The Difference

What poverty, what hunger: SRK made 5 crores in 10 minutes at a party

2010-01-04T10:15:00.003+05:30

Hindustan Times - 2/1/10 - Zabeeh Afaque & Minakshi Saini

King Khan spent new year's eve performing at a private bash in Gurgaon...and while he was at it, he also made a whopping Rs 5 crores for a 10 minute performance on Thursday night at a private party at Gurgaon's Umrao Resort.

The party, high on the glamour quotient with Bollywood and TV stars flown in, was clearly the most lavish display of wealth. With Rolls Royce Ghost and Hummers parked proudly in the arena, the guests, close to 3,000 in number, were brought inside in decorated horse carriages after the valets took their cars for parking. Every round table had expensive imported liquor, juices and dry fruits, with more than 250 varieties of dishes from world cuisine being served for dinner. A coffee bar, with over 20 flavours of hot and cold coffee, a make-shift ice bar kept at a temperature of minus 11 degrees and a counter with over a 100 varieties just of paan were the biggest crowd pullers. There was also a special lavish buffet, in the side lawns, for over 400 drivers of the guests.

Wanna refer a dictionary anymore? Coz its newest word is - NaMo

2009-10-24T22:06:00.004+05:30

Times of India - 22/10/09

His name springs hundreds of options on any internet search engine — books, poems and blogs. NaMo, as Narendra Modi is popularly known in Gujarat, will now figure in a Gujarati lexicon — probably a first where a proper name has jostled its way into a dictionary.

‘Lok-kosh: Bhasha Ni Asha’, an online project will compile popular Gujarati words which have not yet found mention in dictionaries, to include words like NaMo which is described as ‘how people of Gujarat affectionately refer to chief minister Narendra Modi’ (Normal usage of the word means ‘to bow’), Swine Flu and BRTS, for Bus Rapid Transit System.

‘‘Gujaratilexicon’s Lokkosh is an effort to compile exceptional words. People can exchange and share their Gujarati language knowledge by contributing words,’’ said Ashok Kaneria of Gujaratilexicon. The lexicon will also have usages popular among NRGs (non-resident Gujaratis) across the globe. For instance, it has Bwana (gentleman) popularly used by NRGs in Kenya.

Labour pains: Look at the plight of the Commonwealth Games 2010 construction labourers

2009-10-24T21:54:00.002+05:30

The Times of India - 22/10/09

For thousands of labourers and their families, working on the Commonwealth Games ‘‘world class’’ infrastructure projects has meant nothing more than the usual — they earn lower than the stipulated wage and have no access to even the most basic sanitation and health facilities.

Forty-four-year-old Tekchand (name changed), a head mason, worked at one of the Games sites for a meagre wage of Rs 100 after putting in long hours daily. He says even the number of toilets provided to the workers are inadequate. Tekchand had taken up work at the Shivaji Stadium Games site hoping work conditions would be better and the ‘‘world-class’’ character would trickle down to touch the lacklustre lives of construction workers as well. But he was soon disillusioned. ‘‘I used to work from 9.30am to 6pm for a measly amount of about Rs 100. Even on working late till 8pm, I would not be given any overtime,’’ he said.

Tekchand finally moved to an NDMC project involving the revamp of Hanuman Mandir.

According to estimates, nearly one lakh workers have been employed for the sports facilities and major infrastructural projects in Delhi. Three studies commissioned by the labour department of Delhi government, Commonwealth Games-Citizens for Workers, Women & Children (CWG-CWC) and People’s Union for Democratic Rights reflect that the working conditions for labourers have undergone very little change since the Asiad in 1982.

The study conducted by CWGCWC on a sample of 702 workers at 16 major Games sites revealed that 77% workers were unskilled or semiskilled while 83% were casual workers. Significantly, as many as 45% identified late payment, non-payment and low wages as the primary problems.

In a shocking revelation, a survey under the study estimated there were on an average 113 workers per toilet at the major sites.

An excerpt from the study carried out by the People’s Union for Democratic Rights at the Commonwealth Games Village site reads: ‘‘Unskilled workers at this site were getting Rs 85-Rs 100 per day for eight hours of work as against the stipulated minimum wage of Rs 142 till February 2009. No overtime is being paid as per the rules wherein a skilled worker should be paid Rs 284 for 12 hours of work. Instead, the workers are being paid Rs 150.’’

History chaptered in Saffron

2009-09-19T20:15:00.003+05:30

Hindustan Times - 17/9/09

"The primary objective of a Hindu marriage is following dharma (religion), while the primary objective of the Muslim marriage is to establish sexual relations."

"The Muslim League was formed on the directions of the British government after Muslims developed feelings of suspicion against Hindus."

These are excerpts from two textbooks that class XI and class XII students in Rajasthan have been studying for five years.

Now, after a five-member panel of academics studied the textbooks, Rajasthan's Congress government wants the state education board to delete these references. The panel's 75-page report, made available to HT, pointed to what it called attempts to "nurture a communal ideology among the youth as opposed to the spirit of the Constitution" by the government of former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief minister Vasundhara Raje.

The books were introduced in 2004, when the BJP was in power in the state. The National Democratic Alliance, of which the BJP was the main constituent, between 1998-2004, ordered extensive rewriting of history textbooks when Murali Manohar Joshi headed the Union human resource development ministry.

"The authors have been members or office-bearers of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh or affiliated organisations," said the report. "They are making an abhorrent attempt to implement a hidden agenda through education."

"An explanation will be sought from textbook writers who have propagated the RSS' ideology," Education Minister Bhanwar Lal told HT.

The authors of the textbooks are unapologetic. "What I have written in based on facts," said Manroop Singh Meena, one of the authors of the class X social sciences textbook, now used by more than 4,00,000 students.

"Only whores can choose their partners", "Education has contributed to this dirt", "Lovers will be hanged, tortured & nailed to death": Khap Justice

2009-09-19T19:54:00.005+05:30

Times of India

Sanghi, like most villages in this prosperous belt, has dark secrets to keep. Here, rape is casual, murder-by-pesticide of teenage daughters acceptable and it is routine to dispose of their bodies by burning them in cattlecarts. Here, young women are routinely threatened, abused and killed.

Girls who survive their mother’s womb are brought up as daughters of the village. Not just Sanghi’s daughters, but of 12 neighbouring villages, says a khap member. All 12 villages form the Khidwali Bara khap, a Jat territorial unit. It decrees that boys and girls within these 12 villages cannot marry. Interestingly, the entire onus of ‘siblinghood’ rests on the girl. She is the keeper of village honour. Exceptions may be made for a boy, if the khap decides, but a girl is never allowed to bend the rules.

If a couple runs away, the women in their families run the risk of being raped, gang-raped, and boycotted. At times, khaps also ‘fine’ the families lakhs of rupees.

Fearing their daughters would go astray, many parents marry them off early. In the government senior secondary school, two Class IX students just got married, some others are engaged.

Squatting on his haunches, dhoti-clad and bare-chested, Mahendra Singh Tikait declares: “We live by a moral code where honour has to be protected at any cost.’’ As the chaudhary of the Baliyan khap, the 79-year-old farmer’s views matter. He presides over a system of justice that is almost medieval and disdains the laws of the Indian state.

Tikait’s moral code is simple. In his own words:

- SAME-GOTRA MARRIAGES ARE INCESTUOUS
- LOVE MARRIAGES ARE DIRTY - “I don’t even want to repeat the word…Only whores can choose their partners.”
- EDUCATION HAS CONTRIBUTED TO “THIS DIRT” - “Recently an educated couple married against the samaj’s (community’s) wishes in Jhajjar. We hail the panchayat’s decision to execute them…The government cannot protect this atyachar (immoral behaviour).”

Those who dare to cross the line must suffer the consequences. Like Radha of Muzaffarnagar’s Fugana village. Three years ago, she was stripped, burnt and hung from a tree. Her crime was to fall in love. Anecdotal accounts say she is one of many.

He scoffs at the laws of the Indian state, calling them “the root of all problems’’. “That’s your Constitution, ours is different.’’ Daryal Singh, one of Tikait’s retainers, adds that “shameless people (lovers) deserve to die.’’ He gives graphic accounts of lovers being “hanged, tortured or nailed to death”. Irked at being equated with the Taliban and kangaroo courts, khap panchayats in Haryana are now determined to get some legal sanction. Soon, they will draw up a set of recommendations for making ‘‘suitable’’ amendments to the Hindu Marriage Act (1955) at the state level so that their rulings become valid under law.

Justice (retd) Devi Singh Teotia, a former judge of the Punjab & Haryana HC, who actively participated in the Sarv Khap Panchayat, said: ‘‘Khap leaders are keepers of Jat tradition and they have lately been facing flak for it. If the amendments come through, there will be no more clashes between tradition and the law, and they (the khap leaders) won’t be maligned.’’

The media guide on 'How to get on Page 3'

2009-09-01T14:38:00.002+05:30

Hindustan Times - 1/9/09

- Trick 1:

Get yourself into the guest list of every event or simply gatecrash. One way is to bribe the security. They are the ones who check the invites when you enter the venue. Model Amanpreet Wahi says, "Some 'designers' from Mumbai, wearing glares at night and looking so sidey, gatecrashed at my pre-wedding bash. I was so shocked. Some PR people also came uninvited".

- Trick 2:

Tag along with a page 3 photographer or a journalist friend and get them to pass your pics around. Or simply pose as one of them. PS: Make sure you carry phoney business cards, no one looks too hard at what's written. Once you're in, pose pretty for the cameras.

- Trick 3:

Flaunt a firang accent and hang out with regulars. An accent can get you mistaken for a loaded NRI. You may even be allowed to hang out with the diplomatic crowd. Click! You have your visa card. Talking about this trend, Wahi adds, "I have seen these 35-40 year old men who just get a skimpily clad girl with them and get clicked with her. All they have is a loaded wallet (or the pretence of one) and an arm-candy. That's the way."

- Trick 4:

Pick up a fight, lock lips or do something really crazy. A smooch or a smack works wonders. Also, sport skimpy clothes and crazy tattoos. Designer Rahul Jain says, "People start kissing and touching the moment they see the lensman.These are people who otherwise don't even say Hi to each other. A male designer comes wearing a necklace and another wears something really bizarre"

The DUSU Fraud - If this is how it all starts, imagine how it will go on

2009-08-29T15:07:00.004+05:30

Times of India - 27/8/09

The DUSU (Delhi University Student Union) elections have been announced, and it’s that time of the year again when Delhi University’s top wannabe political honchos compete for the prize of who gets to pull the strings of power on campus. DT brings you the intrigue, scheming, politics and power play from behind the scenes:

- Pretty & Pimped

Notice how all the faces on the posters are well nigh flawless? The parties look for an attractive face, preferably a female’s. Also, to rephrase Rakhi Sawant, ‘Jo bhagwan nahin deta, woh photoshop de deta hai!’ The candidates’ photos are airbrushed to look good. It’s not possible for the candidate to meet everyone in the Univ, so it’s the face that gets the votes. “I asked a senior who he’d vote for, and he replied, ‘Jo sundar ho woh.’ I think I’ll do the same!” says first year student Ranvijay Mahla. And by the way, the Lygndoh Committee’s guideline prohibiting the use of printed posters and pamphlets unless handmade, can go take a hike!

- Keep ‘em happy

It’s also important to let students know that you’ll keep them happy. So it’s free trips to Fun and Food Village, free movies, and free lunches in the college canteen. Richa Jha, a third year student of Satyawati College, says, “Students were given free trips to Fun and Food Village
and free lunches.”

At nights, crates of booze are sent to the boys’ hostels and sometimes even the candidates are present. An insider confirms, “The leader of the group is called and the booze is given to him. It’s important to have the leaders on your side.”

- What’s in a name? lots!

It’s all about where your name appears on the EVM. Buzz has it that voters who don’t know whom to vote for usually press the first button, and some candidates take this pretty seriously. An extra A or AA added before their name ensures that they enjoy the top spot on the ballot list. An insider confirms, “AA Deepak Chaudhary, AA Rohit Chaudhary, etc, are all names just for the elections!”

- Outside help

Every year, some major parties get about 2000 outsiders to help them in the elections. A veteran DUSU leader says, “One has to make the most of these ten days. The parties get people from other states. These people help cover the vast DU campus. Jeeps, cars, etc, are hired to ferry around these ‘supporters’ and the publicity material. The candidate should be followed by cars and supporters, it looks impressive.” But don’t the Lyngdoh Committee guidelines forbid the use of vehicles?

- Bring in the moolah

Contesting an election needs big bucks. A li’l birdy tells us that a candidate from a major party needs at least Rs 10 lakhs to get noticed, not to mention a few lakhs more from the party and some from supporters, to keep going. The petrol alone costs more than 10,000 bucks. The Lyngdoh Committee’s guidelines, on the other hand, limit maximum expenditure per candidate to Rs 5000.

- Power show

To get an election ticket, a candidate has to prove to the party that he enjoys campus-wide support and influence, for which a display of strength or, in DU lingo, a ‘shakti pradarshan’ is organised. The ‘supporters’ there are DU students, IP students, people from different states and professions and some who join the crowd for money. The candidates travel through the campus with their entourage, who shout slogans, throw pamphlets in the air, and wave banners; dhols and whistles complete the show.

- Campaign capers

Once the nominations have been filed, the campaigning begins. With each candidate vying for visibility, a fight for space ensues. You paste your posters, others paste theirs, so what do you do to have an edge? Tear those of the others and put yours up there. An ex-chhatra neta gives us the lowdown – “The real campaigning happens at night. The supporters of the candidate get into cars; one car carries posters, another carries the gang of students who will tear the other party’s posters, and a third has mazdoors who will paste theirs. Also, the boys who tear the posters have to have brawn. One more car carries laths (bamboo sticks) that are made to order from Chandni Chowk.” Why, you ask? “When you tear posters, the other party’s members might spot you and then there’s always the chance of a fight.” Sometimes, the palms of the police have to be greased, so that they don’t stop you from pasting posters on any but the ‘democracy’ walls. Once this tearing, pasting, retearing and re-pasting has gone on for a couple of days, the parties reach an agreement. The posters at unauthorised places can be managed later by either paying the fine or like some netas, attending the court cases filed by MCD. And thus, the dance of democracy goes on in DU!

The execution of a fake encounter

2009-08-06T23:06:00.006+05:30

Tehelka

Official police version:

Sanjit’s encounter death at 10:30am on July 23, a team of MPC personnel was conducting frisking operations in Imphal’s Khwairamband Keithel market. They saw a suspicious youth coming from the direction of the Uripok locality. When asked to stop, the version goes, the youth suddenly pulled out a gun and ran away, firing at the public in a bid to evade the police.

The youth was finally cornered inside Maimu Pharmacy near Gambhir Singh Shopping Arcade. He was asked to surrender. Instead, he fired at the police. The police retaliated and the youth was killed. The account states that a 9mm Mauser pistol was “recovered”.

A govt survey says 5400 families in Delhi are headed by children, the sole breadwinners

2009-08-06T22:48:00.003+05:30

Hindustan Times - 6/8/09

One fourth of these children do odd jobs like scavenging
Another one fourth of these children are employed in the construction sector

Gaurav (13) is an unusually pensive teenager. He weighs every word before he speaks, almost fearful of reprisal. At his age, he knows how to cope with loss. His parents are dead. His younger brother Sumit and he were abandoned by his elder brother. But at his age, he also knows how to earn a living.

The two boys work in a local sweatshop in East Delhi's Harsh Vihar and earn Rs 1,000 per month. "We manage fine," said Gaurav when asked if he felt lonely. They live in a one-room brick house with no water or power supply.

A survey carried out by the Delhi government for identifying socially and financially vulnerable groups found there are over 5,400 such families headed by children in the city. These were just the results of the first phase of the survey. Many of these children are orphans, others were abandoned by their parents.

Usha (17) was sold by her parents to an old man. When she managed to escape and return to her home in Sunder Nagri, an unauthorised colony in east Delhi, her parents abandoned her and her five siblings and disappeared overnight. Usha and her siblings lived in the shack their parents owned for a while. While the other children were eventually taken in by their relatives, she was left behind. The teenager now works as a cook with St. Stephen's Hospital's Community Outreach Programme in Sunder Nagri.

Education is now a right in India

2009-08-05T21:29:00.004+05:30

Times of India - 5/8/09

Under the law, children in the 6-14 age group have to be in school
No student will be failed till Class 8th
No capitation fees, no screening of parents for admissions
25% reservation for ‘disadvantaged groups’ in neighbourhood schools
No pvt tuition by teachers
School management committee to have 50% women members

India on Tuesday joined a select global club with the passage of the Right to Free and Compulsory Education Bill, setting in motion an ambitious, if much-delayed, scheme of providing education to every child in the age bracket of 6-14 years.

