Thursday, 26 December 2013
More on the warped mindsets of judges
Monday, 16 September 2013
The Delhi Bar Council must act
Really glad that the Delhi Bar Council is taking a serious view of the utterances by defence lawyer A P Singh on the 23-year-old victim in the December 16 gangrape case in which she lost her life.
The lawyer for two of the convicts is reported to have said, "...if my daughter was having premarital sex and moving around at night with her boyfriend, I would have burnt her alive. I would not have let this situation happen. All parents should adopt such an attitude."
A few questions for him - 1. Is there anything called 'adulthood' in his lexicon? The woman was an adult, free to choose who she wanted to be with, go out with.
2.Does the fact that a woman is out at night with or without a man, give the right to men who come across her to rape her?
3. Why hasn't he made such statements about the men who raped? Were they habitual rapists? Did they indulge in pre and post marital sex? Why is this not being talked about?
4. He would have burnt his daughter alive, he says. What would he do if his son indulged in premarital sex? Boast that he had arrived? Is finally a man?
5. As a lawyer he is extolling parents to kill their daughters. What is wrong with this man?
6. Is he actually advocating that girls be locked up, not allowed to go out so that such situations do not happen? As a lawyer, instead of advocating basic human rights, he is actually preaching that theto freedom of movement, the right to decide who to be with etc etc are curtailed!
I am waiting to see how the Delhi Bar Council will act.
To see the growing frustration of women with the judicial and police systems, watch this video, where a woman hits out at her molester.
A few questions for him - 1. Is there anything called 'adulthood' in his lexicon? The woman was an adult, free to choose who she wanted to be with, go out with.
2.Does the fact that a woman is out at night with or without a man, give the right to men who come across her to rape her?
3. Why hasn't he made such statements about the men who raped? Were they habitual rapists? Did they indulge in pre and post marital sex? Why is this not being talked about?
4. He would have burnt his daughter alive, he says. What would he do if his son indulged in premarital sex? Boast that he had arrived? Is finally a man?
5. As a lawyer he is extolling parents to kill their daughters. What is wrong with this man?
6. Is he actually advocating that girls be locked up, not allowed to go out so that such situations do not happen? As a lawyer, instead of advocating basic human rights, he is actually preaching that theto freedom of movement, the right to decide who to be with etc etc are curtailed!
I am waiting to see how the Delhi Bar Council will act.
To see the growing frustration of women with the judicial and police systems, watch this video, where a woman hits out at her molester.
Thursday, 22 August 2013
Of sexual harassment and gang rapes in India
Another gang rape. This time in Mumbai. Mumbai, as I used to know it way back in the mid-Seventies was a secure place for women. Unlike Delhi, I could stay out late, board a late night bus, which I often did after my office duty as a journalist, and feel safe. Unlike Delhi, the men in Mumbai were better behaved. They did not grope and pass lewd comments. They were comfortable with women around and did not make them feel like strange objects to be stared at. A taxi driver once went out of his way to drop me to my destination during a particularly heavy monsoon shower, when the city had become waterlogged and came practically to a halt. My attempts at waving taxis to stop was proving futile, for they all had passengers. And then he came along. He told me he was on his way home, but he would drop me at my place, which was in a different direction. To my great surprise he did not ask me for any extra fare.
That was the Mumbai I knew, a safer city for women. But over the years, instead of becoming better, it has deteriorated, become an unsafe metro. This ghastly crime, as well as the New Year assaults on women, show that the city of Mumbai has sunk to the same pit as Delhi!
This comes soon after a Canadian student on a study tour of India, described her harrowing experience of being in India. What she described and what has driven her into depression so severe that she has to seek treatment for it, is what Indian women face day in and day out. It is the price they have to pay for "stepping out" of their homes into work spaces, or just to enjoy a movie or eat out. The sad tragedy is that the criminals get seldom punished. Eight months later, despite a fast track special court and the public outrage, the bunch of men who raped the Delhi girl on a bus, are still to be punished. One demon ended his life. Probably he was shamed to face the world! We have had some people clamour for showing leniency to another who was not yet 18! But the act he committed was not an act any child would commit. The hearings are still on.... We are awaiting punishment for the gang of goons. The state has yet to act on behalf of a young girl who lost her life in a most brutal way and her friend who was beaten up. And as we wait, another gang rape.
