26 blasts in the space of 2 days have rocked India. The country has witnessed several incidents over the last 2 years. The peak possibly has reached in the 17 blasts which shook Ahmadabad recently. The calls for strict anti-terrorism law is being called for, and in the case of India, the social fabric falls under severe strain. Society is now starting to get polarized, and the suspicion falls squarely on one community.
If one has observed terror incidents over the last 8 years, starting from 9/11, it has always followed a pattern. The aim of chaos, followed by panic and collapse, is the common aim of terrorists. But, what is worrying is that politicians and media alike have tried to concertize something which is vague. Since, terrorists do not have a label, it is hard to isolate and deal with them.
Any attempt to concertize terrorists and their activists has inevitably led to more destruction. The case of Afghanistan and to some extent Sri Lanka have demonstrated that terrorists come harder if the state cracks down heavily. In the case of Sri Lanka, the terrorists are in a group called the LTTE, so it is a war between a group and the state. In the case of India, it is a vague battle, with no clear battle lines drawn.
The battle line is history, where-in the state has created problems for which it is facing a backlash.Gujarat fell victim to the Godhra riots, a state sponsored program which resulted in the deaths of thousands. In the case of Bangalore, it is not known why it is the target except that it is the IT capital of India.
We only know one thing. In India, blasts are done to physically and mentally rupture the diverse social fabric of which the nation is build on. These blasts indeed chip away at the foundation, but in the case of India, the base is quiet strong because majority condemn the attacks on ordinary people. But, if this continues, then it wont be long before riots cause the fabric to break.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Thursday, July 24, 2008
The two facedness of Democracy!
The government won the trust vote, and so early elections have been stalled. But, what was witnessed in parliament on that Tuesday sent disturbing and mixed signals. There were media reports that some MPs were allegedly bribed to sidetrack the ruling coalition in the confidence motion. The fact that bribes were alleged, and even the opposition went on an alleged smear campaign about this sends out dangerous signals for democracy.
However, the common word used in both is alleged. The fact is that the UPA, the ruling coalition won the trust vote and thus, the Indo-US Nuclear deal will possibly pass through in the coming months. It will be interesting as to how media covers this incident, because the print media may frame the issue in a different way, as have broadcasters.
The recent events in parliament have shown, that the term national and democracy have to be revisited. At one point, you have ordinary people who are pre-occupied with other pressing problems who dont know what is the fuss about. On the other, you have people who will allege a lot of things either to grab power or retain power. The fact is that politics, as of today, is disconnected from the ordinary citizen, and that may make the nation disconnected from Democracy.
However, the common word used in both is alleged. The fact is that the UPA, the ruling coalition won the trust vote and thus, the Indo-US Nuclear deal will possibly pass through in the coming months. It will be interesting as to how media covers this incident, because the print media may frame the issue in a different way, as have broadcasters.
The recent events in parliament have shown, that the term national and democracy have to be revisited. At one point, you have ordinary people who are pre-occupied with other pressing problems who dont know what is the fuss about. On the other, you have people who will allege a lot of things either to grab power or retain power. The fact is that politics, as of today, is disconnected from the ordinary citizen, and that may make the nation disconnected from Democracy.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
7/11: two years on
On this day, India suffered another terrorist attack. This was aimed at the heart of Mumbai city. Seven Bombs went of on trains, leading to the death of 183 people and injuring more than 700. Mumbai suffered the same fate as Madrid and New York. Terrorism even today continues to wreck havoc in nations. Some states are doing something about it, while others are hoping that terrorism stays away from their lands. However, there is an undercurrent sweeping across that terrorism is almost crumbling, because it aleniated people of various social fabrics. The terrorists are being blamed, but at the same time, power hungry and imperial governments have also been targetted, notably in the post 9/11 scenario.
But, in the case of India, there are only more unsolved questions. Who is behind the attack, and why have they done it? No one has any idea, only hypothesis of who can possibly do it. The old nemesis of Lashkar-e-Toiba and Harkat-ul-Jihad, a bangladeshi group have been reported to be behind the attacks of 7/11 in Mumbai. However, the authorities are far from solving the issue, let alone having a concrete determination.
At this time of opinionating, one must cast their eyes on the citizens who lost their loved ones and also whose lives changed for the worse. It is easy for bloggers like me to sit back and analyze this from a detached point of view. However, when human beings, who have lived in the same city or nation as us get killed, it is very difficult to outline their plight and the life they are living after this incident. It is from this point, i feel, that media must depart from tradition and take the sides of the citizens, because it is they whom the media ultimately must serve.
The media priorities, in 2008, is more of the power elite staying in power and getting a deal passed in the backdrop of "national interest". However, what constitutes the national has been totally forgotten. Even this blogger admits from the heart that this post should have been written 10 days ago. However, i can only extend a heartfelt sorry to the citizens for not highlighting their plight.