The law is unique as while providing compulsory education, it would not fail any student till Class 8th while enjoining upon all government and private schools to provide 25% quota to “disadvantaged” children. The law provides for building neighbourhood schools in three years whose definition and location will be decided by states.

The legislation which has already been passed by the Rajya Sabha will soon be enacted after getting the assent from President Pratibha Patil.

Crucially, the bill aims to do away with the practice of schools taking capitation fees before admission and subjecting the children or parents to any screening procedure.

The RTE would empower the seven-year-old 86th Constitutional amendment that made free and compulsory education a fundamental right. The RTE Bill sets down guidelines for states and the Centre to execute and enforce this right. Earlier, education was part of the directive principles of state policy.

Both Centre and states will be responsible for the finances. The Centre will prepare the capital and recurring expenditure and provide it as grants-in-aid to each state.

A quarter of government teachers in India are missing from school on any given day

2009-08-05T21:20:00.002+05:30

Hindustan Times - 5/8/09

For a whole year before he started school, Raman Kumar dreamed of learning to read and write. The little bov had and write. The little boy had a grand plan: Finish school, go to college, then move to a big city and get a good job.

He was thrilled when his father finally signed him up, at age seven, at the government school in his village of Pure Gosai in Rae Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh. "But day after day," says the 12-year old, "Masterji wouldn't come to school." When he did come to class, he would often order one of the boys to fetch him tea and bidis (hand-rolled cigarettes), then doze off -- or leave. "When the exams came around, he would write the answers on the blackboard," says Kumar. "That's how we cleared primary school."

Like nearly half (47 per cent) of all primary government school students, Raman cannot read fluently or do complex math.

A 2004 World Bank study found teacher absenteeism rates were lower in schools with better infrastructure and proximity to a paved road. Here, the 2004 World Bank study found 25 per cent of teachers missing and another 25 to 30 per cent not teaching at the time of three unannounced inspections at 3,700 schools across 20 states in India. The only country that fared worse on the survey was Uganda, with a teacher absenteeism rate of 27 per cent.

Reverse Racism: Salma by morning, Seema by evening

2009-06-11T10:25:00.003+05:30

Hindustan Times - 11/6/09

To go from Azad Apartment to Sancharlok—two residential buildings in East Delhi — all one needs to do is to cross a busy main road. But one woman has to go a step farther: she has to wear new identities. She is Salma when she gets down from one building; Seema when she climbs into the other.

“When I was new in Delhi, I was thrown out from work several times because of my name. Then I decided to live with a double identity,” said Salma, who declined to give her full name or be photographed. “Now I am a Hindu for Hindus and a Muslim for Muslims.”

It is her insurance in a city that has cosmopolitan pretensions but remains deeply prejudiced. “There is no choice, I have four children to feed,” says the maid as she waits at the bus stop (as Seema) to pick the schoolchildren of a working mother who pays her for this substitution.

The name game continues as far as her children. Salma has given religion-neutral names to her four children so that they do not have to do the jugglery she does. They are called Prince, Beauty, Fairy and Bobby.

And she is so good at switching skins that she recites the Kalma on one side and Hanuman Chalisa on the other. But her husband Mohammad Razzak, a rickshaw puller, refused to compromise — and Salma believes that that is why he is jobless. It is difficult to independently verify that claim.

“He lost a job at a ration shop because of his name. I had fixed everything for him. I requested him to say that his name is Vijay,” she said. “But he did not. Now the burden of running the house is largely on me.”

Her day starts as Seema at eight in the morning, when she prepares breakfast and does the dishes at the home of a Punjabi family at Indraprastha Apartments. At noon, she becomes Salma and has to rush to the Haq family at Azad Apartments where she prepares lunch.

The transition goes on several times a day. “It is not that everyone is biased but it is better to be on the safer side. I have to earn my bread. A few Hindu families where I have been working for over seven years do know that I am a Muslim but they still trust me,” she said. “Once a family threw me out of work two years later when they got to know about the fact. But within three months recalled me, they could not do without me.”

Still, she is not bitter. “It’s much better here in Delhi. In my village in West Bengal there were separate streets for Muslims and Hindus. We were not even allowed to fill water from the same taps,” she said. “Here several times I have got away even after my identity was revealed.”

Is justice this blind? Recent rulings by Indian Courts seem to suggest so

2009-05-31T12:24:00.002+05:30

- The Times of India - 31/5/09

'Sikh women dont pluck brows': Punjab & Haryana High Court

The Punjab and Haryana high court on Saturday ruled that the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) was fully justified in refusing to admit a young girl to a Sikh minority institution because she had violated a fundamental tenet of the religion by plucking her eyebrows.

In an endorsement of the hardline stand of the high priests of Sikhism the ruling leans towards a text-based, more conservative definition of who is a true Sikh. In a 152-page order, a full bench made up of justices JS Khehar, Jasbir Singh and Ajay Kumar Mittal said it was essential for a Sikh to be unshorn.

Gurleen Kaur and others had challenged their denial of admission to an MBBS course at the Sri Guru Ram Das Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Amritsar, a Sikh minority institution. The SGPC had ruled that Gurleen was not a ‘‘true Sikh as she was plucking her eyebrows.’’

The court said the requisite of maintaining Sikh ‘swarup’ (appearance) was a permissible precondition for admitting students under the Sikh minority community quota. The SGPC runs two medical colleges, two engineering institutes, one polytechnic, 40 degree colleges and 150 schools, most of them in Punjab.

- CNN-IBN - 19/5/09

"If your wife wants you to see this side, see this side. If she wants you to see the other side, do obey her," - Supreme Court

The Supreme Court has a recipe for a successful marriage, more so for men: obey your wife and rule the world.

"Bibi joh boltee hai woh sunno (Listen to whatever your wife says). We all listen," a vacation bench of Justice Markandeya Katju and Justice Deepak Verma observed while hearing a lawsuit by Indian Force officer Deepak Kumar, who had complained that his estranged wife Manisha had ruined him and his family by implicating them in false criminal cases including sodomy.

"Hum sab bhuktbhogi hai (We all have undergone that experience)," the bench observed.

"If your wife wants you to see this side, see this side. If she wants you to see the other side, do obey her," said Katju, adding: "One who obeys his wife rules the world."

- DNA - 30/4/09

Woman can't gang-rape because it is conceptually inconceivable: rules SC

Can a woman be convicted of rape? The Rajasthan government thinks so. But the Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected a plea by the government to convict a woman of 'gang rape', saying such a thing was "inconceivable".

A fast-track court in Alwar, Rajasthan, had acquitted two persons, including a woman named Kamla, of being party to a 'gang rape' committed by a minor. They were present when the minor committed the crime, the court said, but ruled that the woman's participation in the crime was impossible.

Unanimous that a woman would not have common intention or participate in gang rape, the judges said, "It is conceptually inconceivable."

- Outlook - 15/2/09

'No woman would allow her husband rape another girl in her presence' because it is improbable: Delhi Court

In Indian society, no woman would allow her husband rape another girl in her presence, a Delhi court has said while acquitting a couple of rape and abetment charges and terming the girl's complaint as "improbable".

Trashing allegations of a girl that she was ravished several times by the accused with the active connivance of his wife, Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Surinder Kumar Mishra observed "No wife in our Indian society would allow her husband to rape a girl in her presence."

"The testimony of the prosecutrix (girl) does not inspire any confidence and her subsequent conduct makes it improbable that such an incident ever took place," the court said. It acquitted Salim and his spouse Saira Bano, residents of a north-east Delhi locality, of charges of kidnapping, rape, abetment and criminal intimidation under the IPC.

The accused couple was arrested following the complaint, lodged on June 21, 2006, of their neighbour that she was sexually assaulted several times during illegal confinement. Later, she testified that Saira had forced her to have sex with her husband when she visited the couple's house in neighbourhood on June 17. They also threatened her and cautioned her against disclosing it to anybody.

The true meaning of 'Jihad'

2009-05-31T12:18:00.001+05:30

Excerpts from an article by Islamic scholar, reformist-writer and activist Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer:

The terror attacks in India as well as abroad has created an impression as if jihad is central to Qur’anic teaching. First of all, as we have asserted repeatedly, jihad does not mean war in Qur’an as there are other words for it like qital and harb for war. Jihad has been used in Qur’an in its root meaning i.e. to strive and to strive for betterment of society, to spread goodness (ma’ruf) and contain evil (munkar).

But supposing jihad means war, as many Muslims, especially those who want to use it for their own political agenda, even then jihad is not that central to Qur’anic teachings. The word jihad occurs in the Qur’an 41 times (though not a single verse uses it in the sense of war) there are other key words in Qur’an representing values. As we have pointed out in one of the previous articles there are four most fundamental values in Qur’an i.e. justice (’adl), benevolence (ihsan) compassion (rahmah) and wisdom (hikmah).

These are Allah’s names also in Qur’an i.e. Allah is Just, Benevolent, Compassionate and Wise. Thus the Qur’an is embodiment of these values and a Muslim is duty bound to practice these values above all. One who fails to practice these values can hardly claim to be true Muslim. Jihad is not even obligatory in Islamic jurisprudence whereas these values are indicative of a Muslim’s character and hence quite important.....

The word ihsan (i.e. to do good to others) occurs in the Qur’an 194 times which also greatly outnumbers jihad. Similarly the word wisdom and its derivatives occur 101 times. Qur’an lays great emphasis on wisdom as wisdom is superior to reason in a way. Reason is also quite important but at times it can be misused by human beings whereas wisdom includes reason and values put together. Qur’an advises Muslims again and again to use wisdom. It asks Muslims to call to Allah also with wisdom, not with threats or force. One cannot invite anyone to ways of Allah by use of force, coercion or threat but with wisdom and kind words.

Also, there is great emphasis in Qur’an on justice in all social and political matters and Qur’an uses three words for justice i.e. ‘adl, qist and hakama and all these three words put together there are 244 words for justice in Qur’an. Thus it clearly shows that justice with all is highly necessary which clearly implies no innocent person would be punished in any case.

Also, Allah is thirty three times described in Qur’an as Ghafur al-Rahim i.e. Forgiver and Merciful and not one who seeks revenge. To seek revenge is human weakness, not strength of character. Thus a devout Muslim tends to forgive like Allah who forgives his servants if they sincerely repent. Those who are waging ‘jihad’ in the form of terror attacks are bent upon seeking revenge whereas a good Muslim would tend to forgive alike Allah forgives. It is true Allah punishes oppressors (zalimun) but no individual or a group of individuals not representative of community or state can dispense punishment. Only Allah or state or its representatives of states can dispense with punishment.

That is why in Islamic jurisprudence (Shari’ah law) jihad can be declared only by state or those empowered by the state, no one else. Terror attacks, on the other hand, are planned and executed by few individuals unrepresentative of any state or state institution. So their attacks cannot be legitimate by any Islamic or Shari’ah law. That is nothing but committing murder of innocent people. Also according to Islamic laws in jihad too no non-combatant can be attacked much less women, children and old persons and no civilian property can be destroyed unless it is being used for military purposes or for purposes of combat.

The Islamic history during Prophet’s life is to be seen in two important phases i.e. the Meccan phase for first thirteen years after Muhammad (PBUH) became Prophet and then 10 years in Madina after his migration. In Meccan phase the Prophet and his followers were most oppressed minority and yet Prophet did not ask his followers to use violence in any form. On the contrary, Qur’an repeatedly advised Prophet and his followers to bear all hardships patiently and not to despair.

The Prophet bore with utmost patience all the hardships, even insults and humiliations and carried on his mission. His followers were subjected to great hardships but he always advised them to be patient and penitent. Thus the Prophet (PBUH) guided Muslims how to behave in such adverse conditions and how to ensure peace despite such hardships. But when conditions became unbearable he advised some of his followers to migrate to Ethiopia and later he himself migrated to Madina with some of his followers.

Thus Meccan model of Islam can be very useful for those Muslims who are facing similar situation in parts of the world. As Qur’an lays great stress on hikmah (wisdom) one has to imply wisdom and carve out a proper strategy of survival rather than take plunge in violence throw themselves into peril. The Qur’an advises Muslims “…and cast not yourselves to destruction with your own hands and do good (to others). Surely Allah loves the doers of good.” (2:195)

This advice of the Qur’an not to throw yourself to destruction with your own hands is important and relevant even today in similar situations. See what the 9/11 attack on New York towers resulted in? Did Al-Qaida not invite great disaster to the entire Islamic world, especially in Afghanistan and Iraq? Did they not throw themselves in perdition with their own hands? What good that attack do to anyone. Was there any wisdom in that rash and ruthless attack?

Well, the extremist organizations can point out that UNO is dominated by the USA and other western nations and one cannot get justice from it. It is entirely true but then this also has to be continuously exposed and world should know how UNO works in the interests of USA, rather than in the interest of justice. It is also known that USA committed aggression against Iraq despite UNO refusing permission to wage war against Iraq. It exposed USA and world at large knows today how helpless UNO is before powers like USA.

Also, if one wants to really solve the problem peacefully violence will only damage the cause and make world opinion also adverse. The greatest strength of the cause in contemporary world is the favorable public opinion. One must try and win public opinion. Non-violent action is much likely to win public opinion rather than violent actions. Killing innocent people through terror acts can never be effective against a very powerful enemy. And it also makes public opinion very adverse.

Today media is very powerful in creating public opinion and non-violent actions will certainly impact the media people. Unfortunately the youth being impatient with democratic processes and under illusion of following Qur’anic traditions rushes to resort to so called jihad and antagonizes the world opinion. And what they do not understand, other Muslims, including Muslim countries, have to face adverse consequences.

Such thoughtless violence as committed by al-Qaida and other terrorist groups in Pakistan has created an image of Islam as violent religion, religion of jihad though the value system of Islam gives precedence to compassion and respect for human life and dignity. While Buddhism is being equated with compassion and Christianity with love and peace Islam is being equated with jihad and violence. Should these Muslim youth not deeply reflect what adverse image of Islam they have helped create?

These youth are so brainwashed by certain vested interests that they think jihad is obligatory on Muslims and that jihad is the only way out. These youth are totally ignorant of Islamic value system and importance of moral superiority over superiority of weapons. The examples of Hudaybiyah and peaceful Meccan conquest clearly show moral superiority ultimately matters. The most powerful can be disarmed before the might of moral stand.

In our own time Gandhiji showed the effectiveness of truth and non-violence. The mighty British Empire had to bow down before the might of truth and non-violent action. Unfortunately many think non-violence is cowardice and is born out of weakness. It is very erroneous view. It is only most courageous and truthful person who practices non-violence. Violence is borne out of anger and revenge, not out of truthful stand.

One hopes the misguided Muslim youth resorting to such violent actions would realize the futility of terror attacks and renounce such sinful and criminal acts and instead concentrate on excelling in learning and acquiring superior moral character thus truly following transcendent Qur’anic moral precepts. Did not the Prophet say ‘ink of a scholar is superior to the blood of the martyr?’

Are you racist?

2009-05-17T13:10:00.001+05:30

Anousha Shankar - Hindustan Times - 15/5/09

Recently there was an incident on Air France involving about 60 Indian passengers who filed a complaint of racism against the airline after being treated badly at the Paris airport. Apparently, non-Indian passengers were put up in hotels when a technical mishap occurred, but the Indians were made to wait in the airport lounge without access to water or food for quite some time. I’m so proud of these people for filing a complaint!

I’ve seen similar things happen myself while travelling. People from India, especially who don’t speak English, have been ignored or snubbed while others were well taken care of, and I’m so glad that people are standing up against this kind of racism, so hopefully airlines won’t be able to do it again.

But it got me thinking. It’s so easy to take note of something like racism when it happens to you. But do you notice it as quickly when you do it to others? As Indians, I have to say that on the whole, we’re a fairly racist group of people!

Give these examples a thought:

- Most of your parents would rather you bring home a nice Indian boy or girl than a foreigner, right? But in the event that you do fall in love with a foreigner, would it be easier for you if that person were white, rather than black?

- Where else in the world do matrimonial ads place so much importance on the shade of a prospective partner’s skin?

- In India, foreigners have to pay a higher ticket price to enter monuments and other places of interest. How would you feel if you were stopped at the Eiffel Tower or Statue of Liberty and asked to pay more money because your skin was brown?

- We may have a few Bollywood beauties that can be termed “dusky”. But in a country of shades ranging from palest cream to absolute ebony, why is there not one prominent actor or actress with truly dark skin?

- Our media is constantly propagating this concept of white women as easy or loose. Female tourists, especially blondes, are constantly faced with men who assume they can be taken advantage of, just because they’re white.

- Why do so many people in north India constantly make fun of people in the south, and have so little understanding of the culture, language and customs of their neighbours?

- Need I mention fairness creams? It’s great that John Abraham recently mentioned how they’re also useful for blemishes and the like, but the fact remains that throughout India and Asia, fairness and whitening cream usage is rampant among people desperately trying to make themselves several shades lighter than they are, in a society that considers that more attractive.