Why doesn't India act decisively for once? And tell the women that it cares for them!
That was the Mumbai I knew, a safer city for women. But over the years, instead of becoming better, it has deteriorated, become an unsafe metro. This ghastly crime, as well as the New Year assaults on women, show that the city of Mumbai has sunk to the same pit as Delhi!
This comes soon after a Canadian student on a study tour of India, described her harrowing experience of being in India. What she described and what has driven her into depression so severe that she has to seek treatment for it, is what Indian women face day in and day out. It is the price they have to pay for "stepping out" of their homes into work spaces, or just to enjoy a movie or eat out. The sad tragedy is that the criminals get seldom punished. Eight months later, despite a fast track special court and the public outrage, the bunch of men who raped the Delhi girl on a bus, are still to be punished. One demon ended his life. Probably he was shamed to face the world! We have had some people clamour for showing leniency to another who was not yet 18! But the act he committed was not an act any child would commit. The hearings are still on.... We are awaiting punishment for the gang of goons. The state has yet to act on behalf of a young girl who lost her life in a most brutal way and her friend who was beaten up. And as we wait, another gang rape.
Why doesn't India act decisively for once? And tell the women that it cares for them!
Tuesday, 23 July 2013
Take acid attacks seriously - they are worse than murder
I was very dismayed to read Annu Mukherjee's story in the Hindustan Times today. The young woman had surmounted many hurdles to make a decent life for herself and her brother. The acid attackers not only snatched away her means to a livelihood, disfigured and blinded her, but threw her into facing a lonely tragic life. Her brother, who she was was supporting had to stop his studies. What was extremely heart wrenching was that the attackers also took away Annu's ability to cry. Her eyes have been so disfigured that tears do not come anymore.
And what was the punishment the attackers got? Five years in jail and a Rs 1,60,000 fine. Today they are roaming free. An inadequate punishment for disfiguring a woman for life, blinding her, snatching away her identity and only source of income, leaving her to a life of penury and loneliness.
The attackers should have been behind bars for life. For they are extremely dangerous to be let out in society. Now that they have been freed, they should be made to contribute towards her medical and living expenses. Fifty per cent of what Meena Khan and her brother earn should go to Annu till she is in a position to support herself by opening the dance school she wants. What do you say?
Earlier post: An acid attack is wrose than murder for it makes life a living hell
And this news item -
SC curbs acid sale, orders more money for victims
Sunday, 21 July 2013
Serving a poison free meal to our children
The Bihar midday meal tragedy in which over 20 children died after consuming a meal laced with pesticide prepared in their school brings home many well known facts -
1. The facilities in majority of our government run schools are so poor, be it classroom itself, the playground, or the quality of teachers, that it is a crime to call it a school.
2. Providing some sub standard grain and hoping the health of the children improves is a fallacy. Borne out by the fact that even after years of the midday meal scheme, large proportions of Indian children are undernourished, underweight and stunted.
3. The communities these schools serve are so poor and disempowered that they cannot demand their rights to a nourishing, hygienically cooked meal for their children.
4. Therefore, when there are no proper utensils for cooking, or storage, or adequate rations, there is no protest from them or a demand for what is their right.
5. The persons who are enstrusted with the job of preparing the meal get no training in hygiene. India's poor are forced to live in extremely unhygenic conditions and being illiterate and uneducated, they often do not know how such conditions impact their health. In the Bihar case, the person who put the oil in the pesticide container, probably did not realise that pesticide can kill. Probably the person did not know that pesticide should be stored away from food.
And when the children protested over the taste and look of the food cooked, the principal forced them to eat saying nothing could be wrong as the oil had come from her husband's shop.
A question that bothers is why was a pesticide container kept next to the school rations in the first place?
The Bihar government is planning to paint the midday meal safety norms on the walls. Would that help? What happens if the cook is illiterate?
What would help is -
A course in basic hygiene and food storage.
Regular checks by a monitoring team, which should be the members from the community whose children study in the school, or the Village Health and
Sanitation committee or an equivalent local body in the urban areas.
