Here's how u do YOUR bit for the Cause..the time has come!

Heres how YOU can help as a COMMON CITIZEN of India…. Each one of u must write a Letter to the Editor of at least one of the leading newspapers of the country-mails BY POST (there being no upper limit to the number of newspapers of course)-the more, the merrier… u can also send emails(in addition to the postal mails) Each one of us will then write postal mails to Sonia Gandhi, PM Manmohan Singh and Leader of Opposition L. K Advani n perhaps even leaders of CPM …demanding the re-induction Of President Kalam, or at least someone as capable (or more) to step into his shoes, stating explicitly that the bar has been set high and WE CARE ABOUT WHO BECUMS THE NEXT PRESIDENT OF INDIA. Each one of us will also send mails by post to the Rashtrapati Bhawan, urging Dr. Kalam to STAY… (PLEASE NOTE, THIS IS ONLY FOR THOSE OF U WHO DO WANT HIM TO STAY- IF U HAVE A DIFFERENT CHOICE, SAY NARAYANA MURTHY OR OTHERS, WELL AND GOOD…MAY THE BEST MAN WIN…OUR IDEA IS JUST TO MAKE YOUR OPINION HEARD).. The idea is to flood the residences of the Powers-that-be and the Rashtrapati Bhawan with such mails (it may sound far fetched, but is a practicable idea if implemented in the right earnest) and we will then highlight this through the mass media –that public opinion is building in this regard, and then it will be imperative for THEM to be answerable for every action, in fact, to act in accordance with OUR interests- making it impossible for them to appoint any PUPPET Tom, Dick or Harry as the President. Given below are the templates of mails to all the concerned authorities---this is just to cut down on ur personal effort – feel free to write on ur own of course--u cud write these mails in handwriting or maybe typed mails, but MUST carry ur name (first name at least) n city and if poss. Signature as well…u cud always sign off as an IGNITED INDIAN MIND of course (stretching the dramatic element—more media attention!)U see we are looking at the volume of mails….that is what will catch the attention of the media as well as the politicians…

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

This is in reference to the upcoming presidential elections, If we must at all have a President in a Parliamentary Democracy, let us have one who is worth the huge amount of money that is spent from our pockets, on maintaining this office. President Kalam has set the bar high for whoever comes in next- a certain sanctity has been restored to the Position and we shall not let the indifferent Politicians defile the same. The names that are being suggested as candidates (who would make puppet presidents of course) make a mockery of the ethos of the Constitution of India. And we, the people of India DEMAND through these columns OUR President, if not President Kalam, then at least someone as capable as him or more, but certainly not someone who would lower the standards so raised.
Here is the address for The Times Of India:
My Times, My Voice
c/o EDIT PAGE EDITOR
The Times Of India7,
Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg
New Delhi 110002
Email:mytimesmyvoice@timesgroup.com
....continued....

Updated info on Presidential Elections 2007

The Election Commission of India will hold indirect 12th presidential elections of India on 18 July 2007.
The President of India is elected indirectly by the members of Indian Parliament and Legislative Assemblies of individual States. Although the election involves actual voting by MPs and MLAs, they tend to vote for the candidate supported by their respective parties.[1]
Hence the internal process for the election involves lobbying by parties for their respective candidates. UPA, the ruling coalition and NDA, the major opposition coalition hence hold the key to the nomination and support gathering. Another key player in the final decision could be the Left parties, which are offering external support to the government. The Left has agreed to support the UPA candidate under certain conditions for nomination[2]. Mayawati, the newly elected chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, the most populous state of India, is also said to be a significant factor in the final election.[3]
Probable candidates
Dr A.P.J Abdul Kalam (Hon President of India)
Mr Bhairon Singh Shekhawat (Hon. Vice-President of India)
Mr Vasant Sathe (Former Union cabinet minister)
Mr Sushil Kumar Shinde (Union power minister and prominent Dalit leader)
Mr Pranab Mukherjee (Union external affairs minister)
Dr Karan Singh (Diplomat and son of former king of J&K, Maharaja Hari Singh)
Mr Somnath Chatterjee (Speaker of Lok Sabha)
Dr.Manmohan Singh (Prime Minister of India)
Mr C.Rangarajan (Former Reserve Bank Governor and Current Economic Advisor to Prime Minister)
Mr Jaswant Singh (Former external affairs minister)
Mr Shivraj Patil (Union Home minister)
Mr N.R. Narayana Murthy (IT major Infosys founder)
Mr Rahul Bajaj (Prominent Industrialist, Rajya Sabha MP)
Dr Raghunath Mashelar (Prominent scientist, scientific advisor to the PM and former chief of the CSIR)
Mr H. D. Deve Gowda (Former Prime minister of India)
Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee (Former Prime minister of India)
Mr I.K. Gujral (Former Prime minister of India)
Mr V. P. Singh (Former Prime minister of India)
Mr N.D.Tiwari (Former Chief minister of Uttaranchal)
Dr Mrs Najma Heptullah (Former Rajya Sabha deputy speaker)
Mr A. M. Ahmadi (Former Chief Justice of India)
Mr V.N Khare (Former Chief Justice of India)
I lifted all this info from Wikipedia….. Shruti

