build a school for Korphe region and therein starts his struggle. This need for 1 school slowly becomes a full time job for him courtesy some generous donations and he opens Central Asia institute dedicated to the humanitarian development of the region.

The book comes across as a selfless account of this man’s journey written in a fashion that can allow more donations to flow through the institute. The basic theory remains the same. The war on terror cannot be won by Bushes and Obamas way of unsolicited and unashamed attacks but to enable people to understand the different between a school and wahhabi madarasas. To move them away from extremism to more modern educational system where they can emrace the world and allow a holistic development.

The book might not come across as a fast read as the writing style is documentary oriented but the message is strong and convincing.

The book also throws some interesting insights for an Indian like me who has always viewed Pakistan with just 1 angle. Reading about the Kargil conflict by someone who was in Pakistan at the same time is such an interesting read for me.

Overall... a good book to read if you are interested in modern history and the birth of terror in today’s times.

Ajmal Kasab case - Is this really a win for our judicial system?

This week, Ajmal Kasab’s verdict was announced and he was sentenced to death.
The news was on all National Dailies and media for 1 day and then slowly faded away for other news like Godhra Verdict (after 9 years), World cup cricket (Biggies winning over minnows) and others.

The news was also coupled with lot of smart people providing their comments and analysis. Some were praising the Indian democracy and how he was given a proper court hearing which can happen only in India. There were others who appreciated the speed of Indian judicial system in reaching the verdict so fast (in just 24 months). While others just spoke about how Indian legal system has all the right ingredients in place to ensure that the criminals are punished. One of the politician even went ahead and said while we have completed the process, Pakistan has not even started the case (Read he was referring to Pakistan trying the perpetrators of this heinous act within their own country against those people whom India has suggested were involved in it).

All these praises were for a case of a lone terrorist who survived out of the 10 who mercilessly killed scores of Indians. This guy was caught red handed, was witnessed by numerous people, was caught on CCTV and media cameras while committing the act. He initially even accepted his guilt (only to be retracted later). Everyone in the country including the judge, lawyers, general public and Indian politicos were aware of the case, the accused and I can bet everyone were also sure of the verdict in advance. Still in order to prove that we have the world’s best democracy and may be the world’s best legal system now (???), we went ahead with this long court drama with multiple charges levelled against him (including Ajmal travelling without ticket in a local train), numerous witnesses being paraded in court, many defense lawyers being replaced (after some of them were bashed up by local “Senas”) and providing a ‘Z’ level security to Kasab (So that he doesn’t die before him being pronounced guilty).

All in all, we spent Rs 45 Crore so far (and still counting) and this is over and above the crores that this guy anyways inflicted upon the Indian infrastructure by bombs and bullets. This guy can still appeal in Supreme court and file for mercy petition. There are also very high chances that he might never be hanged (as is the case with previous death sentences) and we continue to bear his expenses.

So should we believe all of this and feel proud about our democracy and judicial system? Was it really important to conduct this entire farce?

Food for thought: What if like the Jessica Lal case (the witnesses would have changed their statements and turned hostile) and there was no proof to convict him, would he have walked out scot-free? What would have we done then?