An Eye for an Eye or A Bully for a Bully

Nine years ago America faced its worst case of bullying when a tall, lean, bearded and brown skinned bully knocked down the pride of its financial capital.  That is when for the first time the most  powerful 'bully' in the world got a taste of its own medicine. And as any battered bully, it retaliated by hounding out the perpetrators. 

As America continues to heal its ego by  exerting its force over a resilient, irrational, radical and omnipresent adversary, it is faced with another bully. This time of a different sort-  A medium height, clean shaved, white skinned educated journalist. Unlike nine years ago, this time America’s ego was hurt not by bring down a building but  by bringing down (exposing) the entire military and foreign affair system of the country over the internet. This is what contemporary cyber law calls-“Cyber Bully”. 

 Ironically after more than a decade of  being called the most wanted man in the world, the master perpetrator of 9/11 seems to have been dethroned by a tech savvy egoistic journalist who is now hiding in plush deep caves and mounts of London !

I wonder how  the big bully will respond this time.  It cannot bomb the cyberspace, it cannot send its military into the cyberworld,  it can neither attack another web portal nor country under the false assumption that they might eventually bully them down. Under such a dilemma what can it do?

The worlds oldest democracy which is a staunch supporter of 'freedom of the press'  has its hands tied. As much as it would be itching to order a shut down of the website which reported these sensitive and embarrassing  cables, it is bound by its principles (for now).  How can a country which goes around the world preaching the values of democracy, freedom of speech and press retract from its position, when it is at the receiving end? At one end  it condemns the control of the press in China and Iran and at the other end it contemplates blacking out a media exposing government and corporate corruption.

At a time when America is debating means to tackle the problem of bullying in their educational institutes, it‘s an irony that the country itself is being bullied  on land and in the cyberworld.

On reading this blog, I would like to point out to all those who reached till this point of the essay that I personally condemn the actions of Wikileaks. This is not to say I fully support the actions of  the US also. The right to speech and free press is a corner stone of the First Amendment in the US constitution. But under a court ruling in 1931 and 1971 “No government  can issue prior restraints against publication, except when there is an imminent threat to national security”.  In this particular case exposing covert military actions and informants along with  private foreign diplomatic conversations is a concern for national security. Under such circumstances the government of USA, within its capacity, has to press actions against the website.  I do agree that  certain information's on the website do throw light to the actual global situation but details of covert informants, military strategies, frivolous diplomatic conversations are not of public concern especially when they are contemporary and operational.  

Wikileaks might have the right intentions but the means it has adopted (for this particular incident) to [mis]use the notions of “freedom of press and information” has projected itself as a Cyber Bull.

Imagine

             As a side step from my usual blog topics, this blog was inspired by a book I am currently reading called “The Post American World” by the reputed journalist and television talk show host Fareed Zakaria. This book primarily talks about America living and working alongside, and may be even under the shadow of two giants of 21st century, which I like to call the Dragon and the Tiger- China and India. Living in America from the past four years has shown me the immense influence and blend of these two countries in American society and economics. I come from a generation which has a very different view of India than those who migrated to the land of dreams in the mid and late 20th century. The first fifty years of India as a free nation was plagued by the confusion and disfunctionality which any new nation would have faced, which slowly grew into public frustration, driving the countries subjects to a more promising land. But the last decade has been the game changer for India not only domestically but also internationally. India has made a mark on the world map on various platforms which had faded away during the British rule and early period of independent India. Today when I speak to the old school Indian who migrated in search of a better life might still complain about India and its methods but with time they have come to accept the tremendous power India hold to transform itself into what they dreamt as a “ land of opportunities”. It will be unjust on my part to take away any credit from these old school Indian immigrants who not only made a mark for themselves in their adopted home but also demonstrated the tremendous potential and intellect of an Indian. Today’s 21st century India which mothers a young and vibrant generation has taken this potential and intellect to the next level, not only in their own backyard but also several blocks away. When I look around me, living in a foreign land, I am not surprised to see another Indian but rather feel proud in an amusing way on our outreach at every turn, from the bustling call centers in Bangalore to the over populated American universities to the densely populated Indian dominated colonies in the suburbs to even the local Dunkin Donuts. Indians have exerted their influence and presence everywhere.

