VERRAPAN

Profile

Name: Kuse Munisamy Veerappa Gounder alias Veerappan alias Mulukkan

Age: At least 51 years old, some say 58

Height: Five feet six inches

Background: Eldest son of poor parents in Gopinatham, Munisami Gounder and Punithayamma

Language: Tamil

Evolution: Veerappan is believed to have shot down a tusker first when he was only 10. He took to the jungle when he was 18. The story goes that Salvai Gounder, who was ruling the forests, was impressed by his skills and fearlessness and took him under his wings. The senior Gounder turned to sandalwood smuggling after ivory export was banned.

Gounder left the business to Veerappan and Thangavelu. When Thangavelu formed his own gang, Veerappan invited him over for dinner and shot him dead.

Track record: Poached 2,000 tuskers, killed 120 people and smuggled 10,000 tonnes of sandalwood

Chief associates: Anburaj, Sethukuli Govindan, Meke Rangaswamy and Madesh

Setbacks: Was arrested twice in 1972 and 1986 but escaped allegedly with the help of his 'high connections'.

Family: Of his two brothers, Madhayyan and Arjunan, the former is in jail while Arjunan, who was Veerappan's right hand man, died in custody. Wife Muthulaxmi and elder daughter Vidyarani are in Mettur. During an operation, he strangulated his second daughter, fearing that her cries may attract police attention.

Food: Veerappan's gang survives on rice, rasam, meat and tea. Veerappan has enough stocks of provisions and essential commodities in the jungle to survive for many years. Provisions include masala .

Veerappan - A True Story.

We go down the memory lane. Veerappan, poor and hungry, a drop-out from school, takes to cattle grazing before graduating to hunting. He bribes the forest department to let him hunt. He keeps only a bare minimum of the proceeds of hunting and gives away the rest to the families who are wilting in poverty. Don’t disbelieve this for Veerappan never lies except to destroy enemies. But things get tangled as the “pact with the forest administration cemented by bribes broke down”. Why did it break down? Did the forest officials refuse to accept bribes any longer or was Veerappan reluctant to share his booty as it grew in size? Here the reviewer’s eloquence recedes to silence. After giving away all surpluses, how did he manage to acquire arms, ammunitions and surround himself with muscle men? Or do we take a leaf from mythology, as Veerappan is wont and believe that the ‘devas’ split open the skies and rained caches of arms and ammunitions so that he can turn his moral anger against the minions of the state through landmine attacks? Veerappan the erstwhile ally of corrupt forest officers having grown in strength jettisons his one time comrades now and decides to rewrite the rule-book. Can he be expected to succeed? This sets in motion the moral anger which suffuses him resulting in the confrontation with the dreaded state and its minions. This is how the subaltern tale of woe began. In not too distant past, Tamil Nadu had an actor turned politician who served as a chief minister. He too had experienced acute poverty and deprivation during childhood. He is credited with having started the midday meal scheme for school children which has its stock of success stories. But that is mainstream and must be dismissed as of little consequence.

What is the substance of Veerappan’s acute sense of commitment to the local community? Veerappan’s acts would put a good samaritan to shame. He has redistributed wealth by giving away money to poor villagers and thus has achieved what no welfare state could do. Why did Veerappan, an ordinary human being who kills only to “quench hunger”, rake large surpluses which could be distributed so as to get a “rare degree of acceptance”? In Robin Hood fashion he dispenses justice as courts take time and lawyers money. In the overflowing hall of justice of Veerappan, disputants are made to withdraw court cases and murderers are made to compensate the victims’ families. Verily, it is like judgment day when lambs gambol with lions. Only a cynic or worse still a mainstreamer would say that Veerappan paid money to seal the lips of hapless villagers (having exchanged the tyranny of the police for the tyranny of Veerappan) and that leadership flows from the barrel of a gun.

Now for Veerappan’s concern for ecology. He is a crackshot and can kill an elephant instantaneously so that the wretched creature is not even aware of it: “It is a good death.” Then 84 lakh of living beings like birds and ants would gorge on it. Veerappan’s logic of needs extends to all living beings – human and non-human. Veerappan is only eking out a livelihood to appease his hunger. He is only making a living out of the forest, and does charity on an elephantine scale. “Of all charity, feeding is the greatest.” But we know for sure that birds and ants do not prey on ivory tusks. With his native wisdom Veerappan knows that there should be no reckless deprivation of the forest. So he stops felling sandalwood trees after 11 months. It is all so intricate and cannot be understood through mainstream logic. There seems to be a great fascination with the ‘puranas’ for Veerappan and being a subaltern icon, he can take liberties. When he kills an elephant, 84 lakh beings (again a puranic belief) can feed on it unlike Dasaratha who killed 999 elephants for a male heir. What was that again? It must have been extracted from the Veerappan purana.

