Peter Scot's blog

Click here to read the article "Liquor-free state tourism dept's new mantra" in Times of India

Lets have a some "Jal Jeera Shots". Bottoms up and let that fart out!

It hasn't happened until now, so what makes these idiots think people from around the world will drop into Gujarat to have some "chhas" and "bajri nu rotlu"? This article quotes the head of Tourism Corporation of Gujarat saying "A vast range of vegetarian food and non-alcoholic drinks ranging from butter milk to €˜jaljira' and mango juice can attract tourists from across the world". How did this guy become the head of tourism department of a state with 50 million people, he's not competent to run a restaurant if he's going to stick to Jaljira and butter milk". People don't go to Israel to have kosher food even though it stands a heck of a lot more chance than the fart-relieving jaljeera.  Gujarat, as a destination, doesn't stand a chance to attract anyone to come here with such a thoughtless tourism agenda.

Gandhi was an individual, so was Mohammad, Allah, Buddha, Mahaveer, Jesus.... some of the individuals who have been credited with starting a religion... Islam, Buddhism, Judaism, etc. Yet, Gandhi's distinction comes from being one of the few to have earned the "ism" after his name in the 20th century. I hesitate to name the others but suffice it to say that the human race had enough collective wisdom to realize by then that "gods" were capable of making mistakes and did so, and were not "complete" and perfect, something for which we pay the price in every religion.

Gandhi was, indeed, a great human being - and the world is a better place for he lived in it. Yet, are Gandhians ever capable of being as great or even aspiring to be as great as him if they don't have the freedom to question him? Are all muslims capable of being as intelligent and wise as the prophet Mohammed himself, if they must live by the strict codes Mohammed preached? Are all Jains deserving of putting themselves on the same pedestal as Mahaveer without going through the self-discovery he did? If not, aren't we merely relegating ourselves to the level of blind followers if we don't have the freedom to reason with their choices? After all, how many muslims you know following buddhism and how many gujaratis you know following Christianity? I, for one, know none, but I do know everyone claims their religious to be the most noble. Almost all follow what we are born into, and you and I very well could have been born black, brown, christian, buddist or a nomad (or an animal for that matter). Wouldn't any of these intellectuals have been strongly against blind faith, which denies the precious human liberty to reason and freedom to choose? It is my opinion that religious heads were leaders who understood, in the absence of law and order, that the only way to unite humankind is to play on their conscience... aka sin. But Gandhi was on a threshold - he saw law and order, and I add freedom, within grasp but not given, so with the goodness of his heart he set about to unite all the different flavors, religions and colors of his motherland - India and set about to capture that freedom from the oppressor and share with the rest of his kin.