It’s well and good to stand up for our own rights of equality. But we have to also open our eyes to the fact that we don’t always offer that same equality to everyone else.

TRUE HEROES: Aged between 11 and 13 years, this trio of child labourers refused to get married to pursue their education

2009-05-17T12:56:00.003+05:30

Times of India - 15/5/09

New Delhi: At a time when most children their age fight for a Playstation or a night out with friends, Sunita Mahto, Afsana Khatun and Rekha Kalindi put their foot down and refused to get married. Belonging to one of the most backward districts in the country or coming from poor families did not deter the gutsy girls.

Aged between 11 and 13 years, the trio were child labourers before they joined the district National Child Labour Project (NCLP). With nearly all children in her community getting married, Afsana’s parents too fixed her wedding. “I didn’t want to get married so early. I wanted to study and I told my parents that,” Afsana said. Initially, she and others like Sunita faced resistance but eventually, with the help of teachers and peers, they were able to convince their parents.

On Thursday, the three girls met President Patil who praised them for their brave and courageous step. “These girls are a ray of hope for society. They are messengers of social change. One child marriage leads to ten other social evils including malnutrition, lack of education. These social evils hurt not just the individual but also impact society and the nation,” Patil said.

Having stood against convention, the bright faced girls are now busy with their studies. The youngest, Rekha, has even addressed a rally talking against the practice of child marriage. “Since these girls were successful in stopping their marriage, there have been no incidents of child marriage in and around Jhalda, Purulia,” Prosenjit, assistant labour commissioner, Purulia district, said.

APARTHEID funded by the Indian tax-payer

2009-05-06T13:22:00.003+05:30

Hindustan Times - 5/5/09

Case I - GUJARI VILLAGE (Katni district) Babul, a Class VI student at the local government school, was thrashed for inadvertently touching his teacher’s chair. His crime? He is a Dalit (a Charmkar, a sub-caste). A series of punishments followed over the next few days. Unable to bear it any longer, he quit school. “I couldn’t go back after being beaten up just because of my caste,” he said.

Case II - KADACHHA VILLAGE (Ujjain district) At the local government school, there are two rows of students waiting for food served under the government’s Mid-Day Meal Scheme. Dalit children are forced to sit in a row far away from the non-Dalits. And they aren’t allowed to eat from metal plates; they get plates made of leaves. The upper caste students are served first. Then, the service boys throw food from a height into the plates of the Dalit children.

Case III - SARARI KHURD VILLAGE (Sheopur district) Fourteen-year-old Milkis recounted her experience at school where she was subjected to casteist remarks and beaten up by non-Dalit students. Her teachers declined to intervene and come to her rescue. “I wanted to be a teacher. But the torture was unbearable and I dropped out of school in Class IV,” she said.

IN AN era when one set of Indians is manning the world’s knowledge back-office with distinction, another set of children — in Madhya Pradesh, which the ruling BJP often showcases as a “model state” – has to face such discrimination and humiliation. Everyday, this Indian version of apartheid is taking place in schools and childcare centres run by the government, and in schemes funded by the taxpayer’s — in other words, your – money .

According to a survey on social discrimination conducted by Jansahas, an NGO, and Unicef, in 24 villages across four districts – Ujjain, Sheopur, Katni and Jhabua – in Madhya Pradesh, more than 63 per cent of Dalit children are subjected to caste discrimination while being served mid-day meals in government schools.

They are forced to sit in separate rows, bring utensils from home or given food in plates marked boldly with permanent ink to distinguish them from the rest.

The Mid-Day Meal Scheme, funded by the government, is the world’s largest school lunch programme and covers, 120 million children. Ironically one of the key objectives of the scheme is to increase socialisation among children of different caste groups.

“As many as 40 per cent of Dalit students facing discrimination were given mid-day meals in plates specially set aside for them,” Jansahas activist Ashif Sheikh told Hindustan Times.

While some were asked to bring utensils from home, most were served their mid-day meals on leaf plates. Non Dalits, however, were served on metal plates. The survey found that most teachers were insensitive to the discrimination against Dalits because of caste-based traditions being followed in rural areas, he said.

In a majority of the schools surveyed, Dalit students were not allowed to sit in the front row. As many as 78 per cent of schoolgoing Dalit students were backbenchers or forced away from the front row and subjected to casteist abuses. And 79 per cent of such students were compelled to clean the schools. In some schools, this chore was given only to Dalit girls.

The survey found that the Anganwadi scheme, a government-sponsored mother and childcare scheme catering to children in the 0-6 age group, also discriminates against Dalits. About 59 per cent of Dalits said they desisted from sending their children to the local anganwadi facilities.The victims claimed that Dalit children were not allowed to enter the anganwadis and were forced to accept nutritional supplements outside the building. The survey concluded that caste discrimination is one of the prominent reasons for the absence of Dalit children from school.

Did you know that most of the superstars who have campaigned for political parties did so because they were paid???

2009-05-03T12:24:00.005+05:30

MSN.com and Business Standard - 3/5/09

The offer stumped Dale Bhagwagar, public relations manager to many a film star. An agency, hired by a well-known clothing brand, wanted a top actor to canvass support for a political party. Money these days is hard to come by and the Election Commission keeps a hawk eye on the expenses of parties. So, it offered the actor no fewer than 20 sherwanis! “I am yet to get over that call,” said Bhagwagar.

Bhagwagar has fielded 10 or 12 calls, at the very least, everyday in the run up to the general elections. “It’s been busy for me and the maximum offer that has been given by a leading political party has been Rs 35-40 lakh,” said he. This offer, it is learnt, was for Hrithik Roshan who turned it down.

Perhaps he didn’t find the return on time-spent good enough. But films stars like Salman Khan and Koena Mitra and even some small-screen stars like Varun Badola have been seen regularly at rallies of political parties this time round.

Khan was the biggest glamour industry campaigner in this year’s elections. He campaigned for both the Congress as well as the Bharatiya Janata Party at different times and is said to have made Rs 20 lakh for every appearance.

Do parties have that much money? Maybe, they don’t. But they are backed by businessmen who end up paying the stars in cash. Or in sherwanis. It doesn’t matter if the film star doesn’t know the party’s manifesto (Koena Mitra, for instance, had no clue about the details of the party she was representing), for all that matters is really the money they make at the end of the canvassing.

Mitra is paid around Rs 10-12 lakh each time she appears on the campaign trail. Like her, Mahima Choudhary and Zeenat Aman (no matter how much it is out of goodwill) get paid too but comparatively lesser: Rs 5-7 lakh. In addition, their airfare (business class) and hotel accommodation is taken care of.

“They don’t make speeches and don’t go on campaign trails as a friendly gesture. They do it for money,” said a source busy fielding calls from interested parties who wanted to get on board some television stars for this year’s campaigning. “They promise trips to exotic destinations, are willing to load TV stars in jewellery, even get gadgets like LCD sets installed in homes. There’s a lot that parties offer but these are add-ons. Cash is always on the cards,” said this source.

According to him, Saakshi Tanwar (of Kahaani Ghar Ghar Ki fame) was offered a chance to not just canvass but also contest a seat in Rajasthan on a BJP ticket. “The party made an offer of Rs 10 lakh but she refused,” he added. While Tanwar may be an exception, TV stars are usually paid in the region of Rs 3-5 lakh with add-ons that include paid vacations, gadgets, designer clothes (yes, that’s right) and what have you.

“An election campaign requires stars to sweat it out and bake in the heat. It’s more than just attending events and that’s why they command fat sums of money,” said Bhagwagar.

We've heard about adult education, sex education, sports training etc. Now say hello to - BEGGING EDUCATION

2009-05-03T12:00:00.003+05:30

Hindustan Times - 3/5/09

It seems that beggars are made, not born.

An informal academy for wannabe beggars in Rohini in west Delhi is training initiates in this profession. The training, imparted with an eye to the coming Common-wealth Games, is in foreign languages, since foreigners are considered good catches.

“More than one lakh foreigners will be in the city during the period. Even if one beggar earns Rs 150-200 per day, you can understand the turnover for us,” said Vijay Babli, who claims to be leader of over 1,200 beggar families living in Rohini’s Lal Quarter.

In preparation for this expected windfall, the beggars have set up a night school in a clearing in their colony.

Bright children are taught how to say phrases like, “I am an orphan, I have not eaten for days, I am ill, have no money for medicine, please help me in the name of God”, says Raju Sansi, who claims to be head tutor at the school.

Patni, an eight year-old girl who has never been to school, can speak English, French and Spanish, thanks to the makeshift school.

She is one of the 45 students at the school. Practical lessons are also imparted in sessions in places like Connaught Place.

Real foreign currency notes are shown to the children so they can recognise them, says Patlu, who trains children in Katputli Colony in west Delhi’s Patel Nagar.

The beggar children usually get a free pick up and drop from their work locations.

So whether Delhi is ready for the Games or not, its beggars will be.

Are celebrities just supposed to say: 'VOTE' or should they say: 'THINK AND THEN VOTE'

2009-05-03T11:53:00.003+05:30

Anoushka Shankar - Hindustan Times - 2/5/09

Social responsibility: Does it mean lending your voice or vote for the sake of it? Or does it mean taking the time and effort to be socially aware, and to know what you’re talking about before you risk supporting the wrong cause? Politics is complicated, and I admit to being often baffled or thoroughly frustrated.

Maybe one political party speaks loudly about an issue dear to my heart, but upon research I find out they also support things I don’t agree with. Or maybe it’s hard to dredge up enough idealism about a political figure when I know things are never as perfect as they seem.

Either way, it’s important to be involved. As everyone is telling you, vote, vote, vote! Take a stand! Make your voice heard! But for a moment, will you just question what happens after you do that?

We’ve seen more celebrities campaigning this year than ever before. That can be a great thing, but it’s also dangerous. Some public figures have happily jumped on to the political bandwagon this year, running for office at the drop of a hat, and causing me to question their motives.

A few days ago, there was an article in this newspaper about an actress who said that she didn’t know what she was campaigning for, but that she just went because she was a friend of a party member. I was completely outraged. Is this a fashion show where you go just because it’s fun to show up? Did you just want to be written about as active, because it’s the new in-thing in Bollywood?

When voting privately, a public figure has the same amount of responsibility as any other citizen, no more, no less, to be well-informed about what he or she is voting for. But the second one uses their celebrity to campaign for votes, that responsibility increases exponentially. I mean, isn’t that obvious?

People look up to you, people are influenced by you, and when you’re using that to tell them how to shape the country rather than what movie to watch, you have no right to abuse that! You can really impact people, and to do that without due research, knowledge or care is a disgrace......

Questions for legislators

2009-05-03T11:43:00.003+05:30

By V. Raghunathan - MINT - The Wall Street Journal - 22/4/09

Minimum attendance is compulsory, whether one is a student or an employee. Falling short can debar a child from a school or an examination. It can cost you your job. Minimum attendance is regarded as a necessary condition for learning or delivering on one’s work commitments. Right?

Similarly, universally, educational and other institutions expect their children or employees to stick to certain expected norms of behaviour. A rowdy child or a rogue employee is seldom tolerated. For instance, if a student or employee damages school or office property, a serious disciplinary view is taken of such conduct. One may even be expelled from the organization. Right?

Also, all professional positions require minimum qualifications or specific expertise. For example, a finance executive must be a chartered accountant, a senior educator must have a PhD (doctor of philosophy) and a surgeon must have a master’s degree in surgery. One cannot even enter class VII unless one has passed class VI. Right?

Again, most institutions have a retirement age for employees. The age for retirement takes many aspects into account, viz., physical health and mental abilities, providing for upward mobility and employment to younger sections of the population, demand and supply of expertise, and so on.....

Finally, most courses of study are so rigorous that, by and large, one is not allowed to pursue two degrees simultaneously. Likewise, most organizations, the government included, do not allow their employees to engage in more than one job at a time. Imagine the pilot of your commercial flight as a part-time stock broker on the National Stock Exchange! You will surely be a worried commuter. Right?

Under the circumstances, isn’t it ironic that while the above are true for children and adults alike in all institutional walks of life, Indian legislature should be the only exception in the country that does not abide by any of the above requirements? Perhaps election time is the best time to ask some questions.

The abysmal attendance record of some of our celebrity parliamentarians—as measured by mere signing of the register and not by participation in the parliamentary proceedings—has been much in the news recently. Clearly, no attendance requirement applies to our representatives. Why?

Criminal background and behaviour, which may be unacceptable in students or employees in any decent school or organization, are perfectly acceptable for our parliamentarians. Why?
Our education minister does not have to be an educationist or the minister for urban planning an architect. Nor is it essential for a parliamentarian to be a degree holder in political science or have a record of public service. Why?

One would imagine that neither running of industries nor running of the state is a part-time job. How, then, do we expect industrialists such as Rahul Bajaj and Vijay Mallya to juggle their industrial empires with statecraft? Or a senior leader such as Sharad Pawar to juggle statecraft with cricket? Or a Govinda (incidentally, he did not attend a single parliamentary session in 2007) or a Jaya Prada to juggle their Bollywood careers with parliamentary sessions? But we have put them there as members of Parliament. Why?

While a 56-year-old colonel is too old to run his regiment, an octogenarian parliamentarian is not too old to run the country. Why?

Corporate governance is important, but not so country governance. Why?

The author is CEO, GMR Varalakshmi Foundation.

Contrary to popular belief, OBC Quotas have not diluted standards: TISS Study

2009-05-01T15:34:00.002+05:30

Hindustan Times - 30/4/09

A FACT-FINDING study into reservation for other backward classes (OBCs) in higher education in three states by the Mumbai-based Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) has concluded that there is no evidence to show that such a reservation policy is “diluting merit or lowering the quality of professional education”.

The National Academy of Sciences, a research body of scientists, commissioned the study in March 2008, when debates over expanding reservation were roiling medical, management and engineering campuses across India.

Professor P. Tandon of the academy said, “We had commissioned the study because so much uninformed debate was creating bitterness and dividing the country. We decided to study the actual performance of OBC reservations in states which had already implemented it in their institutions, and put the findings to the public and policymakers.” The year-long study titled ‘Impact of OBC reservation in higher education in India’ visited nine engineering and medical campuses in Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, spoke to over 600 students and faculty members, and analysed institutional data at entry and exit levels.

“But to me, the most important finding”, said Tandon, “are the factors responsible for persistent backwardness, ranging from poor education in India’s government schools to a student’s place of residence.

Those are the things we must address, without which reser vations cannot be effective.” The report concludes that the poor school education, and increased privatisation in higher education are the biggest barriers to higher education today among India’s disadvantaged groups.

He's one reason why you should vote

2009-05-01T15:29:00.003+05:30

Hindustan Times - 30/4/09

Abdul Zabar, a 12-year-old, lugs bags of stamps and ink to Dr. Antonia Da Silva High School in Dadar, Mumbai. The school falls in the South-Central Mumbai constituency, which goes to the polls on Thursday.

Zabar was found working with labourers in the hall where polling-related material was kept to be distributed across centres. When photographers present there clicked Zabar’s picture, the labour contractor asked the boy to stop working and made him sit on the floor. He was later sent out of the hall.

HT photographer Kunal Patil followed Zabar and asked him his name and age. The contractor noticed this and tried to justify the boy’s presence, saying he was not being made to work but was merely accompanying his uncle who was a labourer.

'STAR' Power: Salman Khan campaigns first for Congress, then for BJP next month and then again for Congress the next day

2009-04-13T14:20:00.009+05:30

Times of India - 3/09 - Salman Khan campaigns for Congress candidate Anu Tandon

Times of India - 11/4/09 - Salman Khan campaigns for BJP candidate Vinod Khanna

Times of India - 13/4/09 - Salman Khan campaigns for Congress candidate Milind Deora

The Great Indian Election Circus further entertains

2009-04-13T13:44:00.005+05:30

Samajwadi Party Manifesto: We'll ban English, computers

Times of India - 13/4/09

The Samajwadi Party has vowed to work against the use of English in education and computers in new projects. While these are pitched as populist measures — abolition of ‘‘expensive education in English’’ would allegedly create a level playing field for all and less use of computers would generate jobs — the steps are being viewed with alarm as they have the potential to drag back the country by years.

Releasing the party manifesto here on Saturday, SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav dwelt on his pet anti-English theme. The manifesto says that if a new government were to be formed with SP’s support, it would work to abolish schools providing expensive education in English — in other words, virtually every public school regarded among the country’s top schools. Interestingly, Mulayam Singh’s two sons have gone to such schools.

While speaking to reporters, Mulayam Singh said he was against ‘‘the compulsory use of English language in education, administration and judiciary’’. He said SP favoured the national language, Hindi, and regional languages. To give his anti-top grade education a populist spin, he said his party was in favour of free education for girls until graduation.