Something that has been seen to work, to improve the standard of the food cooked and served is the involvement of the mothers of the school-going children, be it in procurement, storage and cooking of the rations. It has worked in many parts of Tamil Nadu and I wrote about it three years ago when I saw the state's midday meal programme.
If it can work there, it should work in other states including Bihar, and Uttar Pradesh, home to many midday meal scandals. But for that the 'control' or to use a politically correct word 'management' of the scheme should be in the hands of the parents. The government's role should be of a provider and facilitator, the parents and a teacher representative would be the implementators -- lifting of the rations provided only if they meet a certain quality, preparing and serving of the meals.
More on -
India's midday meal programme
WHO had asked India to ban toxin that killed children
1. The facilities in majority of our government run schools are so poor, be it classroom itself, the playground, or the quality of teachers, that it is a crime to call it a school.
2. Providing some sub standard grain and hoping the health of the children improves is a fallacy. Borne out by the fact that even after years of the midday meal scheme, large proportions of Indian children are undernourished, underweight and stunted.
3. The communities these schools serve are so poor and disempowered that they cannot demand their rights to a nourishing, hygienically cooked meal for their children.
4. Therefore, when there are no proper utensils for cooking, or storage, or adequate rations, there is no protest from them or a demand for what is their right.
5. The persons who are enstrusted with the job of preparing the meal get no training in hygiene. India's poor are forced to live in extremely unhygenic conditions and being illiterate and uneducated, they often do not know how such conditions impact their health. In the Bihar case, the person who put the oil in the pesticide container, probably did not realise that pesticide can kill. Probably the person did not know that pesticide should be stored away from food.
And when the children protested over the taste and look of the food cooked, the principal forced them to eat saying nothing could be wrong as the oil had come from her husband's shop.
A question that bothers is why was a pesticide container kept next to the school rations in the first place?
The Bihar government is planning to paint the midday meal safety norms on the walls. Would that help? What happens if the cook is illiterate?
What would help is -
A course in basic hygiene and food storage.
Regular checks by a monitoring team, which should be the members from the community whose children study in the school, or the Village Health and
Sanitation committee or an equivalent local body in the urban areas.
Something that has been seen to work, to improve the standard of the food cooked and served is the involvement of the mothers of the school-going children, be it in procurement, storage and cooking of the rations. It has worked in many parts of Tamil Nadu and I wrote about it three years ago when I saw the state's midday meal programme.
If it can work there, it should work in other states including Bihar, and Uttar Pradesh, home to many midday meal scandals. But for that the 'control' or to use a politically correct word 'management' of the scheme should be in the hands of the parents. The government's role should be of a provider and facilitator, the parents and a teacher representative would be the implementators -- lifting of the rations provided only if they meet a certain quality, preparing and serving of the meals.
More on -
India's midday meal programme
WHO had asked India to ban toxin that killed children
Wednesday, 26 June 2013
This is what makes India special
A lot has been said about India's politicians and her land mafia and their rapacious greed which stops at nothing. The cloudburst, and the floods and landslides that have followed in Uttarakhand and parts of Himachal, were exacerbated by the doings of the politician-land mafia who have mindlessly plundered the region. Hundreds dead, tragedy after tragedy, house collapses, property worth crores lost, the unending suffering ...
Amidst all this, come stories of how our security forces have been helping out. If it were not for them and their selfless service, one shudders to think what more could have happened. These men, have the nation's gratitude. However, we treat them badly. Our parliamentarians have grudged them small pay hikes, while giving themselves hefty increases. That is another story.
Here I want to focus on what makes India special. It is the generosity of the ordinary Indians. People who have little, but give it unstintingly. These are the people, who rush to help whenever tragedy strikes....while our politicians quibble over turf and upmanship and our rich are slow to open their purses.
I have put together stories that are indeed moving and celebrate that special quality we call humaneness:
Grocery store keeper and friends feed over 800 a day
Chennai pilgrims bring home a hero
Youth took charge
Villagers rescue 43 foreigners
Relief camps by locals
This one celebrates the IAF women pilots
IAF women pilots to the rescue
Amidst all this, come stories of how our security forces have been helping out. If it were not for them and their selfless service, one shudders to think what more could have happened. These men, have the nation's gratitude. However, we treat them badly. Our parliamentarians have grudged them small pay hikes, while giving themselves hefty increases. That is another story.
