If you are not happy with this one, go make your own pk

As expected Raju Hirani's recent movie 'pk' created a lot of controversy because of the subject it dealt with, the bad practices in religion. Some lunatics are claiming that it hurts their religious sentiments (no surprise here). As expected these people are demanding to ban this movie, but their argument has no legal or logical sense. So, as usual, they are trying to attack movie theaters and attack the messenger rather than the message. This is not the first time any movie has been targeted like this or people are demanding to ban something because their so-called sentiments are hurt. Surprisingly these are the same people who also like to claim that India is a very tolerant country and Hinduism is a very tolerant religion. The good thing is that this time apart from some right-wing Hindu groups some Muslim and Christian groups are also against this movie, so it seems every religious group is feeling offended by this movie. Maybe this is because pk is not against a particular religion or section of society but it attacks on commercialization of religion and exposes attempts to scare people in the name of god. This movie also like another similar movie 'Oh My God' doesn't attack the concept of God or doesn't question the existence of God, I guess in a country like India no commercial filmmaker can dare to do that. The movie just raises some uncomfortable questions about the way people practice their faith in today's world. These questions try to expose the way religion is marketed today. I guess this is why many people and organizations who depend on such things to make their living or who are addicted to such marketing are getting offended. 

I always wonder why don't these people or organizations make some movie that can counter the points raised in 'pk'? Many of these organizations are very rich, they collect a lot of money from donations from various sources, and they even have very strong political backing, so all resources required to make a movie is definitely not a problem for them. These people also claim to know everything about their religion. If this is the case, then for them it should not be a big deal to write a good script that can prove a movie like 'pk' wrong, and expose every lie. If they are so sure then they should be able to expose the lies propagated by Raju Hirani and company easily. There is no need to damage public or private property, no need to create a law and order situation. Just one movie or even a documentary exposing 'pk' is enough. If they don't want to make a movie because it is too much of a hassle then they can even challenge people associated with this movie for civilized debate or drag them to court. They also have the right to protest or raise their objections but in a lawful and civilized way, why don't they do that? Does their religion teach them to use violent ways for such trivial things? If yes, then what type of religion is that which can not tolerate disagreement or questions? If not, then why they are going against the teaching of their own religion?  

The main purpose of any movie is to entertain people, they sometimes also try to deliver some message using this platform of entertainment. If any such attempt provokes discussion or raises some questions in people's minds then any such attempt should be welcomed, not attacked. Many mythological movies show many nonscientific things under the name of miracles but scientists or atheists who don't believe in such things don't go and attack cinema halls showing these movies or demand to ban them. In any civilized and tolerant society, everyone has freedom of expression. This freedom should be protected and cherished. The freedom of expression is very important for the progress of any society or country. People of every country have to decide in which direction they want to take their country; conservative and intolerant or liberal and tolerant, choice is theirs.

Thanks for reading and please share your views on this topic.

[Copyright: Vinay Thakur. Please contact the author for re-posting or publishing]

Links:
1. 'Oh My God'- A courageous attempt in main stream Hindi cinema.
2. My favorite scene from movie OMG.

Yash's encounter with Pune and Varanasi

During our recent India visit, Yash traveled with me to Varanasi and Pune. This time he could share his own opinions about life in India with me because this time he traveled along with other family members and his improved analytical abilities allowed him to compare things. His first encounter with India was with airports and the staff there, I must say that even I was impressed by the well-maintained domestic as well as international airports and very courteous staff.