An IIM asks: How will this campaign help?? WE cant vote for OUR Prez can we??

My Friend posted a query on the community:

sorry shruti u may scrm at this ques of mine but..can u tell me how can we affect the prez elections?how can we select our prez?as far as i know the prez elecs are not open to publc or are they?i know the ques is a bit silly at this juncture but i really need to know this?!for better understanding n participation in the cause!!

Here's the reply:

Hey Meet, take a humble bow n hugs from me first..No, it's a very valid question. I'm grateful that at least u are giving the praticalities and the feasibility of this venture a serious thought.here' s our Plan of action:We plan to mobilise public opinion---sensitize them to this fact : that we have presidential elections cmng up--kalam may leave n someone else -most probably a very underserving candid8 will replace him, coz that suits the interests of our ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES..kalam has been too noisy for their comfort...etc etc..we are going to utilise the media for this purpose--Radio, TV Print media etc etc--the big debate that we intend to initiate is :do we need a President in a Parliamentary democracy?? If YES, then shouldnt his election be influenced by the Public opinion...it is the public after all that spends A LOT OF MONEY to maintain his office.
Thing is: this will not allow the induction of any tom dick n harry as the next president of India, under the carpet. As we proceed, we shall keep posting the developmets n progress on the blog.Do keep checking on it.n do keep asking...we need your help and spirit of participation--now , more than ever!

A stitch in time saves Nine...

People often ask us: "Seriously, why are u soo very passionate about an issue which is virtually a non-issue ??
How on earth do u think the President is ever going to make a difference?
The Emergency era ended ages ago(*ahem*)...
what difference can his signing or not signing a bill make, really...what can be soo potentially Life Altering..?? "

Fair enough, these doubts...
I will answer these indirectly.

note the title of this post--- it contains the answer, though I can understand that at first it may sound like a far fetched idea.

All bloody revolutions that have occured in history did not take place overnight or because of a sudden realisation on the part of the revolutionaries that things were'nt RIGHT. The Final outburst is always the outcome of little disturbances...unrest...upsets ...SPARKS that are not ignited overnight but are stoked into a fire gradually.

Must we wait for the WORST to happen and only then let out a cry for action(in which case the action is bound to be reactionary and leading to violence)...
Prevention is better than cure, ain't it?..
Why not arm ourselves in advance? We all know that our elected representatives in the Parliament are always trying their best to do their worst n make merry on our flesh and blood...
We all feel strongly on the issue of Reservations(for or against it.. )
On communal, vote bank politics...dont we..
....
so then why do we not take appropriate steps as proactive and enlightened citizens of this nation, and look for ways n which we can make THEM work for OUR interests and not against them- something they actually get PAID FOR!!...

Now is the time to act.....it's not very apparent tho ....how do i make u see this ...wen everything appears to be going on so very smoothly in this nation....

I hope these words will initiate u into thinking:

"Remember, not every paradigm shift is announced by the thundering hoofbeats of the Four
Horsemen of the Apocalypse"

Uh-ohh was that lost on some of u...didn't make sense??
okay, in simpler words:

Not every case of social change or a fundamental change in society has to be dramatic, revolutionary, raectionary...OH-MY-GOD-dish..
ever heard of incremental change??? change that occurs in steps ...slowly n gradually ...over a stretch of time?? they say its the most stable n best method of social change coz it lasts in the long run...

So do ur bit, will you??

Plzz help us...
I am begging with outstretched arms ...we need your help!!!

