Supriya Sule : Feminism or Tokenism?

Surfing news channels for my daily dose of current affairs while sipping late morning tea, a lady answering audience questions on ABP news caught my attentuon. This was Supriya Sule, daughter of NCP suprimo Sharad Pawar, in a program titled 'Ghoshnapatra'. Political biases aside, I must say I was impressed with the grace with which she answered some serious and tough questions, may it be about Farmers' suicides in Maharshtra or Dynasty politics.

What caunght my attention was her answers to two differnt random questions, that strangely connected on one subject.

A gentleman in flowery words questioned her about Dynasty politics. Obviously, this was directed towards her own 'Pawar-house' (*hint, pun). To which she gave example of R.R.Patil (Home Minister Maharashtra) who has no political background. Also, she mentioned about Nationalist Congress Party's efforts in incresing women's participation in politics right from grass-root level and how they have reached out to Women in rural Maharashtra.

After few other questions, another gentleman pointed out that often her name is mentioned as a candidate for the post of Maharashtra's CM...will the people see her as Maharashtra's first female CM?

The answer to this question is always a shy denial, but the way she denied was what impressed me the most. "I am against any kind of tokenism. A female CM does not guarantee safety and security for women. Uttar Pradesh had a female CM (Miss Mayavati) for four terms and we all know about the situation there." - She denied and NOT!

She cleverly denied any sexist ethusiasms and left the question on CM's post unanswered. We all know what an unanswered question means.

Every now and then we see people demanding more posts be headed by females, since that would ensure soltion to women's issues. Is this not sexism...against women? Are we saying a person should be given a certain post and celebrated only becuse the pronoun associated is 'SHE'? In doing so are we not undermining that person's talents and capabilities? And most importantly, drawing from Supria Sule's words, aren't we trading Feminism for Tokenism, thereby opening new ways for women to be exploited? (Remember how Lalu Prasad Yadav used Rabri Devi as a remote control? Oh, those who'd call it misogynitic Male dominated Society's treatement of women, remember Manmohan Singh's case?)

There is a thin line between all these 'isms'... let us not forget this in our enthusiasms for whatever sex we favour.

How Deepika Padukone turned TOI into TOIlet paper

It all started with Times Of India's Entertainment section tweeting about Deepika Padukone's supposed cleavage show. The article was just another one in the line of TOI's ever falling level of journalism, a fresh attempt at finding new lows. Making news headlines on some celebrity's cleavage is in itself far from appropriate, to begin with. Moreover, it was pretty clear from the thumbnail in the tweet that whatever little cleavage was visible was due to the 'bird's eye view' angle of the camera.

Reacting to this, Deepika Padukone tweeted along with the above screenshot in a firm tone.

Had TOI played dumb on this, they would have been in a much better state, but as the old sanskrit saying goes,"Vinaashkaale Vipareet buddhi", TOI decided to practically add fuel to the fire with its reply to Deepika :

The next two tweets by Deepika Padukone totally earned her my reapect. If only we had more of women like Deepika who would dare to stand against such acts of Assholery and give them a good whooping that they deserve, human society would be in a much better shape!

Answering Ram Gopal Verma on his querries about Ganpati

।।श्री गणेशाय नमः।।
It was heartening to see Raam Gopal Verma taking interest in Hindu scriptures and post his queries regarding Shree Ganesh on Twitter. Though many seemed agitated on RGV's choice of words, lets give him benefit of doubt and answer the questions, one by one.

RGV : The guy who couldn't save his own head from being cut , how he will save others heads is my  question? But Happy Ganpathi day to morons!
Answer : Not fair RGV Saar. Not fair! How can you give your wishes on Ganesh Chaturthi only to those belonging to your tribe! Afterall we live in a secular Nation. Anyway, I'll still answer your question. Going by yourwords its seems your idea about God 'almighty' is a being that is Immortal and Invincible. Though I wouldnt disagree, there is an extention to this idea that you seem to have missed.

