I love to repeat this anecdote and many must be knowing it but I am still going ahead and writing it one more time... 😬
On the 8th of October 2001 morning, when I picked up daily Gujarati news paper Gu-Samachar at my Mumbai residence, I saw picture of the new CM of Gujarat taking the oath by name Narendra Modi. This was a completely new name for me. Even though I wasn't actively interested in politics, I could recognize names of important politicians including those few prominent ones from Gujarat. This name of Narendra Modi was heard by me for the first time and that too he just took the oath of the CM!
I was baffled and so called a very close relative who was resident of Gujarat unlike me and was very active RSS and BJP member.
I asked him -"Who is this Narendra Modi??"
He:" He is well known in our RSS, BJP circles but not famous in general masses, especially outside of Gujarat"
conversation ended.
Fast forward to the 2nd half of 2013 when Modi ji was already declared as BJP's PM candidate.
Me: What you think of Modi and Shah. Will they both be successful pan Bharat in winning general elections?
He: Politicians of Gujarat congress know it too well as to what these two guys are and How they fight elections! Unka jeena haram karke rakha hai! All these politicians and parties of Bharat still do not know what these two people are...what is their capabilities...Once they'll start election campaign across Bharat, no one in the opposition will have any answer to stop them!
and words of my relative proved prophetic! completely true over years to my super delight! our super delight!
Looking at that healing #wound, as a surgeon, I can only imagine the #pain and #concussion that Captain Smit endured 🥲
Most people would pass out for a few minutes by a single hit on the back of the head by a blunt object
He sustained multiple hits with a rescue axe, not only #persisted with maintaining consciousness but remained #vigilant enough to choose the right opportunity to open the door and saved not only the lives onboard but also protected the Name of #India and #Indians
#Proud of you sir.
Jai Bajrang Bali
#CaptainSmit
#UAE
#OrderOfZayed
#Respect
Rarely tweet at this time.
When my sleep got disturbed, I looked at the phone.
Microsoft is laying off 60,000 employees, 27% of its workforce across the world. This includes India as well.
The term used is Voluntary Exit Offers (VEOs).
Mails are already out to these employees.
They are offered some separation benefits and asked to leave.
Usually what happens in the industry is that if they don’t accept the voluntary exit offer, they are subsequently laid off. When you get laid off, separation benefits are not provided.
Though called voluntary, in all likelihood these 60,000 people would have no option but to leave the company.
At least from now on, the Finance Minister should consider not taxing severance benefits.
Suddenly overnight, a huge number of employees in one of the world’s largest companies are facing an uncertain future.
Already Oracle, including their Indian operations, has laid off a huge number of people.
The trend is expected to follow.
At least now you would understand why I’ve been saying for the last couple of years to create safe money worth 3 years of living expenses and not to go for any loans, including buying a house.
The impact of IT professionals losing jobs would start showing on premium consumption, real estate prices and reduced demand across the economy.
As I said, things would become worse before they become better.
Newer industries and opportunities would come in the future. But the transition period is going to be painful.
A friend recently asked me which digital payments app I was using.
When I told her, she promptly asked, “Why not use BHIM, our very own Indian app?”
I admitted I didn’t know much about it.
“Well, let me introduce you to someone you’ll enjoy meeting.”
That someone was Dilip Asbe, MD & CEO of the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).
Dilip kindly agreed to come over for a chat.
That conversation was illuminating, to put it mildly.
We all know the payment apps we use every day. PhonePe, Google Pay, Paytm, BHIM…
But think of them as trains running on a railway network.
NPCI provides the tracks.
And what an extraordinary railway India has built!
In September, UPI alone processed over 2,400 crore transactions. That’s more than 80 crore transactions every single day!
India is now the world’s largest real-time payments market. A true global force multiplier.
And Dilip has been one of the key people behind that remarkable achievement.
His mind is buzzing with plans to build more ‘railroads’ that will enable new apps in wider financial spheres.
But here’s what struck me most about him.
Not the scale of his achievement. Not his knowledge of the technology.
His humility.
Dilip is well known in financial & technology circles. But I met a man with no airs, no sense of self-importance & seemingly little interest in the spotlight.
Just immense pride in what his team has accomplished & a genuine sense of privilege at being able to serve his country.
I also learned that his mother was a teacher.
Perhaps I’m biased, but I’ve always believed that mothers who are teachers have a special knack for instilling values that last a lifetime. And I couldn’t help wondering if that explained something about Dilip’s grounded personality.
People like him derive their satisfaction not from being seen, but from seeing their work make a difference.