          So to evaluate the magnitude of the situation, I would like the reader to just imagine for a period of time if India and Indians around the world (here let’s stick to America since I qualify to talk about this region to an extent) shut themselves off from the world!!!! Imagine the chaos and arrest everywhere …..Lets dive deeper into this chaos and arrest; and have some fun imagining the influence we possess which Indians have used judiciously and responsibly.

          Imagine one day you get up and realize you have some problem with your laptop before a big presentation with all your files locked in or you realize someone’s hacked into your credit card account and are enjoying the fruits of your hard work. What do you do? As every individual in today’s world, you would call a 1-800 number expecting a quick online service to your laptop or a solution of your monetary issue. What if, to your surprise you either here a continuous phone ring or a message saying “we are sorry for the inconvenience but the customer service center you are trying to call is indefinitely on vacation”. Now that’s a bummer!!! Guess where the call went... not to California or New York but to Bangalore or Mumbai. What do we do now? India today houses the maximum number of American firm business processing outsourcing units compared to China or other emerging markets.

            Imagine driving to work and you decide to grab a quick coffee and donut for breakfast before reaching work. You decide to stop at your local Dunkin Donut, few blocks away from work and as you enter the drive-thru lane to place your order, you fail to hear a friendly greeting with a Gujarati English accent, realizing a board on your rear view mirror reading “all Dunkin Donut outlets closed indefinitely “The Gujarati community holds the maximum stake on franchises of Dunkin Donuts in America. It is not only Dunkin Donuts but also commodity mart like 7-eleven and highway Motels across Americans speedway system stretching its length and breathes.

          Every year thousands of students flock near the seven US consulates praying for a student visa to study in one of many American Universities. I was one of those who spent thousands of Rupees to just get to American to pursue my masters. I was fortunate enough to be awarded a scholarship and assistantship to work in one of the research laboratories in the university. As satisfying as feeling it may be to earn a scholarship and monthly stipend, you quickly realize you are not the only one! Enter the research center you will find a pool of international talent, dominated by Chinese’s and Indian’s. It won’t be surprising if you pick up a technical journal and find either the first or second author to be an Indian. Now imagine walking into a research center and finding it ghostly quiet and lacking the aroma of spicy Indian food when you pass by the common kitchen area of the building! Majority of laboratories around American universities have a healthy presence of Indian students, working late hours and even during weekends, balancing course work and a demanding professor who hold the key to your graduation. What most fail to realize is that the creative ideas, solutions to global issues from health to economics and innovative technologies, evidently have a strong Indian influence to it. So imagine the absence of Indians in American Universities!!!

         The contribution and influence of Indians doesn’t stop only at universities. The moment after being awarded a graduate degree from the prestigious university, the next task is to attain the coveted H1B visa for which student scramble every years before April 1st. The contributions of Indians in driving the American economy has been proven far and beyond. During the recent recession, the percentage was Indians and Chinese workers being given the pink slips were far less that Whites and African Americans. As an example of the Indian importance and dominance, my employer as leading Tier-1 automotive suppliers has a global presence with offices around the world, including two in India. The computer aided engineering group which validates design has a total strength of 20 in its US office. Out of which 17 are Indian immigrants and 3 Chinese immigrants. As a common joke which floats around the organization, if all the Indians in the group decide to visit their homes back in Indian, the company would come to a standstill. Stressing on the phrase of “Indian Influence”- another example being the information science sector, where thousands of Indians work their souls to develop the next operating system, the next text editor software for your PC’s and laptops and even our next game console at Microsoft; The hundreds more working in developing robust and secure software’s for companies like eBay and Amazon though which the world does its online shopping. The world today stays connected through the internet and mobile services for its conferences, interviews etc.., through hardware and software’s developed by hard working Indians around the world, in companies like Cisco and Juniper. Imagine a shut down by Indians in all these sectors…..the cars we drive to work, the laptop we use, the shopping we do online, the online meeting through which a company saves thousand through travel expense, the roads and bridges we use, all would feel the pinch of the absence of intellect, innovation, idea, troubleshooting etc which every Indian brings with his or her job.

