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. 

Where is it Going at Delhi??

Heck... Personally I have no idea how to react to the way the state Parliament is in. The fact of the matter all the political parties are doing it.

The BJP seems be doing it just to show that it is with the people. 

The SP and RJD are scared that if an effective Lokpal Bill is enacted then people like Lalu Prasad Yadav would actually be behind bars. 

The TMC which is always positioning itself as the people's hero is afraid that the Lokayutta will be an instrument of the Center to control West Bengal State. 

The Left has just been crying out that that it wants corporate sector to come under the Lokpal ambit, just to say that we are marxist and we are against corporatism.

Every party different demands. Its not getting anyway.

What a waste. 

Perhaps there is a need for Indian Democracy to evolve to today's need. There is a need for the legislative and executive powers to be separated. In such a way which ever government is running should have more flexible is running laws and policies. A fractures multi-party system at the legislative level seems to be hindering a lot of the exective powers and working of the government. 

"That's Occupy Wall Street and Capitalism is going to Bow to It"

They are angry, young, unemployed and yeah they are not happy.
Though such a protest originated in Spain, it began to be called as Occupy Wall Street when the media took notice of similar protest in New York, Wall Street and hence the name. And now we have across the globe similar movements. This movement is demanding for large corporations not be greedy and corrupt. The protest brings social and economic inequality, unemployment to the forefront in this post rescission world. The protest has even got an anti-capitalist   tone about it which has been embraced by the movement.
This movement... this movement is just amazing to see. In today's world use of the internet it is amazing to see people all with one single attitude gathering across vast space of land and sea in a common cause and common goal just because of their extremely similar experiences.
However whether such a movement is going to be successful, of that I am doubtful.
The movement is frankly almost look like a mob, a mob which is likely angry. They walk... not walk, they walk and crowd the financial districts of the cities and countries. They hold banner, scream slogan. Do a lot of social media stuff. All this is very effective. It has caught the eye of the globe. It is effectively spreading information on the movement, their demands, what they want to be changed. People are aware of Occupy Wall Street. Some politicians have even given comments and some foreign countries have even commented on this.
BUT... is this going to change anything. From what I know of movements, revolutions I am skeptical. This movement has no leader for the governments and corporate organizations to look to. There is no person or group of persons who the government or corporate organizations can talk, communicate or discuss with. The demands are there, but they are not targeting any corporate and it is within the clubbing of all the corporates together that many of the corporate organizations feel save. And lastly there is still a view that this movement is just a large number of people on the street as a effect of recession and this is just an angry mob on the street which will disperse once the economy picks up.

Ruben & Keenan... Another Lost Movement?

Like so many movements, the murder of Ruben & Keenan has sparked of anger among citizens of India and Mumbai. This anger has been channeled by the family, the media and whole host of netizens into a movement of anti-teasing. The movement began on social network sites and now has spread across to signature campaigns and cries for strong laws against eve-teasing. The media has played a strong role in this on-going event, by first expressing shock over the incident and now seemingly putting its support behind this movement.
However I would like to point out a few things.
The people who are signing anti-eve teasing petitions and joining this movement whether on the web or in life... are people who are educated Indians who are similarly shocked and more importantly are people who in no way conduct eve teasing themselves. By all means let this movement demand strong laws against eve teasing.
Still in all this shock, anger, media glare the public... the netizens, the outspoken voices of this movement in the media have failed to dwell into the deeper issue of eve teasing.
I am not claiming to be an expert on such a topic... however it is of my strong opinion that the problem of eve-teasing lies in Indian tradition... and to be more specific I am talking about repressed sexual freedoms. Sex has a topic is not open India. Many individual not only in rural areas but in urban areas are closed minded on the topic of sex. To dwell deeper when I write sex I want to signify not only the topic, but the clothes one is allowed to wear, the media one is exposed to and the taboo put on certain sexualised objects. People are bought up from childhood with such connotation.
And then to be exposed in this world, to be more precise an urban setting... where things are open. Couples now kiss in the open, girls who have the freedom to wish what they want to wear, media that is no more careful about just a kissing scene. To be bought up in a manner which is contrary to what is taught within the confines of a family and what is shown by society will come as a shock to such individuals.
And this shock will cause a social failure among such individuals as how to act in this open minded society.