Here I want to focus on what makes India special. It is the generosity of the ordinary Indians. People who have little, but give it unstintingly. These are the people, who rush to help whenever tragedy strikes....while our politicians quibble over turf and upmanship and our rich are slow to open their purses.
I have put together stories that are indeed moving and celebrate that special quality we call humaneness:
Grocery store keeper and friends feed over 800 a day
Chennai pilgrims bring home a hero
Youth took charge
Villagers rescue 43 foreigners
Relief camps by locals
This one celebrates the IAF women pilots
IAF women pilots to the rescue
Tuesday, 18 June 2013
When marriage for a girl is more important than education
A news item in the Times of India:
KANPUR: A man allegedly killed his 15-year-old girl for refusing to marry a boy of his choice at Virma in Uttar Pradesh's KanpurDehat on Tuesday evening.
Police said the girl had apparently turned down the proposal saying she was young and wanted to study.
The girl was an intermediate student and had been staying with her maternal uncle in Gudha village to complete her studies. She had returned home for summer vacations.
A police officer said ever since she had returned home, Shukla had been pestering her to accept the marriage proposal.
So what does this say about the society -
Father kills daughter for refusing to marry
Some portions from the news item -KANPUR: A man allegedly killed his 15-year-old girl for refusing to marry a boy of his choice at Virma in Uttar Pradesh's KanpurDehat on Tuesday evening.
Police said the girl had apparently turned down the proposal saying she was young and wanted to study.
The girl was an intermediate student and had been staying with her maternal uncle in Gudha village to complete her studies. She had returned home for summer vacations.
A police officer said ever since she had returned home, Shukla had been pestering her to accept the marriage proposal.
So what does this say about the society -
- You should not have an opinion of your own girl. You dare not go against parental wishes. Father knows best.
- He can even kill you for opposing him.
- Marriage is more important than education.
- What use is education? Your role in society is to cook, look after your husband and his family, and bear children.
This is the mindset that has to change. Until then....
Friday, 14 June 2013
Why does this happen?
Lover's family burns girl to death in front of panchayat
Yes, you read it right. The item appeared in Hindustan Times today and I am reproducing it below:
A woman was brutally assaulted and her daughter burnt alive in public view, and in the presence of the village panchayat, Uttar Pradesh Police said Friday. The incident occurred at Karahkol village of Deoria, 475 km from state capital Lucknow.
Police said a girl named Manju was in love with a boy named Ranjit of the same village. The boy's family opposed the relationship, and the matter was taken to the panchayat.
At the panchayat meeting, Manju's mother pleaded that since the two loved each other, they should be allowed to marry.
Incensed by the proposal, Jai Hind, Ranjit's father, and members of his family assaulted Manju's mother Gyanwati and rained blows and kicks on her.
Manju rushed to help her mother as she was being attacked, and members of Ranjit's family doused her with kerosene and set her on fire.
Police reached the spot on being informed of the incident. By that time, Manju, who was taken to a nearby medical facility, had died of burn injuries.
Seven people have been charged with the crime, and two of them have been arrested. Policemen said the absconding five would soon be nabbed.
Questions that have been bothering me:Why didn't anyone from the panchayat or from those who had gathered, try and prevent the boy's father from burning Manju alive? Or do anything to save her? And why did they not protest when her mother was being assaulted?
Shame on the panchayat members! Their mouths, hands and feet were self tied.
They failed to prevent the murder in front of their eyes.
They probably thought by keeping quiet they would be sending a strong message to the community:
Youngsters should not fall in love.
They should not make independent decisions about their marriage.
How dare the girl want to marry a man of her choice!
How dare her mother support the young girl!
For young girls should not have a say in who they marry. The elders know better.
It is okay for a man to beat a woman.
The boy's father and other relatives who took part in the crime must be arrested and punished. But, all members of the panchayat in whose presence the murder took place are equally responsible. There is no mention, as yet, of any panchayat member being arrested.
Yes, you read it right. The item appeared in Hindustan Times today and I am reproducing it below:
A woman was brutally assaulted and her daughter burnt alive in public view, and in the presence of the village panchayat, Uttar Pradesh Police said Friday. The incident occurred at Karahkol village of Deoria, 475 km from state capital Lucknow.