          According to a recent survey I read in a leading weekly magazine, Indian origin doctors in America were rated as one of the top 3 most professional and reliable doctors. Today is every hospital around the country however big and small; there will be at least one Indian origin doctor. Specialist areas from neurology to cardiology to gynecology all have renowned and well established Indian origin doctors treating everyone irrespective for creed, faith and race. Imagine the scrambling in a hospital or an emergency ward due to the absence of specialist doctor; a doctor which most American in their survey tend to trust.

          The Indian contribution is widely influential and the today’s world is slowly but surely accepting these contributions. Nothing can be more evident than the breakthrough on American television, which has for years been much Americanized. In recent years shows like The Office, House, Heroes, 24 etc have had an Indian character, either playing a computer geek, a doctor, a scientist and even a politician. Americans and the world as a whole are coming to terms with accepting Indians being a pivotal part of their society. A renowned motion picture director James Cameron also acknowledged the intellect of Indians by casting an Indian origin actor to play the role of an Indian scientist working on developing what famously came to be known as “Avatar”. And most recently the influence of Indian BPO which have been criticized by even the President of America as stealing American jobs, is coming on the small screen this fall called “Outsourced” as a comical enactment of an American manager going to Indian to train young Indians in running and operating a customer service center. India and Indians might not be getting their due recognition in the western world but they surely hold the power to assert their authority and influence which I believe is being utilized in a responsible and civilized manner for the proper functioning of everything!!!

Obscurity to Prominence

       In the last six months the intellectual rebels fighting for the cause of poor farmers, downtrodden section of the society  have attached a bus carrying CRPF jawans, set ablaze a market in Bihar, looted explosives from the police artillery storage, ambushed 70 CRPF jawans killing all and many such heinous acts. How do I know all this and much more? You are right! The television media, print media, virtual media; everywhere  you go you will find in-depth analysis, discussion, polling, blogs (many like mine at times) condemning and sympathizing the offensive/defensive ( based on the situation) actions of these so called intellectuals – NAXALITES.

      The continuous coverage and discussions over the past few weeks on the Indian civil war got me thinking- is this what naxalites really wanted to start off with? The constant media coverage, interviews with unnamed and named naxal commanders, a devil’s advocate sessions with the home minister, the home secretary , the opposition leaders, the chief ministers of affected states all  seems to be working to some extent in favor of the naxals and their agenda. Over the last one year urban citizens have grown widely aware of the broad agenda and motive of the contemporary ROBIN HOOD.  The only difference being that Robin Hood was a story we loved to read and enact as kids but I don’t think the same holds good for this version.

      This awareness not only attracted negative sentiment towards them but also a large number of sympathizers both from the elite and political spectrum. This got me drawing analogy to a more famous and fruitful incident which occurred in 1929. When Bhaghat Singh, Sukhdev, Rajguru, Kishori Lal and Jai Gopal were incarcerated and produced in court for the assembly bombing of 1929 and the murder of J.P Saunders in 1928, the HSRA (Hindustan Socialist Republican Association) was trying to gain a support and awareness in an environment which preached Gandhian principals. The HSRA ideology was in armed struggle, terrorism and retaliatory strikes against the British Empire quite parallel to that of the Naxalities. Bhaghat Singh ingeniously turned the situation into his favor by using the court room and the media reporting in his trial as a medium to express HSRA’s views and ideology to the public. Every morning after the court hearing Hindustan Times reported the proceedings of the trial along with the strong views and motives of Bhaghat Singh and his comrades. He went to the extend of systematically spelling out the procedure of making homemade bombs through ingredients accessible easily by the general public. And as expected, homemade crude bombs were made at every corner  and used violently against the British rule. The once obscure group of violent and aggressive individuals who followed the principals outside the spectrum of Gandhi was now the face of the youth revolutionaries who believed that violence was the only way India could achieve independence. His popularity not only influenced the young but also the old and powerful cadres of the Indian National Congress like Mohammad Ali Jinnah.  Bhaghat Singh had clearly understood the importance and power of the media in his fight for freedom. Within months of the trial, he became a national hero and is still remembered as one of the most influential revolutionaries of the Indian freedom movement. One may wonder, if we would have studied and watched movies about Shaheed Bhagat Singh if at that time the media would not have covered his judicial trial or printed and distributed his ideologies?

