Free speech or irresponsible politicking?
India should adopt the chicken, and not the peacock as its national bird, says Jug Suraiya. Why? Because the government has allegedly been chicken hearted on issues ranging from Taslima to Tibet. Ok. Our esteemed Ms. Nasreen first. She recently left India to an undisclosed European destination, claiming that her physical security would be compromised if she told us where she was going. And why did she do so? Because the Indian government kept her under “house arrest” and caused much emotional distress. She doesn’t stop there. She claims that the treatment meted out to her by the Indian government was no less than “cold-blooded state terrorism to drive her out of the country.”
Oh yes, it’s terrorism when you try to protect a person from angry mobs throwing stones at her house and request that she maintain a low profile until things calm down a bit. Maybe we should have left her at her house in Calcutta, or waited until she was grievously injured and then filed a case of attempted murder on the angry mobs. Would Ms. Nasreen have been happy then? How can a person, whose only connection to India is a temporary visitor’s visa, be so ungrateful and accuse the government of state terrorism? I mean, just because she is a woman? Just why is India obliged to host her and provide shelter? She is not an Indian. M F Hussain would have deserved it. But Taslima? Why should we stick our neck out for someone who doesn’t care a damn for us? For someone who equates India with countries like Afghanistan under the Taliban and calls the Indian state a terrorist? I am sorry to say that my regard for Ms. Nasreen went down several notches after reading this report.
I certainly support her right to free speech. But one must understand that with freedom, comes responsibility. You can’t say what you please and expect your audience not to react. Mob violence is unacceptable in any context and deserves to be condemned and punished. But does a writer not owe something to the society too? She may have had a difficult childhood and adolescence, but that does not give her the right to heap such abuse on a state that tried its best to help her out. The Indian Ministry of External Affairs extended her visa despite much opposition, and on the condition that she tone down her criticism and try to respect the sentiments of the people whose hospitality is enjoying. Is that too much to ask?
Her claims that she was denied access to healthcare and that the Indian government tried to “poison” her through drugs is simply too far-fetched to believe. I do not hold the current Congress government in very high esteem and have in the past questioned its attitude on various issues. But, even I find it impossible to believe that it is capable of plotting someone’s slow death. I mean…come on! To me, this seems like the result of a hyper-active imagination. As far as all that crap about Indians treating a guest nobly is concerned, I don’t care any more. As far as I am concerned, Ms. Nasreen has proven herself unworthy of the old Indian adage, “Athithi Devo Bhava” (May the guest be treated as God.) by heaping abuse on the very country that has hosted her and kept her safe for almost four years now.
And then, comes Tibet. All I say is this. India has enough problems without taking on those of Tibet right now. Let’s set our house in order and concentrate on the more important issues of education, economic development, military and energy security and poverty reduction before we set out to “liberate” anyone else from oppressors. Was one Bangladesh experience not enough? Let’s please mind our own business. Let’s leave the world’s problems to George W Bush.
Of apples and oranges
Here is a gem from Sitaram Yechury. I mean, who publishes such crap? Oh, a well-known newspaper like Hindustan Times of course. I actually checked if it was published under a satire or humour column or something. But no. I had overestimated their intelligence I suppose. And did you know that our dear Mr. Yechury got his BA (Hons.) in Economics from St. Stephen’s? I find that rather hard to believe after reading the following words.
“…globalisation has given rise to the phenomenon of ‘jobless growth’. The growth of employment has always been lower than the GDP growth rate globally. Both these features put together mean that the purchasing power of the vast majority of the world’s population has been declining.”
Eh? What’s the relation? It’s like putting apples and oranges together and claiming that there is a fall in mango production this year. Ok. Ok. I think it’s time I stop taking any communist seriously. As Amit Varma so succintly puts it,
“Let’s all just stay poor then, so there’s no danger of losing the money we haven’t had a chance to earn anyway.”
Someone teach these guys basic economics please!!
God, astrology and religion
I have been meaning to write this for some time now. But, this is one of those posts that requires serious reflection, analysis and questioning and so I have been postponing this for a few days. But today, I decided it could not wait any longer. Does God exist? If yes, what is he/she? Someone sitting up there in the skies and commanding our every action? If no, why does humankind need the concept? Personally, I believe in God. Call it what you may, God, the Almighty, a creature of the nth dimension, an extra-terrestrial with superior intelligence…whatever it is, I believe. Not because I am stupid or naive, but because I need something to believe in. I am human too. I need to believe that there is a power above mine that makes things happen the way they happen. Existential philosophers believed that there is no such thing as God. That is a scary proposition. Because if there was no God, we would have to take responsibility for every little thing in our lives. An accident, a power failure, an illness…we would be responsible for everything. And that kind of responsibility is too heavy for any individual to bear. There is no doubt in my mind that there is God. That He takes care of everything and makes things happen in my life. I don’t mean that I can sit back and relax while He does all the hard work. It means that success is 99% hard work and 1% divine providence.