It seems initially Veerappan had a cut-and-dried view of law: “What an SP should do? He should catch the wrong doers and hand them over to the government. That is honourable. But this fellow...” Apparently, the goat stealing policeman changed Veerappan’s vision of law and justice. Now he has acquired a vision that cannot be comprehended by those in charge of the governance of modern state. Veerappan laments that an MLA smuggles rosewood but he has not got that appellation to his name. Veerappan the great leveller. And you are misinformed if you think that Veerappan alone hunts. He is in good company. There are judges too making such forays in the forest. So what is all this fuss about? Veerappan’s advice to “practitioners” of militancy politics is not to kill women and children. Instead he says, target politicians who cheat people of their vote, rape women, and indulge in injustice and officials who misuse their power and bloody people’s lives. Ironic words indeed, from one who himself is a creation of corrupt politicians and officials. According to media reports during a career spanning over 20 years, Veerappan had poached over 2,000 tuskers and made nearly Rs 12 crore and the income raked through felling of sandalwood trees is estimated at Rs 100 crore (The Week, July 27, 1997).

The “incommensurability” of the language of this subaltern icon with that of the modern state is nothing more than an illusion created by a pedagogue. In any case much water has flown since the publication of the video tapes with Veerappan negotiating the terms for his surrender and at one stage even pleading to get out of his self-imposed incarceration. Which is the brave new world to which Veerappan beckons?

Veerappan is waiting for his ‘vanavaas’ to be over, sharing the mantle of Rama and the Pandavas. As Veerappan and perhaps the reviewer too, have a penchant for the puranas we would like to conclude with a puranic tale. Bhasmasura did penance for many long years and as a boon got the gift that he could turn a person to ashes by placing his hand on the head of the person he chose. Bhasmasura attempted to test his boon on his benefactor. He failed and turned to ashes himself.

Veerappan - Gopal conversation (Dr.Rajkumar kidnap saga)

Here is the Conversation : A converstaion between Sandalwood Veerapan and Nakheeran Gopal after Veerapan kidnapped the famous Kannada actor Dr.Rajkumar, two days back..

Your comments may please be mailed to iamveerappan@usa.net

Veerapan: Hello Gopala, I have kidnapped Dr. Rajkumar. What do you say? Are you happy?

Gopal:What Dr. Rajkumar, shit, I asked you to kidnap some icon of Tamilnadu like Rajini, Kamal

Veerapan: What to do da, it's more then a year since I appeared on television all over India. Someone told me that Rajini and Kamal are out of the country for some months. So I decided to Kidnap Rajkumar. Are you coming to meet me Gopal?

Gopal: Yes, I will leave here tonight to meet you as the emissary of both the Tamil Nadu and Karnataka Governments

Veerapan: Come here as soon as possible. It's quit long since I saw you. Are you bringing? Your wife and kids with you.

Gopal: Why?

Verrapan: Last time when I talked to you, you said your kids have vacation now, so I thought they can spend the vacation in the forest.

Gopal: No No, I am coming alone with a cameraman.

Verrapan: Bring some nice cameraman, the man who came here last year is no good. My face did Not look clear on the television. Can you bring cameraman Sriram?

Gopal: It's not possible. But I will try to bring a good one this time. Do you want anything from Madras?

Verrapan: Can you get Woodland shoes for my gang? And some hair tonic for my mooch.

Gopal: Ok. But don't forget about the share you owe me. Why did you demand five crores. Ok we will settle down for one crore. I have to buy an appartment in Ashok Nagar.

Verrapan: Should I beat Dr. Rajkumar in front of the camera?

Gopal: Don't do that. He is a powerful man in Karnataka, and then his followers may start hunting for you and you might get caught.

Verrapan: Gopal, can you get me a laptop computer?

Gopal: Why?

Verrapan: I want to surf the net. It's quit boring in the forest. I am also planning to learn Java and will try to get certified.

Gopal: But why?

Verrapan: So that I can go to States and kidnap Bill Gates.

Gopal: In US they can trace you out in a day, it's not like India.

Verrapan: Cool buddy, I was just kidding

We love you "VERRAPAN", and we'll miss you always... please every body pray for his soul... please!!! 'R.I.P'...

