Something is wrong..

That is what I felt while checking out today's headlines.

India votes in favor of a UN resolution which favors Palestinian people's right to self-determination. Wonder how the separatists from Kashmir will make use of this...

India voted against the rights of same-sex partners at the UN. Maybe because they don't turn themselves into terrorists...

Sri Sri Ravishankar receives death threat from ISIS. This is not surprising but then I read the next headline.

Jamiat Ulema-i-Hind wants RSS to be banned!!! Well, they still don't bother about whatever happens with 'Islam'. They would rather have all others obliterated.

And for some comic relief, a person from UP send Dhoni 1000 rupees ans thanks him for losing the semifinals. He is worried about the low productivity on match days!!

posted from Bloggeroid

The Lady deserves respect..

Today is international women's day. This time around the BBC has prompted Indians to sit up and take notice. The documentary, 'India's daughter' has evoked strong reactions from all around. Not for the first time, India stands shamed, though the fact remains that there are many countries around the world with much more dismal record as far as rape is concerned. This includes the USA. However, that can not be a conslation nor can it be an excuse for us to ignore the fact that modern India has little respect for women.

This is not rhetoric. The day news broke about this documentary, I saw a post on Facebook which essentially asked the readers to comment on the question, 'are those girls who go out with lovers at night good girls?'

This question aptly shows the attitude shared by a large number of Indians, both men and women. And the issue is not just limited to rape. As the Prime Minister of our country points out time and again, we don't care whether our women have to go outside our homes for answering nature's call, for want of a toilet at out homes.

Ironically, I have seen most of the middle-class families being run by the women. The opinion of the lady of the house matters a lot and the macho husband so often is rendered powerless in decisions that concern the family matters. The mothers give undue importance to their sons and pamper them to such an extent that they become self-centered, mean, cruel creatures. The boy child is left free to wander the streets at all hours exposing him to all kinds of anti-social activities he could indulge in. Even in cases of dowry harassment, the mother-in-laws are so often at the wrong end.

This is not to say that all women are like that. My point is that mothers have to take accountability in making their children realize the moral and social obligations of every citizen. This is because mother is that universal force which can influence a child in most profound says. She is the epitome of sacrifice and selfless service and should serve as the inspiration for everyone.

What about men?? Well, if you can't respect a woman, you are not a man.

posted from Bloggeroid

What ideology???

We Indians have lots of political parties to choose from. In fact we should be delighted to have so many parties competing to serve us!!! Then why aren't we???

Well, the problem is that most of them don't care about their own proclaimed ideologies and a large number of them simply don't have any.

The communists have abandoned any true allegiance to their manifesto long ago. The Indian National Congress too has completed this process of forgetting it's ideology. This was further intensified by Indira Gandhi. Now we have a Congress party which is like one of those public sector undertakings which does not contribute to the nation making, but is too big to let go.

In comparison, the BJP, has held on to it's rightist ideology. However, it still has a long way to go before it can claim to have achieved any of it's proclaimed goals. This is partly due to the unfavorable numbers in the Rajya Sabha and partly due to the misinformed polarization caused by those goals. Article 370 and uniform civil code are examples. But, if Modiji manages to win the next Lok Sabha elections in 2019, BJP will no longer be allowed the benefit of doubt by its core supporters. However, it's core ideology is highly unlikely to get abandoned owing to many factors including the RSS.

On the other hand we have a plethora of parties whose ideology depends solely on the whims and fancies of the party supremo. What Indira Gandhi did to the Congress became the role model for these regional players who dictate terms to the national parties.

In such a scenario, it was natural for people to get disillusioned. Somewhere down the line, they lost faith in the polity and developed an apathy towards the process of governance. But it seems to have changed now. These days, increasingly large number of people are getting engaged in political debates via social media. They have a platform where they can make themselves heard while not stepping out of their living rooms. Having said that, it would be a blunder to attribute this renewed interest in politics to the mere availability of media like Facebook or Twitter. In my opinion two factors caused this.

Narendra Modi has captured the nation's imagination in a big way. Love him or hate him, you can't ignore him. During the general elections, he carpet bombed the country not only by crisscrossing the vast geographical mass, but by using technologies from the internet to 3D holographic image projection. Even after the historic victory, he continues to hog the limelight.

The second factor was the birth of a new party known as AAP. This party showcased a welcome change from the work culture of established parties and offered a great opportunity to the educated middle-class to get directly involved. This had such a big impact that they won the Delhi elections twice with unprecedented majority.

Even more amazing is the fact that AAP achieved this without presenting any real plans or programs. The clean politics promise and freebies were enough to secure the victory. But the recent incidents in AAP have once again shown that AK is taking this party down the well trodden path taken by Indira Gandhi and many others like Jayalalitha, Mamata, Lalau, Mulayam etc. What promised to be a truly inclusive movement has been reduced to a 'high command' centric bunch of sycophants truly worthy of being called Congress B Team. In the process, Delhiites may well have set the record for being fooled twice within a span of an year, tragic as it is.

What a shame!!!

posted from Bloggeroid

Jammu Kashmir at the crossroads..

1 March 2015 is a historic day in the history of Indian politics. A government formed by PDP in partnership with BJP has assumed power in the crucial state of Jammu Kashmir. The presence of BJP stalwarts led by the Prime Minister shows how important this event is. Amit Shah, L.K. Advani, Murali Manohar Joshi and many others witnessed this rare occasion.

The mood in the state range from jubilation to anger. It is obvious that both the parties will have to do exceptionally well to make this experiment succeed. The perception is that both have traded a lot to form this government. While this is true, one has to remember that this government can provide much needed stability and development to this state, which in turn will have deep impact in the entire south Asian region.

The irony is that the significance of this government is perhaps yet to sink in for the people of this state who have long ago forgotten the true meaning of development. It is unfair to expect them to change their aspirations and priorities overnight. But they do have to realize that they are at the crossroads where they can choose between unending violence, instability and pitiable existence and a truly meaningful integration to the possibilities and opportunities offered by this great nation of ours. Hope they would choose wisely as the stakes are too high for all of us...

Here is, wishing the people of Jammu and Kashmir all the best..

posted from Bloggeroid