        Drawing parallel to the current situation, the constant and intensive coverage of the actions of naxalites has done exactly what the media did for Bhaghat Singh- they made them a common name and drew them to the center of the conversation. The media gives a platform to Naxal Cadre likes Kishanji to come on prime time television and express their views and justify their actions. The media intensely interviews government officials, at time forcing to them to concede to certain viewpoints which depicted a weak offensive system of the government. They went  to an extent of squeezing details of national security in the name of informing the people the ‘real story’. As smart and cunning as our ministers and bureaucrats are, they too play their cards close to their chest. When the government speaks out against such acts and illustrates their intention and plans to curb such offensives, media parades naxal sympathizer and human right advocates on television and print, who frantically speak against the government and their so called unjust treatments towards the poor. People like Arundati Roy , Prashant Bhushan and our own Laloo Prasad Yadav sympathize the cause and instead of criticizing the acts of naxalites prefer to say : “ what did the government expect when they call fight against naxal as WAR” or “  naxalites do not kill common people”. Aren’t CRPF Janwans common people? Where did I hear and read all this? You guessed it, the media. We have instances where the media instigate a heated debate between oppositions on the naxal issue to get some news point for higher TRP and bragging rights of saying “ you heard it first on ……”. And as a result the once obscure yet dangerous revolutionary is now on every front page and every headline day in and day out. Again one may wonder, if the media does reduce the intensity of coverage, still managing to lay down the facts to its readers and listeners but abjuring indirect Naxal propagation through their media (as I would like to call it) then would the naxal’s inflict so much pain and destruction when they realize that no importance is given to their actions?

        As an irony to the situation and comparison I laid down above between the Naxal’s and Bhagat Singh it is striking to know that both not only followed the principle of armed struggle, terrorism and retaliatory strikes against the government but theoretically believed in the principle of Marx and Lenin which influenced the concept of communism and anarchism. From Bhagath Singh to Kishanji, from the court house of Lahore to streets of Dantewada the media has played a crucial role in bridging the gap from obscurity to prominence as it walks a thin line between sensationalism and factual integrity.

Gods Own C(ricket)ountry

While this year’s cricket extravaganza has not even reached its penultimate stage, we already have a controversy regarding next year’s tournament diverting all the attention from the fiesta. With gaining success every year, the IPL governing board decided to expand the tournament with the addition of two new teams. The selection of the final two teams which made the cut were Pune which is around 200 Km away from an existing IPL team-Mumbai and the underdog (if I may call them so) Kochi, Kerala, still puzzles me. Contrary to the rumors in the cricketing media which gave Ahmadabad and Nagpur the edge, Pune and Kochi appeared to bag the bragging rights of being part of an elite few in this entertaining, extravagant, money making fiesta which every Indian looks forward to every year for the love of the game. To justify the enormity of just owning a team was demonstrated this year when the teams were auctioned out for a total sum of $703 million which is more than the cost of all the current eight teams put together. A striking number which makes you wonder- where is the recession the world in talking about?

Over the last one week, the transition of team Kochi into the elite group seems to have hit bad weather with allegations of undisclosed owners, involvement of government officials and even bribery. I am not here to repeat what everyone is seeing on the media over the last one week. But what I would like to debate is the way this matter has been politicized not only by the team owners and the IPL commissioner but also by our dear political parties. So getting things into perspective:

1. Kochi team is purchased by collection of individuals and companies for a sum of $333 million

2. Bidders for the team involved a minister from the central government for guidance who also represents the region

3. Opposition asking involved minister to explain and resign on ethics

4. IPL commissioner is alleged to have vested interest in introducing another team by disqualifying Kochi based on administrative backgrounds

