Saturday, December 25, 2010

The Muslim Black Box: Kaaba

For all aspiring readers: Note:
This is not an attempt to malign or make any religion feel inferior or obstructed.
This is only a finding and thought to see us all in one light….the light of unity and peace.




An inscription and a Greek account fix Muhammad's birth in 552, not 570. Muhammad's career took place not in Mecca but hundreds of kilometers to the north. Yehuda Nevo. The classical Arabic language was developed not in today's Saudi Arabia but in the Levant. 

Long before Islam came in to existence, Kaaba, in Mecca in Saudi Arabia was a pilgrimage site. The word Kaaba might have come from the Tamil Language which originated around 1700BC. In Tamil Nadu Kabaalishwaran temple is Lord Shiva’s temple and Kabaali refers to Lord Shiva. The black stone at Kaaba is held sacred and holy in Islam and is called "Hajre Aswad" from the Sanskrit word Sanghey Ashweta or Non-white stone. The Shiva Lingam is also called Sanghey Ashweta. So what is in Kaaba could be the same what Hindus worship. 

The pedestal Maqam-E-Ibrahim at the centre of the Kaaba is octagonal in shape. In Hinduism, the pedestal of Brahma the creator is also octagonal in shape. Muslim pilgrims visiting the Kaaba temple go around it seven times. In no other mosque does the circumambulation prevail. Hindus invariably circumambulate or Pradakshina, around their deities. This is yet another proof that the Kaaba shrine is a pre-Islamic. In Shiva temples Hindus always practice circumambulation or Pradakshina. Just as in Hinduism, the custom of circumambulation by muslim pilgrims around the entire Kaaba building seven times shows that the claim that in Islam they don’t worship stones is not true.

Allah was one of the deities in Kaaba long before Islam was founded. It might come as a stunning revelation to many that the word ‘ALLAH’ itself is Sanskrit. In Sanskrit language Allah, Akka and Amba are synonyms. They signify a goddess or mother. The term ‘ALLAH’ forms part of Sanskrit chants invoking goddess Durga, also known as Bhavani, Chandi and Mahishasurmardini. The Islamic word for God is., therefore, not an innovation but the ancient Sanskrit appellation retained and continued by Islam. Allah means mother or goddess and mother goddess.

The King Vikramaditya inscription was found on a gold dish hung inside the Kaaba shrine in Mecca, proving beyond doubt that the Arabian Peninsula formed a part of his Indian Empire. (Ref: page 315 of a volume known as ‘Sayar-ul-Okul’ treasured in the Makhtab-e-Sultania library in Istanbul, Turkey). King Vikrama’s preachers had succeeded in spreading the Vedic Hindu sacred scriptures in Arabia and Arabs were once followers of the Indian Vedic way of life. The annual fair known as OKAJ which used to be held every year around the Kaaba temple in Mecca and the present annual hajj of the Muslims to the Kaaba is of earlier pre-Islamic congregation. . Even to this day ancient Siva emblems can be seen. It is the Shankara (Siva) stone that Muslim pilgrims reverently touch and kiss in the Kaaba.

Muslims shave their head and beard and don special sacred attire that consists of two seamless sheets of white cloth. One is to be worn round the waist and the other over the shoulders. Both these rites are remnants of the old Vedic practice of entering Hindu temples clean and with holy seamless white sheets. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, the Kaaba has 360 idols. Traditional accounts mention that one of the deities among the 360 destroyed when the place was stormed was that of Saturn; another was of the Moon and yet another was one called Allah. That shows that in the Kaaba the Arabs worshipped the nine planets in pre-Islamic days. In India the practice of ‘Navagraha’ puja, that is worship of the nine planets, is still in vogue. Two of these nine are Saturn and Moon. In India the crescent moon is always painted across the forehead of the Siva symbol. Since that symbol was associated with the Siva emblem in Kaaba it came to be grafted on the flag of Islam.

The Hindu Vedic letter in Sanskrit "OM" if seen in a mirror one can see the Arabic numbers 786 and this is the most sacred number for Muslims and copies of the Arabic Koran have the mysterious figure 786 imprinted on them. In their ignorance simply they do not realize that this special number is nothing more than the holiest of Vedic symbols misread and none of the Arabic scholar has been able to determine how they chose 786 as the sacred for them. In short muslims are also going around Siva Lingam at Kaaba, seven times as Hindus go around it seven times.