Kanchan, Bhanu and I are completely on our own...n have faced nothing but pessimism n cynicism from all..except a few ppl..we need ur help....
Altho we do have a nice workable plan of action up our sleeve, we need help to implement it properly. We have initated the process already tho..
...if u think u can help us with some contacts in the media, or any other resources, ideas, suggestions...do get in touch with us. but mind u, ONLY IF U CAN help us out...we donot entertain unsolicited communication from passer-bys
for no good rhyme or reason...

Orkut users,
you can get back to me :

http://www.orkut.com/Home.aspx?xid=12738587387133738587

Or Kanchan :

http://www.orkut.com/Profile.aspx?uid=1302530135460693671

Or Bhanu :

http://www.orkut.com/Profile.aspx?uid=4641901893361415413

Or, if u r not on orkut...u can always get in touch with us at ignitedindianminds@gmail.com

Pls note that we are lesser mortals , nobodies really ...maybe some of u aren't all that NOBODY-ish....do come forward for this national cause...

at-her-ignited-best-Shruti

Who's The Boss...??....Angela...??....Tony....??

Scientists at the Rocket launching station in Thumba, were in the habitof working for nearly 12 to18 hours a day. There were about Seventy such scientists working on aproject. All the scientists were really frustrated due to the pressureof work and the demands of their boss but everyone was loyal to him anddid not think of quitting the job.One day, one scientist came to his boss and told him - Sir, I have
promised to my children that I will take them to the exhibition going onin our township. So I want to leave the office at 5 30 pm.His boss replied - O K, , You are permitted to leave the office earlytoday.The Scientist started working. He continued his work after lunch. Asusual he got involved to such an extent that he looked at his watch whenhe felt he was close to completion.The time was 8.30 p.mSuddenly he remembered of the promise he had given to his children. Helooked for his boss,,He was not there. Having told him in the morningitself, he closed everything and left for home.Deep within himself, he was feeling guilty for having disappointed hischildren.He reached home. Children were not there.His wife alone was sitting inthe hall and reading magazines. The situation was explosive, any talkwould boomerang on him.His wife asked him - Would you like to have coffee or shall I straightaway serve dinner if you are hungry.The man replied - If you would like to have coffee, i too will have butwhat about Children???Wife replied- You don't know - Your manager came at 5 15 p.m and hastaken the children to the exhibition.What had really happened wasThe boss who granted him permission was observing him working seriouslyat 5.00 p.m. He thought to himself, this person will not leave the work,but if he has promised his children they should enjoy the visit toexhibition. So he took the lead in taking them to exhibitionThe boss does not have to do it everytime. But once it is done, loyaltyis established.That is why all the scientists at Thumba continued to work under theirboss eventhough the stress was tremendous.

By the way , can you hazard a guess as to who the boss was????????


He was the president of India Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam.
See! what a gem of a man we have up there.......even if all of us do not unanimously agree with the idea of him going for a second term(though i cannot for the life of me understand why..)..we must make an effort to have someone who atleast lives upto the standards he has set,if not raise them..



~~heh heh ....!this had nothing to do with tony n angela.....
But lemme tell u.....zee cafe is having another re-run of the show these days,,at 6:30 p.m.~~

signing off..
KANCHAN

The Countdown has begun....

We have roughly a month to go...
People of India, NOW is the time!!
Speak Up ..for YOURSELF..
Do u want us to make this dramatic, emotionally appealing, with a lot of "!!!!!!!!"..."???????"..
n wat nots???
No, lets keep it straight and simple:
It's very easy to make urself heard- well, easier than u mite have thot or imagined.
alrite, for starters:
to learn abt the hows n whys of the AWARENESS CAMPAIGN read the first few posts...

to learn a bit abt president Kalam- the Person... read the last two(before this one of course)

n for a li'l bit of light reading, read "Misadventures Of two Ignited Indian Minds chronicled"...
just for an idea abt HOW this came abt....

Shruti

must read(and must reflect over it and then ACT...!) conversation......