Limiting God in the word 'Immortal' seems a bit immature. Immortality is an idea about those for whom a form is their limited identity, which if once destroyed can not be recovered by itself. Hence immortality is to prserve that form or even the formless identity forever. But what if one gain control over its own and other's life and death and rebirths...what if death is only a line that it can draw whenever and where ever it wishes to on the infinite playground of space, time and dimentions? Jumping from one side to the other like a game seems like fun, no? This fun can be loosely equated to sanskrit word 'leela' (लीला).
Since you are a movie maker, let me put it in way that you can relate to. If in your movie an actor dies, does he die in real life too? No, right? Also, theres always a lesson to every story. This 'leela' too is similar to a movie.

Shri Ganesh by means of this leela teaches us the kind of respect one must hold for her/his Mother, resolve and bravery. Shiva through the same leela teaches us ill effects of allowing our anger to take control over our sense.

The Elephant's head was chosen to free Airavat (Indra's Elephant) of a curse due to which it had to be born as a mortal.

Also, Elephant's head has hidden symbolism - large eara to listen to the prayers of his devotees. You may google for rest.

NB: Im writing this post from my phone hence please forgive spelling and grammatical mistakes.

- #SahuCar

Dusting off the dirt from the tradition of Rakhi

A Book that sits in shelf, inevitably gathers dust. When people stop making efforts to learn the real sense hidden in the Book and start interpreting the title on its cover by hear-say, inevitably a huge chunk of information never comes into picture. Also, you should expect a considerable amount of information to be false. Would you go by a review of any book by someone who hasn't read the book but writes the review on hearsay? Moreover, would you trust someone to tell you about the book, when that someone doesn't really want you to read the book? Whatever your answers are, I'd request you to relate this whole introduction to Hindu Traditions. Most of our traditions have changed with time, for various reasons, and now are under attack - Rakshabandhan is one of them.

Attack, you say? Yes. When a tradition with so many colourful interpretations and forms has been chopped down into a stub and then even criticised, I would say, it is under attack.

I try to recall what I learnt through my education in school about the festival and traditions of Rakshabandhan? All I remember is the story of Rajpoot Queen Karnavati who sent Rakhi to Humayun to protect Chittor from Bahadur Shah, the Sultan of Gujrat. Humayun though set off immediately to her rescue with his troops, arrived too late. Bahadur Shah had managed to sack Queen's fortress and Rajpoot Queen along with other 13,000 women had performed Jauhar. Though a lot of historians remain skeptical about the legend, I don't dare to doubt what the school text books dictate me to believe. Yet, this is a historical account; where is the religious origin of this festival?

Going by popular belief, Rakshabandhan is a festival that (exclusively) celebrates the bond between a brother and sister; but if so, why a similar festival called 'Bhai-dooj' is also celebrated? I was also taught about Queen Draupadi tying a piece of cloth torn from her attire on Krishna's finger to stop it from bleeding. But then Draupadi was Krishna's Sakhi/Friend...isnt this another shade of this festival? Trying to find the origin of this festival, I also read about stories about Yam and Yamuna, King Bali and Lakshmi and the story about Santoshi Maa, daughter of Ganapati. All these stories strengthen the belief that it is a festival that celebrates the love between a brother and sister... and I would be happy with that too; but Wait! Why would then Pundit jee on the same day tie Raksha-sutr on the wrist of their Yajman? Why do women tie Rakhi amongst themselves?

courtesy :
Religious Basis of Hindu Beliefs By Dr. Bhojraj Dwivedi

This time I tried to concentrate on the term 'Rakshabandhan' - literally, a thread tied that would protect; and that is when I came across Devi Shachi and Indra's story. Long story short, Devi Shachi (Indra's consort), tied raksha sootra on Indra's wrist before going for war, which made him fearless and due to the effect of the Raksha-sutra, he won the war. The interesting thing to note here is that Devi Shachi is Indra's consort - this adds a new dimension to the festival of Rakshabandhan.

Bhavishya Puran mentions :
सर्व रोगापशमनं सर्वाशुभविनाशनम् ।
सत्कृत्कृते नाब्दमेकं येनरक्षा कृता भवेत्॥
Raksha-sutr worn on Shravani Poornima is the destroyer of all diseases and inauspicious activities. By wearing it in a proper manner once a year a man remains protected for the whole year.