On computers, Mulayam said their use was leading to unemployment. He added that wherever work can be done by hand, computers would be abolished. As everything was done by hand until the advent of computers, the step, if taken to its logical conclusion, could lead to the scrapping of almost all computers.

BJP's BL Sharma Prem says his win is certain because he filed his nomination at an auspicious moment

Times of India - 13/4/09

Two days after the Congress withdrew the candidature of Jagdish Tytler from North-East seat, his BJP counterpart BL Sharma ‘Prem’ waited for another ‘auspicious’ moment to file his nomination paper on Saturday.

Prem, who candidly admitted that he had come after ‘‘due consultation’’ with the Hindu almanac, may not have been able to boast of star power — only OP Kohli, BJP state chief and local MLAs were present — but he claimed that the constellations were certainly in his favour. Flashing victory signs as supporters chanted his name, Prem declared, ‘‘I have defeated anyone who has stood against me. It’ll be the same this time around.’’

Interestingly, the firebrand RSS ideologue — who came in a black Santro which he claimed belonged to a supporter — seems to have accumulated little savings in his 30-odd years as a politician and academic. In his asset declaration, Prem has said that he has only Rs 37,187 in his bank account, with only Rs 500 in hand at the time of nomination. He apparently has no other savings, barring an apartment in middle-class BK Dutt colony in Karwala, built in 1991 and worth Rs 7.5 lakh, and a point 32 calibre German revolver.

Age is catching up with Indian Politics

Times of India - 13/4/09

Age is catching up with Indian politics. Whether it was BJP leader L K Advani lifting weights at a gym, or Gujarat CM Narendra Modi’s remark describing Congress as a ‘‘125-year-old budhiya’’ followed by Priyanka Gandhi’s ‘‘Do I look old to you’’ retort, age seems to have become a talking point in this election season.

This is happening despite the fact that leading lights from both Congress and BJP are not getting younger any more. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is 76, foreign minister Pranab Mukherjee is 73, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi is 62 while Advani at 81 leads the pack. But Congress’s aggressive projection of Rahul Gandhi seems to have given some ballast to the age debate.

While Congress took on Modi on ‘‘cultural’’ terms, pointing out that his remark smacked of sexism and also went against Indian ‘‘traditions’’ of respecting the elderly, Priyanka’s response was more in-your-face assertion of youthfulness. Without getting into the political incorrectness of Modi’s remarks, she simply posited herself as a young symbol of an old party. Given her striking looks, it certainly appears to be a poser for Modi and BJP.

After the World witnessed Jade Goody's death on TV, now Rakhi Sawant will choose & marry a man on a reality show

2009-04-11T11:57:00.003+05:30

The Indian Express - 8/4/09

She is known for her shock value and Rakhi Sawant is now planning her 'swayamvara' - picking a groom and tying the nuptial knot with the chosen one - on a reality TV show. Rakhi will choose from among 15 grooms on NDTV Imagine's new show "Rakhi Ka Swayamvara" and and will take the help of viewers to decide on her perfect man. The timing of the show hasn't been announced yet.

The first of its kind show will trace Rakhi's journey from selecting a groom to the marriage ceremony. Commenting on her decision to marry this way, Rakhi said: "I want to solemnize my marriage in the presence of all my fans who have been supportive of me throughout and what better way than getting married on national television?""I am looking for a companion who is warm, affectionate, someone who can dance a little bit, who respects women for who they are, and above all who is punctual. Even Sita had her Swayamvara so why not me?"

Rakhi says this is the right time for her to settle down."Every young woman dreams of a perfect marriage. There is a right time in your life to get married to become a wife and a mother. I'm a cultured Indian woman with good values and I have reached a stage where I need a companion with whom I can share my love, joys, sorrows and success. For me that time is now," she said.

Over the duration of the show, the prospective grooms will be brought together under one roof and put through a series of challenges that will test their personality, character, physical fitness, talent and also their compatibility with Rakhi. All through the series, viewers can help Rakhi decide, by voting for or against the prospective grooms and the final week will present the wedding celebrations.The show is being produced by SOL Productions Private Limited. "We are very proud of Rakhi for taking such a bold decision and we hope that she will find happiness at the end of the show," said Fazila Allana of SOL Productions Pvt. Ltd. MUMBAI: She is known for her shock value and Rakhi Sawant is now planning her 'swayamvara' - picking a groom and tying the nuptial knot with the chosen one - on a reality TV show.

87% of Delhi's Power Meters are overcharging: Says Delhi Govt. Inspection Report

2009-03-29T14:22:00.003+05:30

Times of India - 23/3/09

In a shocking admission, a Delhi government inspection report has concluded that nearly 90% of electricity meters checked in the national Capital were overcharging, running 2.5% higher than the error margin limit.

In a recent communication to the Centre, the power department said, “Since 87% meters have been found to be operating on the plus side, it has given undue financial gains to discoms as there are over two million connections in Delhi.”

The report also hinted at a possible nexus in high places since private distribution companies had been allowed to operate without any action being initiated against them despite several complaints. The report said, “It does not appear to have happened unintentionally.”

The tests found that more than 1,100 of the 1,300 meters checked had been overcharging by as much as 2.5% more than the bill amount.

The meters belonged to all three private discoms — BRPL, NDPL and BYPL — distributing power in the national capital. The report suggested that “the accuracy limit of electronic meters must be brought down from +-2.5% to +-0.5% so that consumers are not made to pay for power which they do not actually consume”.

The margin of error was kept upto +-2.5% when consumers had old mechanical meters. However, when private companies came into the picture, they sought to introduce electronic meters on the ground that such a step would bring down the margin of error to nil.

But not only have electronic meters failed to erase errors, the test checks have shown that they functioned on the higher side, causing inflated bills for over two million consumers.

The only school in Amlasole (West Bengal) was built by sex workers

2009-03-20T14:18:00.003+05:30

Hindustan Times - 20/3/09

Piyali is a commercial sex worker in India’s biggest red light district, Sonagachi in Kolkata. She is also the guardian angel of a small village of 300 nomadic tribals in Amlasole, a hilltop village about 260 kilometres to the southwest. Piyali (name changed) and a few of her friends, all commercial sex workers, first decided to help out at Amlasole after they read about the starvation deaths there.

Through an NGO they set up in Kolkata 14 years ago — called Durbar (Irrepressible, in Bengali) — they now run a school and a vocational training centre in Amlasole.

In a state where thousands of crores are pouring in as foreign investments and massive special economic zones are being created by a Left Front government that champions communism and equal opportunity, these are the only such facilities with a 20-kilometre radius.

The Sabar and Munda tribes who live here depend on the forests for food — they do not farm or rear livestock but survive mainly on wild potatoes. In 2003, the local police barred them from entering the forests surrounding their village, claiming they were helping transport arms, ammunition and supplies for Maoists in this Naxal-infested area. Within months, seven people had died of starvation.

As news of the deaths spread, a few local politicians visited the village and promised aid. Many of them, including local legislator Chunibala Hansda, had never been to the village before.None of them returned — except Piyali’s group.

“The nearest high school is in Belpahari, 23 kilometres away says Prabhas Munda, a ,” teacher at Beda Bhenge. “Till five years ago, villagers had to travel 15 kilometres to buy salt and cooking oil.” Now, 46 Sabar children are getting free education, food and clothes at the school. Young women are often taken to Kolkata in batches for vocational training.

A few have even got jobs making handmade mats and ropes in the metropolis. “We started with a fund of Rs 1 lakh,” says Mahasweta Mukherjee, Durbar’s liaison officer. “Since then, we have set up a school called Beda Bhenge (Breaking Fences, in Bengali) and the Sonagachi Training and Research Institute for Women.” The sex workers collect up Rs 10,000 every month for the children’s school uniforms, study material and mid-day meals.

For the 380 residents of the village, where the literacy rate is in the single digits and there was no motorable road till last year, Durbar has opened the doors to the world. The only time they see any government officials, they say, is when the police rush into the village to arrest suspected Naxal collaborators. “What’s the point of voting?” says Pakhi Sabar, whose husband and daughter died of starvation. “The officials came and disappear again. Piyali is the only one who returns.”

"We are in love with this Gandhi": Shiv Sena

2009-03-20T14:00:00.002+05:30

Times of India - 18/3/09

While the BJP is keen to keep Varun Gandhi at a safe distance, the Shiv Sena has backed the great grandson of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru for his pro-Hindutva views.

Endorsing Varun’s election speech, Sena mouthpiece ‘Saamna’ said the young BJP leader has embers of Hindutva burning in his heart. ‘‘Varun is of a tender age. The BJP should not disown him. He is a different Gandhi. While one Gandhi asked Hindus to offer their second cheek to Muslims, Varun says Hindus should retaliate. We are in love with this second Gandhi,’’ said an editorial in ‘Saamna’ on Wednesday.

The BJP may find the ‘Saamna’ leader comment more embarrassing that Varun’s rhetoric. Bal Thackeray is the editor of ‘Saamna’.

The 'High' School: Students are supposed to enter this Ghaziabad school through a liquor shop

2009-03-20T13:16:00.004+05:30

Hindustan Times - 16/3/09

The school set up by the National Child Labour Project (NCLP) of the Central Government in Nandgram, Ghaziabad, is a special one. The entrance to the premises of this school is through a licensed liquor shop and has its canteen at the entrance.The school premises also doubles up as a makeshift bar and brawls are not too uncommon here.

The school has 50 children, including 17 girls, and classes from 1 to 5. Lessons or not, the students do know the names of liquor brands sold here and some of them have also started eating gutkha, which contains tobacco and betel nut.

The children have had their brushes with the customers at this shop too. “These people misbehave with the girls. The girls’ toilet was broken during a brawl. We use open spaces to relieve ourselves,” said Babli Rani, a student of Class V .

The lone handpump, which is the only source of water here, is frequented by both the schoolchildren and drunk men. People frequently the shop can also be seen loitering around in the ground with their drinks. “They smell foul and beat us like animals when we go to drink water. They beat my brother some time ago,” said Abid Khan, a student of this school.

Schoolteacher Sudha Pandey said: “We are worried about the safety of the girls and ensure that everyone leaves the premises safely after the school. NCLP Project Director, M.K. Joshi, visited the school on Republic Day and knows about the problem.” Bhagirath Sewa Sansthan, the society that is running seven such schools, relates selection of premises to shortage of funds. “Our payments are pending since April 2008 from the project director’s office. So, we had to shift here. We have reminded the authorities about the matter several times but they also deny having funds,” said Amitabh Shukla, director of the society .

A teacher also said most children, under this scheme, were to be paid Rs 100 per month after joining school, but could not be paid due to shortage of funds.

Ghaziabad District Magistrate Mrityunjaya Narayan said action would be taken against the erring officials and inquiry would be initiated to find out the reason behind selection of the premises. NCLP Project Director M.K. Joshi was not available for comments.

RTI: Right to Insanity??? - Cops demand Rs 78,927 to answer RTI application on missing kids

2009-03-15T12:30:00.003+05:30

Times of India - 15/3/09

How much could asking for information on missing children under the RTI Act possibly cost? Well, if the questions are addressed to Delhi Police, it could be as high as Rs 78,927. That’s exactly how the office of DCP (southeast) responded to an application filed by the NGO, Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA), seeking details of Delhi’s missing children (2006-08).

In a reply to the BBA application, the DCP’s office said, ‘‘We have to suspend our regular work in order to furnish the requisite information sought by you for which considerable manpower will be utilised/diverted to discern this information. Hence, as per provisions of Sec 7(3)(a) of RTI Act, 2005, the requisite details/information can be provided on payment.’’

The letter then provides the project’s financial details. For instance, one head constable each from 15 police stations in the district would work for three days at the rate of Rs 840 per day costing Rs 37,800. Similarly, one constable each from the 15 police stations working for the same would cost another Rs 36,945. Similar charges for the sub-inspector associated with the work for three days adds another Rs 4,182 to the cost.

Interestingly, Rakesh Sengar of BBA, points out that other police districts such as northeast and west have offered information on the same without asking for any legwork money as done by the southeast police.

This tiny police station in Imphal has an Indian women's dream team

2009-03-15T12:20:00.002+05:30

Times of India - 15/3/09

Imphal-795 001. This pincode in the Manipuri capital has a tiny police station that has a unique staff line-up. Six international women sports stars work there together. Four policewomen stand to attention before their boss, MC Mary Kom, DSP at the Bapupara Colony station and four times world boxing champion. The four constables are champions in their own right. Each is a football international. They are the backbone of the little-known Indian women’s National team.

The police station’s unique line-up figures in the constables’ conversation on the eve of the final against Bengal here in this Tamil Nadu mining town, as they look for a record 13th title in the National championships. Top scorer Tababi Devi says, “I know Mary Kom and we run into each other whenever I am reporting for duty. We don’t talk much about sport though”.

Alongside Tabebi on the football field are state team captain Bem Bem, Thoi Devi and Geetharani Chanu. All, are workmates from Imphal. The unique line-up is seen to underline the extent to which sport can empower women in a conflict-hit region and make history.

BJP attacks Charlie Chaplin's statue: Claims 'Christian' Chaplin's statue will hurt Hindu feelings

2009-03-15T12:09:00.003+05:30

Times of India - 15/3/09

The last laugh may be on Charlie Chaplin, cinema’s funny man who mocked prejudice and fascism. Left-wing and suspected of communist sympathies, Chaplin was called many things in his lifetime, but ‘Christian’ wasn’t one of them. But the new tag comes courtesy BJP activists in Baindur, near Udupi. They have blocked installation of Chaplin’s statue saying it would hurt Hindu sentiment.

The statue was being installed by director Hemant Hegde as he prepared to shoot the song sequence of his new movie ‘Housefull’. On Friday, local BJP leader Suresh Batwadi stopped the film unit from going ahead with the project, claiming the land on which the statue was to be installed belonged to the Someshwara temple and the crew didn’t have the requisite permission.

Hegde said he had obtained permission and discussed the shoot with officials. ‘‘I had apprised the gram panchayat and Udipi deputy commissioner. The BJP activists questioned me on why I was not installing Vivekananda’s statue,’’ he said. He said he’s shifting the shoot elsewhere.

Condemnation poured in from artistes but local authorities said they couldn’t do anything about the matter as ‘‘no complaint (had been) registered’’.

The government is backing the protesters. Home minister V S Acharya, who is in Udupi, told STOI the locals have every right to express concern. He dismissed reports that BJP workers had objected because Chaplin was a ‘‘Christian, and not Indian’’. He insisted, ‘‘It is all fabrication, and a communal colour is being given to it. The local people have valid objections that a statue of 67 feet of a permanent nature cannot be established.’’ He also claimed permission had not been obtained.

But the head of police had a different take on the issue. “It is near a temple, the local people are against installing a Chaplin statue and instead want a statue of Vivekananda.”

80 yrs since ban, 45% of girls still married off before 18. 48% of them get pregnant before attaining majority

2009-03-15T11:58:00.003+05:30

Times of India - 11/3/09

22.6% girls married before 16, while 2.6% wedded before 13
48.4% of married girls have a child before they turn 18
37% of them did not use contraception before first baby
They are seven times likelier to have more than three children
Three times likelier to have a child again in less than 24 months
They are also nearly 50% likelier to have an abortion

Laws banning child marriages were introduced in the country in 1929 but 80 years down the line, the social ill continues to be as grave as ever. Nearly half the women in India are married off before they reach the legal age of 18, a joint Indo-American study announced in the medical journal ‘Lancet’ on Tuesday. After looking at data of 22,807 women aged 20-24 years, around 44.5% of these women were found to have got married before the age of 18.

“These results suggest that neither recent progress in economic and women’s development, nor programmatic efforts to prevent child marriage and promote maternal and child health, have been sufficient to reduce the prevalence of child marriage in India,” Dr Raj said.

Unicef recently said that child marriage was increasing India’s maternal and infant deaths. Girls who give birth before the age of 15 are five times more likely to die in childbirth than women in their 20s. If a mother is under the age of 18, her infant’s risk of dying in its first year of life is 60% greater than that of an infant born to a mother older than 19. “More than 40% of the world’s child marriages take place in India.” Unicef ’s Karin Hulshof said.

Medical student killed in ragging: Was beaten to death by seniors after he complained

2009-03-10T15:44:00.002+05:30

Times of India - 10/3/09

Aman Kachroo (19) had passed out of DPS Intl in Saket and enrolled at Dr Rajendra Prasad Medical College, in Kangra last Aug. He had repeatedly complained to his parents about brutal ragging on campus — often by drunk third-year students. On Friday night and Saturday morning, he was beaten so badly that he died. College authorities called cops almost 24 hours after Aman’s death.