In the first segment of our trip after we landed in Mumbai, stayed in Pune for a day and then went to Varanasi, a very colorful and amazing city. He stayed there for a week and during that week visited malls and marketplace, traveled by rickshaw, city bus, cycle rickshaw, and also by walk. As much as he loved meeting family members and travelling with them he hated the roads and traffic of Varanasi. He really freaked out when people honked at him aggressively, the sound was really loud for him to tolerate. I wonder why people need such a loud horn for their vehicles. It creates a lot of noise pollution as well as inconvenience for people, especially for kids and seniors but no one seems to care about this in India. They honk aggressively even at kids and seniors. Loud and aggressive honking was the most annoying part of Varanasi's traffic for Yash. Roads were narrow and traffic jams were a regular event, other vehicles hitting or dashing cycle rickshaws in crowded traffic was a regular affair, it seemed exciting for Yash as he had never seen anything like this before. People throwing trash on the road, and spitting wherever they want also surprised him. He was also amazed to see that kids, as well as grownups, were equally contributing towards making the city dirty. He tried to tell few times to his cousins and others that it was not a good thing to do but he soon stopped doing that when he found out the futility of offering any such advice. Yash didn't dare to come with me to my village as he was scared of having no electricity and no toilets (I should mention here that this time I was pleased to see that most homes had a toilet in our village). He preferred to stay in Varanasi and enjoy the traffic chaos rather than visiting the village.

After experiencing the chaos of Varanasi he came back with me to Pune and landed in another chaos. But he found Pune much less chaotic than Varanasi. Honking was there but not that aggressive and loud, more traffic but fewer jams, and somewhat less garbage on the streets. People's attitude towards following traffic rules was not much different in both places. Actually, we counted once during nighttime (when there were no traffic police) how many people stopped at the red light, and to our surprise more than 90% didn't bother to stop. Despite all this, he liked Pune more in comparison with Varanasi. Pune people should stop complaining about all the traffic jams and other problems, our city is much better than the constituency of our PM. I wonder why all PM candidates of India fight their election from one of the most undeveloped states or parts of India? Is it just because they are safer seats and they can win it without putting much effort or is it because they really care about these places and want to develop them? The constituencies that Indian prime ministers have represented for years are not considered as most developed cities or villages of India and they remain considerably undeveloped even after being represented by one of the most powerful politicians in the country for many years. Let's hope our current PM Mr. Modi manages to change this and when Yash visits Varanasi next time he doesn't find any difference between Pune and Varanasi. After all, Varanasi is already a well-known city and tourist hub, it should not be hard to develop it compared to other parts of Uttar Pradesh. I know why Yash liked more in Pune compared to Varanasi. But when he compared Pune with New Haven he preferred New Haven. Let's hope that the difference gets reduced in the coming years and the gap between Varanasi, Pune, and New Haven becomes more narrow.

Thanks for reading and please share your views on this topic.

[Copyright: Vinay Thakur. Please contact the author for re-posting or publishing]

Terrorist do have a religion

The Peshawar school massacre by the Taliban shook many people across the world. It was not the worst massacre by terrorists and it was not the first time schools or children were attacked by terrorists, but even after that, the brutality of this attack is really disturbing. Whenever any such attack happens, we start hearing phrases like "terrorists don't belong to any religion" "terrorists don't have any religion" "these people are not humans," etc. I always wonder how much truth is there in these statements. All these statements are mainly used by people to try to dissociate the religion (especially their own religion) from such barbaric acts but to me, these statements sound too hollow and meaningless. If we look carefully some of these terrorists who kill innocent people and others who spread hatred against certain communities do use religion as a tool to attack and spread fear and hatred. They do claim to represent the true form of some sect or religion. I am not talking about Islam or Hinduism or any other particular religion as most religions have fanatic elements in their teachings which are misused by some people to create fundamentalists some of which manifest themselves in various forms of terrorism. Politicians as well as terrorists use religion as a tool to divide people. One wants to divide and rule while the other wants to spread fear and rule. This has been going on for many years, and no religion has been able to dissociate itself completely either from politics or terrorism, only the intensity and level of involvement differ from time to time.

