Sunday Scribblings - "I knew instantly..."

When the teacher taught us fractions, and called on me to write the result of 2/3 divided by 1/4 on the blackboard, I knew instantly – mathematics was not my forte.

When the teacher taught us about governance and panchayats and zila parishads and other things incomprehensibly boring, I knew instantly – civics was not my forte.

When the teacher taught us about the laws of physics, the properties of chemicals and the facts of biology, I knew instantly – science was not my forte.

When the teacher taught us the rules of accountancy, both American and British, and asked us to balance the books, I knew instantly – accountancy was not my forte.

When the teacher taught us the principles of economics and I fell asleep in class, woken by an accurately thrown piece of chalk, I knew instantly – economics was not my forte.

BUT… when the teacher told us to write a 100-word paragraph describing a day after a rainstorm and I handed in an effortless 500-word essay, I knew instantly – I had finally discovered my forte.

The evil without?

“It is understood that US envoys have made clear that India ought to be able to strike at suspected terror camps if Pakistan fails to move against them.”

That final sentence from an article in The Independent online made me blink. How very kind of the US to worry so much about the terrorist attacks in Bombay. How marvelous to know that it is leading the international pressure on Pakistan to crack down on the terrorists. And, most of all, how magnanimous of the US to say that India ought to bomb suspected terror camps in Pakistan! (shades of Simi Garewal, perhaps? Her idea? Their idea? Who knows!) After all, exactly what India - and the world - needs in these times to take attention away from the worldwide economic meltdown is a fresh new war in this region (Afghanistan? Old news, m'dears. Do try to keep up.)

Right?