Police said a girl named Manju was in love with a boy named Ranjit of the same village. The boy's family opposed the relationship, and the matter was taken to the panchayat.
At the panchayat meeting, Manju's mother pleaded that since the two loved each other, they should be allowed to marry.
Incensed by the proposal, Jai Hind, Ranjit's father, and members of his family assaulted Manju's mother Gyanwati and rained blows and kicks on her.
Manju rushed to help her mother as she was being attacked, and members of Ranjit's family doused her with kerosene and set her on fire.
Police reached the spot on being informed of the incident. By that time, Manju, who was taken to a nearby medical facility, had died of burn injuries.
Seven people have been charged with the crime, and two of them have been arrested. Policemen said the absconding five would soon be nabbed.
Questions that have been bothering me:Why didn't anyone from the panchayat or from those who had gathered, try and prevent the boy's father from burning Manju alive? Or do anything to save her? And why did they not protest when her mother was being assaulted?
Shame on the panchayat members! Their mouths, hands and feet were self tied.
They failed to prevent the murder in front of their eyes.
They probably thought by keeping quiet they would be sending a strong message to the community:
Youngsters should not fall in love.
They should not make independent decisions about their marriage.
How dare the girl want to marry a man of her choice!
How dare her mother support the young girl!
For young girls should not have a say in who they marry. The elders know better.
It is okay for a man to beat a woman.
The boy's father and other relatives who took part in the crime must be arrested and punished. But, all members of the panchayat in whose presence the murder took place are equally responsible. There is no mention, as yet, of any panchayat member being arrested.
Sunday, 9 June 2013
Please sign the petition -- Justice for Preeti Rathi
The life of Preeti Rathi, a young vivacious girl who was on the verge of starting a career as a nurse, was cut short by a man who threw acid on her in Mumbai. She was injured so severely that she passed away after fighting a month-long battle.
Preeti Rathi's father, Amar Singh Rathi, is making an appeal that you sign the petition demanding an a CBI enquiry into who threw the acid on his daughter. In his petition he says: " I demand justice for my daughter who suffered so much because of this criminal. After my daughter passed away, I met the home minister of Maharashtra, R.R.Patil, and demanded a CBI enquiry. He promised an enquiry but I have not been provided with any time frame for it. The enquiry has not even started yet.
With every passing day, the chance of nabbing the culprit is getting bleaker. I have started this petition to ensure that the Home Minister keeps his promise and the enquiry is started as soon as possible."
The rising number of acid attacks on young girls is a very worrying trend. Unfortunately, the punishment so far meted out to such criminals hardly matches the severity of the life-long damage they inflict on the women.
Preeti Rathi's father, Amar Singh Rathi, is making an appeal that you sign the petition demanding an a CBI enquiry into who threw the acid on his daughter. In his petition he says: " I demand justice for my daughter who suffered so much because of this criminal. After my daughter passed away, I met the home minister of Maharashtra, R.R.Patil, and demanded a CBI enquiry. He promised an enquiry but I have not been provided with any time frame for it. The enquiry has not even started yet.
With every passing day, the chance of nabbing the culprit is getting bleaker. I have started this petition to ensure that the Home Minister keeps his promise and the enquiry is started as soon as possible."
The rising number of acid attacks on young girls is a very worrying trend. Unfortunately, the punishment so far meted out to such criminals hardly matches the severity of the life-long damage they inflict on the women.
Wednesday, 5 June 2013
Dear Reader, Would you be interested in reading this story?
DID LOVE TRIUMPH OR FAIL?
A blue sequined dupatta was wound around her face. Only her eyes could be seen. She had collected the medicines from the chemist and was coming down the steps as I went in. If I had not been so preoccupied with my problems, I might have thought she looked rather strange. Why would a woman cover her face so?
But stranger still: She called out my name. I turned towards her. Who was she and how did she know me?
If only the dupatta would come undone. If only she would pull it off…I would recognize her... “Tanu. I am Tanu,” she was saying by way of explanation.
“Tanu who?” I asked. This was like the film magazines of my younger days or the MTV of today that give you snapshots of body parts and then ask who they belong to.