What is there in religion or some of these ideologies (like communism or Maoism) that people are willing to kill hundreds of innocents in the name of protecting or propagating it? Why these people don't feel the guilt or shame of doing such barbaric acts in the name of religion or their ideology? Why religion is such a powerful force that it makes people go blind and makes them hate others just because others belong to some different religion? Can we really dissociate religion from these barbaric acts? Why there is so much communal violence if all religions teach peace and love? Why scriptures are quoted to justify violence, discrimination, or gender bias? The truth is that terrorists who use religion to kill people do belong to some religion. They all derive their justification from some holy book, they all claim that they are killing to protect the word of their God. Many of these terrorist organizations brainwash young and impressionable minds, misguide them by using some religious teachings, and convert them into lethal terrorists. This has been going on for so long and various religions have not done enough to curb this.

Followers of any religion are not willing to question or object strongly to any content from scriptures that are used to justify violence. Once it is claimed and accepted that that particular book is a word of God very few dare to question it. Most of these books contain something that could be misinterpreted but these things are ignored because it is understood that as these books also teach love and peace so few minor things don't matter. However, some anti-social elements make use of some of these objectionable or outdated messages and propagate hate and violence. As no one dares to condemn these sections of any of the books, these things get taught, and people interpret them to suit their own propaganda. That is why I think now the time has come to ask some serious questions to keepers of all religions. They need to make it clear that there is no place for any violence or hatred under the name of their religion. If there is some outdated or objectionable material in their own holy book they need to make it clear that it is outdated and no more applicable. They need to be very strong about this message and condemn any group that tries to propagate hate in the name of their religion. Religion might be a need for many but communal violence or hatred should not have any place in any civilized society.

Isn't it a time to think about whether there is some inherent flaw in organized religion? The time has come for all of us to unite and stand against such criminals. The time has come to question religion and holy books, whenever they are used to justify any violence and hatred. The time has come for all civilized humans to speak up and ask questions. We can not just wait for our turn to become victims of such violence, it will be too late by that time, so speak up NOW.

Thanks for reading and please share your views on this topic.

[Copyright: Vinay Thakur. Please contact the author for re-posting or publishing]

Links:

1. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-30507836

Bhanwari Devi - a national icon and great inspiration

Two years ago on 16th December, a horrific incident of rape and murder happened in India's capital New Delhi. The brutality of the crime shook the entire nation, people were angry and frustrated about the regular occurrence of such crimes and the delay in delivering justice. This anger and nationwide protests forced the administration to deliver the judgment in a timely fashion in this particular case, but still, many victims are still waiting for justice for the crime that changed their lives. After going through the trauma of sexual abuse these victims have to relive that horror every time they go to court and come back without any solace. Our society and this system have to step up to end this trauma of these people. 

This post is not about that incident but about a brave woman Bhanwari Devi who not only survived one such assault but also fought against the culprits, against the system that failed to deliver justice to her. She is still bravely fighting her battle and waiting for justice to be delivered. Nandita Das's movie Bawander is based on the story of her life, it is worth a watch if anyone wants to know her story. She faced many hurdles during her fight for justice, not only the criminals who committed this act were from the upper caste but they were also politically very powerful which helped them to manipulate the police as well as the judiciary. But this brave lady didn't lose her courage and hope, she didn't even leave the village no matter how much they taunted her and tortured her family with social boycotts. Her argument was, if she didn't do any wrong why should she be the one to suffer. It was not she who did anything shameful so why she should leave the village, why she should feel guilty? All who know how the caste system in villages works and the various roles it plays in politics can understand how much courage and conviction are required to fight against these things. In many villages, women are not even allowed to step outside the home or village unless it is for some work or medical treatment, so one can imagine how much resistance Bhanwari Devi must have faced to even register a case against the culprits who raped her. People like her don't get much national attention or recognition as their stories carry very limited use for media and politicians. No political party is interested in taking up such issues as caste dynamics is an integral part of the politics for all parties. They don't look at criminals just as criminals but their religion or caste also becomes very important as it can mess up their political equations depending on which religion or caste the victim belongs and which religion or caste the perpetrator belongs. So, each political party bases its reactions based on its political calculations related to caste and religion. This is disgusting but it happens all the time and so far no political party tried to break away from this pattern. Unfortunately, the victims of such heinous crimes have to face the brunt of all this mess. First, they suffer at the hands of criminals who commit the crime, and then at the hands of the system which fails to deliver justice to them.