He was beaten so brutally by his seniors in the name of ragging that he succumbed to his injuries. ‘‘Preliminary investigations reveal that the victim was under extreme stress following the ragging by third-year students and had collapsed on Sunday. We were informed of the incident around 9.30pm,’’ Kangra SP Atul Fulelzele said. That implies that college authorities did not call the cops for nearly an entire day after Aman died. Virkin Dhar, the victim’s cousin, said he had told her that senior students used to rag juniors after getting drunk and the same thing happened on Saturday night, when they physical assaulted freshers. ‘‘We have come to know that senior students had punched and slapped Aman, inflicting internal injuries that proved to be fatal,’’ she said.

Such violence underlines the fact that campuses still haven’t moved to ban ragging and act against offenders despite repeated Supreme Court warnings and orders.

That the faculty and college administration had looked away from the campus brutality was obvious. But even after the death was reported, administrators tried to pass off the death as a suicide. Only after the matter blew up and cops got involved, the principal, as a token gesture, rusticated four students suspected to be involved.

India gets its first female Indian Idol

2009-03-03T16:44:00.003+05:30

Indianexpress.com

The streets of Agartala witnessed unprecedenteed celebrations on Sunday evening after the state capital's Sourabhee Debbarma was crowned the first female winner of Indian Idol, the country's most gruelling singing competition.

Apart from being the first female winner of the popular contest, she is also the first tribal from the Northeast to win. Although Sourabhee won the title riding a huge wave of support via votes from the Northeast, the Agartala girl has lived in various parts of the country. She completed her MBA from Pune and later took to singing.

Agartala's brush with fame has spawned some interesting developments in the state with the age-old simmering tension between tribals and non-tribals retreating into the background for the timebeing. Moreover, the Indian Idol effect has led to bitter political rivals, the ruling CPM and the Congress-led Opposition burying their differences to celebrate the occasion.

Tripura royal Pradyut Kishore Deb Burman, who played a key role in urging the people of the Northeast to rally behind the singing sensation and vote for her in huge numbers, reckons this is a historic occasion for not just the state but the entire nation. "She has made us proud with her achievement. Tripura apart, this is a historic occasion for India as well," he told reporters on the sidelines of unending celebrations.

Are we secular only when convenient?

2009-03-02T13:14:00.002+05:30

Times of India - 2/3/09

What would be your pick for a proud, heart warming moment in these gloomy days of meltdown and violence — A R Rahman’s one in a million ‘Jai Ho’ score grabbing the Oscars or the Pathan brothers’ heartstopping heroics to pull off an implausible victory for the Indian cricket team?

Refusing to get mired in hatred, Rahman chose the path of love and went on to win the biggest cinema award in the world. Forget the spontaneous euphoria after the awards ceremony, slumdogs have seldom injected so much joy into a movie crazy nation that had rarely looked beyond Bollywood melodramas.

Just a fortnight before the tune created by the Mozart from Madras became a ballad for many Indians who will hum it for a long time, the Pathan brothers — Irfan and Yusuf — got together in Colombo in the dying stages of a T20 match when the dice was heavily loaded against India. They unleashed scintillating shots to help India claw back from the jaws of defeat to stand head high on the victory podium.

So what is your pick? Rahman or Pathan brothers? No doubt, they are the real heroes. For, they brought smiles and tears of joy in the eyes of millions — Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs. True, none of us thought about the religion professed by Rahman and the Pathan brothers. Who cares, they made us all — we Indians — proud.

So, are we secular and tolerant because things went as per our wishes? Then, why do we hinge our thinking to religion and indulge in finger pointing when things go wrong? Why do we become intolerant bigots whenever dark clouds shadow humanity? But, are commoners as much to blame for such a shifting mindset as political leaders?

On this issue — the polity’s convenient shuffling between secularism and fanaticism — the Supreme Court had in 1994 come out with some powerful comments, even if we choose not to focus on its main ruling on acquisition of disputed land after the unfortunate demolition of Babri masjid in 1992. [Ismail Faruqui vs Union of India 1994 SCC (6) 360]. The voluminous judgment by a 5-judge constitution Bench started with a lovely prophetic quote from 17th century Anglo-Irish satirist Jonathan Swift, more popular for his ‘Gulliver’s Travels’. He said, “We have just enough religion to make us hate, but not enough to make us love one another.”

Swami Vivekanand, again quoted by the SC in Faruqui judgment, had said, “Religion is not in doctrines, in dogmas, nor in intellectual argumentation; it is being and becoming, it is realisation.” We Indians more or less have realised it, will the polity follow suit?

Abusing wife common among young Indian men: Study

2009-02-25T20:08:00.002+05:30

Hindustan Times - 24/2/09

If you thought that Generation Y Indian men considered women equals and didn’t try to control their wives by battering them or forcefully having sex with them, think again. A six-state study has found that physical and sexual violence is widely prevalent among married youth.

Eighteen to 30 per cent of married women aged 15 to 24 reported physical abuse by their husbands at least once. Fifteen to 24 per cent of the 13,912 women surveyed had experienced violence in the last 12 months, according to the study, which was jointly conducted by the Population Council in Delhi and the International Institute for Population Sciences in Mumbai. Bihar recorded highest prevalence of physical violence and Rajasthan the lowest.

In sexual violence, too, Bihar was the worst: 54 per cent of women reported sexual abuse by their husbands and 49 per cent said they were forced to have sex on the wedding night.

The situation wasn’t any better in Rajasthan and Jharkhand. Forty per cent of women said they had experienced sexual violence and over 30 per cent reported forced sex on the first night.

The researchers also interviewed 8,052 married men, aged 15 to 29 from urban and rural parts of Maharashtra, Bihar, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. While the men’s responses almost matched women’s for physical violence, they differed on sexual violence. Only 9 to 25 per cent men admitted to sexual violence as against 10 to 54 per cent women.

The study also found that physical violence began early in marriage for many women and Maharashtra topped the charts in this. Fourteen per cent of the women said they had been abused in the first year of marriage and 18 per cent said they were beaten repeatedly in the last 12 months.

SNDT University director and women’s activist Vibhuti Patel said, “At least 200 women are referred to the crisis centre at Bhabha Hospital every month after being physically or sexually abused. Husbands are often the perpetrators.”

'We are worse off than shown in Slumdog Millionaire'

2009-02-25T19:59:00.001+05:30

Hindustan Times - 24/2/09

'Minister led mob & fired bullets' in Naroda Patia in Modi's 'Vibrant Gujarat'

2009-02-22T12:55:00.003+05:30

Times of India - 22/2/09

She was seen being blessed by BJP’s PM-in-making, L K Advani, at a function in the city on Friday. Indeed state minister Maya Kodnani will require all his good wishes to overcome her problems.

The SC-appointed Special Investigation Team told the Gujarat HC last week that she not only led the mob but also fired from her pistol at residents of Naroda Patia, which falls in her constituency. As many as 95 persons were killed by a mob in Naroda Patia on February 28. Kodnani’s role in the riot has been described in detail by SIT which took Gujarat government’s consent before filing the affidavit against its minister.

The SIT, comprising of Gujarat Police officers who are supervised by former CBI director and a retired DGP from UP, is now relying on statements from those very witnesses whose statements in 2002 fell on deaf ears. The SIT has quoted 33 witnesses against Kodnani, minister of state for youth, sports and higher education.

“Kodnani had fired from her pistol and she had come to the spot in a car with other persons and distributed swords amongst the mob,” SIT quoted one witness as saying.

6 kids go missing every day in Delhi. Most never return, shows Police data

2009-02-19T19:54:00.004+05:30

Times of India - 19/2/09

The numbers paint a scary picture. In the 17 days of this month alone, 72 children have been reported missing from the capital. If you think this month has been particularly bad for Delhi’s children, take a look at the figures since January 1, 2008. During this 414-day period, as many as 2,503 children have disappeared — an average of 6 missing kids every day.

And these are official figures culled from Zonal Integrated Police Network (zipnet.nic.in) data based on actual complaints. The real number could be higher. The scale of the tragedy becomes clear if one looks at the number of recoveries. During this period, just 368 missing children were recovered, including many who had disappeared before 2008. The import is clear: An overwhelmingly large percentage of parents whose kids have gone missing, aren’t likely to see them again.

The Delhi Police claim a majority of these kids have eloped, that is, willingly run away with a lover or someone else. But most parents refuse to buy this argument. Says Sambhu Kumar, father of 4-year-old Gaurav, missing from Gokalpuri since February 3, ‘‘My child surely cannot elope. Yet, police say I am primarily responsible for what has happened and that I have not been a good father. Why are they not trying to find my son?’’

According to police data, 2,503 minors missing in capital since Jan 1, 2008. That's an average of 6 children going missing every day. 115 of these cases reported from a single police station — Gokalpuri in north-east Delhi. The north-east police district recorded 540 cases in just 383 days. In Feb so far, 72 cases of missing children have been recorded Police chief announces helpline for missing kids.

Outsourcing Wars: Join the US army, be a US citizen in 6 months

2009-02-19T19:37:00.003+05:30

Times of India - 16/2/09

For decades, high-skilled professionals from across the world, particularly India, have fought their way to US citizenship through legal immigration channels — a process that can take up to a decade or more. Now, Uncle Sam is making it easy. Fight your way — literally — to American citizenship in as little as six months.

In a far reaching proposal, the US military will open its doors to skilled immigrant guest workers (such as those who hold H1-B visas) who have lived in the US for a minimum of two years. The move is aimed at offsetting the poor recruitment intake from traditional sources at a time the US military is stretched thin by deployments in Iraq and the Af-Pak theater.

US Green card holders, also known as permanent residents, have long been eligible to enlist in the military. But this is the first time since the Vietnam War that the armed forces will be open to temporary immigrants and offer them a path to citizenship, a move that in some ways amounts to outsourcing its wars.

The program comes at a time when skilled immigrants in the US are facing a slowing job market, offering them an avenue to turn potential pink slips into not just Green cards, but citizenship — if they are so obsessed about their American Dream.

For Iran's women, the fight for rights starts at home

2009-02-15T13:49:00.002+05:30

Times of India - 14/2/09

In a year of marriage, Razieh Qassemi, 19, says she was beaten repeatedly by her husband and his father. Her husband, she says, is addicted to methamphetamine and has threatened to marry another woman to “torture” her.

Rather than endure the abuse, Qassemi took a step that might never have occurred to an earlier generation of Iranian women:she filed for divorce. Women’s rights advocates say Iranian women are displaying a growing determination to achieve equal status in this conservative Muslim theocracy, where male supremacy is still enscribed in the legal code. One in five marriages now end in divorce, according to government data, a fourfold increase in the past 15 years.

And it is not just women from the wealthy, westernized elites. The family court building in Vanak Square here is filled with women, like Qassemi, who are not privileged. Women from lower classes and even the religious are among those marching up and down the stairs to fight for divorces and custody of their children.

Increasing educational levels and the information revolution have contributed to creating a generation of women determined to gain more control over their lives, rights advocates say. Today, more than 60% of university students are women, compared with just over 30% in 1982, even though classes are no longer segregated.

Pre - valentine's day moral policing claims it's first casualty

2009-02-15T13:06:00.005+05:30

Times of India - 13/2/09

With the moral police on the loose in Mangalore, the tragedy was only waiting to happen. In the first death after a series of attacks on women in the south Karnataka town, a 16-year-old college student committed suicide unable to bear the humiliation after a group of men ‘‘caught’’ her dating a man and handed them over to police. The needle of suspicion was on Sri Ram Sene.

On Wednesday, she and her friend —Saleem, a Muslim bus conductor — were brought to Mulki Circle police station by a group of men after the couple was ‘‘spotted in a secluded place’’, police said. Police took the couple into custody, but let the men, who were described by a police officer as ‘‘Hindu youth’’, go.

It is easier to get into Oxford, MIT than Delhi's nursery schools

2009-02-15T12:53:00.002+05:30

Hindustan Times - 10/2/09

It is harder for a three-year-old to get into the nursery sections of some leading Delhi schools than for undergraduates to gain admission into one of the 13 Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), Harvard University Yale , University Oxford University , and Cambridge University .

This year, only one out of every 46 applicants got into Springdales School (Pusa Road and Kirti Nagar). It was easier for candidates appearing for the IIT-Joint Entrance Examination: one of every 45 candidates made the cut last year. Sanskriti School, Chanakyapuri, and Amity International, Saket, ran the IITs close, with 40 and 38 applicants, respectively per seat , in the general category .

And admissions to Ivy League institutions in the US — like Harvard, Yale, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Cornell — and venerable UK universities like Oxford and Cambridge were a walk in the park in comparison: the admission ratio varied between one in 11 for Harvard and Yale and one in five for Oxford and Cornell

“I could never have imagined cracking nursery for my son would be as tough as cracking the JEE,” said parent Shilpi Kapoor, software engineer and IIT alumnus.

“The problem is parents want brand value for their kids. They want to send their children to certain reputed schools; that’s why many of the established schools receive massive applications,” said Ameeta Wattal, principal of Springdales School, Pusa Road.

Saudi princess says she is 'ready to drive' - A reflection of the state of women in Saudi Arabia

2009-02-11T13:09:00.004+05:30

The Telegraph and MSN.com

The wife of one of Saudi Arabia's most high profile and richest men said she's ready to get behind the wheel if women are ever permitted to drive, highlighting again a contentious issue authorities in the Kingdom prefer to play down.

Princess Amira al-Taweel, who is one of global tycoon Prince Alwaleed bin Talal's wives, told the Saudi daily Al-Watan that she already drives when she travels abroad.

Women in Saudi Arabia are not permitted to drive. Saudi officials usually sidestep the question by saying the issue is a social and not religious one, but over the years a handful of princesses have spoken out in support of driving, including Princess Lolwah Al-Faisal, daughter of the late King Faisal, at the World Economic Forum two years ago.

The Kingdom is the only country in the world to ban women, Saudi and foreign, from driving. The prohibition forces families to hire live-in drivers, and those who cannot afford the US$300 to US$400 a month for a driver must rely on male relatives to drive them to work, school, shopping or to the doctor.

But change will be difficult in this ultraconservative society, where many believe that women at the wheel create situations for sinful temptation. They argue that women drivers will be free to leave home alone, will unduly expose their eyes while driving and will interact with male strangers, such as traffic police and mechanics.

These are the people who GOVERN us

2009-02-11T12:50:00.012+05:30

Times of India - 11/2/09

Uttar Pradesh, which is no stranger to unruly politicians disrupting assembly sessions at the drop of a Gandhi topi, on Tuesday gave yet another display of their “respect” for democracy with MLAs jumping on tables and hurling paper missiles at the governor, compelling speaker Sukhdeo Rajbhar to adjourn the House.

To call the proceedings “unruly” would be a misnomer. All hell broke loose the moment Samajwadi Party MLAs, gesticulating wildly, stepped in. They fished out trussed up cloth banners from their pockets and unfurled them in the House.

The banners said, “Bhrashtachar-apraadh ki khuli azaadi, UP ki ho rahi barbaadi (there’s open corruption and crime, UP’s going to the dogs)’’ and ‘‘UP kangaal, Mayawati malamal (UP’s bankrupt, but Mayawati’s super-rich)’’. Next, they grabbed hold of a guard’s turban and tried hurling it at the governor, who was there to address the joint session of the House. They missed.

Similar examples of GOVERNANCE:

UP ASSEMBLY:

- Oct 21, 1997 - Mikes, chappals hurled at chair by opposition MLAs (SP, BSP) during trust vote of Kalyan Singh govt. Twenty MLAs hurt
- Dec 16, 1993 - 33 MLAs injured during an SP-BJP clash in assembly

LOK SABHA:

- Aug 24, 2006 - Punches and microphones fly in House after JD(U)’s Prabhunath Singh levels charges against Lalu
- Dec 1999 - Opposition MPs led by SP and RJD snatch what they think are women’s reservation Bill papers from law minister and tear it

The Curious Case of Lalit 'IPL' Modi

2009-02-11T12:17:00.007+05:30

Excerpts from Outlook - Feb 16 issue:

Allegations Against Modi

He operated as a ‘Super Chief Minister’ from the opulent Rambagh Palace Hotel
Used his proximity to then CM Vasundhararaje to control key civil servants who would take files to his hotel suite
Facilitated entry of big builders in the state. Every big land deal had to have his clearance.
Influenced change in the liquor policy which led to the proliferation of liquor outlets. Became an election issue.
Had a finger in every pie, including mines
Personally acquired havelis in Amer by bending the law
Has an extravagant lifestyle, owns a private jet. Would stay for days in the luxury suite of the Rambagh Palace Hotel.
Influenced the enactment of the Rajasthan Sports Act to gain control over the Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA)
Accused of forging signature to become a member of the RCA
Rode roughshod over anyone who crossed his path, whether it was a constable or an IPS officer. A slapping incident sparked a near-revolt in the Jaipur police.
Was named in an FIR for misappropriation of RCA funds. The money has subsequently been deposited with the RCA.
Convicted in the United States for possession of drugs and kidnapping in 1985

The jetsetting industrialist, man about town and architect of the spectacularly successful Indian Premier League, whose reported fondness for the good life is matched only by his overweening ambition, didn’t just administer the Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) from this charmed, Rs 90,000-a-night zone of luxury. He reportedly ran Rajasthan, courtesy his proximity to the former state chief minister, Vasundhararaje......