With all these different stories, What I could conclude is that the festival is basically about Rakshasutra tied by a wife to her husband, a Pundit to Yajman, a sister to her brother and even amongst women to bless the other with courage and invisibility so that She/He could in turn protect others. With the arrival of Mughal hordes, Rakshabandhan inspired men to fearlessly fight to defend their women. Though the other vibrant hues of this festival are still practiced, Bollywood with is obvious lack of knowledge of cultural values picked up and romanticised only the bond between Brother and sister. 

I have only attempted in this article to brush away the dust from a small volume of a mammoth set of books called Sanatan Dharma and I am sure I'm still missing a few aspects here. The best way to conclude is with a few words from a respected elder, who first pointed out the hidden truths - 

"The Indian mythology is an endless ocean. You will draw only as much water from it as the size of your bucket (mental and spiritual pre-requisites) and if your bucket is placed bottoms up, even if the whole ocean is poured over it, you won't get a single drop out of it."

a girl tying Rakshasutra to her Mother

The real culprits of Meerut Gang Rape

A 20-year-old Girl who taught Hindi and English in the Sarawa village madarsa in Kharkhauda area, In her complaint alleged that the village pradhan Nawabkhan, madarsa official Sannaullah and a few of their aides took her to the madarsa of Dautai village of Hapur district on July 30, a day after Eid. There she was gang-raped, compelled to convert and her name was also allegedly changed. They then took her to Muzaffarnagar where she was kept in confinement. 

Going by the rumors, there are more girls trapped and the atrocities don't stop at what you have read. (use your fertile imaginations) When the News Media has turned a blind eye on the whole issue, rumors are the only source of information. Obviously, this media blackout exists in order to maintain the sensitive 'communal harmony' of the state and Nation. The very same intellectuals that tirelessly have been making riotous noise on every platform for the protection of our secular ideals have suddenly disappeared. 

There is much more to this case than what meets the eye. I penetrate into deeper layers of the sequence and find the two Muslim Men NOT responsible for the act. I quote Mulayam Singh on this,"Boys make mistakes." Yes, you read this right. The fault lies somewhere else. Where? Let us use the art of logical deduction and find out the answer.

Lets start with the question, what if the venue was an Ashram? Oh wait, that sounds familiar. yes, Asaram! They ran media trial on him for months! Also, I recall Nirbhaya's case when one of the Rapists name, Raam Singh, was also dragged into a question, while one accused's name never came out. I'm sure, the readers can see what I'm pointing at. Just a few days back when a Shiv Sena MLA tried to force feed the substandard quality food to the one who served it to make his point, Media ran the news 24x7. I can site many such examples. Why selective outrage by media and intellectuals? Skewed Secularism? 

Now that we have established that the media is biased, let us try to find what caused it. 

Remember the violence witnessed by Mumbai, Patna and other cities by 'Peaceful' protesters who marched out chanting slogans in protest of violence against Rohingya Muslims in some other country...in Myanmar? Remember people out on roads holding placards about saving Gaza and shouting slogans against Israel? I'm sure you do. 

Now, remember People shouting slogans protesting against injustice on Kashmiri Pundits? Remember people on streets marching to support IPS officer Durga Shakti Nagpal? Remember people in other parts of India marching in support of Bodos and against illegal Bangladeshi immigrants? Remember outrage against Jove Jihad? No, you dont. Right? Why? because Hindus never went out and marched for themselves. Hindus 

have taken the lesson of Secularism and all its skewed interpretations too seriously and tried to avoid every issue that involves another community's members as perpetrators. Sure, they may march out with candles when they are sure that there is not any 'communal' angle to it. I am yet to see an angry Hindu mob that comes out marching on road shouting slogans, let alone harm public property for something that concerns exclusively their own kind. You might feel inclined to point out the Ayodhya issue, but those were the times when Yusuk Khan was known as Dilip Kumar and the difference in population of the Majority and 'the' minority was huge, since most migrated to Pakistan. 

Crux of the matter is if you want Media to pay heed, go violent. If you chose to use peaceful means like courts and expect the government to do everything for you, know that the media will turn a blind eye. 

So, in the end who do I find are the real culprits? Not the perpetrators, not the media, not even the government... the burden of responsibility for this situation is on every Hindu who in his enthusiasm to maintain a secular image turned a blind eye to issues relating to her/his community that cried for attention. 

This was rape, twice, on - 1. The Girl's body. 2. The victim's religion. 