5. Minister alleges commissioner of manipulating system

Not getting into too much of the ruckus and allegations, what surprises me here is the voice of the opposition calling for the minister’s resignation for showing guidance and favoring a team from his constituency. Cricket and politics in India can never be separated knowing the public influence the game has across the country which comes along with a big bag of mullah! Just look at the heads of some of the state cricket boards in India; Delhi Cricket Association is headed by the charismatic Arun Jately- Leader of Opposition in the Upper House of parliament, which also involves politician/cricketer Kirti Azad , the Bihar Cricket Association is headed none other than Lalu Prasad Yadav (MP in the lower house) from times forgotten, the Rajasthan Cricket Association is headed by Dr. C.P Joshi, the current Panchayat Raj Minister in the central government. How about the Gujarat Cricket Association which is chaired by none other than the Chief Minister of the state itself. As a respect to his highness the Maharaja of the Mysore who is affiliated to the ruling party in India heads the Karnataka Cricket Association. Finally to substantiate my point the Minister for Agriculture was not only the President of BCCI but is also the current head of the Mumbai Cricket Association. Added to this he will be taking over the post of President of the International Cricket Council soon. These are just few examples of how cricket and politics have blended together for the better or the worse.

Let’s look at some instances where politicians have used their influence and power to mend situation in favor of the associations they are affiliated to. Earlier this year the Firosha Kotla was on the verge of being band from hosting international cricket by the ICC but was diverted away by the influence of DCA president and the future president of ICC ( by now you know who he is). When the commissioner of IPL ignored the assurances from the state government of Andhra Pradesh on hosting the IPL games for Deccan Chargers under the cloud of regional tension, which ironically was the opposition party to which the commissioner is said to be affiliated to. How about the influence used by the politically strong members of the governing body to host major matches in Mumbai instead of Kolkata which host the most famous cricketing ground in the world (opposition between the head of cricket in West Bengal and the BCCI president both politically opposite and add to this -head of Mumabi Cricket Association… join the dots!). The influence and pressure applied to nominate new IPL franchises Ahmadabad, Pune and Nagpur which have association to governing members - note two teams from the same state!! It could have been three teams from the same state if both Nagpur and Pune would have won. Why not nominate regions from the east which has only one representation in the last three seasons; are there no influential politicians from that side of the country in the governing body? Some may argue that the states in the east do not have the star power or big name players when it comes to cricket. My answer to this is looks at Rajasthan Royals. There is hardly anyone from Rajasthan playing in the team and I expect the same to happen to Kochi also, if it ever makes it to IPL4.

So when a minister lobbies and guides individuals or a collection of companies in securing a quid pro quo situation, where it comes down to ‘ If I help in getting the Kochi team , this will intern help my constituency”- what is so different from what has been happening till now. The allegations thrown at the minister also involve financial benefits from the franchises profits which have not been proved on record yet and have been refuted not only by the minister (as expected) but also by the franchise owners. As of now I do not stand in a position to comment on this issue. But what I can comment on is the similarity in which politicians use their muscles for direct or indirect financial gains. Look at the decision of moving IPL home games of Deccan Chargers to Mumbai and Nagpur instead of Bangalore or Chennai which are either closer or equally close to Hyderabad. A similar decision of splitting home games of Rajasthan Royals between Jaipur and Ahmadabad was taken in this season of IPL, when there are no regional tensions or threats similar to Hyderabad. Had the commissioner already made up his mind of having Ahmadabad and Nagpur as next year’s entrants to IPL and as a gesture of things to come awarded theses games? I am sure he must have had a rude shock when both the teams did not make it to the final two. Connecting the dots one may not be surprised know if this is the motive behind all the ruckus and mudslinging.

At the end, if the Minister did assist the owners of Kochi in a non-financial manner with no strings attached for the pure fact that he wanted to promote his constituency and brand Kerala-He does not stand guilty in anyway, knowing the history between cricket and politics. If the Minister does have financial stake in the team, he should give up his ministerial position and focus all his efforts in promoting Brand Kerala and Brand Kochi as any commercial aspirant. Unfortunately if the governing body of IPL are flexing their muscles to isolate Kochi from its rightful position for personal and commercial gain then it will be right to name the INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE to INDIAN PAISA LEAGUE tainting the purity of the spirit of the game which we all have grown to love and worship.