Thank you, Dilip, for the conversation. And for reminding me that ambition & humility can indeed travel together on the railroad to success.
And I’ve switched to the BHIM app now!
#MondayMotivation
Gujarat runs on specialization — every city has its signature business.
Rajkot is known for engineering, Jamnagar for brass, and Surat for diamonds, handling over 90% of the world’s diamond cutting and polishing. Morbi leads in ceramic tiles, Ahmedabad in textiles, and Anand in dairy.
Ankleshwar drives chemicals, Bhavnagar handles ship breaking, and Jetpur is famous for textile printing. Veraval focuses on seafood, Sanand on automobiles, while Kutch powers ports and logistics.
It’s a state built on regional expertise, where each city plays a distinct role in India’s economy.
@HDFCBank_Cares Why don't you simply cancell the ticket as requested and grand the refund. It has been ages I have been chasing you for a simple stupid work. I am sorry that I used your card.
@HDFCBank_Cares
Infinia Card of HDFC Bank? never book a train ticket through it. If you need to cancell it, you can't do online. Call concirge service on 18604251188 it will ask you to call 18001188887 and it will ask to call the earlier one !
To,
Shri. Narendra Modi ji,
Hon'ble Prime Minister of India,
New Delhi
&
Shri. Amit Shah ji,
Hon'ble Home Minister of India,
New Delhi
Respected Shri. Modi ji and Shri. Amit Shah ji,
I write this letter with deep gratitude as a proud citizen of India.
I was in Delhi yesterday. I spoke to shopkeepers, rickshaw and taxi drivers and a few common citizens on the streets. All of them were full of praise for you.
Why? Because they have seen what is happening in other parts of the world - cities burning, police being attacked, shops looted, public property destroyed, and the government appearing helpless.
However, the People I met and discussed, feel that apparently a similar conspiracy to create chaos failed, and it failed only because of your strong leadership.
Your timely and decisive action and the way you empowered the Delhi Police and our Intelligence Agencies helped keep the situation under control.
If not for you, the situation would have been very different today.
Thank you for protecting our democracy from those who wanted to use the mob to create chaos.
Somewhere, the rioters ruled the streets. In India, the law rules the streets. That is the difference your leadership has made.
Jai Hind!
Sincerely,
Narendra Sawaikar
@narendramodi@AmitShah@DelhiPolice@BJP4India@BJP4Goa
#ThankYouModiJi #ThankYouAmitShahJi #DelhiPolice #proud #IntelligenceAgencies
मैं अरब हूँ। मैं मुसलमान हूँ। मैं अमीराती हूँ। 🇦🇪
और मैं भारत से प्रेम करता हूँ। 🇮🇳 मुझे उस भारत से प्रेम है जिसने मानवता को उपनिषद और भगवद्गीता, रामायण और महाभारत जैसे महान ग्रंथ दिए; उस भारत से, जिसने आत्मा, कर्तव्य, काल और अनंतता पर उस समय चिंतन किया था, जब हमारी आधुनिक दुनिया ने ऐसे प्रश्नों को “दर्शन” कहना भी नहीं सीखा था।
मुझे नालंदा और सिंधु घाटी का भारत प्रिय है; संस्कृत और तमिल का भारत, गणित और खगोलशास्त्र का भारत; वह भारत, जहाँ मंदिर मानो पत्थरों पर उकेरी गई कविताएँ हों, और जहाँ कहानियाँ दादा-दादी और नाना-नानी से बच्चों तक पीढ़ी-दर-पीढ़ी जीवित रहती हैं।
मुझे उस भारत से प्रेम है जहाँ हिमालय बादलों को छूता है, केरल मानसून को अपने भीतर समेट लेता है, राजस्थान रेगिस्तान को रंगों में बदल देता है, और जहाँ हज़ारों भाषाएँ आज भी अपने-अपने अंदाज़ में एक ही बात कहती हैं: यह मेरा घर है।
और मुझे भारत की सादगी में छिपी खुशियाँ भी उतनी ही प्रिय हैं: मसाला डोसा और सांभर, इडली, पनीर, दाल, बिरयानी और चाय।
क्योंकि भारत हज़ारों वर्षों का इतिहास केले के एक पत्ते पर परोसकर भी मुस्कुराते हुए पूछ सकता है: थोड़ा और लेंगे?
