Darshi

Ex soldier. Temporary corporate stooge. Full time procastinator.

[AstroCounselKK 🇮🇳 @AstroCounselKK]

I am an Indian,
and everyone says I lack civic sense.

They can overturn cars, burn streets,
and vandalize a city after a championship game.
I dance at an airport excited about my first foreign trip, and suddenly I am the face of poor civic sense.

I am an Indian,
and everyone says I steal jobs.

They move factories across oceans,
shift profits through tax havens,
and automate entire industries overnight.
I study, compete, earn a visa, work 18 hours a day, sometimes multiple jobs and somehow I am the one stealing jobs and scamming the system.

I am an Indian,
and everyone says I am everywhere.

I build your software,
treat your illness,
teach your children,
drive your taxis,
and open your stores.
The world became a village,
yet my presence remains a problem.

I am an Indian,
and everyone says I am too loud.

The evening news screams outrage.
Political rallies shake entire cities.
The internet echoes with anger day and night.
I celebrate a wedding, a festival, a victory,
and I am told my joy is too loud.

I am an Indian,
and everyone says I smell of curry.

The world smells of gunpowder,
of hatred,
of division,
of endless arguments about race and religion.
I carry the fragrance of spices from my grandmother's kitchen,
and somehow that is what offends.

I am an Indian,
and everyone says I have no culture.

I come from a civilization that counted the stars
when much of the world was still learning maps.
I speak languages older than nations.
I celebrate hundreds of traditions,
yet I am told I have no culture.

I am an Indian,
and everyone says I am backward.

I send missions to the Moon.
I build vaccines for millions.
I run companies across continents.
Yet a viral video of one fool becomes evidence against a billion people.

I am an Indian,
and everyone says I worship celebrities.

I celebrate my favorite actor's success
with flowers, music, and a few glasses of milk.

Others worship influencers who sell outrage, turn every disagreement into a battlefield, and every opinion into a war.
Yet my celebration is the one that makes headlines.

I am an Indian,

and everyone says I gather in crowds.

We walk together in processions,
celebrating our faith, our culture, our traditions.

Everyone is welcome.
No shops are looted.
No neighborhoods are burned.
No one is threatened for thinking differently.

We sing.
We dance.
We pray.
And somehow our gathering becomes the problem.

I am an Indian,

and everyone says I bring my culture everywhere.

I light a lamp in a foreign land.
I wear a saree in the snow.
I teach my children the language of their grandparents.

Others build walls between neighbors,
argue endlessly over identity,
and forget where they came from.
Yet I am told I should leave my culture behind.

I am an Indian,

and everyone says I live in the past.

But my past gave me yoga,
mathematics, philosophy, meditation,
and the idea that the world is one family.

The future keeps borrowing from my past,
while telling me to be embarrassed by it.

I am an Indian,
and everyone says I should be ashamed.

Ashamed of my accent.
Ashamed of my food.
Ashamed of my festivals.
Ashamed of my traditions.
Ashamed of existing.

But I am not ashamed.

I am the child of farmers and philosophers,
scientists and saints, workers and dreamers.

I come from a land that taught the world
that truth can be many-sided,
that all paths deserve respect,
and that the entire world is one family.

Yes, we have flaws. Every nation does.

But judge me by my actions, not by your stereotypes.

For I am an Indian.

And before you tell me what is wrong with me, look honestly at what you have normalized in yourself.

For I am an Indian.

The world may mock my accent,
question my customs,
laugh at my celebrations,
and judge me through a thousand stereotypes.

Yet I stand tall.
For I belong to a civilization older than empires, a culture richer than prejudice, and a people whose spirit refuses to bend.

Jai Hind

[Amish Tripathi | Author | Broadcasting | History @authoramish]

Proto-Elamite?

The Pashupati seal has an elephant, a water buffalo and a rhinoceros. Ancient Elam was centred in southwestern Iran. Elephants, water buffalos and rhinoceroses are not native to ancient Elam. BTW, they are native to India. Also, the figure is seated in a Yogic posture. Is Yoga also Elamite now? Seriously?

