Thursday, January 28, 2010
Ayan Hirsi Ali at Jaipur Lit Fest
Jaipur Lit Festival included a surprise visit by Ayan Hirsi Ali. Here's an account of what she said
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
A tale of female bonding
This article in Indian Express discusses the issue of female bonding beautifully exemplified by the real life case of Ruchika Girhotra (molested when 14 by SP Rathore a police officer) and Aradhana Prakash (the sole witness to the act).
We hear stories and get reams of paper about male bonding and male friendships but very little about female friendships. It is strange because in real life, female friendships seem to endure much more than male friendships which fizzle out quite easily.
We hear stories and get reams of paper about male bonding and male friendships but very little about female friendships. It is strange because in real life, female friendships seem to endure much more than male friendships which fizzle out quite easily.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Underwear makes the moral police see red (or is it saffron?)
Apparently, women's lingerie is "obscene" in Madhya Pradesh!
Shopkeepers in Bhopal cannot display mannequins wearing women's underwear. Why, you may ask! The answer is because the Sanskriti Bachao Manch deems them to be obscene. You may then ask, who the f*** are they to decide on what is and is not obscene. There you have me flummoxed! I have absolutely no clue why they should get away with these decrees except that they seem to have the support of the state's BJP Chief Minister, Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
The side-effect of any kind of ban in India is the threat of violence and hooliganism. Most people comply with the dictats of such groups because they know the police would not come to their rescue when the hooligans attack. The police would not take any steps because these hooligans are backed by powerful politicians including the Chief Ministers.
In the midst of rising food prices, malnutrition, illiteracy and sundry other problems, why would politicians and their satellites think that anyone would care for such ridiculous moral policing? We need to seriously ponder over this question. Is there really a vote bank that gets all riled up about women's underwear? If so, who are these people? If there is no vote bank, then we need to ask what are the politicians getting out of such gestures? Is it a tactic to throw sand in the eyes of the voters to keep them occupied with inconsequential issues?
Unless, we look at these questions with a clear eye and expose this nexus, there is no hope for us.
Shopkeepers in Bhopal cannot display mannequins wearing women's underwear. Why, you may ask! The answer is because the Sanskriti Bachao Manch deems them to be obscene. You may then ask, who the f*** are they to decide on what is and is not obscene. There you have me flummoxed! I have absolutely no clue why they should get away with these decrees except that they seem to have the support of the state's BJP Chief Minister, Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
The side-effect of any kind of ban in India is the threat of violence and hooliganism. Most people comply with the dictats of such groups because they know the police would not come to their rescue when the hooligans attack. The police would not take any steps because these hooligans are backed by powerful politicians including the Chief Ministers.
In the midst of rising food prices, malnutrition, illiteracy and sundry other problems, why would politicians and their satellites think that anyone would care for such ridiculous moral policing? We need to seriously ponder over this question. Is there really a vote bank that gets all riled up about women's underwear? If so, who are these people? If there is no vote bank, then we need to ask what are the politicians getting out of such gestures? Is it a tactic to throw sand in the eyes of the voters to keep them occupied with inconsequential issues?
Unless, we look at these questions with a clear eye and expose this nexus, there is no hope for us.
Pakistan's school education in doldrums
An interesting article in the Washington Post caught my eye.
We have all heard about the faulty history taught in Pakistan's public schools. But the effects of such teaching is being felt now. This should make us re-think our history textbooks which mostly teach the Marxist interpretation of history.
We have all heard about the faulty history taught in Pakistan's public schools. But the effects of such teaching is being felt now. This should make us re-think our history textbooks which mostly teach the Marxist interpretation of history.
From From critical, very critical, very very critical, extremely critical to dead - Jyoti Basu RIP
Finally, the CPI(M) patriarch is dead at the age of 95!
It might be churlish to crticise him on the day of his death, but his horrendous legacy in West Bengal cannot (and should not) be brushed under the carpet just to preserve the niceties. I don't know what Marx originally had in mind when he propounded his theories of Communism, but his followers have in most part left a legacy of bloodshed, violence, mass poverty, and corruption. Basu was no different. From a fairly well to do state, he took Bengal into the depths of poverty and despair that it is in today. So, like Kanchan Gupta, I cannot mourn his passing.
It might be churlish to crticise him on the day of his death, but his horrendous legacy in West Bengal cannot (and should not) be brushed under the carpet just to preserve the niceties. I don't know what Marx originally had in mind when he propounded his theories of Communism, but his followers have in most part left a legacy of bloodshed, violence, mass poverty, and corruption. Basu was no different. From a fairly well to do state, he took Bengal into the depths of poverty and despair that it is in today. So, like Kanchan Gupta, I cannot mourn his passing.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)