Strength Of a Woman

     March 9th in Indian history will be marked in red letters as the day when women in India were shown the path of equality and empowerment. That’s what most news papers in India have been highlighting after the Women’s reservation bill made its way through the Upper house of the parliament with a thumping majority- in spite of some initial hiccups. This bill ensures a reservation of one third of the total representation at the parliament and state legislator level for women. For those who love numbers, this means 180 seats out of the 544 seats will now be occupied by women. After initially being constituted by the Deva Gowda’s government in the mid-90’s , it finally found a ray of light at the end of a decade and a half long tunnel on March 9th ( yes that’s right, only a ray… the bill still needs to be passed in the lower house of the parliament). As every legislation or regulation in this world, this one also came with a bus full of opponents, not from opposition parties but ironically from coalition members. Leaving the mundane politics aside, I personally have a very strong view on how this legislation has been hailed. Before anyone reads ahead, I would like to make it clear that I am not against equality for women and their empowerment. What I am against here is the importance given to this bill, claiming it as the path to equality, justice and empowerment. I have my own views on how this bill might be (miss)used along with what I think are more grass root solutions.

As a brief on what this bill spells out which looks surprising to me:

1. 33% reservation for women in national and state representation

What it means: 181 seats will be now occupied by women

2. Constituencies will be reserved on a lottery system

What it means: In every election a certain number of constituencies will be picked arbitrarily through lottery and designated as women contestant only

3. Reservation of constituencies on rotation basis

What it means: On completion of a full term, the constituency which was reserved for a woman candidate will be made open for either gender

4. This reservation system will be active for 15 years from the year of implementation

What it means: The methodology will be implemented religiously for 15 years (minimum of 3 general elections) before it is evaluated

These are just few of the stricking point in the bill which caught my attention. I am sure people like my brother would have read deeper into the bill, but even they cannot deny not spotting these points.

My views on these point:

Point-1:

        Apart from the 33% if we consider the already implemented 22.5% for ST and SC, it leaves only 45% for all other sections of society and gender, exposing the question on proper representation of the 1 billion people. Something I would like to call “forceful representation”

(note: this points holds false subjected to reservation in an reservation)

Point-2:

        Has the constitution and electoral system of one of the world’s largest democracy become so frivolous that it is left to chance? What will happen if the constituency of an efficient MALE MP is converted under reservation and is forced to abstain from his position to a less popular or even an unknown entity to fulfill a party obligation? I am sure no other male candidate will forgo his constituency of this unfortunate MP, in spite of his prolific record. And what about all the work he has under taken and carried out during his previous term? Will be it carried forward with the same efficiency and determination. I won’t deny there is a possibility of a positive outcome also but again that’s a CHANCE.

Point-3:

        Again, a joke when it comes to rotation system or to put it due to lack of word-“MUSICAL CHAIR”. Let’s say that during the first cycle the constituency is reserved for a women candidate and the next is kept open for either gender, during which the party decides to field a male candidate. Next, he wins the election and during his term gets to know that in the following general election, his constituency is reassigned for a women candidate. What incentive will he have to look forward (when he knows he will be asked to abstain his seat in the next term) to continuing his work or even get reelected based on his performance and popularity. The same will apply for a women candidate, who through the term is aware that the chopping block is hanging over her head.

Point-4:

        Haven’t we seen from the time of implementation of the constitution to this date, that when reservation legislation is passed it is meant to stay, not on its merit but for the pity political games our system plays called “vote bank”. The initial reservations penned by Dr. Ambedkar were expected to terminate less than two decades after the constitution was implemented ( if I am not wrong on that number). Today after 60 years of India being republic, we still live by those reservations and by the looks of it won’t go for another 60 years. So when this bill states that it will be implemented for 15 years ( or a minimum of 3 general elections), I won’t be surprised if the then government decides to continue it for another 15. History speaks for itself!!