I don't know how long Bhanwari Devi and people like her have to wait to get justice from this system. I am glad to see that she still has faith in this system and waiting patiently for it to deliver what it promises to every Indian (speedy and fair justice). She is a great example of courage and determination. She showed that if you are not at fault no need to feel any guilt or shame or run away avoid taunts or be scared of social torture. But not everyone who goes through this has courage and patience like her, for them, the system needs to step up. The story of her fight is a great inspiration for all of us. Bhanwari Devi is definitely a national icon, our politicians and justice systems need to learn something from her.  

Thanks for reading and please share your views on this topic.

[Copyright: Vinay Thakur. Please contact the author for re-posting or publishing]

Links:

1. 'I have to hide my face in public, the man who raped me roams free'

2. http://selfrealization-vinay.blogspot.com/2012/12/yes-we-all-are-guilty.html

My memorable visit to Snehalaya

During my recent India visit one entire day was spent visiting institutes like Maher (an NGO run by Sister Lucy Kurien) and some institutes associated with Dr. Girish Kulkarni's Snehalaya. One of my mentors who is also a very close family friend Mr. Chandrashekhar Vairale made this journey possible for me. I wanted to visit these places during my last India visit but it didn't materialize because of so many reasons, but I am glad that I could find some time during this visit. I have no hesitation in accepting that this visit was one of the most revealing experiences for me. 

We started our day by visiting an NGO Maher (which means mother's home), this organization provides shelter and support to women and their children who face various difficulties in society because of various reasons. The work done by this NGO in this area with limited resources at their disposal is really commendable. I was really impressed by the dedication and sincerity of the people involved in this work. The types of cases they handle are not easy, one should listen to the stories they tell about the victims it is not easy to listen to those stories without getting disturbed but these people deal with these things daily. My entire day was spent visiting various institutes run by dedicated people who believed in helping people in distress. Next, we visited an NGO run by a very young man Mr. Anant Zende which works towards the upliftment of kids from "pardhi samaj." This visit was also very memorable. People of this community are facing various problems, they are looked at with suspicion and many times forced to engage in acts like robbery because of social conditions. The work done by this NGO to rescue the children of these families from this vicious cycle is very commendable. It was inspiring to see that Anant is doing this work along with his regular job at school. His story and dedication were proof that if anyone wants to engage in such work it is possible under any circumstances. We all can give some reason not to do any such work but if we really want to do it is possible and Anant is an example of this.

Snehalaya is doing its work mainly to help women and children in distress. Their work in the area of helping HIV-positive people was highlighted in Amir Khan's show Satyamev Jayate. One needs to visit this place to witness the amazing work they are doing to help these people. They are not only helping them to survive but also trying to make them independent. They also have their own radio station, farms, and cows for milk production and are always looking for new ideas that can help them become self-sufficient. All these organizations receive very little or no government support, they mostly rely on people's donations to carry out their day-to-day activities. It is not easy to take care of so many people with so limited resources but all of them are doing a great job. I was really impressed to see their dedication and commitment towards their work. Hats off to Dr. Girish Kulkarni and his dedicated team.

