PAKISTAN-BREAKING UP IN PIECES

No prizes for guessing the five parts of future Pakistan
will be called what, and controlled by whom in this map
floating on the net.

If ever there was a case of helping Pakistan, it is now... Zardari has said today Taliban has surrounded swat and is growing in power, it paints a grim scenario. Taliban is a great danger to India, while a stable Pakistan is a buffer.

Pakistan politicians have shot themselves in the foot over Mumbai attacks. They have appeared foolish in their statements and approach and lost the trust of the world as well as their own people, even today they have made a very foolish demand of India handing over Kasab to them, whoever is thinking in Pakistan establishment is an idiot and playing into hands of India, they must ask themselves...what if India hands over Kasab, and prior to handing over Kasab asks them to take the dead bodies of the rest of the terrorist! Also if India refuses and instead world asks Pakistan to hand the terrorists to India, this government will never be voted by the public again.

Pakistan is acting belligerent, one is reminded of the Iraqi spokesman who said when US forces reached Baghdad, that Iraq will annihilate them. Pakistan is not facing the reality today. Though it's in a rather grim situation, this is something Pakistan has brought upon itself, and has to swallow a crow to admit it. Non state actor policy of Pakistan has taken 61 years to be exposed.

Lal Bahadur Shastri brought this Non state actor policy in open in 1965, his communications to UN are a testimony to the fact. India quickly replied in Kind only six years later when it used this same policy to dismember Pakistan. It was here there should have been a realization in Pakistan to change approach, but they blindly followed the military dictate, so while Lal Bahadur Shashtri was signing agreements pertaining to Kutch, Military was planning Invasion in 1965, and while Atal Bihari was signing peace accord in Lahore, military was planning Kargil.

Military has idiotically ruined Pakistan, it's arms race has ruined the economy of Pakistan and policies has made it a laughing stock in the world, and today Pakistan is on brink of a disaster, a civil war threatens to dismember the state further.

That Pakistan has a nuclear deterrent is not an issue, the issue is are these nukes safe or they can fall in hands of terrorists. Lot of people are claiming victory with Pakistan down on knees. However we should not gloat over it, Pakistan military is at it's weakest at the moment, you never know what kind of madcap adventure it might undertake, Pakistan is imploding, its crumbling from within, strict world opinion has rendered it's mass of trained terrorists against their own motherland.

The civil society of Pakistan is pleading for sanity and is puzzled at turn of events, if there ever was a time when they should rise, it's now, let the Pakistani army sent back to barracks and independent UN forces brought in to tackle the menace, this would have happened but for Pakistani fears that UN forces will capture nukes.

Let it be understood, nukes will not be left with Pakistan to fall in hands of terrorists, if they don't rise up now, a time will come when suddenly one` day world's forces will be swarming in Pakistan to save it's sovereignty, and save it from being dismembered, but that will come at a cost, Pakistan will not like, so can they be sane today! They need help...all they have to do is raise their hands up.

Magical Mallesh Narredu

On Left, Mallesh Narredu winning on wonder filly 'Set Alight'.

As the Mumbai season began, one notable absence was that of Mallesh Narredu, absurd thing is that public in general think that foreign jockeys are far ahead and our jockeys are inferior. Nothing can be further than the truth, Mallesh is the best in business and if he is on a decent horse he can win on any track of this planet.

Amongst all racing Jockey icons, I have seen Aslam Kader, Pesi & Mallesh being idolized and even booed when they return after winning or losing on a favorite, the crowd mentality is such that they gloat when they win and take out their ire when they lose, Aslam had a very deft style of handling his mounts, he was assured and had such powerful forearms that he could urge a horse only with loosening his grip. Pesi was always a darling of the Mahalaxmi crowds, he rode strongly, only Bajrang Singh in his hey days matched the strenght Pesi lent to the saddle, but even Pesi was given choicest of swear words when he lost on 40/100 favorites like white lightening, but Pesi had a very endearing quality, he usually looked towards the crowds in the first enclousure when he was sure of winning and crowds took it as a signal and went and backed his horse as much as they could, and they profited. Mallesh is a combination of the two Icons, deft handler and strong rider.

Mallesh and his family have grown with racing in India, trainers & jockeys and they all are doing well, disparaging remarks about Mallesh are uncalled for. I remember two incidents, one was of 'happy diamonds' in 1991 this filly top weight in class three opened at odds on choice and rose up to 3-1 in the ring, if there ever was a negative horse according to trends, then 'happy diamonds' had lost the race in the ring itself. The punters who had backed the filly at short odds were disparaging about Mallesh in their remarks and crowds were venting their ire even as the stalling was in progress.

What happened? 'Happy Diamonds' jumped out well (Most in the crowds had predicted it would be left standing in the gates) Then 'happy Diamonds' broke away from the field, and hit the front in a 1400 MT race, and in the home stretch when Mallesh saw other horses coming up, he just nudged the filly deftly, and she galloped away, a light crack of the whip and she passed winning post distance ahead. For once he was greeted with deathly silence and muted admiration by all those who couple of minutes before were swearing at him. After the horse was led in, as Mallesh dismounted, few heard him say, this filly will win on a trot till top weight in class I, needless to say it 'happened'.

In 1992 mallesh was given a mount by a small time trainer on a ageing and injured horse who was the best sprinter not so long ago in western India, the horse was "Wanderlust, this horse was carrying top weight of 63.5 KG's in class I , 'Wanderlust was suffering with joint and shin problems, however Mallesh who had worked the horse promised, he will win, and what a race it ran, it's etched in my memory forever, 'Wanderlust led from the start, at the business end of the race it was a cavalry charge, all horses from left right and centre were getting ahead of the 'Wanderlust', and then Mallesh displayed some fine strong ridership, he extracted every bit of strenght from a horse, about whom all & sundry had predicted that would never win again, but Wanderlust won by 1/2 a length,that was the last win of 'Wanderlust', but also his best, and at most lucrative odds of his career, no doubt the horse had a great heart, but had immense pain in his legs and only Mallesh was responsible for riding it to an improbable victory, I don't know yet how he made a broken down horse win, that too as top weight in class I, if their is something like ridership, that was it and on display for all to see, and even today we come accross many wonderful displays of jockeyship of Mallesh.

Mallesh a youngster then has gone from strenght to strenght, I know a old gentleman, a race course regular, who plays nothing but Mallesh Narredu's mounts, he has established a good busines with his earnings, Mallesh on longer odds means this gentleman increases his best, and in Pune 2008 he made huge money on 10-1 hidden dragon'. 10-1 'Mountain King' and 10-1 'Aggasiz'. Today Mallesh has transformed into a brand, he is the best, and his contribution to racing is no less than any other racing icon in India,.

In races you win some and lose some, even foriegn imports will lose many races at Mahalaxmi this year but then that wouldn't make them bad jockeys? Frankly, Mallesh is our biggest racing Icon and we must respect him, it's he who is a crowd puller and he & his family are doing an yeoman's service to Indian racing. Such a sad thing, not a single Jockey so far has won a Padma award, i hope Mallesh is the first.