An atheist professor of philosophy speaks to his class on the problem
science has with God, The Almighty. He asks one of his new students to
stand and.....
Prof : So you believe in God?
Student: Absolutely, sir.
Prof: Is God good?
Student: Sure.
Prof: Is God all-powerful?
Student: Yes.
Prof: My brother died of cancer even though he prayed to God to heal
him. Most of us would attempt to help others who are ill. But God
didn't.
How is this God good then? Hmm?
Student is silent.
Prof: You can't answer, can you?
Let's start again, young fellow. Is God good?
Student: Yes.
Prof: Is Satan good?
Student: No.
Prof: Where does Satan come from?
Student: From...God...
Prof: That's right. Tell me son, is there evil in this world?
Student: Yes.
Prof: Evil is everywhere, isn't it? And God did make everything.
Correct?
Student: Yes.
Prof: So who created evil?
Student does not answer.
Prof: Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All these
terrible things exist in the world, don't they?
Student: Yes, sir.
Prof: So, who created them?
Student has no answer.
Prof: Science says you have 5 senses you use to identify and observe
the world around you. Tell me, son...Have you ever seen God?
Student: No, sir.
Prof: Tell us if you have ever heard your God?
Student: No, sir.
Prof: Have you ever felt your God, tasted your God, smelt your God?
Have you ever had any sensory perception of God for that matter?
Student: No, sir. I'm afraid I haven't.
Prof: Yet you still believe in Him?
Student: Yes.
Prof: According to empirical, testable, demonstrable protocol, science
says your GOD doesn't exist. What do you say to that, son?
Student: Nothing. I only have my faith.
Prof: Yes Faith. And that is the problem science has.
Now the student said can I ask something to you Professor.
Student: Professor, is there such a thing as heat?
Prof: Yes.
Student : And is there such a thing as cold?
Prof: Yes.
Student: No sir. There isn't.
(The lecture theatre becomes very quiet with this turn of events.)
Student: Sir, you can have lots of heat, even more heat, superheat,
mega heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat. But we don't have
anything called cold. We can hit 458 degrees below zero which is no
heat, but
we can't go any further after that. There is no such thing as cold.
Cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot
measure cold. Heat is energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir,
just
the absence of it.
(There is pin-drop silence in the lecture theatre.)
Student: What about darkness, Professor? Is there such a thing as
darkness?
Prof: Yes. What is night if there isn't darkness?
Student: You're wrong again, sir. Darkness is the absence of something.
You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing light...
But if you have no light constantly, you have nothing and its called
darkness, isn't it? In reality, darkness isn't. If it were you would be
able to make darkness darker, wouldn't you?
Prof: So what is the point you are making, young man?
Student: Sir, my point is your philosophical premise is flawed.
Prof: Flawed? Can you explain how?
Student: Sir, you are working on the premise of duality. You argue
there is life and then there is death, a good God and a bad God. You
are
viewing the concept of God as something finite, something we can
measure.
Sir, science can't even explain a thought. It uses electricity and
magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one.
To
view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that
death cannot exist as a substantive thing. Death is not the opposite of
life: just the absence of it. Now tell me, Professor. Do you teach your
students that they evolved from a monkey?
Prof: If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, yes, of
course, I do.
Student: Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?
(The Professor shakes his head with a smile, beginning to realize where
the argument is going.)
Student: Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at
work and cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavor,
are
you not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you not a scientist but a
preacher?
(The class is in uproar.)
Student: Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the Professor's
brain?
(The class breaks out into laughter.)
Student: Is there anyone here who has ever heard the Professor's brain,
felt it, touched or smelt it? No one appears to have done so. So,
according to the established rules of empirical, stable, demonstrable
protocol, science says that you have no brain, sir. With all due
respect,
sir, how do we then trust your lectures, sir?
(The room is silent. The professor stares at the student, his face
unfathomable.)
Prof: I guess you'll have to take them on faith, son.
Student: That is it sir... The link betweithen man & god is FAITH. That is
all that keeps things moving & alive. .


WANT TO KNOW WHO THAT STUDENT WAS?


This is a true story, and the student was none other than


~~DR. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam~~

Faith is all that keeps things moving and alive..hmm..m sure this conversation had that~ "oh!wow!"...nod-nod...yes-yes...how true n how right..."effect on all of us..(psssssssssssstttt!!lemme tell u one thing though,,the first thought which entered this nincompoop's head was...i'll try out smthing of the sort with....~~ahem ahem~~....will serve him right..n shut his mouth all right...)..
so let us not stop at nodding and hmmm-ing n wowing......let us too have faith in the injured but not yet dead,,spirit of democracy..in ourselves n in the fact that..WE DESERVE BETTER..and put in our efforts collectively..

~~time-out~~
have to go and tax myself with tax.........
~~Kanchan~~