Dheeraj Kalgutkar

वो जो हरा भरा है वो जहां झील है तालाब है साफ़ पानी है, स्वच्छ नदी है पशु है, पेड़ है, इन्सान भी है वह कश्मीर है वह शांत है, वह नॉर्मल है कश्मीरी खुश है वे खुश है ये जानेबगैर कि ख़ुशी की बात क्या है। उनके न फोन चल रहे है ना वाट्सेप है, ना इन्टरनेट पर वे खुश है वे अपने परिवारवालों से बात नहीं कर पा रहे हैं वे ईद की रोज अपनों से गले नहीं मिल पा रहे है पर वे खुश है। उन्होंने अपने दरवाज़े बंद रखे है वे शायद हम से बात करना नहीं चाहते उन्होंने अपने घर के सामने सेक्यूरिटी लगाया है हर दस कश्मीरियों के लिए एक टीप-टाप कपड़े पहने बंदूकधारी है जो हर तरफ निगरानी रखे हुए हैं वे रोकते है हमे कश्मीरियों से बात करने से वे टोकते है उनके पोस्ट है हर पचास कदम पे वे बताते है आपको कौनसा रस्ता लेना है बिना आपसे पूछे कि आपको कहा जाना है गुलमर्ग कभी दायें आता है तो कभी बाये अस्पताल में एक छोटी लड़की आयी है उसके आँखों पर अभी पट्टी बंधी हुई है न जाने क्यूँ उसने अपने ही आँखों में पत्थर डाल लिए है बाकी कश्मीर में शांति है टीवीवाले कह रहे है अब कश्मीर उनका है किनका है? उनका है। वे कह रहे है कि अब वह यहां अपनी ज...

Politicians may believe, people may believe but journalists should never take anyone on face value, not even army. Their only ally is truth and truth alone. We seem to have forgotten the basic principles of journalism all along and have comfortably turned ourselves into the extension of government in power. Would you believe if someone tomorrow came to you and claimed he slapped another guy? If this supposed event occurred inside closed doors, probably one will seek proof now that the guy you claim you’ve slapped is denying it. Second, if there is no proof, then you may pass the information as hearsay that he claims he “slapped” the other guy which is perfectly legitimate statement. But nowhere you are supposed to claim the authenticity of the “slap” by yourself if you are a neutral authority whose sole aim is to bring out the truth and call people’s bluff; that is if you are a journalist. If you are a politician, a friend of the party who “slapped” then that’s an altogether ...

In a recent attack on an army camp in Uri, Kashmir, India by 4 terrorists, 18 army soldiers have lost their lives. Many are injured. In January this year, we had lost 7 army personnels and 1 civilian in another terror attack which is better known today as Pathankot Attack . Before that there were other attacks and other deaths. How easy to sum things up right? State there is attack, numbers of people died, give attack a name, you’re done. And yes, add RIP or ‘my thoughts go out to’ or better ‘bomb Pakistan’, etc. If you are from government, then you’re in for luck. You express yourself in certain templates, if you are Prime Minister you tweet this. We strongly condemn the cowardly terror attack in Uri. I assure the nation that those behind this despicable attack will not go unpunished. — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 18, 2016 We strongly condemn because last time we only ‘condemned’. Plain simple condemn without stressing it ‘strong’. Make ...

Yesterday, while I was having dinner with my mum, a sudden sound, loud one that was only a whisper a while ago startled us. It was from our neighbors, the middle-aged couple just next to our home who daily bad mouthed one or the other living being had zeroed on my dad today. They were doing all sort of gaali-galauz to my father over a piece of land that lay between our homes. Every fortnight there will be quarrels over who owns it. In fact it will be fueled when someone places some thing on that piece of land; history will be evoked, dead forefathers will be brought from the grave, the battle will be on. But now they had crossed the line (did they?) by foul mouthing my dad... And thus began a battle at night that will end past midnight with a hoard of spectators around! Pause a bit. Now imagine if something similar happens to you, that your neighbor starts to bad mouth about your home, your people. Won't you be agitated? Won't you go fight them? Or will you keep quite? ...

His subordinates are taking his silence as tacit approval The Indian Prime Minister who was till now silent on growing intolerance in the nation and recent lynching to death of a Muslim citizen over rumors of beef eating has finally broken his silence for good. “Dadri incident or the incident against the Pakistani singer is sad and unwelcome. But what is the role of the central government in it?” the Prime Minister asked. PM is right in asking such an question, it was not under the jurisdiction of Centre government that these incidents occurred, but is there nothing that he could have done to ease the tension that prevailed aftermath of it? For those who are unaware of latest turn of events in India, a 50-year-old man, Mohammad Akhlaq, was beaten to death and his 22-year-old son severely injured on a dreadful night in UP’s Dadri, allegedly by residents of Bisara village, after rumors spread in the area about the family storing and c...

Peace prize for two nations in unison who are at war with each other at borders is no less than a brutal irony on face of both... Just when I was posting tweets and updates on my social networking portals, a friend who had switched on his TV after getting the news of India-Pakistan sharing together the Nobel peace called me to ask who this Kailash Satyarthi is! Add to it, he was furious. Furious because in his views, 'International Community' was trying to 'shame' India by over-exposing its problems; they were trying to shift the focus from strong and powerful government, development, PM's successful American visit to this old embarrassing problems! I was surprised for sure but more so because he didn’t for single second asked me about who Malala is! Okay. Let's face it. We, including me, know very less or nothing about the Satyarthi's who work in dark without the wish and hopes of spotlights. We know about Malala Yousufzay, after all the ne...

Dear Manmohan Singh, It was nice to see you in glass cubicle at Red Fort from where Prime Minister of this largest democracy address its citizens on the occasion of Independence day. I wondered primarily what in the name of god you were doing there! Isn't it supposed to be Prime Minister of India who shall address the gathering of people who sit there? May be madam ji had problems with her script or was it the fear of Narendra Modi that kept her away... I believe it's the later one as Singh saab too was reading from a neatly written placard rather from his mind. Sorry, sorry sir, I simply forgot; mind is meant for clever, decisive people! Why would someone who listens blindly to dumb orders need that stuff in one's head? Makes sense! Sir, my apologies to you. I never bothered to listen into what you try to decipher from that secure cubicle. Are you feared regarding your life on Indian soil, sir? But why? Don't we roam on streets equipped with nothing, y...

Anticipated 2013 has not begun so well for the world. Be it Syrian outrage, hostage crisis or banning a class apart film, making fuss out of an interview at home turf. Some people for sure are getting intolerable! An actor not just known penchantly but reckoned with worldwide fervour provides one first person interview to a magazine and whole lot of things develop. Shah Rukh Khan in an interview which actually was in connection with the 9/11 attacks states that because of his last name which falls in security list of Airport officials of many western countries, he has been caught up in vivid problems. Real drama was yet to unfold! Khan gets associated with Muslim - an islamic religion which again somehow catches eyeballs of Pakistan. Some nemesis like 26/11 mastermind Hafeez Saeed jump the gun and invites SRK into Pakistan citing more safer environment in Pak! One wonders with SAFER PAKISTAN!! Is it really safer? World knows better... His statement irks Indian states ...