The Vivekean Times

As you are all aware, India is home to one of the world's most diverse religious landscapes, where communities of various faiths have coexisted peacefully together for centuries. Most importantly, Christians constitute a relatively small minority, accounting for roughly about 2.3% of India's population, and yet they are known to operate thousands of schools, hospitals, social service entities, and charitable non-governmental organizations (NGOs) across the length and breadth of the country.  However, in recent times, multiple legal and policy developments have stirred up the conscientious among us and caused intense debate among policymakers, civil society groups, religious organizations, and human rights activists in India. This blog post looks at 3 issues that have become particularly significant for Christian communities in India, particularly in the state of Maharashtra: the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) amendments, anti-conversion legislation, and Maharashtra...

         -   by Vivek Pereira So many humans But so little humanity Amidst the great rally For one man’s vanity. So much passion, But so little empathy; No expression of remorse Not even thru’ telepathy. Such a lot of promises, But most remain unfulfilled; All they want is power No matter who gets killed. So large a nation, But so few citizens, Daring to take on evil, And preventing all these sins. Such a small mindset, But an even narrower vision That’s taking us all backwards Thru’ the politics of religion So little time, But still a lot to do; Let’s work even harder And make our dreams come true.

                   - By Vivek Pereira India is my nation As much as it’s yours; Should a difference in ideologies Lead to rioting and wars? Having opposing views Is certainly not sedition; Too much of brainwashing Has led to this condition. All should come together: The left and the right; For the glory of India We must all fight. For our enemies desire To see our country divided; And this is being accomplished By citizens who are misguided. Never fear or envy Folks different from you; All colours are wonderful, especially saffron, green and blue. Don’t fall for political rhetoric That’s intolerant and cheap; Just for the sake of power, A divisive agenda they’ll keep. So let’s take a pledge to counter such seeds of hate; And strive for peace and unity; That’ll make India ever so great.

Watching the heavy rains and soccer world cup matches this year often reminded me of great soccer moments of my wonder years – some excellent goals and some near misses – especially a powerful header that hit a coconut tree less than a meter from the goal. But my favourite memories are from the Eight Standard Inter-Class Football Tournament in which I was lucky to have participated in, all thanks to my dear friend and a truly wonderful sportsperson, Rayboy Fernandes who left our world at a very young age. Rest in peace, dear friend. In fact, our batch must have been jinxed as we were unfortunate to have lost many of our classmates soon after we left school. RIP. St. Stanislaus High School, our Alma Mater, boasted of some of India’s greatest sportsmen including some Olympic greats in hockey. We were brilliant in soccer too and that’s why even interclass matches were highly competitive and fascinating. I was hoping to be a forward in the team, but Rayboy, our captain, insisted tha...

- Written by Yours Truly many years ago Juliet: (to herself) Which one of my boyfriends could it be knocking at my bedroom window at this unearthly hour? Oh, it’s Romeo!!! Juliet: (To Romeo) Romeo, you bledy bugger – What are you up to, men? Get down from the tree before you fall and break your b…...” Romeo: I climbest this tree to express my love for thou – a love that can survive tempests and tsunamis. Juliet: Romeo, dearest, dost thou havest – a car, a flat, or an ipad? Romeo: I haveth none of the above. Juliet: Then how dost thou dare to love? Thou livest in a fool’s paradise. I cannot love thee. Romeo: I just inherited a cool million from an uncle who passed away. He was quite a rich dude. The cash is in the bank. Juliet: I truly love thee now, my Romeo. Romeo: Why dost thou not respond to my SMSes, my darling? Thou knowest how much I love thee especially after thou went under the plastic surgeon’s scalpel. Juliet: A Daniel, still say I, a second Daniel! Ro...

GST will almost certainly be passed in the monsoon session of parliament. It will be wonderful news for the union and state governments, the economists, the political parties who will rush to claim credit (not input credit) for its passage and the businessmen who will no longer be harassed by multiple tax authorities and will find the new tax system extremely streamlined with fewer hassles. But what's in store for the consumers? Not very good news, I m afraid. The tax rates for goods and services may be 20% or higher and it is bound to lead to inflation, at least in the short term. GST may have a profound impact on Indian eCommerce as all online transactions would be subject to this tax. Then there is the recommendation of 40% GST on aerated drinks as a form of sin tax since these drinks are considered unhealthy. I found this a ridiculous argument as it will open a pandora s box and make taxation in India arbitrary, judgmental and discriminatory. And finally the most stupid recomm...

I smiled at the irony that while we, the trainees, were equipped with rocket launchers, AK47s and other sophisticated weaponry, the head of the mission confronted us with a measly pistol. I was still smiling as my fingers pulled the trigger. The short, bald leader collapsed in a heap. Our jeep sped away. We left the camp that night, leaving a trail of destruction in our wake. Scores of dismembered bloody bodies lay strewn all over the place. Almost every solid structure had been reduced to rubble. Small fires flared at various places. There were a couple of big fires that lit up the night sky. But what I remember most vividly was the ghastly silence just before we left the site. The above segment is a short extract from my novel ‘Indians in Pakistan’, an action thriller that will leave you spellbound. It will also immerse you into a totally different world in which different forces are at play as jihadis plot a rebellion against their evil masters. Firstly, love blossoms...

I smiled at the irony that while we, the trainees, were equipped with rocket launchers, AK47s and other sophisticated weaponry, the head of the mission confronted us with a measly pistol. I was still smiling as my fingers pulled the trigger. The short, bald leader collapsed in a heap. Our jeep sped away. We left the camp that night, leaving a trail of destruction in our wake. Scores of dismembered bloody bodies lay strewn all over the place. Almost every solid structure had been reduced to rubble. Small fires flared at various places. There were a couple of big fires that lit up the night sky. But what I remember most vividly was the ghastly silence just before we left the site. The above segment is a short extract from my novel ‘Indians in Pakistan’, an action thriller that will leave you spellbound. It will also immerse you into a totally different world in which different forces are at play as jihadis plot a rebellion against their evil masters. Firstly, love blossoms...

I smiled at the irony that while we, the trainees, were equipped with rocket launchers, AK47s and other sophisticated weaponry, the head of the mission confronted us with a measly pistol. I was still smiling as my fingers pulled the trigger. The short, bald leader collapsed in a heap. Our jeep sped away. We left the camp that night, leaving a trail of destruction in our wake. Scores of dismembered bloody bodies lay strewn all over the place. Almost every solid structure had been reduced to rubble. Small fires flared at various places. There were a couple of big fires that lit up the night sky. But what I remember most vividly was the ghastly silence just before we left the site. The above segment is a short extract from my novel ‘Indians in Pakistan’, an action thriller that will leave you spellbound. It will also immerse you into a totally different world in which different forces are at play as jihadis plot a rebellion against their evil masters. Firstly, love bl...