The summer breeze played with the edges of the dupatta that fell on her shoulders. But so deftly was it wrapped around her face that it would take a demon of a wind to unwind it.…. She lifted her eyes to stare back at me.
Oh yes! I had met the eyes. In the hospital next to Mami’s bed. It was THE TANU. “How are you?” I asked.
“I am back at the hospital. I am getting admitted today. Another operation.” I looked over her shoulder and in the vicinity beyond hoping to see him. And he was there, standing a little away as he always did. Quiet. Distant, but watchful. If he recognized me, he did not show it...
Tanu had sharp chiseled features framed by a thick curtain of straight hair, which she tied in a loose ponytail. Her lips were an inverted C, pulled down at the corners, like the arc of a bow. But every now and then, they would lift into a captivating smile, keeping you hooked.
Tanu had occupied the bed next to Lakshmi Mami's at the hospital. I had been struck by her perfect features when I first saw her six months ago as she lay absolutely still under the heavy blanket. She looked young and very forlorn, I couldn't help asking her why she was there. She uttered just one word, "Operation" and looked away. She clearly did not wish to speak.
During my daily hour-long visits over the ten days that Mami spent at the hospital, Tanu opened up. To tell me the story of her life. A strange tale of longing, deceit, acceptance and love…
Now, as I stood facing her at the chemist, I wanted to ask her about him. The man who never visited, but who she called everyday. The man who she would talk to late into the night even after the nurses had turned down the lights, while the other man sat quietly on the attendant’s bed and watched.
Had HE come with her this time?
--------------------------------------------------------
Dear Reader,
Does this blurb make you want to read the true life story? If yes, do send me a message at shreevenkatram@yahoo.com . I would value your opinion. I am trying my hand at a short story for the first time and your reaction would give me an indication if I am set on the right track!
A blue sequined dupatta was wound around her face. Only her eyes could be seen. She had collected the medicines from the chemist and was coming down the steps as I went in. If I had not been so preoccupied with my problems, I might have thought she looked rather strange. Why would a woman cover her face so?
But stranger still: She called out my name. I turned towards her. Who was she and how did she know me?
If only the dupatta would come undone. If only she would pull it off…I would recognize her... “Tanu. I am Tanu,” she was saying by way of explanation.
“Tanu who?” I asked. This was like the film magazines of my younger days or the MTV of today that give you snapshots of body parts and then ask who they belong to.
The summer breeze played with the edges of the dupatta that fell on her shoulders. But so deftly was it wrapped around her face that it would take a demon of a wind to unwind it.…. She lifted her eyes to stare back at me.
Oh yes! I had met the eyes. In the hospital next to Mami’s bed. It was THE TANU. “How are you?” I asked.
“I am back at the hospital. I am getting admitted today. Another operation.” I looked over her shoulder and in the vicinity beyond hoping to see him. And he was there, standing a little away as he always did. Quiet. Distant, but watchful. If he recognized me, he did not show it...
Tanu had sharp chiseled features framed by a thick curtain of straight hair, which she tied in a loose ponytail. Her lips were an inverted C, pulled down at the corners, like the arc of a bow. But every now and then, they would lift into a captivating smile, keeping you hooked.
Tanu had occupied the bed next to Lakshmi Mami's at the hospital. I had been struck by her perfect features when I first saw her six months ago as she lay absolutely still under the heavy blanket. She looked young and very forlorn, I couldn't help asking her why she was there. She uttered just one word, "Operation" and looked away. She clearly did not wish to speak.
During my daily hour-long visits over the ten days that Mami spent at the hospital, Tanu opened up. To tell me the story of her life. A strange tale of longing, deceit, acceptance and love…
Now, as I stood facing her at the chemist, I wanted to ask her about him. The man who never visited, but who she called everyday. The man who she would talk to late into the night even after the nurses had turned down the lights, while the other man sat quietly on the attendant’s bed and watched.
Had HE come with her this time?
--------------------------------------------------------
Dear Reader,
Does this blurb make you want to read the true life story? If yes, do send me a message at shreevenkatram@yahoo.com . I would value your opinion. I am trying my hand at a short story for the first time and your reaction would give me an indication if I am set on the right track!
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