Your profile says you are a professor. I don't mean to sound rude, but your students deserve a refund. And seriously, Western universities need to improve their hiring practices.

[Arnab Ray @greatbong]

https://t.co/Vysw7wBQ8I

[Opinion Bakery @IndiaSpeaksPR]

When you top the press freedom index, you get to be as racist as you want

[Shiv Aroor @ShivAroor]

Imagine being an American and having this view today 😂 A country that’s been humiliated in an unpopular war, zero leverage at talks, several ‘laundry fires’, ALL its Gulf Bases hit, $200 billion vaporised in losses etc, and Iran’s regime still standing.

“Head spinning” indeed.

[Amit Schandillia @Schandillia]

What about men?
What about Asaram?
What about Ram Rahim?
What about Hindu rapists?

Whatever helps deflect from the issue at hand. Why? Because the culprits are Asif and Tausif.

That’s how you earn your credentials as the “objective” commentator.

But god forbid it’s a Suresh tomorrow?

Will these Asifs and Tausifs come in handy? Of course not! This is where these outrage artists operate. Whataboutery is their only weapon.

You are a despicable human being, lady.

EVEN if a selective opportunist condemns a bad act, it remains a bad act. Asaram does not become innocent just because someone as selective as you condemns him, he remains a convicted rapist who shouldn’t even be alive for what he did.

When people do bad things, you call it bad without equivocation. That’s the moral thing to do. It’s called condemnation, not “frothing at the mouth.”

At the very least, pretend to have a moral compass?

Shame.

[Yashwant Deshmukh 🇮🇳 @YRDeshmukh]

Sanjay Bhai, I am neither a diplomat nor foreign affairs expert. I am just like other 99.9999% Indians, with below average understanding of foreign affairs. This is why I also end up reporting that overwhelming majority of Indians (including the BJP supporters) are sympathetic towards Iran against America and they have zero respect for what Trump says or stands for.

My daily trackers are also giving empirical evidence that 3 out of 4 indians trust old friend Russia rather than US. BUT more than 70% are also saying this is NOT our war and we should remain neutral. They say China is our bigger headache than Pakistan, and they absolutely do not believe that Pakistan has anything remotely to do with the word "Peace".

And yes, they do NOT feel that Pakistan has scored over India, because they don't think Pakistan can be taken seriously in anything that requires even a token of sincerity. This is what the common man thinks, and my job is just to report that. My personal bias comes from whatever the public numbers tell me.

You are right, all these positions lack nuance and subtle sophistication of foreign policy speak. I might be missing the woods for the trees in international diplomacy for sure. But I am generally spot on reading the public sentiment, and that tells me that majority of Indians do not like to be pushed to consume the narrative that Pakistan has scored over India, that too with a gleeful smile.

These uneducated unsophisticated lot of Indians might even appreciate that narrative, if it was true. But I just don't know how these buggers just manage to see through the not-so-subtle happiness that some in the ecosystem reserve for bashing our foreign policies and leadership in such scenarios.

Rest assured, I am always willing to learn what the data wants to teach me.

[GhoseSpot @TheRightGhose]

.@GargiRawat The other way of looking at it is the population of Austria or Switzerland were added to a single state of India. Not sure which is worse depending on the facts of the case. #WestBengalElections

[Priyanka @prinstaz]

A distinctly unsophisticated Lt Gen has been reduced to being a downmarket engagement farmer.

[Darshi @amidarshi]

@George90017 The Armed Forces is but a representation of the people of the country - you get all kinds… The gentlemen in question here wasn’t very different while he was in uniform either- that his thoughts have gotten this far extreme doesn’t surprise me either.