That brings me to the next question. Must I believe in religion because I believe in God? Can I not worship Him the way I deem fit? Will He not listen to me and solve my problems if I ask Him to? Why is there a single acceptable way of worshipping? I spent two years away from India. I lit a lamp something like 5 times in those two years. I did not visit a single temple in that time. But, He took care of me and ensured my physical and emotional well-being. Will all that change because I am now in India and refuse to go to a temple? Yes, I believe in God, but not in religion. I believe that there is a supreme power that makes things happen, but I refuse to get carried away by ritualism and devote my time to pointless worship. Does that make me an atheist? I will worship when I feel like it. I will go to a temple because I want to. I refuse to be forced into performing such rituals to satisfy others. So, is God going to punish me for that attitude? I doubt it. Because, if God really is omnipresent, omnipotent and omniscient, he will understand and appreciate my faith in Him. Why should I pretend for the sake of other mere humans?
The humans in question masquerade as astrologers. They claim they can read God’s mind. They claim you have hurt His sentiments or defiled Him by behaving in a certain manner. They also claim He can only be pacified by begging for forgiveness through some elaborate ritual costing a couple of thousand rupees. Excuse me if I sound like an atheist, but I find the whole thing ridiculous. The Vedas prescribe something called the Kshama Prarthana. It involves asking for forgiveness for mistakes committed, knowingly or unknowingly. And it about two lines long and takes exactly 25 seconds to say. Will God not accept that? Will He not forgive? Why do we need these astrologers and fake pujaaris to act as intermediaries in our business with God? I know my questions are pertinent. But my asking them makes me a heretic. It hurts to see that a religion that was once so inclusive and tolerant is becoming increasingly intolerant and ritualistic. But, who is to say? Who is to fight these self-proclaimed guardians of faith?
International Women’s Day
March 8 was International Women’s Day. That’s a great thing isn’t it? One day in the year, people can remember the silent half of humanity, sing her praises, talk about her emancipation and then forget about it for the next 364 days. What a day! And did I mention that Women’s Day does not mean the husband cooks for the day, or takes her out, or even offers to help in her chores. But still! It’s Women’s Day! Let’s all celebrate. Oh come on! Stop the lip service. I have had enough. Of men who claim they understand women, and of women who claim that they don’t need to feel special. I won’t even get started on the men who are patronising, condescending or falsely encouraging. They are not worth the effort. But the women?
This post really got on my nerves. I felt like I was listening to the sound of nails scratching a blackboard. That’s right! It’s that annoying. What the hell? Why do women feel offended if a man offers his seat on a bus, or holds the door open for them? Because he feels the woman is incapable of such things? For God’s sake, stop being so hyper-sensitive woman! The watchman of my building opens doors for people. Does he honestly think it’s because people are incapable of opening their own doors? I don’t know where to start, but this post rankles from the word go. The blogger in question says,
“Do-gooders act and behave like they are God’s gift to women. They open doors and let women pass through first (don’t we know how to open a door for god’s sake?). They offer to drop women if they get delayed at work for an extra five minutes. They nab at bills in restaurants before the woman even offers to pay for her food. They talk feminism and woman’s rights. And all this stems out of a feeling that women are lesser creatures and need to be taken care of. Like a porcelain doll. Or a pet Pomeranian. And the worst part is that, such men are considered ‘oh-so-sweet’, ‘he’s so considerate’, etc.”
I mean, give the poor man a break! He probably thinks he is being charming. One of the stereotypes that is undoubtedly true about men is that they are less complicated than women. They don’t think so much. They just do what they think is right. While such behaviour is not always indefensible, they at least justify their actions in some way. At the end of the post, the blogger asks if there is some such thing as a Men’s Day. Of course not. Men are not killed off in infancy, aborted inside the womb, told they are worthless or discouraged from doing what they want because of their sex. They don’t need a Men’s Day, because we are living in a man’s world. Whether we like it or not, the fact remains that our society remains essentially patriarchal.
I will never finish this post at this rate. So, my message to all you women out there is just this. You are lucky to be born a woman. Be proud of the fact. I have no shame in admitting, as I have before, that I am happy to be pampered by the man in my life. I feel good when a man holds a door open for me, or vacates a seat on a crowded bus. I actually like it when someone offers to do me a favour, or drop me off somewhere because I am running late. You would not question it if a woman offered you a lift. Then why are you so distrusting of men. Even if they are brothers, close friends, colleagues or boyfriend? Give the poor guys a chance. Don’t be so judgemental of them. It is the very same thing you fault in men right? Then what gives you the right to be judgemental of them? Are they not human too?