"It was a case of single window clearance," a fellow industrialist, cricket aficionado and politician told Outlook. "Modi simply summoned civil servants with their files to his suite at the Rambagh Palace and told them what to do. And if anyone demurred, he’d simply say, ‘I’ll have to talk to Vaasu (the name by which Vasundhara’s close friends address her) then’."

Under the cover of the controversial Section 90 B of the Land Acquisition Act, acres of agricultural land has passed into the hands of big builders from Delhi. "Section 90 B," explains an IAS officer, "was intended to be a one-time welfare measure with a cut-off date to give relief to local farmers." They were allowed to convert their land into non-agricultural land. "The area was defined, the mechanism defined," adds the IAS officer. "But it was not meant to be an enabling clause for crass commercialisation which is what it became during the BJP era, when the provision about the cut-off date was given the go-by." The Jaipur Development Authority framed ad hoc rules to get around the original objective of Section 90 B. Presiding over this change in land use, many allege, was Lalit Modi. The land issue is now the subject of a probe by the government.

'Lepers should beg, not drive cars'

2009-02-07T14:58:00.002+05:30

Hindustan Times - 1/2/09

People with the disease are legally banned from travelling by train and applying for a driving licence, and leprosy is listed as a ground for a divorce under almost every marriage and divorce law. Some states — Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh — don’t even allow people with leprosy to contest local body and panchayat elections.

Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss is quick to admit that many laws discriminate against leprosy-affected people. “Leprosy is less infectious than the common cold and completely curable, yet laws stigmatise as much as people do.

Even with only 87,206 leprosy cases on record at end of March 2008, India accounts for 54 per cent new cases detected globally. Since 1985, multi-drug therapy given free under the NLEP cures leprosy within six months to a year, but social stigma continues because of the visible physical deformities.

Kuldeep Kumar, 22, has been refused a driving licence more than once, and he stopped trying after being told, “Lepers should beg, not drive cars.” “We are the new untouchables in modern India’s casteless society, but unlike other disadvantaged people, laws discriminate against us instead of supporting us,” said Kumar. He doesn’t even have leprosy but is doomed because he lives in a leprosy colony in East Delhi with his parents, who have leprosy.
Shantha’s (name changed), 21, husband divorced her after he discovered she had been diagnosed and treated for leprosy. “He argued that I could get it again and the court agreed. What could I do? He had the law on his side,” she shrugs.

PERVERSION - Rise in the number of rapes by men known to/related to the victim

2009-02-07T14:25:00.003+05:30

Hindustan Times - 2/2/09

Out of a total of 453 cases of rape reported from Delhi in 2008, in 98.01% cases the victim was known to the accused.

Feb 1, 2008 - Man, brother and 2 cousins (1 of them - 15 yrs old) arrested for allegedly raping his two minor daughters for the past 2 years

May 22, 2008 - Property dealer arrested for raping 13 year old daughter in South Delhi

Apr 27, 2008 - 4 year old girl allegedly raped by uncle in Mongolpuri

Jul 21, 2007 - 21 year old DU student lodges FIR against her father and 2 of his friends for raping her

June 4, 2004 - 37 year old man held for allegedly raping his 13 year old daughter in North Delhi

Different forms of Local Terrorism: Threats issued against young couples

2009-02-07T14:03:00.004+05:30

Hindustan Times - 7/2/09

"(We) will go around with a priest, a turmeric stub and a mangal sutra on Feb 14. We will take (couples) to the nearest temple and conduct their marriage" - Pramod Muthalik - Leader of Sri Ram Sene

"(Young couples) will be handed over to police or your head will be shaven and (you will be) handed to your parents" - Hoarding in Srinagar

"We warn shopkeepers not to sell gifts or cards on Valentine's Day. We appeal to management of Mughal and Botanical Gardens not to let couples in on Feb 14" - Dukhtaran-E-Millat

The Taliban-ization of India continues: Bajrang Dal activists attack girl for talking to a Muslim boy

2009-02-07T13:54:00.002+05:30

Times of India - 7/2/09

Close on the heels of Sri Rama Sene men beating up girls in a Mangalore pub in the name of protecting Indian culture, here comes another shocker.

Shruthi, the daughter of CPM MLA from Manjeshwar in Kerala C H Kunhambu, was attacked allegedly by a group of Bajrang Dal activists when she was returning to her hostel in Mangalore after a brief holiday at home on Friday evening. The brother of her classmate, Shabib, who was travelling in the same bus, was also thrashed by the suspected saffron activists, who took offence to the girl talking to a Muslim boy. Shruthi is a Class-XII student of St. Aloysius College in Mangalore.

Shruthi said she and Shabib were dragged out of the bus by four men, aged between 25 and 30 years, who forced them to an autorickshaw before taking them to a house in Padil area of Mangalore. ‘‘They hit me and later they took turns to beat Shabib,’’ Shruthi told TOI over phone from Mangalore.

Guardians turn violators: Police atrocities on the rise

2009-02-06T22:35:00.003+05:30

Times of India - 4/2/09 & 6/2/09

Cops torture 7-yr-old Dalit girl in Maya’s UP

Kanpur: In Dalit icon Mayawati’s Uttar Pradesh, a seven-year-old Dalit girl was tortured by six remorseless cops inside the Jaswantnagar police station in Etawah district for allegedly stealing Rs 280. They were trying to extract a confession from her about Monday’s theft, perversely laughing at her tearful protestations of innocence.

UP cops shoot at polio-affected man

The inhuman face of UP policemen again came to the fore when a 30-year-old polio-affected man was allegedly shot at and critically injured by two policemen on duty under the Sikandara police station in Kanpur Dehat.....

Arun, who has polio in his left leg, was shot on left arm and left thigh. He was rushed to a nearby PHC from where he was later shifted to Madhuraj nursing home for treatment. “They just stopped us and opened fire. The only crime we were doing at that point of time was that we were tripling on our motorcycle,” he said.

Oops she did it again!!!

2009-02-06T22:25:00.002+05:30

Times of India - 5/2/09

Paris Hilton vows to help economy by shopping more

Paris Hilton admits that her income remained unaffected even during the current global financial crisis and promises to help in the struggling economy by shopping. Hilton is adamant that she can give retail industry a boost by continuing her excessive spending, reports contactmusic .com. “It’s really scary about the economy right now. So I’m playing my part in helping by shopping wherever I go,” she said.

Is this our future? - Kids turning killers

2009-02-06T22:13:00.005+05:30

Times of India - 3/2/09 & 5/2/09

8-yr-old stabs friend to death

An eight-year-old boy murdered his six-year-old neighbour in the Tughlakabad Extension area of south-east Delhi on Sunday night. While deceased Miraz Khan was a student of Class I at the nearby Ganga Memorial Public School, accused Karan (name changed) is a student of Class 2 in a local school.

Police sources said a knife without a handle was used to stab Miraz. Trouble started when one of the boys refused to pick up a ball that he had mistakenly thrown down from his second-floor residence.

Group of kids stab 8-yr-old for not getting off swing

Kota: An eight-year-old boy who took a minute long to get off a swing in a playground was stabbed by a group of children who were irked by the delay in Kota district of Rajasthan. Shubham, who suffered serious injuries in the stomach, is battling for life in hospital.

Police said 3-4 children were playing cricket in the park at Sindhi Colony in Kishorpura Tuesday evening when they suddenly stopped the game and ran to enjoy the swing. Shubham, a Class II student, sat on the swing and others waited for their turn. However, they got irked over the delay and stabbed him.

An air-hostess's dread

2009-02-04T21:19:00.004+05:30

Times of India - 3/2/09

She was manoeuvring the refreshments trolley down the narrow aisle in economy class when she suddenly felt a hand brush against her thigh. Pallavi (name changed), a 22-year-old air hostess with Jet Airways, had no choice but to carry on with her duties, seemingly unruffled by the humiliation. ‘‘I turned around and saw an elderly man who had probably touched me, but there was absolutely nothing I could do about it,’’ she says.

A young and glamorous cabin crew, traversing both domestic and international skies, encounters a variety of in-flight provocations. The latest incident on an Indigo flight reinforces the stereotypes associated with the Indian flyer, especially men: ‘‘They have money but no manners.’’

Bindu Ramachandran, aviation trainer with Frankfinn Institute of Air Hostess Training, and ex-cabin crew with Singapore Airlines, recalls with horror a flight on which a ‘‘totally smashed’’ passenger from Chennai asked for more liquor. ‘‘I still remember — he was drinking cognac. I told him, gently, that I could only offer him a non-alcoholic beverage. He couldn’t handle the refusal, so he started spitting and using abusive language.’’ Far from being intimidated, Bindu informed the rest of the cabin crew serving in economy: ‘‘There were eight of us — we surrounded him and told him if he didn’t stop hurtling obscenities, we’d have him arrested when we landed. That sobered him.’’.......

Sapna Gupta, founder and director of Air Hostess Academy Pvt Ltd, says categorically: ‘‘Sadly, in our country, girls grow up being eveteased in buses, on the streets, everywhere. So most of them can deal with it, even before we formally train them.’’

Sania Mirza becomes the 1st Indian lady to win a Grand Slam after winning the Australian Open Mixed Doubles with compatriot Mahesh Bhupathi

2009-02-01T14:16:00.003+05:30

MSN.com - 1/2/09

It was Bhupathi's seventh mixed doubles title while Sania become the first Indian woman to win a Grand Slam. Bhupathi, 34, had reached the men's doubles final here with Mark Knowles of Bahamas but went down to No.2 seeds American twins Bob and Mike Bryan Saturday. Bhupathi and Sania were at their dominating best and dispatched Ram and Dechy 6-3, 6-1 in just 55 minutes at Melbourne Park.

Bhupathi's first mixed doubles title came way back in 1997 with Rita Hiraki in the French Open. He went on to win two Wimbledon titles (Elena Likhovtseva, 2002 and Mary Pierce, 2005), two US Open (Ai Sugiyama, 1999 and Daniela Hantuchova, 2005), and his last one came here with Martina Hingis in 2006.

The Banglorean has four men's doubles title, three of which came with Leander Paes with whom he once formed a formidable pair. For 22-year-old Sania, who burst onto the international scene in 2005 reaching the third round of Australian Open, it is her maiden Grand Slam.

The Indians had reached the final here last year, but finished runners-up as they lost to Chinese Tian-Tian Sun and Nenad Zimonjic of Serbia. They entered this year as unseeded, but went on to play outstanding tennis throughout the tournament.

Local Hitlers

2009-02-01T13:19:00.006+05:30

Times of India - 1/2/09

If you take Mein Kampf and if you remove the word Jew and put in the word Muslim, that is what I believe in - Bal Thackeray, quoted by Mumbai newspapers before the 1992 riots SHIV SENA LEADER

If they grow stronger they can play the part of Sudeten Germans, alright. But if we Hindus in India grow stronger, in time these Muslim friends of the league type will have to play the part of German-Jews instead. We Hindus have taught the Shakas and the Huns already to play that part pretty well. So, it is no use bandying words till the test comes. The taste of the pudding is in its eating - V D Savarkar, in Hindu Rashtra Darshan, 1949 HINDUTVA IDEOLOGUE

German race pride has now become the topic of the day. To keep up the purity of the Race and its culture, Germany shocked the world by purging the country of the semitic Races — the Jews. Germany has shown how well nigh impossible it is for Races and cultures, having differences, to be assimilated into one united whole, a good lesson for us in Hindustan to learn. Madhav Golwalkar, in We, or Our Nationhood Defined, 1939 RSS LEADER

The Not-so-Vibrant Gujarat: Shocking revelations about Modi's Gujarat

2009-01-31T21:00:00.002+05:30

MSN.com

This year's (Vibrant Gujarat) extravaganza, with even more of the cream of Indian business in adulatory attendance, netted promises of investments amounting to Rs 12,00,000 crore (Rs 12,000 billion) -- a colossal tribute to Modi's reputation for ruthless efficiency.....

But what never came out at the Vibrant Gujarat summit nor in any papers or TV channels are some shocking revelations about Modi's Gujarat:

- School drop out rates still high: The Annual Status of Education Report Rural 2008, the most telling document on education trends, shows 21 per cent of the boys and 30 per cent of girls in the 15-16 age group in rural Gujarat dropping out of school. Worse, the younger children are simply not getting a proper education. Only 59.6 per cent rural children in the Standard 3 to 5 group could read the Standard 1 text against the all-India average of 66.6 per cent. In maths, they fared worse: only 43.1 per cent could do subtraction against the national average of 54.9 per cent, way behind the figures for Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh.

- Dwindling sex ratio: Surely, something is rotten in the state of Gujarat? Perhaps, his business fan following is not aware that Gujarat under Modi has fared worse than most states on almost every index of human development, the worst blot being the dwindling sex ratio. The number of girls per 1,000 boys in Gujarat is just 878, one of the lowest in the country, despite the growing prosperity of the state -- or perhaps because of it.

- Gujarat slipped from 1 to 6: The poor indices of overall human development -- Gujarat has slipped from first spot to sixth place among Indian states -- are a deeply worrying issue for social scientists who have also been sounding the alarm bells on the fragmentation and ghettoisation of Gujarat's society.

- The truth behind the Nano deal: According to one estimate, tax-payers in Gujarat will be footing as much as Rs 60,000 per vehicle to make the Nano the car of the masses with a price tag of Rs 1 lakh...It's a dream package that Modi is giving the Tatas: apart from the 1,100 acres of land and infrastructure sops, there is a soft loan of Rs 9,570 crore (Rs 95.7 billion) that is repayable over 20 years at an unbelievable 0.1 per cent rate of interest.Facilities for solid-waste disposal and effluent treatment plants are to be developed by the state government which will also provide a dedicated power connection of 200 KW to the factory along with 14,000 cubic metres water daily. There are other dispensations, too.The Nano project does not have to recruit 85 per cent of the workforce locally as the state industrial policy mandates.

How can one not love Modi if public money is to fund private industry to this extent?

Taliban-izing India: Girls assaulted in Mangalore pub

2009-01-31T20:46:00.002+05:30

Times of India - 26/1/09

Mangalore: A fanatical rightwing group notorious for creating communal tensions and indulging in moral policing has struck again in Karnataka, this time assaulting women guests at a bar in Mangalore. The activists of Sri Rama Sene entered the Amnesia Bar and Restaurant on Dr Shivaram Karanth Road on Saturday evening and threatened the women sitting inside. The men, who took objection to women drinking alcohol, pushed them outside, many women falling to the ground while they were being driven out......

The Sene activists accused the women of ‘‘involving themselves in immoral activities, including consuming alcohol, dressing indecently, and mixing with youths of other faith’’. The men will be produced in a court on Tuesday......

The Sene was also responsible for the attack on the Bangalore home of Tamil Nadu chief minister M Karunanidhi’s daughter Selvi during the Cauvery protests in September 2007.

Taliban kill teacher over salwar

2009-01-25T13:38:00.002+05:30

Times of India - 24/1/09

Islamabad: A teacher who once fought as a mujahideen against Soviet occupation forces in Afghanistan as been gunned down by the Taliban in Pakistan’s troubled Swat valley for not hiking up his ‘salwar’ or trousers above his ankles. Though the Pakistani Taliban have not issued any edict for the salwar to be worn in this manner, there have been reports of the militants threatening men for not hiking up their trousers. The militants say hiking up the trousers is essential for offering prayers. Former mujahideen Amjad Islam, who was working as a teacher in a private school in Swat, was gunned down yesterday for not hiking his salwar above his ankles. The militants then went to Islam’s house and gunned down his father, Ghani Akbar, a lawyer by profession. Islam’s body was later hung by the militants from a pole in the College Square in Matta town and locals were warned not to touch it till Friday. The body was taken down and moved to Islam’s house after a local jirga intervened. Local residents said the militants had asked Islam to hitch his salwar above his ankles last morning. The teacher told them he was a former mujahideen and knew everything about Islam. He also said nobody could be forced to pull up his salwar above the ankles, the News daily reported. Islam said he had also seen the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, which had not forced men to wear their salwar in this manner. His arguments angered the militants and led to a scuffle. The teacher, who had a pistol, fired at the militants and killed a Taliban fighter and wounded two more. He then tried to flee but the militants shot and stabbed him, killing him instantly. Locals also said Islam’s father was a religious and humble man who was well respected in the area. Large tracts of the Swat valley in the North West Frontier Province are now controlled by local Taliban fighters led by radical cleric Maulana Fazlullah despite a major anti-militancy operation launched in the area by the Pakistan army in October 2007.