 

Now coming to the issue of women empowerment and equality starting from the grassroots to the most privileged in the society-

      In the late 90’s we was a prime example of how this bill can be (miss)used. Remember Lalu Prasad Yadav and Rabri Devi ? Puppet treatment or pseudo control of the Bihar government showed the loop holes in the system which has been exploited in true sense even in the last general election. So with this reservation bill, are we hoping that a woman from rural regions will be given an opportunity to contest elections from Lalu’s constituency? I am sure we will see his wife or daughter or even daughter-in-law contesting the election and reserving the seat till he is able to contest again under the rotation system. How about Mulayam Singh Yadav.... he fielded his daughter-in-law in last years bi-election and his son in the general election. Ironically, these two men have been strong opponents of this bill. But I won’t be surprised if they are the first to miss use this bill if the lottery system affects their candidacy. We are already known for our dynastic politics in the recent decade and this bill will further fuel this virus, impeding the growth of young, fresh and intellectual individuals into politics.

     Contesting an election anywhere in the world is not a cheap affair. Contestants have to shell out a minimum of 5-6 figures. Under such circumstances, are we to expect a Kantabhain, a Munnibhain, a Laxmiamma, a Fatima Begam, a Kuljeet Kaur etc.. from remote regions of rural India to come up and contest elections, when they find it hard to met ends on a day to day bases? If they do manage, how do you expect them to recover that cost or loan? Hmmm… something to think about.. Corruption is a popular mean! (If not the last resort)

      A we sure, that a women candidate will be not biased against her male counter parts and might focus only on women in the constituency ignoring the men ( bent up feminist anger!!!). What if this women candidate does not have the same competence and efficiency to work towards the concern of women compared to her male predecessor? Do you think that the women in the constituency will vote her back when she comes up for election in her rotation? Again we are playing with the word CHANCE.

      Having a women doesn’t always mean that it will reciprocate in a positive response towards the women in the country. Look at Madam Mayavathi, called “Dalith ki Beti” has a questionable record of how much she has done to empower women in her state, forget about the daliths. How about Jaya Lalitha Amma, she spends all her term as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu undoing what the previous government did and by the time she realizes, it time for her to lose the election. How about the country’s most popular Chief Minister- Ms. Shiela Dixit, voted into power for 3 terms and still Delhi/NCR considered amongst the most unsafe places for women in the country. We might have had great female leaders like Sarojni Naidu and Indira Gandhi but neither of them came from the grass roots. Both have prolific backgrounds and affluent families- one a daughter of the first Prime Minister of India and the other the daughter of the founder of the Nizam College in Hyderabad and the first member of the INC for Hyderabad.

If we really want women representatives in the government then I propose couple of solutions from my side. Idealistic as they might sound they are surely debatable.

1. Form a system to have a junior MP position accompanying a senior MP…this give ample time for both the young  male and the ladies to get accustomed to the busy corridors of power.

2. Have a system (which needs a lot of fine tuning) which has a women and male candidate fighting as a team and then based on consensus determine the junior and senior MP (popularity , votes , qualification etc can be suitable criteria)

     In order to empower women, improve their quality of life and give equal opportunity, the government can implement many means starting from the grass root levels. I personally have few views which I believe will at least initiate the process;

When it comes to education… provide incentives to parents to send their daughters to school

1. Free and compulsory education

2. Tax incentive to households educating women

3. Low interest rate education loans

4. Government funded scholarships for women

 

When it comes to health care

1. Low cost health insurance

2. Maximum coverage of medical bills pertaining to pregnancy

When it comes to governance

1. Governing bodies only focusing on women development

2. These bodies linked to associated government departments eg… Finance, agriculture, HRD, labor, health etc.. to colaborate initiatives focusing  on betterment of women in the country.

     The governments over the years have implemented few of the strategies, but failed to oversee their efficient implementation through every spectrum of the society. That is why we see such disparity in the urban working middle class women to the rural home maker. In contemporary world, the words reservation, quota and affirmative action implies the acceptance of failure by the people and government to curb the difference between the able and the unable, the equal and the unequal and the privileged and the deprived. It’s not only this bill which will bring about the change we seek towards women for which we rejoice so much, but it’s the proper implementation of grass root strategies which will transform the weak foundation of the Indian women at par of that of a MAN or even the WORLD.