I don't like traveling much. During my India visit, I rarely visit so-called popular tourist destinations, they don't attract me much. I have a long list of places recommended by various friends and relatives that I have not visited yet because of my reluctance to travel. I don't visit temples/churches or mosques to pray as I don't believe in the traditional concept of god or prayers but I go to see them for their architecture and history associated with them and I love this part, it fascinates me a lot. But institutes like 'Snehalaya' or 'Maher' are temples/churches/Mosques of humanity according to me. I visit them to pay my tribute and respect to great humans like Dr. Girish Kulkarni or Sister Lucy Kurien who work towards the welfare of underprivileged people in our society. My head bows to everyone who works there with so much dedication and love. These types of institutes and the people working in them care for people who are abandoned even by their own family members. They not only take care of them but also try to make them stand on their own feet and begin a new life. This all is very incredible stuff, a truly divine experience. One thing that I noticed was that most of these people were inspired by the life and work of Mr. Baba Amte. He was a great social worker who dedicated his entire life to working towards the rehabilitation of abandoned people from our society. His work for leprosy affected people in the era when they were treated like untouchables is legendary. It is really unfortunate that his work didn't get as much recognition as Mother Teresa's work in the same area but I was glad to see that he inspired so many people to work towards similar causes. His work and legacy have been carried forward by many people like his own sons Dr. Vikas and Prakash Amte, Dr. Girish Kulkarni, Anant Zende, and many others. One really needs to visit these places and see the work with their own eyes to experience it and then only one realizes the effect of Baba Amte's work and teachings on them.

It is my humble request to all my friends and readers of my blog that whenever you have time please go and visit these places to see their incredible work. Don't believe some hearsay or advertising, visit these places and get informed about their work and then decide whether to help or not. If you are convinced about their sincerity and relevance then please donate whenever possible in whatever way you can. They don't ask for money or anything when you visit them so don't worry about that but always remember that these types of institutes heavily depend on donations from people like you and me for their day-to-day activities so one should think of donating them something, it can be money, your time or clothes. Many people in our society are not fortunate enough to get many things that most of us take for granted. If we all all can chip in a little bit institutes like Snehalaya can work to make these people's lives as normal as possible.

Thanks for reading and please share your views on this topic.

[Copyright: Vinay Thakur. Please contact the author for re-posting or publishing]

Links:
1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pk4Q3n5rcmQ
2. http://vssanant.blogspot.com/p/about-us_14.html

Story of my attachment and detachment with BJP

While I was watching the documentary "Ram ke naam" by Anand Patwardhan I remembered the tension and turmoil of those days. Back then (between 1989-1992) I was a teenager with a very confused and impressionable mind. Along with me Indian politics and society were also going through a transition phase. Political and economic discourse was changing for the first time after independence. The central government was thinking of opening its economy, radical reservation policy was announced to increase the participation of backward sections of society. During the same time there was a new emerging star on the horizon of Indian politics in the name of BJP. The actual party was formed in 1980 but it could make its presence felt only after it started Ram janmabhoomi aandolan.

The propaganda and highly charged speeches delivered by some excellent orators of that time (like Mr. Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Bal Thackrey) attracted many people to this movement. It was said that as Babur and the Mughal king destroyed a temple and built the mosque (Babri mosque) now it is our (Hindus) turn to take revenge. We Hindus should destroy that mosque and build a Ram temple as that was the very place where lord Ram was born. I don't know what archaeological evidence they had to claim that the site of the mosque was the exact spot where Ram was born but this was what was propagated very aggressively. It was also told to us that it is not a legal matter but it is a matter of faith and when there is a question of faith then all laws and courts should stay away from this as it is a matter of faith for 80% of the population of India, if they all think this is right then it is right and the court has no authority to say anything about this. The logic and oratory skills of many speakers who were propagating these ideas very aggressively attracted a lot of people to this movement. Young kids like me also felt that it was very logical to reclaim our heritage and build a temple by destroying a mosque. There was huge polarization in Indian society with a lot of tension, this polarization worked in favor of the BJP and it slowly became a major political force in many states as well as in the center.