Two years on, the perception about terrorism is changing, in that it is now sidelined. But, for the victim who have suffered this atrocity, this blogger can only salute their spirit and ensure that the citizens of a country remain safe. It is easier said than done, but sometimes words which convey care and feeling might help.
But, in the case of India, there are only more unsolved questions. Who is behind the attack, and why have they done it? No one has any idea, only hypothesis of who can possibly do it. The old nemesis of Lashkar-e-Toiba and Harkat-ul-Jihad, a bangladeshi group have been reported to be behind the attacks of 7/11 in Mumbai. However, the authorities are far from solving the issue, let alone having a concrete determination.
At this time of opinionating, one must cast their eyes on the citizens who lost their loved ones and also whose lives changed for the worse. It is easy for bloggers like me to sit back and analyze this from a detached point of view. However, when human beings, who have lived in the same city or nation as us get killed, it is very difficult to outline their plight and the life they are living after this incident. It is from this point, i feel, that media must depart from tradition and take the sides of the citizens, because it is they whom the media ultimately must serve.
The media priorities, in 2008, is more of the power elite staying in power and getting a deal passed in the backdrop of "national interest". However, what constitutes the national has been totally forgotten. Even this blogger admits from the heart that this post should have been written 10 days ago. However, i can only extend a heartfelt sorry to the citizens for not highlighting their plight.
Two years on, the perception about terrorism is changing, in that it is now sidelined. But, for the victim who have suffered this atrocity, this blogger can only salute their spirit and ensure that the citizens of a country remain safe. It is easier said than done, but sometimes words which convey care and feeling might help.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
The gutter economics of politics
What one would do to stay in power! That is the exclamation that citizens who are concerned with the political process in India will be asking. The withdrawal of the Left parties from the Congress coalition over the Indo-US Nuclear deal has led to the same situations that have made politics a gutter by majority of civilians.
Even if I agree for the sake of arguement that power should be held at all costs, it does not shun or hide the monetary costs to save power. A value of 25 crore rupees (approximately 9 million dollars) is being spent for each MP to vote against the ruling coaltion. The current drive to register MP's against the congress coalition is due to the floor test in the Lok Sabha, which has come about because of the loss of majority in the house.
A representation based on money power only. When its said that money is the root cause of most evil, this case stands right on top. The source for me in this blog for this post comes from a professional newsman blog on ibnlive.com. His tone was one of disgust, and I as a common citizen share the same feeling.
The whole thing, if looked at from a common man's perspective and through the media, looked like a circus. The jostling for positions in this chaos would inadvertently lead to this kind of situation. However, I wanna know what the Citizen is doing in this case.
On the one hand, I see hunger and images of lack of treatement for children in one part of Madhya Pradesh, while I see political parties dish out 25 crore rupees for just sticking on to power. One fraction of those 25 crore rupees can give healthcare to thousands in the remotest parts of the country. The fraction of those 25 crores can help improve infrastructure to bearable levels. These politicians are lucky, because the citizenry is again bearing them all and moving on with life.
The case of two Indias is being seen clearly here. On the one hand, politicians waste money in trying to remain on the seat, while some parts of India languish in hunger and darkness. The citizenry must awake, otherwise the anger, once spilt over on the streets, may usher in anarchy seen never before in the country. The gutter economics has gone on for a long time, and in this age, it is about time that India makes an identity for itself as one of enlightenment and egalitarianism, rather than a corrupt and fragmented country.
Even if I agree for the sake of arguement that power should be held at all costs, it does not shun or hide the monetary costs to save power. A value of 25 crore rupees (approximately 9 million dollars) is being spent for each MP to vote against the ruling coaltion. The current drive to register MP's against the congress coalition is due to the floor test in the Lok Sabha, which has come about because of the loss of majority in the house.
A representation based on money power only. When its said that money is the root cause of most evil, this case stands right on top. The source for me in this blog for this post comes from a professional newsman blog on ibnlive.com. His tone was one of disgust, and I as a common citizen share the same feeling.
The whole thing, if looked at from a common man's perspective and through the media, looked like a circus. The jostling for positions in this chaos would inadvertently lead to this kind of situation. However, I wanna know what the Citizen is doing in this case.
On the one hand, I see hunger and images of lack of treatement for children in one part of Madhya Pradesh, while I see political parties dish out 25 crore rupees for just sticking on to power. One fraction of those 25 crore rupees can give healthcare to thousands in the remotest parts of the country. The fraction of those 25 crores can help improve infrastructure to bearable levels. These politicians are lucky, because the citizenry is again bearing them all and moving on with life.