On-screen: Gandhigiri, Off-screen: Patriarchy

2009-01-21T13:30:00.006+05:30

Times of India - 19/1/09 and 22/1/09

Sanjay Dutt: "Girls who become part of a new family after marriage must assume their new surname and all the responsibilities that come with it.... That’s a message not just to my sisters, but to all girls who hang on to their parents’ surname. It’s become fashionable these days. But I strongly feel that doing so disrespects the person they’ve married. This may sound harsh, but if Manyata had said that she wanted to retain her father’s surname, I would’ve felt offended."

Asked whether she would contest elections if Sanjay couldn’t, Manyata Dutt said, ‘‘He has to take the decision. I take permission from him even if I have to go for coffee or dinner with friends. My priority is my family. He will decide if it is right or not right for me.’’

The Truth behind Modi's 'VIBRANT GUJARAT'

2009-01-15T14:11:00.002+05:30

MSN.com

Congress party spokesperson Manish Tewari said: “Instead of getting misled by mithya (falsehood), the Indian intelligentsia and capitalists should understand the reality of Gujarat. Indian capitalists are patting Modi on his back today. Similarly, in 1933, German capitalists were also fascinated by a fascist dictator. I do not want to go into the consequences of the episode on Germany and the rest of the world. His (Modi’s) entire edifice rests on the dead bodies of innocent people.”

He said information obtained by the Congress under the RTI Act showed only 23.52% of MoUs signed by Gujarat had been executed. In December 2007, then Finance Minister P Chidambaram had told a press conference in Ahmedabad that Gujarat had a debt burden of Rs 94,000 crore, Tewari said.

“Today, it could be Rs 1.20 lakh crore, which means every Gujarati is under a debt of Rs 20,000,” Tewari said.

MNS at it again. Packs off Pakistani actor.

2009-01-15T13:58:00.003+05:30

Times of India - 15/1/09

Mumbai: Pakistani stand-up comedian Shakeel Siddiqui was driven out of a television set at Mohan Studios in Andheri on Wednesday afternoon by members of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena and asked to leave the country immediately. Siddiqui is one of the most popular comedians on Indian TV and has been working in comedies like Comedy Circus for a long time.
MNS entertainment cell president Amey Khopkar said: ‘‘We got to know that Shakeel was on the ‘Chinckpokli to China’ set and so we decided to raid the place. We took him out of the set and told the producers not to hire any Pakistani.’’ Producers had agreed to their demand, he added. ‘‘We will not allow films starring Pakistani actors or singers in Maharashtra,’’ he said. TNN

It’s OK to marry off 10-year-old girls, says cleric

2009-01-15T13:33:00.002+05:30

Times of India - 15/1/09

Riyadh: Saudi Arabia’s senior most cleric said girls as young as 10 years old can be married, local media reported. The powerful Grand Mufti Abdul Aziz al-Sheikh said in a speech on Monday that Islamic sharia law allows the practice of pre-teen girls getting married, and that critics of the practice were doing the girls “an injustice,” reports said. “We hear often in the media about the marriage of minors. We must know that sharia law is not unjust for women,” the cleric is quoted as saying. “If it is said that a woman below 15 cannot be married, that is wrong. If a girl exceeds 10 or 12 then she is eligible for marriage, and whoever thinks she is too young, then he or she is wrong and has done her an injustice.” His comment came in the wake of several cases of young girls being married to men sometimes old enough to be their great-grandfathers. On Monday a court in Taif allowed a girl, 11, to separate from her husband, 75, after the girl’s mother petitioned the court.The girl’s father had arranged the marriage in exchange for dowry, it said. In December a court rejected a plea to divorce an eight-year-old girl married off to a man who is 58, saying case should wait until the girl reaches puberty.

Dilli's dread

2009-01-10T17:14:00.005+05:30

Hindustan Times - 10/1/09

"I've never felt comfortable driving through this road in Vasantkunj, which goes through a jungle-like area. Old Delhi, too, keeps me on high alert. It's a sad thing to say, but Delhi men are disgusting" - Tania Sachdev, chess Grandmaster, lives in Hauz Khas

"The most dangerous thing for a girl to do in Delhi is to walk down the road, alone. Everyone tries to come close and touch you. Even walking just outside the home isn't safe." - Amanpreet Wahi, model, lives near Rajouri garden

"I went to Ghaffar Market around a year ago with my aunt and was pinched by a man. He ran off before I could do anything.......I'm also scared of the area outside Gangaram Hospital. After dark, if you walk there alone, men would roll down their car windows and ask you to get in." - Prashansa, class IX student, lives in Karol Bagh

GOODBYE BUSHISMS

2009-01-10T15:59:00.005+05:30

Times of India - 10/1/09

Some of his notable malaprops and mangled statements:

Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we. —AT THE SIGNING CEREMONY FOR A DEFENSE SPENDING BILL 5 AUGUST, 2004

There’s no doubt in my mind, not one doubt in my mind, that we will fail. —WASHINGTON BUSH WAS REMARKING ON A BACK-TO-WORK PLAN AFTER THE TERRORIST ATTACKS OCTOBER 4, 2001

Kids, aged 6 & 7, try to elope to Africa

2009-01-07T20:41:00.000+05:30

Times of India - 7/1/09

Berlin: Two childhood sweethearts, aged six and seven, eloped from Hanover in northern Germany on New Year’s Eve, determined to tie the knot under the African sun, police said on Monday. The pair identified as Mika and Anna-Lena “are very much in love and decided to get married in Africa where it is warm, taking with them as a witness Anna-Lena’s little sister, aged five,” police spokesman Holger Jureczko said. The idea for the romantic trip began when Mika told the two girls about his recent holiday in Italy, while their families celebrated New Year’s Eve together. As the first dawn of 2009 broke, the trio started to put these plans into action, packing all the essentials for the journey, including “sunglasses, swimming trunks, a lilo, summer clothes and provisions.” While their parents slept, they left their house in the suburbs of Hanover, walked a kilometre up the road to a tram stop from where they took a tram for the central station. Waiting for a train to the airport, they aroused the attention of a guard who contacted police. Two officers managed to convince the young lovers that they would struggle to get to Africa without money or a plane ticket. Their relieved parents picked them up from the station, the spokesman said, adding: “They can still put their plan into action at a later date.”

Inhuman brutality

2009-01-07T20:36:00.002+05:30

A man pulls the body of a Palestinian child out of rubble after a house collapsed following Israeli forces’ operations in Gaza City on Tuesday

Times of India - 7/1/09

Just like that

2009-01-07T20:23:00.000+05:30

Times of India - 7/1/09

Watch this to get inspired

2009-01-07T20:14:00.003+05:30

Nick Vujicic has no arms or legs but has come to terms with his life. Watch as he delivers an inspirational speech to a bunch of kids that they will probably never forget:

http://www.maniacworld.com/are-you-going-to-finish-strong.html

90 flimsy reasons for murders in Delhi

2009-01-03T13:40:00.007+05:30

Times of India - 3/1/09

Medha Chaturvedi & Dwaipayan Ghosh TNN
New Delhi: Objecting to a goat being tied outside the house, not giving bus route directions, not playing the ‘‘right’’ number at marriage celebrations, refusing to serve papads and objecting to a dismissal in a game of cricket — these are all, apparently, good enough reason to murder someone. Of the 518 murders recorded in the city in 2008, about 90 (17%) were committed for reasons as flimsy as these. ‘‘Many murders took place in a fit of rage without any planning. Most of those who committed the crime neither had a criminal motive nor were criminals. They happened due to absolutely ridiculous reasons,’’ police commissioner YS Dadwal said at the annual press conference on Friday. Last August in Narela, 14-year-old Sarvesh was battered to death with his own cricket bat by his friend Khalid, 19, after he refused to admit that he was out. Mohammed Shahid, the head cook of Zaika Bazar Hotel in Anand Vihar, was stabbed to death after refusing to serve papad to two diners unless they paid for it. Ajay Mann was shot by his friends a day before his wedding because he refused to play the songs his friends wanted him to during a pre-marriage bash. Mohammad Abdul, 45, objected to his neighbour, Mohammad Umar and his wife Parween tying a goat in front of his house. This enraged the couple so much that they beat him to death with iron rods.

Respect & Appreciate 'Her'

2009-01-03T13:30:00.001+05:30

Tomorrow you may get a working woman, but you should marry her taking into consideration these facts: Here is a girl, who is as much educated as you are; Who is earning almost as much as you do; One, who has dreams and aspirations just as you have because she is as human as you are; One, who has never entered the kitchen in her life just like you or your Sister haven't, as she was busy in studies and competing in a system that gives no special concession to girls for their culinary achievements One, who has lived and loved her parents & brothers & sisters, almost as much as you do for 20-25 years of her life; One, who has bravely agreed to leave behind all that, her home, people who love her, to adopt your home, your family, your ways and even your family ,name One, who is somehow expected to be a master-chef from day #1, while you sleep oblivious to her predicament in her new circumstances, environment and that kitchen One, who is expected to make the tea, first thing in the morning and cook food at the end of the day, even if she is as tired as you are, maybe more, and yet never ever expected to complain; to be a servant, a cook, a mother, a wife, even if she doesn't want to; and is learning just like you are as to what you want from her; and is clumsy and sloppy at times and knows that you won't like it if she is too demanding, or if she learns faster than you; One, who has her own set of friends, and that includes boys and even men at her workplace too, those, who she knows from school days and yet is willing to put all that on the back-burners to avoid your irrational jealousy, unnecessary competition and your inherent insecurities; Yes, she can drink and dance just as well as you can, but won't, simply Because you won't like it, even though you say otherwise One, who can be late from work once in a while when deadlines, just like yours, are to be met; One, who is doing her level best and wants to make this most important, relationship in her entire life a grand success, if you just help her some and trust her; One, who just wants one thing from you, as you are the only one she knows in your entire house - your unstinted support, your sensitivities and most importantly - your understanding, or love, if you may call it. But not many guys understand this........ Please appreciate "HER"

Indian of the Year 2008: India's choice - The Indian soldier, Ahmedabad's choice - Narendra Modi

2008-12-31T22:48:00.002+05:30

Times of India - 31/12/08

The survey was done in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Pune was done for TOI by leading market research agency There were only two real contenders. The Indian soldier and Hemant Karkare, former chief of the Maharashtra ATS who died during the Mumbai terror attacks, were consistently way above anybody else in almost every city covered in an eight-city survey to find out the Indian of the Year, but which of them was first or second was something the cities differed quite significantly on. In Delhi and Pune, Karkare was clearly the top choice. In the southern cities of Bangalore and Hyderabad the Indian soldier had pride of place. In Mumbai and Kolkata there was no clear favourite, Karkare being a couple of percentage points ahead in Mumbai but just a tad behind in the other two. The only cities where anybody else figured in the top two were Chennai and Ahmedabad. In Chennai, the Chandrayaan team got 27% of the votes, well behind the 36% voting for the Indian soldier, but well ahead of the 20% who chose Karkare. In Ahmedabad, Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi got the top slot with 26% of the votes, followed not too far behind by the soldier and the slain ATS chief.

How today's common Indian Muslim is caught up between his love & patriotism for India on one hand & anti-India acts by Islamic radicals on the other

2008-12-28T14:49:00.007+05:30

Maula mere lele meri jaan - Chak De India

Teeja Tera Rang Tha Main To
Jiya Tere Dhang Se Main To
Tu Hi Tha Maula, Tu Hi Aan
Maula Mere Lele Meri Jaan

(I was the 3rd colour of your flag
I’ve lived as you wanted me to
You were my God, you were my pride
Oh God, take my life away)

Tere Sang Kheli Holi
Tere Sang Thi Diwali
Tere Anganon Ki Chhaya
Tere Sang Sawan Aaya
Pher Le Tu Chahe Nazaren Chahe Chura Le
Laut Ke Tu Aayega Re Shart Laga Le

(I played Holi with you
And celebrated Diwali with you
Your courtyard provided shade
You brought the rains
You can turn away from me if you want
But you’ll come back, I can bet on it)

Mitti Meri Bhi Bhuri
Wohi Mere Ghee Aur Churi
Wohi Ranjhe Mere Woh Heer
Wohi Sevaiyyan Wohi Kheer
Tujh Se Hi Rooth Na Re Tujhe Hi Manana
Tere Mera Naata Koi Dooja Na Jaana

(I too have walked on the same dark sand
I too have eaten the same ghee and churi
I too believe in the same Ranjha & Heer
I too eat the same sevaiyaan & kheer
You’re the one I get angry with and you’re the one I appease
No one else can understand our relationship)

Teeja Tera Rang Tha Main To
Jiya Tere Dhang Se Main To
Tu Hi Tha Maula, Tu Hi Aan
Maula Mere Lele Meri Jaan

(I was the 3rd colour of your flag
I’ve lived as you wanted me to
You were my God, you were my pride
Oh God, take my life away)

Wife gambled away by husband. Cops say "its a trivial issue".

2008-12-27T14:46:00.006+05:30

Times of India - 27/12/08

Pervez Iqbal Siddiqui

Lucknow: A mother of two young children has gone into hiding after her dissolute husband wagered her in a card game and lost. ‘‘Tumko hum juen mein haar gaye hain (I have lost you in the game of cards),’’ was what Sokendra Kumar, a resident of Muzaffarnagar, told his wife when four men, who had ‘won’ her showed up to collect their booty on December 19. The woman raised an alarm and the neighbours rushed in to prevent the men from dragging her away. ‘‘She told us about the whole thing, but by the time the picture was clear, the four, who had come to take her away, fled,’’ Sharad Malik, a neighbour said. After the din had died down and with the backing of the neighbours, she went to the cops, who told her to buzz off. ‘‘They scolded me saying that I should not bother them on trivial issues. For them it was too small a thing to intervene,’’ the woman said. Vijay Kumar, station officer, Thana Bhawan, confirmed the woman had approached him. ‘‘It was found to be a false allegation and the issue was only limited to a domestic dispute and she went home,’’ he said. Residents of the area said that’s when the woman went into hiding, fearing the men who had beaten her husband in the card game might show up again. ‘‘Some of the neighbours know where she is, but she is too scared to go home fearing that her husband’s friends might kidnap her,’’ said another local resident.

Shooed away......

2008-12-26T20:42:00.000+05:30

Imran Khan's opinion about George Bush

2008-12-20T15:19:00.000+05:30

Bush Shooed away

2008-12-16T18:09:00.003+05:30

Times of India - 16/12/08

It was an emotional farewell, but not quite in the way US president George W Bush might have expected. His press conference in Baghdad took a dramatic turn as TV reporter Muntazer al-Zaidi shouted, ‘‘This is a goodbye kiss from the Iraqi people, dog,’’ and hurled a size 10 shoe at the US prez, forcing him to duck, followed by another, which sailed over Bush’s head. Zaidi, dragged away kicking and screaming and placed under detention, has been hailed by many Iraqis. Bush later laughed off the incident, saying, “I don't know what the guy said, but I saw his sole.”

2.9 crore cases pending across India

2008-12-16T18:01:00.001+05:30

Times of India - 16/12/08

New Delhi: We are not only argumentative, but also litigious, and our courts seem incapable of handling the burden arising out of it. A staggering 2.92 crore cases remained pending in various courts of the country as of June 2008. This admission was made by the government in an answer to Parliament on Monday. While the subordinate courts are still hearing 2.52 crore cases, 38.82 lakh cases are pending in the state high courts and there are 48,838 cases that were still ongoing in the Supreme Court by the end of August 2008. Out of the total pending cases in the lower courts, 1.85 crore involve criminal provisions of the law and 6.75 lakh cases are of civil nature. The pendency is highest in UP where the courts are still to adjudicate in 19.88 lakh cases and Maharshtra fares the second worst with 34.45 lakh cases still to see closure. The government has claimed that there has been an explosion in the number of cases but the situation has been worsened with the courts granting unnecessary adjournments to cases as well. The blame, the government believes, lies equally with the judiciary as well as the judicial system, besides its own shortcomings. It points to “unsatisfactory appointment of judges” and lack of punctuality of judges and inordinate concentration of work in the hands of some members of the bar as some of the 29 reasons for the mounting arrears. Besides these reasons, the reply mentions indiscriminate closure of courts as well as PILs as other problems. The government has also accepted that the judge strength is inadequate and there are delays in filling up vacancies in high courts.