Drives With PreInstalled Virus

If you plan to upgrade your computer or just buying some spare parts, you should be careful. As Taipei Times informed, some Maxtor portable hard disks come with "virus preinstalled".

In Thailand produced drives carried two files that help trojans get into the system: autorun.inf and ghost.inf. Trojans then upload data such as logins and other interesting informations to www.nice8.org and www.we168.org.

It is not the first time, when devices come with viruses. Two years ago Sony BMG released discs with DRM acting like a rootkit. And in September German chain sold laptops with "Stoned.Angelina", really old virus that was first time seen in 1994.

Of course in corporate environment are often used special methods for deploying new machines, where repartitioning is done by deploying OS, or they are already delivered with disc images provided before to vendors. But such portable devices are often bought individually by users, that have no idea about how to handle such devices before connecting.

Kai Roer in his blog posted few useful notes:

- never trust ANY hardware you bring into your perimeter

- ALWAYS check EVERYTHING you install in your systems and network - in a safe environment. For hard drives, that means testing, low-level formating and signing them off in a secure, non-connected environment. You do have that, right?

- as security gets tighter, threats evolve and finds other ways to get to you. It is a long time since boot-virus traveled by floppies. But if slow distribution is the easiest, most cost efficient way to hit you, that is how it will be done.

- targeted attacks are increasingly common. We are leaving the days where the goal was to hit as many as possible. The goal today is cash - not attention.

In fact all these things we should keep in mind, but to be honest do we? Often in corporate environment you can see that nothing above mentioned is considered. Moreover, precisely planed and launched targeted attack on single person or group, that doesn't concern about security, can cause real disaster even if the best policies are applied, because the most vulnerable point is between keyboard and seat.

Do's

*** Unplug your PC if you are not using it for extended periods of time. Be aware of the fact that even if your computer is turned off, a hacker may have access to your information if your network card has WON ( Wake-On-Lan).

*** Password protect your computer.

*** Use passwords that are not easy detectable.

*** Regularly change your passwords (at least once in 6 months). Keep in mind that in some computer systems (Linux, for instance) once you use a password , you have to regularly change it as it expires anyway.

*** Back up your information (on CDs, DVDs). It is the only way you can avoid loosing it for good.

*** Keep your backup information in a different and secure location from your PC system. Take safety measures for your sensitive data. For instance, in case something unexpected should happen where your PC is located, such as a fire, you have the certainty that your information is safe and sound somewhere else.

*** Use antivirus software.

*** Use a firewall.

*** Use email filtering or attachment blocking software.

*** Always use a delete software.

*** Regularly update your software.

Don't's

*** Do not download files or programs from sites you don't know or trust.

*** Do not use easily detectable passwords on your computer, such as name, date of birth, mother's maiden name, etc.

*** Do not use the same passwords for all your files.

*** Do not keep your backup information in the same place with your PC. In case an unforeseen situation may appear where your computer is located, you have the certainty that your backup data is safe in a different location

How to get on safer side?

1. Do not ever provide your email addresses or phone numbers to the sites you do not trust. Did you know that some sites even sell your phone number? (the buyers will then send you spam messages)

2. There are many ways to disguise identities on Internet. The culprits need the identities which should seem authentic. Do not ever give your email addresses or phone numbers to people whom you do not trust on chat sites or IMs.

3. Do not click on user posted links in forums, chat or IMs whom you don't trust. Though many sites use many security measures, there exist many techniques by which your security can be compromised on certain sites. Some of them are XSS attack, Session hijacking, Cookie stealing, variable stealing etc.

4. When using someone else's phone, do not make bookmarks of pages. also do not turn on the "remember me" button (found on many sites during login)

5. Do not put your email addresses and phone numbers in public areas where they can be accessed by mass. Automatic crawlers and bots and extract them easily and then it can be mishandled.

6. Do not signup for accounts for others from your email address or phone. You can be in trouble if the other misuses the account for any illegal purpose.

7. Do not click on links you don't trust or don't download anything from the site you don't trust. Your phone can be infected with virus, worms, trojans etc.

8. Use hard to guess passwords for your online accounts. Use random passwords with combination of uppercase and lowercase characters with numbers.

9. If possible, don't use one password on more than one site.

10. Most disastrous can be giving your address to someone whom you don't know well. Many cases of theft, kidnapping, frauds have come to light on reputed sites like myspace, yahoo, hi5, orkut, msn etc.

11. REMEMBER, do not go for something where you see drastic profits. It can be treacherous!

"All that glitters is not gold." its very very true on this virtual world.

Share this blogs with your friends also and help them be more secure.