The perpetrators knew well that they would go unpunished for both the offences. They knew well that the media will look the other way if caught. All this was possible because Hindus have burdened themselves with pseudo-Secular ideals... which in essence are communal...communal against their own community. 

There is a silence in the flock of News channels... faint cries of outraged few demand justice. If the justice is not served, take it down, we are heading towards a storm. 

Technology and Ashirwad

॥श्री॥ 

A morning walk on beach is good for body, mind and soul. while the walk exercises the body, the mind gets time to ponder over things that we often overlook in our day to day life. The wind on your face with the sound of the waves make for a perfect setting. It is often at such a time and place, that you may stumble upon a pearl of wisdom.

During my morning walk today, as I walked past by a few sandcastles, I overheard a small conversation between a young lad, maybe around 21 years old, and an old retired couple. The boy was trying hard to explain some deep-techie-Gyan in simple Hindi. It appeared that the old couple had some technical difficulty with their new Mobile phone and asked the young man for assistance. Though I hope their problem was solved, It is difficult to conclude the same. The Old man while leaving placed his palm over the Lad's head -
an age old Hindu way of giving your blessings to someone. As they parted, the 3 of them shared smiles.

Normally, I wouldn't have  even noticed this conversation, but watching them all smile as they walked away made me think - how technological difficulties can help us overcome the giant gap between generations, New and Old - how a difficulty can be changed into an opportunity. The couple in asking the Lad for assistance, let go off their ego. Ego left and smiles blossomed.

While the young can help the elderly with technology, let us not forget, the former is equally in need of  spiritual guidance and support from the latter. Unlike earlier times, the exchange now is two way and the need to share is greater than ever. The key is to lose the EGO. The opportunity is here, lets embrace it. Let us RECONNECT.

Baking bread on Pyre - ABP News

Monday 09/06/2014, Time: around 2 pm.

"how serious is this?"
"How serious? I've lost my friends. How serious do you think this is?"

An ABP News correspondent asked this question  to one of the survivors of the tragedy for a special News report on the unfortunate drowning of 24 students from Hyderabad in Beas River in Himanchal Pradesh. Allegedly, the students were clicking photographs when Hydro electric power project opened its flood gates sending tonnes of water downstream. Hence, it seems, the News channel chose the title 'Maut ki Photography'. (photography of death)...How Creative! 

 The News host in the studio then continued to question if this could have been prevented. 

Every time a news channel uses a tacky title such as this for a sensitive issue, I'm reminded of a roadside hooker that wears loud makeup and provocative dress to attract customers. On a second thought, this comparison is an insult to sex-workers. 

While the families of those 24 young boys and girls mourn their loss, these vultures with such tacky titles and over-emotional punches bake their bread on pyres.

This is not the first time that I've seen a News correspondent ask such a moronic and insensitive questions. The same has been used in many dark humor scenes in a number of movies - Someone dies in an accident or is killed, and a News reporter is seen with a mic pointed out to the survivor or a family member of the deceased asking, "How do you feel about this?".

These same insensitive bastards take moral high grounds while delivering punch lines at the end of news reports on sensitive issues like rapes. No one and absolutely no one is beyond their criticism, and rightly so. But the moment anyone points fingers at these vultures, they don't lose time in hitting back. One of the best examples of this is when the incompetent Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Akhilesh Yadav retaliated back at the media saying "Crime is only visible in UP to media." We all expect the Yadav Father and Son to take responsibility for the law and order situation in their state and though they are, morally, in no position to point a finger at others, what Akhilesh Yadav said wasn't totally incorrect. 

Last, when Nirbhaya suffered, Delhi won the title 'Rape capital of India' thanks to News Media's obsession with the same kind of news. Currently the title has been won over by Uttar Pradesh. During such times, in their greed for TRP, the same subject is played over and over again. They run their own MEDIA TRIAL on everyone, but when the court acquits the accused of the charges, not a single VISIBLE apology is aired. Will a news correspondent ever let her/his colleague cover any mishap that involves her/his own personal life? I doubt. 

ABP News proudly plays its tagline  - 
"ABP News, aapko rakhe aage" - "ABP News, always placing you ahead". 
Based on the kind of News reporting the channel does, this is how I see it :