Ajmal Amir Kasab's Letter

2008-12-16T16:36:00.002+05:30

Times of India - 14/12/08

Mumbai: Pakistan wanted proof and now it is there in the killer’s own words and in his own hand. Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone captured terrorist in Mumbai, has written a three-page letter to the Pakistani High Commission, stating his entitlement to legal help from his country to fight his case in the Indian courts. The document not only settles the debate about Kasab’s origins and that of his fellow terrorists. It is a major embarrassment for Islamabad, which has dithered over publicly accepting that the Mumbai attack was launched from Pakistani soil. What may be worse for Islamabad is Kasab’s confession in Urdu in his letter: ‘‘Mein sabse bara gunehgar hoon, kitne bekasoor logon ki jaan li hain, Khuda mujhe maaf karein (I am the biggest sinner, I have killed so many innocent people, may God forgive me),’’ the terrorist wrote repentantly. With filial devotion, he added, ‘‘Sabse bara gunehgar to mein mere maa-baap ka hoon... unke dil ko thes pahunchaya hain (My biggest crime is against my parents... I have given them immense pain).’’ Kasab has also requested the Pakistani High Commission to bury Ismail Khan in Pakistan. It was Khan’s last wish, the letter said. Khan accompanied Kasab as they spread terror from CST to Girgaum Chowpatty on 26/11. Kasab’s letter has been “forwarded to the Union home department which, in turn, will be sending it to the Pakistani high commission in New Delhi,’’ joint commissioner of police (crime) Rakesh Maria said. Pakistan may find it hard to ignore the letter, which lists details about Kasab and his colleagues. Kasab claims he was brainwashed by LeT and ISI operatives. ‘‘Behak gaya tha mein, Lashkar ke darindon ne mujhe phansa diya (I was misled, Lashkar’s devils ensnared me),’’ he said.

Muslims raise united voice against terror

2008-12-16T16:32:00.003+05:30

Times of India - 8/12/08

Mumbai: Hundreds of Muslims—men, women and children—came out on the streets of Mumbai on Sunday to denounce the recent terror strikes and the portrayal of a “distorted image of Muslims in the name of Islam’’. The rallyists, including members of the entertainment industry, also made it clear that the “killers of innocents were enemies of Islam’’ and the “enemies of India were enemies of Muslims too’’. On Sunday afternoon, the community members took out a silent march from Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus to the seafront near the Oberoi-Trident—both of which were targeted during the 26/11 terror strikes. The rally passed through Churchgate en route to its destination. Similar protest walks, condemning outfits and organisations such as the al-Qaida, ISI, Taliban, LeT, SIMI and Huji, were simultaneously held in cities like Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Indore, Hyderabad and Delhi. “We disown and denounce all those who kill in the name of jihad. Terrorists are fascists and enemies of Muslims as Islam doesn’t preach killing of innocents,’’ said poet-lyricist Javed Akhtar. He said the 26/11 attacks were unprecedented and aimed at the dignity of the country. “Fascists are those who distort religion. There are bad elements in all religions. On 26/11, they didn’t just place bombs and run, they entered our buildings, killed people and held hostages. No religion preaches the killing of innocents,’’ he said. Akhtar also said 26/11 changed the psyche of Indians. “For the first time, I have seen tears in so many eyes and people with so much grief,’’ he added. Perhaps for the first time, liberal Muslims were joined by clerics from organisations such as the Jamiat-ul-Ulema in expressing their anger at individuals and outfits who have hijacked Islam. Actor Javed Jaffrey said Muslims had to speak out because “after all, it was Islam that was being maligned’’. “There is nothing called Islamic terrorism. Islam is being misinterpreted by some groups. They kill people in the name of jihad. A religion that asks its members to greet each other with ‘Assalamu Alaikum (peace be with you)’ could never sanction the killing of innocents,’’ he said. The rally passed through D N Road, Hutatma Chowk, the road next to Churchgate station and ended near the Oberoi-Trident. Banners and placards with slogans such as “Declare Pakistan a terrorist state’’ and “Close terror camps at once’’ clearly reflected the mood. Javed Anand of Muslims for Secular Democracy (MSD), the man who galvanised several groups and individuals for Sunday’s peace march, said terrorists had misused the name of Islam for too long. It was the duty of every Muslim to call the bluff of individuals and organisations that spread terror and violence in the name of Islam, he declared. Actor Farooq Sheikh voiced similar opinions. “Terrorists are Muslims’ number one enemy,’’ he said. Adman and activist Alyque Padamsee, who was instrumental in getting the famous Deoband fatwa against terrorism a couple of months ago, said there were two types of Muslims—real and fake. “Terrorists are fake Muslims while peace-loving tolerant Muslims are the real Muslims,’’ he said. “99.9% of Indian Muslims believe the Quran, which says the killing of innocents is wrong. Those who don’t believe it are ‘nakli (fake)’ Muslims,’’ he said. “Committing suicide is a sin in Islam, so how can a suicide bomber believe he will go to ‘jannat (paradise)’?’’ he asked. Many protesters came from places such as Bhiwandi and Mumbra.

Don’t show bias in mourning the dead: Shatrughan Sinha

2008-12-16T16:13:00.002+05:30

Times of India - 8/12/08

Patna: Cine actor and BJP leader Shatrughan Sinha has lauded the role of Mumbaikars in holding a rally at the Gateway of India and lighting candles in front of the Taj and Oberoi hotels to protest the terror attacks in Mumbai. But he expressed surprise that such condolences were not offered at CST where the terrorists struck first and the maximum number of people were killed. “Why were such condolences held only in front of the Taj? These were organised by event managers with participants wearing T-shirts provided by the sponsors. Why did no celebrity go to CST to condole the death of several innocent people,’’ he asked. But he also had a reply for it: “Because the people killed at CST were poor and mainly north Indians’’. Sinha was also critical of celebrities and professionals for speaking against politicians. “Why do they forget bureaucrats and security officials who were equally responsible?’’

Tackle Corruption to fight Terror

2008-12-16T16:10:00.001+05:30

By V. Raghunathan (CEO, GMR Varalakshmi Foundation) - The Economic Times - 9/12/08

Much has been said, aired and written in the wake of the Mumbai terror attacks about the spontaneous anger of the populace. It is obvious that we have to be better prepared for terror strikes, like Israel or the US for example. The question is, 'Can we?' I wish we could answer that with a resounding 'Yes!' The fact is we cannot.
One reason is that there is a close connection between corruption, patriotism and security. A corrupt society, where corruption has seeped deep into the veins of every segment, can never be patriotic and secure. Politicians are only as good as the society. It's not only our politicians who are corrupt. A large majority of our bureaucracy, government departments, police, or judiciary are no less corrupt. In fact we have accepted corruption as a part of life and have stopped addressing it as a cancer that it is.
Take the our regional passport offices, regional transport offices, property registration offices and customs for example. All these four departments (among a host of others) touch our security in different ways.
Outside all the regional passport offices flourishes an industry of touts favoured by the deep rooted corruption of its officials. The department is a source of extreme harassment of the young, old and infirm alike. Even as our Ministers advice the private sector for greater service orientation, the staff of the passport offices are not even required to wear their name tags, so that you cannot even complain about a corrupt employee who gives you the hardest time over trivia, even when he is willing to oblige a tout who may be producing a fake residential certificate. Clearly, given the system of eager palms and crumpled notes, it is not difficult for unsocial elements to get a passport on demand.
What about regional transport offices? Thanks to this serious rival of the previous department, we can get our licenses without ever taking a driving test ever. The local driving school (often an organization of touts themselves) and those passing for RTO officers can ensure that one does not have to be a real person to own or drive a vehicle. So even if we had the best of our intelligence agencies, it cannot ever trace that truck that exploded in the busy street or the car that was left behind by some desperadoes.
Land or property registration offices can of course give a run of the sleaze money to any. This incidentally is the only office in the country where you pay a bribe to pay your registration taxes. These are also the institutions where if you are a big enough crook, you can manage to register the same property in several different names and collect your sale proceeds from all of them, leaving those poor souls to fight legal battles for the rest of their lives in another corrupt institution – namely, the judiciary. Thus, even a Dawood Ibrahim can acquire property in his own name, in our devil-may-care land at will and also make those papers disappear at will, because his offerings to the priests can be substantial.
And lastly our Customs. Relatively speaking, one might have had less opportunity to experience the full power of corruption here, unless of course you have ever undertaken a transfer of residence from the West. But this may be small change. The big ticket here involves a nexus between arms dealers and customs officials. Remember (but public memory is short) when none less than B P Verma, the Chairman of India's Central Board for Excise and Customs suspended and remanded to the custody of the Central Bureau of Investigation in 2001?
Hundreds of senior politicians, even senior defense personnel, judges and hordes of others have been caught on videos from time to time with their hands in the till. As a society, we are incapable of acting upon such cases, because our investigating agencies, our police and our judiciary together makes a huge corrupt and ineffective nexus. Even our routine appointments in government services, down to appointments and even transfers of teachers and police constables are not immune to corruption. If a constable or a teacher has paid a bribe for a position, what commitment can we expect of them on the job? Drive by any highway, and you will find the landscape dotted with illegal mining from the hills. How can we expect to protect our environment?
What we fail to realize is that any corruption is inherently unpatriotic. And those who are unpatriotic cannot have the moral fibre to guard their society. And if we are unable to address this huge problem of corruption, there is no point blaming our intelligence wings alone. Israel and the US have an upper hand against terror, because they have an upper hand on rank corruption. As a people, we all need a night vigil not against terror attacks, but a day and night vigil against our corruption. Corruption erodes patriotism and opens the gates for terrorism.

Diego Maradona's comments on George Bush

2008-12-07T13:39:00.002+05:30

An excerpt from yesterday's media meet as a part of Maradona's two-day trip to India

Q. We know about your dislike for George Bush. What is your opinion of Barack Obama, the American President-elect?

A.I think Bush is a bit of an assassin, so I appreciate this type of change. I like Obama a lot, I think he can do a great job.

Time to improve relations between police & minorities - by Shashi Tharoor

2008-12-07T13:26:00.003+05:30

Times of India - 7/12/08

As the country copes with the aftermath of the horrors of Mumbai, the hard work of reconstruction, of rebuilding — of reimagining our country—has begun. One genuine cause of satisfaction must be that there was no demonization of our Muslim minority, which the terrorists must have hoped to provoke. The victims of the killers were from every faith, and Indians of every religion have stood united in their anger and determination. And yet it was just the weekend before the attacks that the PM had urged senior police officers not to widen “the fault lines in our society” and to act to “restore the faith of the people— especially those belonging to religious and ethnic minorities and the weaker sections — in the impartiality and effectiveness of the police.” His words reflected a real conundrum: the general public feels it is not adequately protected against the random violence of terrorists, but every pro-active policing effort seriously alienates India's largest minority community. Young Muslim men have been picked up and brutalized for no reason other than their demographic profile, and yet the sneering triumphalism of the terrorists’ Islamist propaganda seems to leave the authorities little choice. But if the efforts to stamp out the sources of terror merely incite the sullen resentment within which terrorism breeds, every crackdown will prove counter-productive. There has to be a better way. And there is. Indian dealt effectively with Sikh extremism by the skilful use of the talents of a pluralist state. The Khalistanis never succeeded in making their cause one of the Sikh community versus the Indian state. Instead, we saw the majority of Sikhs stay loyal to their country, as a largely Sikh police force, led by a charismatic Sikh officer, K.P.S. Gill, ably combated the minority of Sikh terrorists, while the Indian state orchestrated a democratic political process which brought elected Sikh leaders to power in Punjab. There is absolutely no reason why a similar approach cannot work with the Muslim community, the overwhelming majority of whom are proud and loyal Indians. To do so we must start by getting more Muslims into the security forces. There are well-known historical and sociological reasons that explain why Muslims are under-represented in the country's police forces, the Central Reserve Police and crucial gendarmeries like UP's Provincial Armed Constabulary. Obviously, we cannot infuse a significant number of Muslims into these forces overnight. But it's obvious that we need to enhance the recruitment and retention of minorities in the police forces and to conduct police outreach to minority communities. Such an approach would simultaneously reduce a major source of grievance in the Muslim community, increase the trust between the police and the people they are policing, and dramatically improve our own intelligence about currents within a community whose vulnerability to the blandishments of terror is high. We can learn some lessons from how other democracies have dealt with similar concerns. Despite the Sachar Commission report, few in India want to see an additional layer of reservations for minorities in state institutions. But Britain, which abjures quotas altogether, follows a policy of ‘positive action’ to help under-represented groups compete more effectively in the selection process for police jobs, and conducts extensive outreach work through mosques, black churches and community groups. We in India also need to recognize that if we want under-represented Muslims to compete effectively for police jobs, they need to feel the police is part of them, rather than an external entity. It’s clear we need to: actively solicit applications from minorities for the police at all levels (including the Provincial Armed Constabulary and the Central Reserve Police); offer special catch-up courses open only to members of the minority communities that will prepare them for the entrance examinations; at the moment few feel qualified to take the exams, and fewer still pass; and require police officers to work with community organizations, mosques and madrasas to encourage minorities to apply. In other words, instead of more “reservations”, with the resentment that breeds, let us make it easier for minorities to join the police. But let's not stop with recruitment: we also need to focus on the retention and progression of minority officers. Unless young people from minorities see that the police service offers real career opportunities and a good quality of life in the workplace, they will not overcome their negative perceptions. The fact that, in many Western countries, there are several officers from the visible minorities now at senior officer rank, sends a powerful message to these communities. In India, the promotion of minority police personnel at senior and middle levels and using them as visible symbols of the police force would constitute a powerful model to the minority community. We could also take a leaf out of Britain's book in what they do to combat racism within the police, as well as enhance cross-cultural knowledge, offering training courses to white officers that include a ‘long weekend’ spent living with a minority family. Britain is far from perfect — as the current discrimination case filed by Deputy Commissioner Tariq Ghafoor suggests — but many Hindu policemen, especially in Gujarat and the suburbs of Mumbai, would benefit immeasurably by spending a few days in a Muslim mohalla. Let's face it: if our police are not properly and continuously trained in minority relations, the current problems will continue. Of course India is not Britain, and no foreign ideas can simply be imported wholesale into our country. But we must acknowledge the grave risk to the national fabric of any community being alienated from the police. Our police forces must reflect the diversity of India. Such a policy would be the “other side of the coin” to a tough security policy which is indispensable to reassure the common urban resident, terrorized by the bomb blasts, that the Government can keep them safe.

2008-12-07T13:19:00.001+05:30

TOI - 7/12/08

Shah Rukh Khan's comments on the kind of Islamic leadership or rather lack of Islamic leadership

2008-12-07T13:07:00.002+05:30

As told to CNN-IBN: "One Islam from Allah, another from Mullah". Khan said "Let me clarify this. I have read the holy Quran. It states that if you heal one man, you heal the whole mankind and also that if you hurt one man, you hurt the whole mankind. Nowhere in the Quran does it say that jihad will lead you to jannat (paradise). He went on to say that the Quran preaches that even in a (religious) war, you cannot kill any woman, you cannot kill any child and you cannot kill any animal or destroy any crops."I would like to believe that I am an educated liberal Muslim, who has a Hindu wife and two kids." Shah Rukh Khan referred to his tinsel town colleague Aamir Khan's blog where the latter exhorted the youth to get into the political arena and said "There is corruption everywhere, but if somewhere doen the line someone moves away from it, I am there to support that person." He called for a law to ban all hardline political parties and said the youth should come together to form a political party and assured such a grouping of his whole-hearted support in "any which way possible."

Height of absurdity: School boys hired for PM's security at Rs 100 a day

2008-12-06T20:37:00.001+05:30

indianexpress.com

Santiniketan (WB): As a security measure for Prime Minister's visit in Santiniketan, the police had sought help from youths for surveillance of the area from tree tops, a bid cancelled following senior officials' intervention.
The local police deployed a group of 20 to 22 youths aged between 18 and 22 to keep vigil in the area from tree tops with the District Intelligence Bureau providing them with security passes.
The boys were hired to keep vigil for two days and were promised Rs 100 per day since Friday for their services, police said.

Is Cricket killing other sports in India?

2008-12-06T20:29:00.001+05:30

(hinduonnet.com)

YES, cricket is indeed killing other sports in India. People of India treat cricket as their fifth Veda or fourth Religion after Hinduism, Islam & Christianity. Cricket is not our national game, but it is celebrated as a festival, thanks to our Board, Government, sponsors and the media.
Cricket has also been used as a bridge between two nations, as seen in the recent India-Pakistan series. The stunning live coverage of cricket is also a reason for the demise of other sports.
When Gopi Chand won the all-England badminton championship in Britain no one cheered or cared because in the same week Harbajan Singh took a hat-trick and V. V. S. Laxman scored 281 in the Kolkata Test against Australia.
No one remembers the Olympic bronze medals won by tennis star Leander Paes (Atlanta, 1996) and weightlifter Karnam Malleswari (Sydney, 2000), but Anil Kumble's 10-wicket haul, Harbhajan's hat-trick, and Virender Sehwag's 309 will be evergreen in memory.
People don't know how to play other sports or what the rules of other games are. But they are well conversant with cricket. Irfan Pathan has only five months of experience in international cricket, but he is famous because of advertisement assignments. In fact, hockey is our national game and India has won many gold medals in the Olympics, but all we remember is Kapil Dev's team winning the cricket World Cup in 1983.
As I mentioned earlier, the media, Board, Government and sponsors are the culprits for cricket ruling the roost, to the detriment of other sports in India.