A few miles away from Mecca are a big signboard which bars the entry of any non-Muslim into the area. This is a reminder of the days when the Kaaba was stormed and captured solely for the newly established faith of Islam. The object in barring entry of non-Muslims was obviously to prevent its recapture. Kaaba is clothed in a black shroud. This custom also originated from the days when it was thought necessary to discourage its recapture by camouflaging it. 

Another Hindu tradition associated with the Kaaba is that of the sacred stream Ganga (sacred waters of the Ganges river). According to the Hindu tradition Ganga is also inseparable from the Shiva emblem as the crescent moon. Wherever there is a Siva emblem, Ganga must co-exist. True to that association a sacred fount exists near the Kaaba. Its water is held sacred because it has been traditionally regarded as Ganga since pre-Islamic times (Zam-Zam water).

Monday, December 20, 2010

Facebook offers Rs 38 lakh package for IIT Madras students

Facebook offers Rs 38 lakh package for IIT Madras students -> Chennai, Dec 5 (PTI) : Social networking site Facebook has offered a package of Rs 38 lakh (USD 85,000) for IIT Madras students during the ongoing placement season, a top official of the institute said. Companies selecting prospective candidates from the country''s premier educational institute IIT Madras began on December 1.
However, Facebook leads the chart with a package of Rs 38 lakh, IIT Madras Advisor (Training and Placement) N Ramesh Babu said. "Every year, the selection process commences in December and this time too it began on December 1," he said.
Every year students eagerly await to participate in the campus selection and this year too more than 260 companies have registered so far, he said, adding, "But we expect it to cross 300 companies." Asked on the selection processes, he said the final round of interview would be done later.
"For example, Facebook after conducting all the rounds, will conduct another interview via Skype from the US and when a student gets selected he/she will be offered USD 85,000 package," Babu explained. He said around 1000 students from various streams including B Tech, MTech, MS, Doctoral programmes, MBA, have registered for placements this year and so far around 30 students have received offers from various multi-national companies including Goldman Sachs, IBM and Boston Consulting Group.
Last year the highest package was offered by Tower Research Capital at Rs 28 lakh per annum and about 225 companies had visited the institute for selecting 700 candidates. This time, while the leading package was offered by Facebook, an oil company has offered to pay a package of Rs 28 lakh, he added.

Facebook offer 70 Lakh job to an IIT student

Calcutta: In a new round of placement, the social networking giant Facebook has offered a package of 70-lakh per annum to a IIT-Kharagpur student. The offer which is a record in IIT Kharagpur's history, was made on the first day of placement to a student who gives his name as DKS, who does not want his full name to be revealed. He revealed that he has received a 'join-us' post from the website. He is to graduate from the school of computer science and engineering at IIT-Kharagpur in 2011. The offer is three times higher than last year's top offer from Barclays. This was made for an offshore placement, mostly in the U.S.Officials revealed that Facebook's offer letter includes a starting salary of $90,000, a relocation bonus of $10,000 and a one-time signing amount of $25,000, although many suggested that the entire offer translates to about Rs 1.7 crore.This high offer has created a buzz on the IIT campuses and the IIT students hope that this year's placement will be better than the previous two years which were affected by the global economic downturn. Interviews are being held in the IIT campuses across India. Facebook has already shortlisted 10 students from IIT-Madras. Close to 30 students were placed from IIT-B on Friday. Many companies like Transocean, Tower Research, Goldman Sachs, Bank of American, Deutsche Bank, Citibank and Capital One have made some important placements from the IIT campuses offering hefty pay packages.

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Seven Big Indian Corruption Scandals

India has been rocked this year by a series of corruption scandals that have embarrassed the ruling Congress party, rattled markets and delayed reform bills as the opposition stalls parliament.The country, 87th in Transparency International's rankings based on perceived levels of corruption, is no stranger to scandals.


2010 -- LOAN BRIBERY CASE
The case broke after a year of investigation on Nov. 24 when the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested eight people, accusing them of bribery for corporate loans.
The arrests included the chief executive of state-run mortgage lender LIC Housing Finance and senior officials at state-run Central Bank of India, Punjab National Bank and Bank of India.
While the size of the scandal is not yet known, local media have reported it could run into hundreds of millions of dollars.
The CBI is probing 21 companies involved in India's booming infrastructure sector for links, but has not named them.
The bribes were allegedly paid by private finance firm Money Matters Financial Services, which acted as a "mediator and facilitator" for the loan beneficiaries, the CBI said.
Companies whose officials have been arrested have all denied any wrongdoing. Individuals arrested have not yet commented.
Government officials, including ministers, have said this is a case of individual wrongdoing and not a widespread scam.
2010 - TELECOMS LICENCE ROW
Telecoms Minister Andimuthu Raja was sacked after a report by India's state auditor said his ministry sold licences and spectrum below market prices, depriving the government of up to $39 billion in revenues.
The scandal swept up as high as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who had to explain to the Supreme Court why he sat on a request for permission to charge Raja with corruption.

