The rising cases of child sexual abuse

Every day, we are horrified by the many cases of sexual abuse of children which are being reported. They have become a sickening reality of our times. One that shows the rot in our society, of how maladjusted some of us are. Girls and even little boys are no longer safe even in their own homes.

I recently read a very comprehensive article on the subject and am providing the link. It also has some suggestions.
http://newindianexpress.com/magazine/How-safe-is-your-daughter/2013/04/28/article1560480.ece

Proud of you, Zubeen Garg!

Good to know we have an artiste who can stand up and fight for what he believes in. And that he will not be censored.

The United Liberation Front for Assam ( or ULFA),  true to its form, issued a ban on performing Hindi songs during a function in Guwahati to celebrate Bihu, the Assamese new year.  While other musicians gave in to the diktat, not Zubeen. He is reported to have said, "No power can dictate an artiste. We have our own freedom. I have earned nationwide fame singing Hindi songs. It is our national language. Who are they to say Hindi songs will destroy Assamese culture. It is an outdated ridiculous idea."

So proud of you Zubeen Garg! You sing so well in Hindi. I believe you can sing in many Indian languages and sound like the native. I would love to hear you sing in Assamese too. I wish we had more music festivals all over the country where singers from different parts of the country sing in different languages.

Great art in any form,  while it may have strong local roots, reaches for the world.  It can't and shouldn't be curbed.

Music knows no boundaries.  Glad you stood your ground against the rowdy censors!

More links to posts on Rowdy Censorship
Extremists frigthen us into silence  
A film maker who stood up to the rowdy censors

Zubeen provided security

We can't see women do what they want

The Indian society has an issue. It cannot see women enjoy themselves. So used are they to images of long suffering women who sacrifice their happiness in the interest of their families, that when they see women out for an evening, wearing clothes they want, enjoying a drink, they are unable to come to terms with it. Be it the Mufti (religious leader) in Kashmir or the media in Andhra. Be it the north or the south of India, the mindset is the same. Could vary in degrees!

I was very disappointed in the media which did a story on these bunch of girls coming out of a restaurant in Hyderabad. They were made out to be a bunch of drunk women by the regional media. To me they seem very upset over being filmed without their permission. And why should anyone just take their pictures?

Is there a shortage of stories for the media to cover? Just get out of your comfort zone and see the tragedy all around --farmers killing themselves, women dying in childbirth, children who are out of school, women being tortured for dowries, poverty, ill health , corruption, a whole lot of negative stories. And if you want to be positive, capture our hardworking people using their imagination to survive, honest citizens doing their best to live a dignified life, parents working hard to give their children a decent education, scientists, industrialists, the music, the dance...

Where is the dearth of stories for the media?
At the same time, I am very encouraged that these young women have decided to fight for their right to be, and are demanding compensation from all the channels which strangely cannot find a worthwhile story to do, that  they have to pounce on women out for an evening. 

The Aarushi - Hemraj murder case

As a former journalist, I am deeply ashamed at the manner in which the Indian media covered the Aarushi-Hemraj murder case.
As an Indian, I am very disturbed by the manner in which the police conducted itself, the lack of professionalism that it exhibited and the way the investigative agencies goofed up. It is frigthening and does not bode well.
As a woman, I grieve for her parents, the Talwars.
And as a human being, I wish the murderers are found and punished.

I am giving you the link to one of the most poignant and balanced accounts I have read about the murder case. It is written by  Shree Paradkar, a cousin of Aarushi's mother, Nupur. It must have been tough for Paradkar to do the story. How do you maintain professionalism when you are emotionally connected? But she has shown it can be done.

The link to the article - http://www.thestar.com/news/world/2013/01/26/aarushi_talwar_murder_a_look_at_one_of_indias_most_notorious_cases.html

Now, a ebook on the case by her -
http://www.thestar.com/news/stardispatches/2014/02/19/ebook_excerpt_betrayed_my_cousins_wrongful_conviction_for_the_murder_of_her_daughter_aarushi.html