The case of two Indias is being seen clearly here. On the one hand, politicians waste money in trying to remain on the seat, while some parts of India languish in hunger and darkness. The citizenry must awake, otherwise the anger, once spilt over on the streets, may usher in anarchy seen never before in the country. The gutter economics has gone on for a long time, and in this age, it is about time that India makes an identity for itself as one of enlightenment and egalitarianism, rather than a corrupt and fragmented country.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
She Broke my heart
My best friend, you have broken my heart.
My best friend, you have deserted me.
My best friend, you have thrown me out without consideration,
My best friend, you have broken my heart.
Over a trip we all went for fun and good times,
each of us having a different thought.
The demands of yours were fulfilled, and so were mine,
but beneath us something was bothering you and me.
One day it came out in the open,
and the fault was entirely mine.
The mind wandered, but you behaved cruelly.
At that time, I knew that my heart was broken.
Coming back home, You and me never spoke or saw each other.
We parted our separate ways, without a hug or a handshake.
It is been a long time, but you continue to be arrogant.
My best friend, you have broken my heart.
I cannot even hate you, but i no longer love you.
Your behavior shows that you took me for a ride,
but i am assured that it is human mind.
My best friend, you have broken my heart.
I now stand and think what might have been,
but the time has now come for me to go away.
I shall not see you ever again, and thus bid you goodbye,
Goodbye, Best friend, you Broke my heart.
My best friend, you have deserted me.
My best friend, you have thrown me out without consideration,
My best friend, you have broken my heart.
Over a trip we all went for fun and good times,
each of us having a different thought.
The demands of yours were fulfilled, and so were mine,
but beneath us something was bothering you and me.
One day it came out in the open,
and the fault was entirely mine.
The mind wandered, but you behaved cruelly.
At that time, I knew that my heart was broken.
Coming back home, You and me never spoke or saw each other.
We parted our separate ways, without a hug or a handshake.
It is been a long time, but you continue to be arrogant.
My best friend, you have broken my heart.
I cannot even hate you, but i no longer love you.
Your behavior shows that you took me for a ride,
but i am assured that it is human mind.
My best friend, you have broken my heart.
I now stand and think what might have been,
but the time has now come for me to go away.
I shall not see you ever again, and thus bid you goodbye,
Goodbye, Best friend, you Broke my heart.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
The question of strikes
The question of who owns the land has always been a contentious issue in the world. It has divided societies, and on a more extreme level, has pitted nations against each other. More of the extreme is available in today's world, with the Israeli-Palestinian issue none more so. Now, the allocation of land in Jammu and Kashmir to a religious trust has led to protests and counter strikes by both hindus and muslims. Muslims protested in Kashmir, while the VHP and the Bajrang Dal issued a nationwide strike.
Once again, I am not going to focus on the issue as such. I believe focusing on that will lead to attaching some kind of value judgment. But, even if i focus on any one of those aspects, it is bound to lead to some value attachment. My focus is on the very common trend that happens in volatile issues. The Strikes that have been called all over the country is something which has to be talked on. The reason being that it has never achieved anything, on top of which it has affected the normal functioning of the country.
There have been thousands of issues, and most of the times it is observable that a strike has been called for. From my perspective, a strike is meant to express what the people think about the issue. It is meant to demonstrate that this issue can harm the setup of the state and society, and hence the citizens have no part in the issue. The method of passive protest is often bought out through these strikes.
However, there have been several instances where people just do not care. Some enjoy the day at home, others are engaged in their own material enjoyments, while the whole issue is stagnated by the strike and ultimately forgotten in society. If a strike is done to sidetrack an issue, it works perfectly. But, as the solution to a problem, it will never be effective. People do NOT care, and strikes ensure that citizens run away from the problem rather than confronting them.
The damage that follows during strikes due to sporadic violences can also be damaging. Some political goons or so called moral police can take the law in their hands and ensure that society remains tense. Moral police could include religious fanatics and nationalists, and there have been instances where violence has sidetracked the real issue on hand.
Strikes are part of a bygone era. Their implementation in the modern age may not hold value, as demonstrated by citizen apathy and sidetracking of several vital social problems. Strikes are framed in a negative way by the media, and thus they fall further in grace in the eyes of the public. There has to be some other way of expression, so that the issue is not sidetracked.
Once again, I am not going to focus on the issue as such. I believe focusing on that will lead to attaching some kind of value judgment. But, even if i focus on any one of those aspects, it is bound to lead to some value attachment. My focus is on the very common trend that happens in volatile issues. The Strikes that have been called all over the country is something which has to be talked on. The reason being that it has never achieved anything, on top of which it has affected the normal functioning of the country.