After listening to all these speeches and watching some videos made by VHP and related organizations about why it was necessary to destroy that mosque I had many questions in my mind. Some of them were, what problems that one more Ram temple would solve? What evidence do we have that Ram was born at exactly that place where the mosque stands? India was facing many serious problems back then (many of them still exist) what purpose does this temple was going to serve to solve any of those problems? If Babur broke any temple back then and now we go and break that mosque then what is the difference between him and us? No one from my immediate surroundings was willing or capable of answering those questions so I decided to get more information and study the issue myself. After much research and reading I discovered that all this movement and polarization was purely for political gain. It was all done to get votes and grab power, no one was actually interested in a temple there but everyone was interested in using that issue as a political tool to polarize voters. That was the time when I got detached from the political philosophy of the BJP. I was attracted to it because of my young and impressionable mind but when I realized that it was instilling communal feelings in me, making me hate Muslims for no reason or for something that happened centuries back, I moved away from it. Since then I have seen some leader or other belonging to BJP trying to make use of this brand of politics to serve their political purpose. This type of brand spreads divisiveness and hatred among different sections of society. There is no doubt that this polarization helps to consolidate votes based on religion or caste, and win elections but I feel this is really bad for society as it sowed seeds of divisiveness among different sections of society. It encourages hatred and demolishes trust between communities. It destroys the social fabric of a country by creating a rift between different sections of society, especially, the majority and minority. This is the main reason why I stay away from their brand of politics. This is a very simple story of my attachment and detachment from the BJP. I don't oppose BJP blindly but I oppose their brand of politics. I oppose each and every attempt by any party or politician to create a communal rift in society. It seems that the BJP is trying to improve, they and their supporters claim that it is a secular party and believe in taking all sections of society together but so far it doesn't reflect in their actions. The day they really start practicing all-inclusive politics, I am sure many more people from different communities and religions will join them to take India forward. Until then, they may win elections and stay in power, but their brand of politics will only polarize India. 

Thanks for reading and please share your views on this topic.

[Copyright: Vinay Thakur. Please contact the author for re-posting or publishing]

Links:
1. In the Name of God - Ram ke Naam (1992 Documentary on Babri Masjid Demolition)
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQaV2cWL1D4

Is use of lethal techniques by police in every case justified?

Within a few days after the much debated grand jury decision in the Michael Brown shooting case, another similar decision in the Eric Garner case fueled this debate once more and created widespread protests all over the USA. In this case also, a person who didn't commit a serious crime died because of the use of excessive force by a police officer. One can debate whether the chokehold used by Daniel Pantaleo was necessary or not, but the truth is we lost one life and no one seems to be taking responsibility for that. Apart from the issue that people from certain races normally face more aggressive behavior from police, there is another very serious issue about how police deal with arrests. The question that comes to my mind is, is the use of lethal techniques by police to arrest people in each and every case justified? Maybe in most of the cases, no one gets seriously injured but what about cases like Eric Garner where people not only get seriously injured but lose their life? Police have no clue about the medical condition of the person whom they are trying to arrest, there is no way to get that information in advance so wouldn't it be wise to be cautious and act accordingly for nonviolent crimes.

As I mentioned in my post related to the Michael Brown shooting, any law enforcement agency's job is tough. Every day they have to face unpredictable and dangerous situations. They are trained to protect themselves as well as innocent people around them but I think they are also trained to act with severity against people who break the law or who don't follow their instructions. This severity then crosses the limit on some occasions which result in tragic incidents like Eric Garner's death. I don't think that playing the blame game or debating who is at fault would solve this problem. No doubt that the guilty should be tried in a court of law but I think in the current system it is very difficult to point out who is at fault. Major reforms in police training and protocols are needed. This should be followed with a public awareness campaign, these things look like the only viable options that can help to avoid such instances. When I was discussing this case with my son he told me that in some places authorities are trying to tell officers that try to "talk them down don't take them down." This sounds like a good idea where nonviolent crimes (like shoplifting) are involved. If talking with the concerned person to convince him/her to follow police orders can save some lives then I think it should be considered as a first option. After all, the police department's job is to eliminate or reduce the crime from society not to eliminate people who break the law. If crime can be reduced without hurting people then this approach should be tried but at the same time public awareness campaign also should be carried out to educate people on how to behave with police. These reforms have to be a two-way process, blaming only one section (police) is not going to help. Many people just panic or get scared when approached by police and do many things which they may not do normally and this creates problems for them as well as for police. If people understand that the police are there to protect them and not to harm them then they will follow the orders and cooperate. 

