Anti-rape law alone can't check rapes

I feel mentality of men towards women is more or less same all over the world. It's only one's sanskaars and fear of law that prevent one from casting an evil eye on an unsuspecting girl or woman. In case of India, the absence of a culture of respect for women is an irony because so many of our festivals revolve around goddesses. We must not forget that any lone girl or woman has the beasts waiting for her. To stop these beasts in their tracks, apart from the strong anti-rape law, enacted recently, we also need to inculcate a culture for respect of women and girls.

Mulayam ji, please shake off your caste baggage

One day the father gives lessons to the son about good governance after getting 'enlightenment' from veteran L.K. Advani about the bad state of affairs in UP, as if he doesn't himself know how governments function in UP. The next day, the son says "We have our political blueprint ready after the pullout (from UPA). We are ready for elections anytime." After pulling up by father Mulayam, it would have been better had son Akhilesh come up with a blueprint to fight corruption, not a "political blueprint ready after the pullout". People have seen enough pro- and anti-UPA posturing by Mulayam. There is nothing wrong in Mulayam's aspiring to be PM, and he can present himself as a deserving aspirant if the SP government is able to fight corruption in UP. The SP has the requisite numbers in UP to frame and implement good governance policies and transform UP into a model state if the party is ready to shake off its caste baggage.

INDIA FIRST is good but...

The following are my views expressed in an online debate on a news item of the Hindustan Times, on the HT website:

Agreed that appeasement of any community, whether minority or majority, is neither good governance nor democratic. But, dear friend, what was and is the Ram mandir movement all about? Isn't it majority appeasement? In fact, Mumbai blasts (1993) and Godhara train burning and subsequent minority massacre were all bitter fruits of majority appeasement indulged in by the Saffron parivar through the Ram mandir movement. If Gujarat riots can be termed as a justified revenge for the Godhara train burning then the 1984 anti-Sikh riots too have numerous justifications, like killing of innocent people in Punjab during the period 1981-84 by Sikh terrorists and the assassination of Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards. If Modi and the Saffron parivar truly believe in the dictum "India First" then first of all they should take initiative for dismantling all temples (all over the country) which have been constructed on unauthorized public places and cause traffic jams and other problems. On many roads which carry heavy traffic, these temples are left untouched while widening roads so as not to give the Saffron parivar an issue to draw political mileage. The Supreme Court long ago had asked for removal of these places. Long ago, Marx had termed religion as the opium of the masses. I feel misuse of religion and petty/selfish politics are equally responsible for ruining the country. The way pilgrims are fleeced at famous religious places makes one think whether religion has any real value for us Indians. When the kanwar yatra blocks the Haridwar-Delhi highway for a fortnight, preventing normal trade and depriving people of emergency medical care and making it difficult for lots of people to earn their daily bread, it can't be termed as an India First act. But no one wants to bell the cat lest the Saffron parivar draws political mileage. Shouldn't saving people from the dhong (mockery) of religion also come under India First?

How Can it be FAMILY FIRST sans you and me

There is a lot of rhetoric on Family First. India of 2014 is not the one-party (read Congress) Indian political system, which more or less ended with Pt Nehru. If you analyze the politics of over the last two decades, then you would understand that today it's near to impossible for a Gandhi scion to become PM unless people want him/her to be, no matter how hellbent are the Congressmen to see him/her as PM. In fact, in the past also, it were you and me who handed defeats and victories to Indira and Rajiv Gandhi. And, today the voter is highly awakened. Moreover, no matter how good is the past performance or family background of a film star, a politician or a sportsman, he/she will stop to be in the good books of the masses, if he fails to deliver. Raj Kapoor could not make all his sons good heroes (remember Rajiv and Randhir?). Viru is no more in the Test squad? Why? If Sachin fails in 2-3 innings, people and even experts want him out of the India XI. Why?

Why our religion doesn't make us honest?

The following satire I had presented at the last Diwali celebrations in my office. It questions the MOCK ADHERENCE of Indians to their respective religious teachings.

Dharam Kya Hai by

A tribute to Delhi Braveheart

The following poem pays tribute to Delhi Braveheart who sacrificed her life awaken the LETHARGIC India.

Damini 2 by vijayc9

Damini 1 by vijayc9

Putting up with IMAM SIDDIQUE'S ANTICS in Bigg Boss

The following letter was written to Shri Manish Tiwari, on Jan 11, one day before the Bigg Boss Season Six Finale 

Jan 11, 2013

Shri Manish Tewari,

Minister of State, I&B

Government of India

Subject: Socially Wrong Morals and Behaviour Being Justified by Bigg Boss

Respected Sir,

I wish to draw your attention to the undue footage being given to the ethically wrong and socially unacceptable behaviour of a Bigg Boss contestant, Imam Siddique, by the Colors entertainment channel.

It’s amazing that despite Imam’s aberrant behaviour and irritating actions, which often lead to his tiffs with co-contestants, he has made it to the Bigg Boss grand finale. The Colors bosses have gone out of their way many a time to ensure that Imam is not evicted from Bigg Boss. They may be justifying their love for Imam by pointing to his popularity among the audience. For that matter, a porn star can be more popular than Imam Siddique. But, then we can’t show a porn star in action on a national family entertainment channel of India. So, why are we putting up with Imam’s ethically wrong and socially unacceptable behaviour? Aren’t we encouraging many ‘potential’ Imams to become ‘real’ Imams? I don’t know whether the Colors bosses are trying to provide some kind of psychiatric treatment to Imam by retaining him in the show.

For the Colors bosses, it’s quite easy to preach non-violence and other principles of the Father of the Nation by keeping his three monkeys in the garden area of the Bigg Boss house. And, this preaching is just a lip-service, or for the ordinary mortals to follow. Because the Colors bosses are free to show the violent destruction of their rural house and make the contestants living there run for their life.

I vividly remember that in an earlier edition of Bigg Boss, a contestant, PraveshRana, had in a fit of anger destroyed the food stock of the house by throwing it in the house pool. Then Bigg Boss had preached to Rana that when millions of Indians do not get two square meals a day, you have no right to destroy the food. And, next day, a lunch was organized at the house for the children of an orphanage. Now, I think Bigg Boss knows well that millions of Indians also do not have a roof over their head. So, is he planning to build some houses for these people to atone the destruction of the rural house?

We all know TV programmes and reality shows are a multi-crore business. But most of this multi-crore revenue comes from we the ordinary people, who buy the products/services advertised on these shows. The price we pay for the products/services also includes the advertising expenses. A good number of TV programmes are uninspiring, run-of-the-mill sagas of family feuds or the ‘scripted reality shows’. Some of these shows run eternally without touching the issues which affect the man in the street. One pines to go back to good old DD days when serials had to be wound up in 13 episodes, and some serials like Ghalib, EkKahani and Bharat EkKhoj introduced the common people to world-class literature in their own language.

For inspiring people to follow the good aspects of the Indian culture,there is no better medium than 24x7 TV, provided the TV channels’ bosses understand this.

Best regards

Vijay Chawla