There have been thousands of issues, and most of the times it is observable that a strike has been called for. From my perspective, a strike is meant to express what the people think about the issue. It is meant to demonstrate that this issue can harm the setup of the state and society, and hence the citizens have no part in the issue. The method of passive protest is often bought out through these strikes.
However, there have been several instances where people just do not care. Some enjoy the day at home, others are engaged in their own material enjoyments, while the whole issue is stagnated by the strike and ultimately forgotten in society. If a strike is done to sidetrack an issue, it works perfectly. But, as the solution to a problem, it will never be effective. People do NOT care, and strikes ensure that citizens run away from the problem rather than confronting them.
The damage that follows during strikes due to sporadic violences can also be damaging. Some political goons or so called moral police can take the law in their hands and ensure that society remains tense. Moral police could include religious fanatics and nationalists, and there have been instances where violence has sidetracked the real issue on hand.
Strikes are part of a bygone era. Their implementation in the modern age may not hold value, as demonstrated by citizen apathy and sidetracking of several vital social problems. Strikes are framed in a negative way by the media, and thus they fall further in grace in the eyes of the public. There has to be some other way of expression, so that the issue is not sidetracked.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
The problem of coalitions
There are two scenarios. One of them is through a film, and another is in a real life situation. The film can be disregarded, because they intend to be deliberate and distortional. But, in 2008, in India, the problem of coalition politics has to be addressed. Coalition politics, in many ways, stagnate the process of democracy. The Indo-US Nuclear deal has revealed the problem of coalition politics.
I do not intend to look at the advantages and disadvantages of the deal. This post must not be interpreted as a call for totalitarian dictatorships. Totalitarian dictatorships impede on freedom, but i am only focusing on the problem of coalitions, who either represent a thriving democracy or function in ways that stagnate democracy.
The bickering between the Congress and the left has threatened early elections. These kind of stagnations ensures that voter apathy remains. The media, instead of bringing out the issue and explaining clearly to the public about the nuances of the nuclear deal, are instead focusing on the dispute between the Congress government in the center and their allies.
On top of that, politics has once again been shown as a place of power bickering. As recent as 2007, a party in Uttar Pradesh called the SP was brought down by the congress party over certain issues. Today, for the congress to maintain power at the center, it refers to that same party as allies. They say that politics is full of strange bedfellows, and this situation proves it.
Coalition governments in this case are stagnating the democratic process. Citizens in this case are practicing apathy and their focus is elsewhere. The deal is too complicated, and the media is also obsessed with other issues. This puts issues under national interest and security under less priority. The problem with the media has been the focus on the political battle of egos and power, not on the original issue.
It may perhaps be time for the media to bring the issue out in the open and have a transparent discussion with the public. People who matter have to be cross examined, and certain media outlets have to pursue it vigilantly and aggressively. Most media outlets broadcast one hour of in-depth question answer sessions on issues. It has to focus more than an hour, or necessarily a day, to make people aware about the issue, so that people know what it is all about.
The problem of the coalition highlights the problem of people itself. No two people can agree upon anything. This is the case unfortunately with national security. Coalitions represent the depth and diversity of democracy, but in this case, it is proving to be a stumbling block for the whole democratic process.
I do not intend to look at the advantages and disadvantages of the deal. This post must not be interpreted as a call for totalitarian dictatorships. Totalitarian dictatorships impede on freedom, but i am only focusing on the problem of coalitions, who either represent a thriving democracy or function in ways that stagnate democracy.
The bickering between the Congress and the left has threatened early elections. These kind of stagnations ensures that voter apathy remains. The media, instead of bringing out the issue and explaining clearly to the public about the nuances of the nuclear deal, are instead focusing on the dispute between the Congress government in the center and their allies.
On top of that, politics has once again been shown as a place of power bickering. As recent as 2007, a party in Uttar Pradesh called the SP was brought down by the congress party over certain issues. Today, for the congress to maintain power at the center, it refers to that same party as allies. They say that politics is full of strange bedfellows, and this situation proves it.
Coalition governments in this case are stagnating the democratic process. Citizens in this case are practicing apathy and their focus is elsewhere. The deal is too complicated, and the media is also obsessed with other issues. This puts issues under national interest and security under less priority. The problem with the media has been the focus on the political battle of egos and power, not on the original issue.
It may perhaps be time for the media to bring the issue out in the open and have a transparent discussion with the public. People who matter have to be cross examined, and certain media outlets have to pursue it vigilantly and aggressively. Most media outlets broadcast one hour of in-depth question answer sessions on issues. It has to focus more than an hour, or necessarily a day, to make people aware about the issue, so that people know what it is all about.
The problem of the coalition highlights the problem of people itself. No two people can agree upon anything. This is the case unfortunately with national security. Coalitions represent the depth and diversity of democracy, but in this case, it is proving to be a stumbling block for the whole democratic process.
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