[Rama Seshan Chandrasekaran @maa_bhaishiiH]

Dhurandhar didn’t show how to solve climate change. Dhurandhar didn’t show how to solve the Navier-Stokes equation. Dhurandhar didn’t show how to build a grand unified theory. Dhurandhar didn’t show how to design efficient recuperators to reuse exhaust gas energy to preheat intake air in heat engines. Dhurandhar didn’t show how to integrate variable energy sources into the conventional power grid. Dhurandhar didn’t show how to efficiently solve and get the transient solutions of coupled swing equations in high dimensional complex power networks involving synchronous generators. Dhurandhar didn’t show how to solve the problem of maintaining genetic stability of optimized microbial strains during long-term industrial fermentation. Dhurandhar didn’t even show how to make a decent cup of filter coffee. All Dhurandhar showed was just a feel-good fantasy ; exactly the thing that movies are not supposed to do, so that we should not escape reality for 3.5 hours and instead continue doom-scrolling. Let making good fantasies be reserved only for scientists and only leftist intellectuals are supposed to lecture to the rest of us about it from their AC room.

What a cope, get a life man !!!

[Maj Manik M Jolly,SM @Manik_M_Jolly]

The unknown men in Pakistan exist.

You may believe it or not.
A few know about them.
A handful manage them.

And those who have met them that side of border, didn’t live to tell the story.

The country has no idea how much effort and risk goes into keeping all of us safe. That’s why #Dhurandhar is important.

[Media Expose @MediaExpose_]

Arvind, Let THAT sink in, you two-bit darbari journalist.

A decorated IPS officer who survived multiple militant ambushes in Kashmir — losing a finger in one attack while protecting the nation — coordinates an open letter signed by 84 former bureaucrats, 116 armed forces veterans, 4 senior advocates & others. And your big takeaway? ‘They want Rahul Gandhi to apologise for having tea and biscuits on Parliament steps.’ 🤦🏻‍♂️

SP Vaid, IPS (1986 batch, J&K cadre, Former DGP J&K 2016-18) isn’t some random uncle.

• Survived 4 militant attacks in 1990 alone.
• President’s Police Medal for Distinguished Service (2010).
• Police Medal for Gallantry.
• COAS Commendation Card.
• Police Medal for Meritorious Service.
• Fought Naxals in CRPF. Served as SP Badgam during peak militancy.

Topped international commanders’ course in UK.

This is a man who risked his life for decades so Parliament could function. Now he’s speaking up because Rahul Gandhi & Co. deliberately defied the Speaker’s explicit order banning protests/demonstrations in Parliament precincts (stairs, corridors, lobbies included — long-standing convention).

They turned the steps into a political theatre prop with tea & biscuits for spectacle. Not casual chai — calculated arrogance that treats the “temple of democracy” like a picnic spot.

The letter (which you screenshot but clearly didn’t read) calls out exactly what the Constitution demands: propriety, restraint, institutional respect.

Parliament isn’t a stage for LoP’s repeated theatrics that waste public time & damage India’s global image.

But you, Arvind? Instead of questioning why Congress is disrupting the Budget session, why LoP is lowering discourse to chapri-level entitlement, why the Opposition is spitting on the dignity of 1.4 billion people’s sovereign will… you mock a national hero officer and his fellow patriots.

Typical NDTV JNU-style darbari journalism: protect the dynast, attack anyone upholding institutions. Next time, try questioning Rahul’s privilege instead of mocking officers who actually served the country you claim to report on.

SP Vaid & every signatory deserve respect.

You? Just another two-bit court jester defending the circus.

[J.K. Rowling @jk_rowling]

Yes.

[Sandeep Ahlawat @SandyAhlawat89]

Mr whoever, before you attempt to sermonize on morality…at least acquaint yourself with facts.

➡️You mocked a serving Army officer at a toll plaza. Let’s begin there. A serving officer of the Indian Army, a man who has signed up for unlimited liability…which means he pledges his life to the nation without bargaining terms. His salary is not charity. It is his lawful entitlement in exchange for a profession where the ultimate price is death... Sneering at his pay (1L -2L) reflects more about your mindset than about his service.