In its report, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) also said rules were flouted when the licences were given in 2007-08 which led to many ineligible firms getting them.
The CBI has launched an investigation into alleged corruption at the ministry. Nobody has been charged yet and Raja has denied any wrongdoing.
The CAG said Unitech units got licences despite having inadequate capital, Swan Telecom got a licence even though there were monopoly issues and Reliance Communications got undue benefits as it sought permission to offer services under the more popular GSM technology.
Revenue authorities have questioned Nira Radia, a top lobbyist, as part of an investigation into whether money laundering and forex laws were broken when the licences were purchased. Radia has denied any wrongdoing and has said she is cooperating with the probe.
2010 - COMMONWEALTH GAMES
Allegations of corruption over the international sporting event that took place in Delhi in October are being investigated by several bodies including the anti-corruption watchdog, the state auditor, the CBI and a special committee set up by Prime Minister Singh.
The Congress-party led coalition government came under fierce criticism for mismanagement and ineptitude over the sporting extravaganza which cost up to $6 billion.
Allegations of corruption spanned a broad spectrum including issuing of contracts and purchase of equipment -- from treadmills to toilet rolls.
India's anti-corruption watchdog has identified more than 16 projects with possible irregularities.
The Congress party eventually sacked Suresh Kalmadi, chairman of the organising committee, as secretary of the party's parliamentary wing.
Aides have been arrested and local media has said Kalmadi could be arrested once he returns back from a foreign trip.
2010 - HOUSING SCAM
Congress party politicians, bureaucrats and military officials have been accused of taking over land meant for building apartments for war widows. The CBI has begun investigating the case.
Local media say apartments with a value of $1.8 million were sold for as little as $130,000 each in the apartment block, which faces the Arabian Sea in one of the world's most expensive stretches of real estate in Mumbai.

The government has sacked the chief minister of western Maharashtra state, Ashok Chavan, who is a member of Congress.
The apartment block is also being investigated for several violations of norms, including environmental laws and land-use rules.
The government has now effectively taken back permissions allowing owners to occupy the apartments, which are required for water and power supplies, leading to the disconnection of these services.
2009 - SATYAM
The founder of Satyam Computer Services, one of India's top software firms, resigned in January 2009 after admitting profits were falsely inflated for years.
The fraud, estimated at $1 billion, was India's largest corporate scandal and was dubbed "India's Enron".
With clients abandoning it, shares were hammered down to near-penny-stock levels.
The government stepped in to save the firm by appointing a new board of directors and midwifed its sale to Tech Mahindra. The firm is now called Mahindra Satyam.
The founder chairman of Satyam, Ramalinga Raju, and other officials including the then chief executive officer and chief financial officer, were arrested under several charges including fraud. The cases continue in court. The defendants have said they were not involved in the fraud.
1992 - SECURITIES SCAM
Several Indian stockbrokers were accused of siphoning off over 35 billion rupees ($778 million) of funds, mostly from inter-bank transactions, to fuel a rise in the Mumbai stock market in 1992. It involved top officers of state-run and foreign banks and financial institutions, bureaucrats and politicians.
News of the scam led to an over 40 percent fall in shares over two months, wiping millions of dollars from market value.
Harshad Mehta, the main accused, died in 2002, convicted in only one of the many cases filed against him, for misappropriation of funds in a case involving the use of money from the bank account of carmaker Maruti Suzuki for trading in stocks.
Several bank executives were convicted for fraud in allowing bank funds to be used for trading stocks.
1986 - BOFORS GUN DEAL
India's purchase of artillery guns from Swedish firm Bofors in 1986 was rocked by allegations that 640 million rupees ($14.2 million) -- a huge sum then -- was paid as bribes to people close to then prime minister Rajiv Gandhi to swing the deal.
The scandal caused an uproar in parliament, led to a split in the ruling Congress party and the defeat of Gandhi in federal elections in 1989.
Its fallout has stymied India's defence expansion, with officials for years unwilling to take decisions on purchases that could later be probed for corruption.
Amongst the people probed were the London-based Indian business family of the Hindujas, who were later acquitted by a court of any involvement.
The case has dragged on for years without any result.