Web Security Guide For Parents

Children are most prone to insecurity on Internet. Help your child be safe by following instructions:

1.Protect Your Child's Privacy Online

2.Be aware of cyberspace threats! Learn about all risks children may face while surfing on the Internet and start educating them on how to protect themselves online.

3.Talk to your children about dangers they can encounter as long as they are online. Do not be reluctant to subjects such as sexuality, pornography or pedophiles. Do not consider them taboo.

4.Make sure your children know that not everything they read on the Internet is true and accurate. Make them aware that not all the people they meet online are trustworthy. Help your children develop their ability of sorting out the information they come into contact with while they are online.

5.Place your computer in an area of your house where you can easily supervise your children's Internet activity.

6.Monitor and restrict your children's access to the Internet while they are at home.

7.Be aware that your children have access to the Internet not only at home, but also at school, libraries, where they are not under your guidance and supervision. Regularly ask them about their online friends and activities.

8.Spend time online alongside your children in order to establish an atmosphere of confidence regarding computer usage and online activities.

9.Ask your children not to respond to unsolicited emails from people they do not know.

10.Advise your children not to give away their (parents', friends', etc,) personal information online.

11.Advise your children to avoid face to face meetings with unknown persons they get acquainted with in chat rooms or IM.

12.Check the browser history web page to see the websites visited by your children.

13.Establish reasonable online rules and an agreement with your children about Internet usage at home or in other places (i.e. at a friend's house, at school, at the library, etc.). Print the rules and place them near the computer as a reminder. Monitor the compliance with the rules.

14.Monitor the amount of time your children spend on the Internet, and the time when they are browsing it. Excessive time online, especially at night, may indicate a problem.

15.Consider any change in your children's behavior (mention of adults you don't know, secretiveness, inappropriate sexual knowledge, sleeping problems, etc.).

16.Chat rooms and Instant Messaging are sometimes the favorite playground of sexual predators. Do not allow your children to have an online profile. This will hinder their profile listing in directories and, consequently, the approach in chat rooms of pedophiles searching for easy preys.

17.Look for privacy policy on websites directed to children. The policy must be available through a link on the website's homepage and at each area where personal information is collected from kids. Websites for general audiences that have sections for children must post the notice on the kids' section homepage. Read their policy to find out what kind of personal information is being collected, how it will be used, and if it will be passed on to third parties. If you find a website that doesn't post basic protection specifications for children's personal information, ask for details about their personal information collection practices.

18.Decide whether to give consent or no to websites to collect personal information from your children. Yet, you may give your consent, but disagree to have it transmitted to third parties.Your consent isn't necessary if the website is collecting your children's email address simply to respond to a one-time request for information. To find out more about webmasters, please click here.

19.Block instant/personal messages from people you and your children do not know. Regularly check your children's list of friends to ensure that it has not been altered.

20.Watch out for Internet hoaxes, false virus warnings, chain letters disguised as charity fund raisers, pyramid schemes designed as legitimate employment opportunities, etc.

21.Use filtering and monitoring software to restrict sensitive information "flowing" from your computer.

22.Consider reporting any suspicious content or activity that may harm or has already harmed your children

PARIS HILTON

PARIS HILTON PICS

SUZUKI SWIFT
The first time I saw the new Suzuki Swift, I was a little surprised. Okay so it looked really cool, it wasn’t what I was expecting from the Japanese brand which really had forsaken Australia for some time. That was in 2005, when Suzuki launched the new Swift to much anticipation. Powered by a 1.5L engine the Suzuki Swift put out a small 74kW @ 6000rpm of power and 133Nm @ 4000rpm-4000rpm of Torque. The current swift costs anywhere between $16,000 to $20,000 plus on roads etc.But come September, there is a new Swift. The Suzuki Swift Sport. Admittedly, its a far cry from the Suzuki Swift GT is of old but nonetheless, at least its something sporty. The Swift Sport will use a 1.6-litre twin cam engine which Suzuki claims is specially built just for the Sport model. It puts out around 123 horsepower which is around 92kw.




Current reports from Tokyo suggest that the new Suzuki Swift Sport gets a good deal of sports trimmings, and inside are high-backed red-and-black sport seats, a leather-trimmed wheel and choice of a five-speed manual or a four-speed automatic.There isn’t much detail yet regarding the Suzuki Swift Sport, but come September when Suzuki unvail the car, you can bet all the specifications will get released. No prices for the Swift Sport are yet confirmed, but I would hope it stays below $25,000 to be a valuable car.