Aman Ki Nirasha

Another year and another season, as the quiet and cold breeze across the empty stadiums wait to be filled with sound of drums, cheers of fanatic fans, horns andthe cry of "Sachin". Time passes swiftly to yet another season of the great India cricket extravaganza- IPL 2010. A time of the year when the young and old, men and women adjust their daily schedule from their mundane life just to wear the color of their team and cheer till the last ball is either hit for a six or strikes against the sticks!

Like every astronomical event, IPL has always had its share of controversies and hiccup’s, be it season ones criticism over the authenticity of the twenty-20 format , or season 2’s security issue which forced the tournament to be moved away from its home land to an alien country. This year is no less, with the only difference that it seems to have casted a dark cloud over two cricket playing countries.

This week’s auction of player for the franchises threw a “doosara” to all cricket fans. A fact hard to believe but not a single Pakistani player was given contract by any franchise. The members of the world champion team sat at the bench all day waiting for a chance to play with the big guys, but allas , had to face the harsh reality of being a spectator for yet another year.

Over the last two days, the government from the other side has cried out foul and accused to Indian government of diluting the concoct harmony being built between the two countries. What harmony are they talking about ? Over the last one year India has been demanding action , and at time even pleading to the Pakistani government to take action against the perpetrators of the Mumbai attack. What have we got till now .... nothing !! I personally do not disagree to what happened at the player auction few days back. Reports say the IPL administrators advised any team from bidding for a Pakistani players, some say the team owners were reluctant due to security issues and visa concerns; and few reports even suggest that the owners were fastidious, given the limited options they had. Personally, I love the Pakistani version - "We were snubbed" !

Well, they deserve to be after what they portray in front of us and intend to do behind us- a big kick in the rear. What has changed from last year to this year, that its snow balling into such a big issue? Why should India encourage any sort of friendship when Pakistan cannot comprehend the word reciprocate? They have always expected India to forget its differences and welcome them as with open arm ; to get stabbed in the back again and have their guts pulled out . Critics say, exhibition of such animosity will just draw the two countries further apart resulting in total breakdown of people to people communication. How many time does India have to encourage people to people communication? Allowing cricketer or entertainers will never stop the militants or the ISI from plotting against us. Will Shahid Afridi or Younis Khan or Kamran Akmal meet LeT chief's and talk them out of their heinous actions, once we allow them to play in India? Will they people of Pakistan watching the tournaments in the comfort of their living rooms get out to protest against the tactics and dallying of their government towards the Mumbai attacker? Why welcome a guest when it's evident the very same guest is going to bomb your behind after all the hospitality and love shown to them.

Pakistan intends to retaliate by blocking transmission of the games on it network, they are debating on whether to send its national hockey team for next month's World Cup in India, the government wants to ban Indian television and cinema and I am sure more BS will be added to the list with days to come. They dont want to come for hockey world cup-guess what we get a walk over in the very first game, inching us one game closer to the cup- now whose the looser? Want to ban bollywood films, at least during that period piracy will reduce- whose the looser again !!!

With all these activists and media program aimed to bring about harmony between the two countries makes me wonder if there is anyone in Pakistan with the same frame of mind? They keep complaining of facing similar issues of terrorism as India, but conveniently forget that the concept of terrorism is breeding in their own back yard. They shake hands with us with one hand and send a signal from the other to cut that very hand. I feel sick to my stomach when I see such hypocrisy and makes me feel even sicker when Indian themselves cry foul to incidents like the IPL. I think the action taken knowingly or unknowingly (which ever the media likes to portray) by the IPL team owners showed what the people of India really feel- a feeling of betrayal , vendetta, impatience and disgust. I approve of the actions taken by the team owners, calling it a verdict against the hypocritical, brutal, sadistic and insensitive behavior of our neighboring government and their militant associates.