Most Expensive Bharat Scams & Corruptions

1. Fraudulent CWG: The Commonwealth Games scam
  • Discrepancies in tenders and alleged misappropriation amounting to about Rs 8,000 crore.
  • Urban Development Ministry directed the Delhi Development Authority DDA to freeze the company’s Rs183 crores guarantee
2. Satyam’s corporate scandal:
  • Satyam Computers, the fourth largest IT Company of India with 53,000 employees was charged in manipulating the balance sheet by illegal means.
  • Satyam’s operating margin wasn’t the 24 percent as shown in its accounts audited byPricewaterhouseCoopers, but just 3 percent.
  • Satyam had nothing close to the reported 5,360 crore ($1.1 billion) cash pile on its balance sheet. The real amount was just a measly $78 million.
  • On January 9, 2009, Chairman Ramalinga Raju surrendered to the police and confessed for the 7,100 crore fraud case.
3. The Harshad Mehta scam:
  • Harshad and his associates triggered a securities scam diverting funds to the tune of Rs4000 crore (Rs 40 billion) from the banks to stockbrokers between April 1991 to May 1992.
  • A Special Court also sentenced Sudhir Mehta, Harshad Mehta’s brother, and six others, including four bank officials, to rigorous imprisonment (RI) ranging from 1 year to 10 years on the charge of duping State Bank of India to the tune of Rs 600 crore (Rs 6 billion)
4. The 950 Crores Fodder Scam:
  • Animal Husbandry Department of Government of Bihar in which irregularities of nearly Rs 950 crores (US $ 210 million) were detected.
  • The scam was unearthed in 1996 during the regime of chief minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, but it goes back to 1980s and is believed to have started during tenure of Jagannath Mishra Lalu had ordered probe into these massive irregularities in accounts by constituting a committee.
5. The great Capital Market fraud of 1990s: “
  • C.R Bhansali plundered and looted the trust and money of people which resulted in a loss of over Rs 1,200 crore (Rs 12 billion).
  • C R Bhansali first launched the finance company CRB Capital Markets, followed by CRB Mutual Fund and CRB Share Custodial Services.
  • CRB Capital Markets raised a whopping 176 crore in three years.
  • In 1994, CRB Mutual Funds raised 230 crore and 180 crore came via fixed deposits.
  • Bhansali also succeeded in raising about Rs 900 crore from the markets.
6. Bofors scam
7. Spectrum Raja
  • A chartered accountant he used to run a family business, NH Securities.
  • He targetted smaller exchanges like the Allahabad Stock Exchange and the Calcutta Stock Exchange, and bought shares in fictitious names.
  • His dealings revolved around shares of ten companies like Himachal Futuristic, Global Tele-Systems, SSI Ltd, DSQ Software, Zee Telefilms, Silverline, Pentamedia Graphics and Satyam Computer (K-10 scrips).
  • Ketan borrowed Rs 250 crore from Global Trust Bank to fuel his ambitions. Ketan alongwith his associates also managed to get Rs 1,000 crore from the Madhavpura Mercantile Co-operative Bank.
  • According to RBI regulations, a broker is allowed a loan of only Rs 15 crore (Rs 150 million). There was evidence of price rigging in the scrips of Global Trust Bank, Zee Telefilms, HFCL, Lupin Laboratories, Aftek Infosys and Padmini Polymer.
9. Cobbler scam
  • Sohin Daya, son of a former Sheriff of Mumbai, was the main accused in the multi-crore shoes scam.
  • Daya of Dawood Shoes, Rafique Tejani of Metro Shoes, and Kishore Signapurkar of Milano Shoes were arrested for creating several leather co-operative societies which did not exist.
  • They availed loans of crores of rupees on behalf of these fictitious societies. The scam was exposed in 1995.
  • Officials of the Maharashtra State Finance Corporation, Citibank, Bank of Oman, Dena Bank, Development Credit Bank, Saraswat Co-operative Bank, and Bank of Bahrain and Kuwait were also charge sheeted.
10. Dinesh Dalmia
  • Dinesh Dalmia was the managing director of DSQ Software Limited when the Central Bureau of Investigation arrested him for his involvement in a stocks scam of Rs 595 crore (Rs 5.95 billion).