Both these events, Michael Brown's shooting, and Eric Garner's death are tragic. Both these tragedies could have been avoided by the use of some patience and restraint on the police's part but I think they are not trained to do that. I am not an expert in law or police department regulations but in both cases grand jury didn't think that any illegal or wrong act was committed by a police officer. But if we look at countrywide protests against both these decisions then it is clear that people don't agree with this. Maybe as per the law of the respective states, nothing illegal or criminal happened, but the fact is that two people lost their lives and this needs serious introspection and some corrective measures. I hope these incidents start a serious debate to look for ways to eliminate occurrence of such instances rather than violent protests and blame games which will make the matter worse. Every human life irrespective of race, religion, ethnicity, or nationality is precious and every possible attempt should be made to save it. The police's job is to protect people and not harm them. We all should also recognize and appreciate that police are doing a tough job of protecting citizens from bad elements of society. They are required to use lethal techniques while dealing with hard-core criminals but these techniques should not be considered as the only option to deal with every law and order situation. At the same time, citizens have some responsibilities along with their rights. They need to help the police rather than make their job more difficult. I think if both people and the police understand each other, try to build a bond of trust then we might be able to avoid such instances. I hope concerned authorities take these incidents seriously and devise some action plan which can help to resolve this issue.

Thanks for reading and please share your views on this topic.

[Copyright: Vinay Thakur. Please contact the author for re-posting or publishing]

Links:
1. We Must Stop Police Abuse of Black Men
2. It Wasn’t Just the Chokehold
3. Protesters Fill the Streets Across the Country Over Decision in Eric Garner Case
4. Deadly Force, in Black and White

Use of abusive and divisive speeches in Indian politics

The recent uproar in the parliament over a derogatory speech made by Union Minister Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti has resulted in a lot of debates and discussions. The words she used while campaigning for BJP in Delhi were definitely not acceptable. After such a strong protest and maybe on the advice of senior leaders of her party, Ms. Jyoti apologized "if her comment hurt anyone." I wonder how she expected that after using such derogatory language it won't hurt anyone. The words she chose in her speech are definitely used to insult people who don't subscribe to her faith and political ideology, she not only used abusive language but also made a divisive speech where she questioned people's patriotism if they don't believe in the Hindu god Ram. She rightfully apologized for her abusive language but she and her party defended her divisive comments. Unfortunately, she is not the only one and BJP is not the only party who is trying to defend such divisive comments made by their leader there are quite a few political parties who do the same thing.

Any use of abusive language should be avoided on public platforms, but rarely do politicians in India show this restraint. They address each other with many derogatory names and adjectives but I can understand the theatrics they do to appease their base, so, I always ignore when they abuse each other, especially during election campaign speeches. But one can not ignore it when they start negatively painting communities or when they use derogatory words to insult people who don't support them, this propagates communal hatred and divisive politics. This leads to communal tension, sometimes it even leads to communal riots which are difficult to control once they start and that's why this is more dangerous. Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti's speech comes exactly under this category of hate speech. She was not insulting any political leader or party, she was talking about all who don't agree with her political ideology and questioning the patriotism of people who don't respect a god from her religion. She literally abused everyone who didn't agree with her views, and this is not some ordinary party worker or some insignificant politician (fringe elements) this is a union minister in Mr. Modi's cabinet. This is the same Modi who declared on Red Fort not to indulge in any communal propaganda at least for 10 years so that the country can focus on important issues like development. But it seems no one from his own party or cabinet heard that part of his speech or they just ignored his request because these leaders think that politics has to be divisive, and without polarizing votes how can they win elections? Not taking any strict action against such people encourages such behavior, it reinforces the idea that as long as you are popular you can get away with anything.