➡️Then you chose to comment on the SUV he drives as though you personally financed it….Officers take bank loans like any other citizen. They pay EMIs…They manage households and live within their means. Owning a car is not a crime, it is not a moral failing as was depicted by you… The attempt to insinuate privilege simply because he wears a uniform is shallow.

➡️You called him “off-duty.” That statement alone exposes ignorance….The Supreme Court has already clarified in multiple contexts that a member of the Armed Forces is never truly off duty in the way civilians understand it. A soldier remains bound by service law, conduct rules & operational recall at all times. Make yourself wise…that on leave he remains subject to military discipline and can be called back at a moment’s notice. Words matter…,Use them responsibly.

➡️Then comes the toll narrative. He did not refuse to pay toll. He was interacting with the toll staff and asserting what he believed to be his lawful position. Whether one agrees with him or not, there is a difference between a discussion and a refusal. That distinction seems to have been conveniently erased to create outrage….not too sure how were you benefited?

You further said, “I hope the top brass is watching.” What exactly were you implying? That a serving officer should be intimidated publicly? That engaging in a disagreement at a toll booth is some grave misconduct? If you have an allegation…state it clearly. If not, vague insinuations only reveal malice…what did you earn by all this?

➡️And calling what the officer and his wife were doing “nonsense”? That choice of language betrays intent….Criticism is one thing. Demeaning tone directed at uniformed personnel and their families is quite another….who paid you for doing all this? Were you seeking followers?

Disagreement is healthy in a democracy, mockery without facts is not….Critique policy, critique rules, critique systems …but do not distort events and then manufacture moral superiority.

If you are going to quote someone, quote them with context. If you are going to question a soldier’s conduct, do so with evidence…. if you are going to speak of honor, understand first what it means to sign a document that binds you to unlimited liability in service of the nation….too much for you??

Debate honestly…..Or don’t debate at all.

[Darshi @amidarshi]

@ROLEX Bucherer Bahnhofstrasse — Where "Luxury Service" apparently has a Colour Filter

I walked into Bucherer on Bahnhofstrasse with genuine intent to purchase. What I experienced instead was a masterclass in racial profiling, disguised under the thin veneer of luxury retail.

Upon arrival, I was asked to be seated — which I did, politely and patiently. Moments later, I was told to "just go away." No explanation. No apology. No acknowledgment that I was a human being who had been invited to sit down less than a minute earlier. The apparent reason? Another client was being served coffee nearby, and my presence — my mere existence in that space — was somehow deemed an inconvenience.

Let that sink in. I was not being disruptive. I was not being difficult. I was sitting where I had been asked to sit. And I was told to leave.

This is the Rolex dealership counter, by the way — a brand that loudly markets itself on aspiration, achievement, and excellence. The irony of being racially profiled in a store selling watches that people buy to mark their greatest accomplishments is not lost on me.

What is most damning is not even the initial act — unconscious bias exists, and the luxury retail sector has a well-documented problem with it. What is unforgivable is the complete absence of any attempt to acknowledge, correct, or apologise for what happened. No manager appeared. No staff member offered a word of explanation. Nothing. The message was clear: certain customers are not welcome here, and Bucherer has no interest in pretending otherwise.

Bucherer markets itself on values of trust, integrity, and exceptional service. These are not just words on a website — they are a promise to every person who walks through that door. That promise was broken, deliberately and without remorse.

If you look like me & have a coloured skin, save yourself the humiliation. And if you are a Rolex or Bucherer executive reading this — your staff did not have an off day. They made a choice. The question is whether you will.

[Darshi @amidarshi]

@free_thinker Errr….no.

[Amit Schandillia @Schandillia]

@talk2anuradha To the incompetent, merit is bound to seem unfair. The incompetent feels entitled to the rewards without the efforts. Who better to illustrate entitlement than a dynast who feels entitled to the country’s votes without the acumen?

[Darshi @amidarshi]

@TaylorRMarshall Yes.

[Darshi @amidarshi]

@Manik_M_Jolly Officer par excellence. Our DS at OTA (& Adjt for a short time), he laft an indelible mark on all of us. Om Shanti 🙏🏼