  • Dalmia’s group included DSQ Holdings Ltd, Hulda Properties and Trades Ltd, and Powerflow Holding and Trading Pvt Ltd. Dalmia resorted to illegal ways to make money through the partly paid shares of DSQ Software Ltd, in the name of New Vision Investment Ltd, UK, and unallotted shares in the name of Dinesh Dalmia Technology Trust.
  • Investigation showed that 1.30 crore (13 million) shares of DSQ Software Ltd had not been listed on any stock exchange.
  • He paid for his own education at Sarvodaya Vidyalaya by selling fruits and vegetables on trains.
  • The fake stamp racket involving Abdul Karim Telgi was exposed in 2000.
  • The loss is estimated to be Rs 171.33 crore (Rs 1.71 billion), it was initially pegged to be Rs 30,000 crore (Rs 300 bilion).
  • Telgi’s networked spread across 13 states involving 176 offices, 1,000 employees and 123 bank accounts in 18 cities.
12. Virendra Rastogi
  • Virendra Rastogi chief executive of RBG Resources was charged with for deceiving banks worldwide of an estimated $1 billion.
  • He was also involved in the duty-drawback scam to the tune of Rs 43 crore (Rs 430 milion) in India.
  • The CBI said that five companies, whose directors were the four Rastogi brothers — Subash, Virender, Ravinde and Narinder — exported bicycle parts during 1995-96 to Russia and Hong Kong by heavily over invoicing the value of goods for claiming excess duty draw back from customs.
13. The UTI Scam
  • Former UTI chairman P S Subramanyam and two executive directors — M M Kapur and S K Basu — and a stockbroker Rakesh G Mehta, were arrested in connection with the ‘UTI scam’.
  • UTI had purchased 40,000 shares of Cyberspace between September 25, 2000, and September 25, 2000 for about Rs 3.33 crore (Rs 33.3 million) from Rakesh Mehta when there were no buyers for the scrip. The market price was around Rs 830.
  • The promoter of Cyberspace Infosys, Arvind Johari was arrested in connection with the case. The officals were paid Rs 50 lakh (Rs 5 million) by Cyberspace to promote its shares.
  • He also received Rs 1.18 crore (Rs 11.8 million) from the company through a circuitous route for possible rigging the Cyberspace counter.
14. Uday Goyal :: Plantation firms’ scam
  • Since few firms in mid-90s were subject to no guidelines, the plantation companies during that time also got away with profit protrusions.
  • The plantation firms projected themselves as a part of IPO and assured massive returns.
  • The investors were lured and the companies accrued profits from fake campaigns of around Rs 8000 crores plus.
  • Uday Goyal, managing director of Arrow Global Agrotech Ltd, was yet another fraudster who cheated investors promising high returns through plantations.
  • Goyal conned investors to the tune of over Rs 210 crore (Rs 2.10 billion).
  • Over 43,300 persons had fallen into Goyal’s trap.
15. Sanjay Agarwal ::  Home Trade scam
  • Home Trade had created waves with celebrity endorsements.
  • He swindled Rs 600 crore (Rs 6 billion) from more than 25 cooperative banks.
  • The government securities (gilt) scam of 2001 was exposed when the Reserve Bank of India checked the acounts of some cooperative banks following unusual activities in the gilt market.
  • the Public Provident Fund (PPF) was affected.
  • A sum of about Rs 92 crore (Rs 920 million) was missing from the Seamen’s Provident Fund.
  • Sanjay Agarwal, Ketan Sheth (a broker), Nandkishore Trivedi and Baluchan Rai (a Hong Kong-based Non-Resident Indian) were behind the Home Trade scam.
  • Initiated in 2000, Home trade invested rs 24 crore in promotional campaigns to attract investors.
  • The scam affected 8 co-operative banks that lost Rs.82 Crore in EPF scheme.

16. Telecom scam (Sukh Ram)
17. HDW Submarine
18. Bitumen scam
19. Tansi land deal
20. JMM Bribery Scandal
21. St Kitts case
22. Urea scam
23. Anantnag transport subsidy scam
24. 1971 Nagarwala scandal
25. Churhat lottery scam
26. Animal Husbandry Case (1990)
27. Kerala SNC Lavalin power scandal (1997)
28. Barak Missile Deal Scandal (2001)
29. Tehelka Scandal (2001)
30. Taj corridor case (2002-2003)
31. Nitish Katara Murder Case (2004)
32. Oil for food programme scam (Natwar Singh) (2005)
33. Jessica Lal case (2006)
34. Human Trafficking Scam involving Babubhai Katara
35. Gujarat Fake Encounter Controversy (2007)
36. Cash-for-vote scandal in the federal parliament (2008)