As it happened many times in the past with BJP and many other parties this time also most of Sadhvi's comments were defended by her party. She apologized for using that abusive word (the word means "bastard") but not for the rest of her speech. BJP offered various explanations to defend her, their spokespersons even quoted many other instances where people used some derogatory words for Mr. Modi but they all failed miserably to differentiate between a personal attack and an attack on the entire community or the entire opposition. Nowadays abusive and divisive speeches are used very frequently in politics. Politicians who use them understand their impact very well. They use these types of speeches to their advantage but now it is time for people to understand this dirty game played by politicians and act accordingly.

Thanks for reading and please share your views on this topic.

[Copyright: Vinay Thakur. Please contact the author for re-posting or publishing]

Links:
1. Ruckus in Parliament over minister's abusive remark, opposition demands PM's statement
2. Modi's minister uses derogatory language, defends remark

Rohtak brave hearts and issue of eve teasing

The Video of two sisters thrashing eve-teasers in Rohtak city bus has gone viral in Indian news and social media. Everyone must stand up for their own rights, against any injustice, torture, or harassment. These girls did the right thing if these boys were continuously harassing them and were not willing to listen even after repeated warnings or requests. When I heard their interview on NDTV then it was disturbing to know that in a city bus full of men and women no one dared to help these girls when a few boys were trying to molest them. This bystander approach is really worrisome, and we see this attitude almost everywhere where people silently witness wrong things happening in front of their eyes. They choose to ignore them or choose to keep silent because they think it is not their business, after all, they are not victims so why should they react. It was also disturbing when during the interview one of the sisters advised all the girls that if they face a similar situation then they should beat the guy who dares to tease them as much as they want or until they are satisfied before taking him to the police. I think this advice is more emotional than practical. Violence is not the only option to resist any harassment, there are many other nonviolent ways to resist. Also, there should be a proper investigation of this incident before jumping to any conclusion by knowing only one side of the story.

The real issue here is the teasing and harassment of girls in public places. The problem of eve teasing or taunting in public places is very common in India as well as many other countries (I even see it in the US also). This is a serious issue and needs attention from people as well as law enforcement agencies. Confronting the wrongdoers like eve-teasers or molesters is the right thing to do. Every boy or girl has the right to stand up for their rights and fight for their safety. Under extreme situations where nothing else works use of force should be exercised as an option. There is no doubt that wrongdoers should be confronted so that they don't think that they can get away with such behavior easily. But to thrash them every time is not a solution to stop these things from happening. I think this girl might have said this because she was very angry because of this episode, but whenever the media telecasts something like this they should also give warnings about the dangers of violence. This interview should not send the wrong message to the youths of India that they can take the law into their own hands and punish people if they think that something wrong is happening. Every effort should be made to handle the situation by avoiding violence. This is why we have rules and laws. If people make their own decisions and try to punish wrongdoers on the spot then why do we need to have any law or justice system?  We can just let people punish wrongdoers in whatever way they feel appropriate, but we all know that this is not a practical and logical approach to handling any crime. 

Violence might look like a viable solution to solve any issue temporarily but hardly it works to find a long-term solution. Right to use force should be exercised whenever the situation demands it, but if possible, it should be considered as the last option. One can be assertive and forceful without the use of any physical force. If many boys and girls take inspiration from this incident and stand up or speak up whenever they see any such misbehavior then it is a good thing. But if they start indulging in physical fights to solve issues like this then one can only imagine the chaos which we might have to deal with. So, let's ignore this particular sentence from the interview and focus on the courage to fight misbehavior and stand up against any harassment. Hopefully, this incident will inspire people in the right way. Once we all start raising our voices against such things then automatically it will send a strong message to these molesters or wrongdoers.

Thanks for reading and please share your views on this topic.

[Copyright: Vinay Thakur. Please contact the author for re-posting or publishing]

Links:
1. Rohtak sisters thrash men who harassed them on moving bus
2. OTHER SIDE OF ROHTAK BRAVEHEARTS