शायद इसीलिए, एक अमीराती होने के नाते, भारत मुझे कभी पूरी तरह पराया नहीं लगता।
सदियों से हमारे पूर्वज उसी हिंद महासागर के आर-पार एक-दूसरे की ओर देखते आए हैं। हमारे खाड़ी तटों से मोती भारत की ओर जाते थे, और हवाएँ वहाँ से मसाले, कपड़े, विचार और कहानियाँ लेकर हमारे तटों पर लौटती थीं।
अरब और भारत के बीच का समुद्र कभी दूरी नहीं था।
वह एक संवाद था।
बहुत कम राष्ट्रों को इतनी प्राचीन सभ्यता विरासत में मिली है, जो आज भी इतनी जीवंत हो।
साम्राज्य मिट गए।
सदियाँ गुज़र गईं।
सरहदें बदल गईं।
लेकिन भारत अपनी कहानियाँ सुनाता रहा।
उसकी प्रार्थनाओं ने भाषाएँ बदलीं।
उसके व्यंजन पीढ़ियों का सफ़र करते रहे।
उसकी पुस्तकों ने राजवंशों को जाते देखा और स्वयं जीवित रहीं।
उसके दर्शन ने सहस्राब्दियों को पार कर लिया।
और फिर भी, हज़ारों वर्षों के बाद, हर सुबह भारत जागता है और आज भी उतना ही विशिष्ट, उतना ही जीवंत, उतना ही भारत है।
शायद यही भारत का सबसे बड़ा चमत्कार है।
कुछ देशों के पास इतिहास होता है।
भारत की धड़कनों में सभ्यता बसती है।
एक अमीराती दिल से,
सम्मान, प्रशंसा और प्रेम के साथ। 🇦🇪❤️🇮🇳
Quite unbelievable & possibly true as well
🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁
Modi
and
Mohammad Mossadegh
Similarities between then
The Iran 1951
and now
The India 2025
Have you ever wondered why Iranians call America the "Land of the Devils"? Once, Britain had a stranglehold on Iran's oil, with 84% of the profits going to England and only 16% to Iran. In 1951, a true patriot, Mohammad Mossadegh, became the Prime Minister of Iran. He didn't want foreign companies to control Iran's oil resources. On March 15, 1951, Mossadegh introduced a bill to nationalize the oil industry, which was passed with an overwhelming majority. Time Magazine named him "Man of the Year" in 1951!
But this decision hurt Britain's interests. They tried to remove Mossadegh through bribery, assassination attempts, and military coups, but his foresight and popularity foiled their plans. When Britain failed, it turned to the USA for help. The CIA sanctioned $1 million to overthrow Mossadegh. The plan involved creating public discontent, buying off media and religious leaders, and eventually toppling the government through corrupt MPs.
$631 million was given to journalists, editors, and clerics to create an anti-Mossadegh atmosphere. Thousands were paid to participate in fake protests. Global media also started supporting America. Personal cartoons were used to attack Mossadegh, similar to the attacks on Modi's personal life today. Mossadegh was called a dictator. When he realized his government would be toppled through parliament, he dissolved it. America pressured the Shah to remove Mossadegh, and after fake protests, Mossadegh surrendered. He was imprisoned and later kept under house arrest.
After that, Iran's oil was divided among America (40%), England (40%), and other European countries (20%). The radical Khomeini came to power, and the condition of ordinary Iranians worsened. Mossadegh's crime was wanting Iran's resources to be controlled by its own companies, not foreigners. If Mossadegh had been supported, Iran could have become a fully democratic nation by 1955. But journalists, editors, MPs, and protesters sold out their country's future for money. That's why Americans are called the "Land of the Devils".
Now, India is at a similar crossroads. Fake issues, false movements, wrong statistics, and dividing people along caste and religious lines are all part of a deep-rooted conspiracy to bring India under foreign control again. It's time for us to be vigilant and not fall prey to the propaganda of corrupt media. Every patriot should stand firmly with PM Narendra Modi. Otherwise, India might face a fate similar to Iran's.
Today, many global intelligence agencies are trying to recruit Indian politicians as their agents to topple the Modi government. Our fate is in our hands. We just need to understand in time.
The New York Times called Mossadegh a dictator. Today, Time Magazine calls Modi the "Divider-in-Chief".
Is this just a coincidence?
No, it's a strategy. Think, understand, and be aware.
Please share this with every Indian.
Whether you're Hindu or Muslim or Parsee or Sikh or Christain or any caste, if the country prospers, everyone benefits.
If the country sinks,
we'll all sink together.
Jai Hind.
🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
The entire foreign lobby is behind him. We indians must stand by him during these times.
If you support him, please tweet with the tagline. INDIA LOVES MODI ❤️