July 29, 2004

The Andhra Pradesh State Police Crime Investigation Department

These guys have their hands full keeping track of various bad guys and missing persons and, if that weren't enough, identifying an astonishing quantity of severed heads courtesy of mishaps with local trains. If gore wigs you out, do not view the unidentified dead. Seriously NSFW. Also, a lot of folks seemed to have it out for the Former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh - not sure what he did to piss them off, but it's possible the culprits first diverted him with itching powder.

posted by moneyjane 19 years ago
  • I think of Buddhism as quite antagonistic to caste* and was struck by the system's classification of three wanted Malaysians on the front page as "Caste : Buddhist" and then further confused by how of those three, one's profile lists his religion as Hindu. But back to the bandits, Buddhist or not - That Thiwal Jumru Pawar is one daring dacoit, having ditched his constable escort by jumping from a running Mumbai express train while handcuffed. *Maybe not so much. Caste systems are used in several Buddhist countries, though they're less severe than the Hindu one.
  • Especially considering that even those without handcuffs are at grievous risk of a bad train/people outcome.
  • PY Ha! Resistance is futile! Hindu religion assimilates all, including buddha! Although Buddhists don't necessarily have the same views of the Buddha as Hindu practitioners, (a situation roughly comparable to Christian and Islam views about Jesus). Until recently, when India gave entry to Tibetan (Buddhist) refugees, there were no Buddhists in India, due to the assimilation process, even though the origin of Buddhism lies in India. And Buddhism per se is opposed to the relegation of individuals to Untouchable status, the result being many people in India so stigmatized have in recent times become Buddhists. Untouchables in India were traditionally those who who performed certain social fuinctions which the rest of Indian society regarded as defiling, hence these people were 'outcaste'. Undertaking, employment as a sweeper = janitor and so forth -- were things only done by Untouchables. Possible the 'caste Malay' refers to such a work-related categorization. Malay would seem to be an ethnic or a national term as used in the report, but it isn't clear what 'caste' in the report refers to.
  • PY, some people consider Buddhism to be a branch of Hinduism.
  • PY, some people consider Buddhism to be a branch of Hinduism. That's like saying that Islam is a branch of Judaism. The roots are the same, philosophically and geographically, but Buddhism has evolved in many different ways in many countries. Tibetan Buddhism is vastly different from Thai Buddhism is very different from Chinese Pureland Buddhism is in many ways at odds with Japanese Zen Buddhism (although Zen is similiar to Chinese Chan Buddhism). Some of the deities in Buddhism are derived from Hinduism, correct. However, the Triumvirate (Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva) is not acknowledged in Buddhism.
  • I still love the story about how the Hindu god Yama was converted to Buddhism. Honestly, where else in the world could you get a tale like that?
  • I like dacoitry Less than poetry.