tOn 28th sept. the third straw poll conducted by the 15-member United Nations Security Council to decide who leads the pack among the seven candidates in the race for the UN Secretary General's post.
In it India's Shashi Tharoor continued to remain in the second place, behind South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-Moon, and the informal selection process will be repeated on Monday.However, an investigation by The Times, London, has revealed that there is more to Ban's lead in the race.According to the newspaper, South Korea has pledged millions of dollars in aid and offered other incentives to UNSC members to secure its candidate's position.
For example-In March Seoul trebled its aid to Africa to $100 million, apart from sponsoring the African Union summit in Gambia in July with tens of thousands of pounds.Tanzania got $18 million for education ,some projects for infrastructre and in return Ben got support.Pery got a grand Paino and a cooperation agreement.Greece, another UNSC member, was not left out. This month Ban was part of South Korean President Roh's delegation to visit the European nation, the senior-most delegation to do so in 45 years. The two nations have signed pacts on trade, tourism and maritime transport.Good Example of "Aid" with strings attached.
However South Korea has quickly denied the allegations but there is more to it than meets the eye.One should not forget that Ben ,a career diplomat is a foreign affairs veteran involved with peace negotiations with north korea.He seems to be putting his skills to greater use.
India is a founding member and follower of Non -Aligned movement ,so it has not restorted to carrot and stick policy.Moreover India has been the true friend of African countries in all hours of crisis be it supporting Nelson Mandela during Apartheid.
Recently during Tsunmai it was India who despite been devasted by Tsunami ,rushed help to all affectd countries with in hours and declined international aid and even donated money for Katrina relief.
Gathering support for the UNO post is just ,wish the means employed were also just and fair.
Its a humble request to support a candidate on basis of merit and not aid and may the best win on "just votes".

Every now and then, we come across those who break free of restrictions placed upon them by their families and marry outside their communities and against their parents' wishes. These people marry for love, where issues such as caste and creed are of absolutely no importance.
In urban India there have been cases inter caste arranged marraiges.In this changing scenario a shocking case came to light.Moni ,a hindu ,26 years old, married a muslim, Sahnawz.Soon after
marraige they plan a family and are happily waiting the arrival of their child when their world shatters.
A local fundamental organisation files a FIR in police station stating that Moni was abducted ,raped and forcibly married to Shanawaz.The couple is produced in court and Moni denies all charges.Her husband is set free but there lies the twist in tale.The organisation abducts Moni and take her to Delhi,pressurise her for dissloving her marriage.She manages to escape from the forced house arrest ,reaches national news channel,AajTak and their story is broadcast on national tv.Both Husband and wife are reunited with police protection.King Akbar marreid Jodhabai and theirs was a
happy marriage.So where are we heading now.

I came across this case in Zee news.Kamlesh and Rajbir are childhood sweethearts.They grew up together and got married. nothing wrong with that they hail from a conservative village in Haryana,Rajbir and Kamlesh dont belong to the same caste and love marraige is a taboo in the viallage.Result- The couple is constantly been harrased by Kamlesh's family and they are forced to live in a car and fear for their life.
Is falling in love and marrying your love a crime?i hope not.Then why the stigma attached to it.

what is happiness? this question made me think of the time when i was the most happiets. i realised my best memories are of the time when i had limited meaterial possessions.this amazed me completely.i also raelised after fulfillment of one wish we desire for fulfillment of another wish and a vicious circle forms.There is no end to our desires.
Example- a young girl wants to grow up into a woman.When she grows up she wants to get married.after marraige one wants a child,a happy home and realted luxuries. in running after one or other desire/thing that woman forgets to live.Her life is spend in running a house ,raising kids and also managing a career,if she is woking.A lot of woman work not out of their want but for monetary contribution that they can made to the household budget.Then they also raelise it gived them soem respect and say in finances.but is the toil worth it? difficult to answer.Imagine you have spend your life raising your kids and one day they turn to say "what you have done for me Mom."
But life goes on.And we dont know what to do?are we really happy?

In school ,one was always taught that Democracy is best form of popular rule and millitry coups symbolises routing of democractic institutions.In last one decade there have been three coups in Asia. First was is pakistan when General Musharaff seized power from Nawaz sharif government ,in second in Nepal-King Gyandera tried to install his tumb of rule but has been ousted from power and the most recent has been the bloodless coup in Thailand which ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and did not come as a complete surprise to many close observers of Thai politics. In fact, many anti-Thaksin protestors would agree with the coup makers, or the Democratic Reform Council (DRC), that it was a military coup by "invitation.A paralyzed Parliament. Unbridled executive power. However Thaskin is bidding his time to lauch his salvo.
The mainstream mass media acting as a lapdog but masquerading as a watchdog. Independent agencies that possess neither independence nor agency. An eclipsed public. These are just some of the undemocratic phenomena in Thailand under Thaksin.In this context, it is not surprising that many Thais "invited" the coup d'etat, seeing it as a breath of fresh air ,somuch so that many Thais after coup endorsemnt by King Bhumibol Adulyadej have displayed yellow color ,color of royalty and have gone to work as if nothing has happened.No or little protests have taken place.Are Thais
showing full faith in Army aginst Thaskin or is this due to respect to the reigning King.Many Thais have described this as the friendliest coup this country has ever seen. Thailand has a history of violent military coups, and the last one in 1991 ended with at least 50 pro-democracy demonstrators gunned down in Bangkok.This is quite different from the days of Emergency in India in 1970's when whole opposition and media took to streets protesting oppression of democracy.
This has made me think -so are there more option of better goverance for Asian and African countries besides Democaracy.Or is democaracy more suited for geograhically big nations? or is dictatorship the answer to corrupt democartic government?