A need to evolve

Widespread protest, largely concentrate in Delhi have been going on for over a week and are pushing for action by the Indian Government to improve the situation of women in response to the brutal gang rape.

In response to this, other than the Government’s repressive tactics on peaceful protest, the police have taken a spew of steps across, the urban quarters. They have initiated classes to sensitize more police personal on the topic of rape and dealing with the victims. Plus the police have increased their personal power in ladies compartment trains and other areas.

As this movements/protests progresses, there is a need for it to evolve. Most movement needs a leader. The only leaderless movement/revolution was the Egyptian and Tunisian revolution, and in that they all the citizens chanted for a total upheaval/change of the government (and they got it). The Occupy Wall Street moment was completely leaderless, and though it was amazing to see people wanting to change an outdate financial system and attitude of corporatism; it really did not achieve anything in reality other than awareness.

There is no denying that such moments don’t have their effects, but there is a drastic need in many situation that call for quick change.

The Anna Hazare movement had a Bill that it wanted to pass to eradicate corruption. Just clamouring for change is not enough, the Indian government needs to be lead on with strong well thought out ideas, plans and maybe even a bill.

The protest can go on and on, but eventually they will fizz out. A good example is Anna Hazare moment which eventually lost momentum. The protests aim is to change the ground situation for women. The protest needs to evolve. 

Egypt Once again, Where are you Headed?

The situation in Egypt has raised a lot of eyebrows including mine. When the Egypt Revolution occurred, its was truly a revolution, for the first time the internet as a medium spearheaded the organization of the revolution and because the army decided to step back, on a whole it was a peaceful.
When Muslim Brotherhood was elected to form the new government, in the Egypt, a lot of eyebrows and concerns were raised. Yet people were hopeful.
The moment President Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood appointed himself extra powers to help built Egypt. Prior to that he has had shuffled and fired high ranking members of the military.
President Morsi is trying to pass a Constitution through a referendum which has strong groundings in Islamic law, in civil rights too and many vague articles too.
President Morsi's move to boost his powers, occurred at a politically motivated moments as the Egyptian Government had just played a key role in the ending the violence of Israel on Gaza Strip. Any form of criticism on the Egyptian Government role would undermine their role and therefore the peace.
The greatest thing to applaud is the Egyptian citizens who without hesitation took to the streets and Tahir Square.
And so the protest goes on. Christian and members who are considered moderate members who were the part the newly formed Egyptian Government resigned from their positions.
The army has been called in to protect the Presidential Palace due to a large number of protests occurring outside it. President Morsi has given up his extra powers, but in turn he granted the army powers to arrest protesters. However reports claim that so far the army has not used them.

Now this is nation of people who are willing it to change into the democracy they want.  

Palghar Action Not Enough

The news on the action taken on the issue of arresting two girls for their facebook status is a joke and not enough. The Superintendent of Police Ravindra Sengaonkar, who made the arrest on the charges based on vague sections in the cyber law has been suspended. The First Class Judicial Magistrate Ramchandra Bagande who seemingly may have ratified these charges, by not throwing them out the window in the Court when they were presented and charged a bail has been transferred.

Considering that there has been a violation of the expression of freedom and the right to freedom, the only action being taken is a suspension on the Superintendent and possibly he may be transferred in near. The question is what is to prevent such police members and more across the country from taking action again? What is the deterrent? Is a suspension enough?

A more important issue at hand, and one that is not been asked about, simply because it could bring in contempt of court is how did the magistrate allow such charges to be accepted. The Judiciary has always been the constant wall that stands up when any government official is misusing power. And at times it has failed, and this is one of them.

Perhaps Ramchandra Bagande needs to be sent back to law school to know a when a worthless  charge that violates the freedom of expression has been accepted, a transfer is not enough. One day Ramchandra Bagande may be in the High Court, and be making decision regarding whole communities, not that the freedom of a single individual is greater than the freedom of a community.

The Government, at the end of the article the government has to be bought into question. It is only because of public and media pressure that action has been taken. So the deeper question is what about the other instances which are unheard of, which are not in the public sphere, what about them?

Contemplation of Balasaheb's Death

This position of Bal Thackeray is an obvious inspiration from Fidel Castro   

With the death of Bal Thackeray, there is a blast of comments of the internet and facebook, the pages of newspapers filled with news on him. All this cannot but force me to have some thoughts on such a topic.

My first reaction to the news of his death and the turbulence, and not a surprising reaction is ‘fuck them.’ I’m anything but a fan of Bal Thackeray and the rest of his family, to me they have always seem a bunch of hungry-powered, crazed warmongers with an unruly mob following them. Those reading this, don’t take me for some half baked person, I do have a decent knowledge on the doings of the history of the Thackeray’s.

As much as people glorify Bal Thackeray as a great leader, here’s a fact, Shiv Sena really influence has always been centralized in Mumbai and never managed to spread greatly throughout the rest of Maharashtra. Don’t believe that, then take a look at the current Maharashtra’s government, there is a reason why it is Congress and not Shiv Sena.

Post the 1980s, if one sees through the violent activities guise the Shiv Sena really did not do anything magnificent unless you count the changing of the Bombay to Mumbai.   

Mumbai has and will continue to transcend any form of ‘sons of soil’. I’m from the East Indian Community, and we are more of a Mumbaikar than anybody else, because we have been in Mumbai even before the Portuguese discovered called it Bombay. Then again, all my Gujrati, North Indians, North-East Indians, South Indians are much of a Mumbaikars as I. Mumbai belongs to India and the world. In spite of what any political party thinks Mumbai is a global city, part of something much bigger than itself.

For sensible people, it’s a time to celebrate (unfortunately damn bars, restaurants and shops are closed). There won’t be another person who will have such an iron grip on Mumbai, hopefully ever again.

A few articles now and then, and today quite a few of Muslim support will not convince me of Bal Thackeray’s tolerance. The man advocated, gave his booming voice to the support of 1991-92 riots, and 2006 riots.

"The evil that men do lives after them; the good is (often buried) with their bones,", to quote Shakespeare from his play Julius Caesar, and perhaps one may think I have disregarded all his ‘good deeds for Mumbai’; and there are people who remember a sea of such deeds. But the fact is a lot of his good deeds are bad shit, that’s why I see it, while a large number of people see them as good and there is a sea of people at Dadar.

Chokehold

Chokehold

Bal Thackeray’s condition in the hospital is stable. However as a friend of mine aptly put:

Bal Thackeray- Stable

Shiv Sena- Unstable

Mumbai- Critical

For some reason Bal Thackeray’s condition is tied in with the law and order situation of in Mumbai. Many people leave for work with fear, that Mumbai could ignite any time. Anti-social elements among Shiv Sena may go on vandalism and other violent activities.

Such a fear tells us a few things.

    A)    That people expect Shiv Sena could start a riot or vandalism acts across Mumbai if Bal Thackeray expires.

    B)    People believe that even though Mumbai will have nothing to do or contribute to the cause of his death, the Shiv Sena for an unreasonable reason will cause violent acts. 

   C)    The public believes that its in Shiv Sena’s nature to take such drastic action.

The public fears are not unfounded as the history of Shiv Sena reveals. However the Shive Sena has really never conducted violent acts without a reason, even though these reason maybe called unsound.   

Yet the methods of vandalism among political parties are strongly disapproved today. With the Raj Thackeray split Shiv Sena’s power has weakened and so has it ability to cause riots.

Though the public’s fear is not unfounded, it is unlikely such a thing would occur. 

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN SYRIA?

While a great international event such as the Olympics is underway. Since the past last year, there has been turmoil running through Syria. The Syrian public first began to demand for freedom under the shadow of the Jasmine Revolution, the Egypt Revolution and the Libyan Civil War. However, today this demand has snowballed into a civil war. From the beginning there has been an encroachment by the terrorist organization Al Qaida on this movement which is a strong concern.

Ideally any person would have thought that such a situation as this, in the name of freedom and justice would garner an international (mainly US, UK and France) intervention in light of the help given to the rebels of Libyan Rebels against Gaddafi. However the international world has hesitated to help. There is no denying that there has been outside pressure on the Syrian establishment to deal with the demands of the public in a peaceful manner, instead of the traditional method of force and violence. In fact the Saudi Royal Family as denounced Al Bashar’s Syrian government and they have even walked out of the Arab Council in protest of the violent reaction of the Syrian Government.

The latest failed attempt of UN is to send an envoy, the former head of UN Kofi Annan to Syria. However after two months of trying to achieve peace through a peace plan, Kofi Annan has given up and quit his position.

For those who are reading this, I just wish to bring out two matters.

No doubt the Olympic is of a great importance, it is an international achievement of pushing competition between countries and individuals to a new level. However a international crisis such as Syria is a more important event, and needs to garner more attention.

Also a question needs to be drawn on why the international world is hesitant to intervene in Syria, when it seemingly rushed and was very much willing to intervene in Libya. Is it because of the oil that Libya offered to the international world? Is it because the rebels have not agreed to certain backdrop deals by the international world? 

DISGRACE

An intergral part of any democracy is for society and individuals to express their views, though some may not accepted it and even a few may get offended. And this is bound to happen, it never happens so that a single particular view is accepted by all. In today’s day and age it is the duty of the Government to protect such freedoms.

The death of M F Hussian bought up the question of the freedom, of a painter who was hounded away just because he expressed his ideas differently. Many mourned the loss of the painter who had put himself in self-exile due to threats from fanatical groups and who eventually gave up his Indian citizenship. The controversy surrounding the arrival of Salman Rushide is a disgrace to the Indian Government and the people have been against him.

In today’s day and age, I would have not thought it possible for such a thing to happen, but a large number of people are still in the dark ages, where freedom of expression seems to be denied and yet in the name of stability and communal harmony the Government bows down to these pressure groups.

And though is physical presence was denied by the Congress led government of Rajasthan, the organizers tried to get his virtual presence and even this was denied. This is a direct violation of anyone’s freedom of expression.

The Government cannot point towards concerns of stability and communal harmony, when it is the one who is supposed to the safe guard the them; and by denying Salman Rushide’s presence they have admitted that they are agreeing to their inability to keep stability and communal harmony.

And yet it is not just so simple. The Congress led Government is playing a vote banks politics for the Muslims as the election were about to take place in neighboring States with significant Musilm population and as it were a large number of Muslim groups that objected to the presence of Salman Rushide in the first place.

One of my greatest fear is that the Indian society is growing more intolerant and even as open minded as it seems, that much underlining intolerance is present.