May

15

sex, dowry and videotape

May 15, 2008 posted by indiatime | Leave a Comment

“…You can’t possibly trust him. He’s perverted….”
- Ann, in Sex, Lies and Vidoetape (1989)

Of all the dowry cases that we have discussed on this site, this one gets the honor of being the strangest and perhaps the raciest.

A woman in New Delhi has accused her husband and his father of threatening her family into paying a huge dowry amount. She has told the police that her husband’s family had secretly filmed her and her husband in bed, and had threatened to post the video on the internet if the woman’s parents do not pay up $200,000. Her family had already paid more than $10,000 in dowry, but the husband’s family was still not satisfied with the deal and wanted more money.

The husband and his father were arrested and later released on bail. It was not known whether the police had confiscated the alleged sex tape to further investigate the matter.

The woman’s complaint was registered on the 27th birthday of India’s only international porn star Sunny Leone, the Indo-Canadian-American beauty who has blown the competition away and is now considered one of the most famous adult film stars on the planet. Soon to star in a Bollywood film, Leone, who herself was brought up in New Delhi, is one Indian beauty who does not have to worry about such novel dowry threats. She makes several multiples of those dowry amounts doing exactly what the Delhi woman’s husband threatened her with!

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May

14

The cost of complacency

May 14, 2008 posted by indiatime | Leave a Comment

As I noted in my post yesterday, on May 8th, just a few days before last night’s bomb blasts in Jaipur, India’s border security forces exchanged substantial gunfire with Pakistani rangers who were trying to give cover to armed insurgents entering India at the Line of Control. That event should have put security all over India on high alert. And a question should have been asked whether there is an important date or anniversary event over the next few days or weeks that terror groups might be targetting.

It so happens that May the 13th would probably have come to mind as a date to watch. Not just because it is the 13th day of the month, but May the 13th is also the date when India conducted its last nuclear test, exactly ten years ago, in the state of Rajasthan. Terror groups frequently like to pretend some symbolism or ideological ground, and under a heightened state of alertness, this tiny fact would not have gone unnoticed.

Had the Pokhran connection been pursued, the law enforcement could have focused on the state of Rajasthan, and possibly on any suspected operatives of terror organizations such as HUJI or SIMI or LET.

It is now known that an auto driver in Jaipur was approached by an unknown woman, asking him to place a package at some strategic location, in exchange of 100,000 Rupees. Had the auto driver managed to alert the authorities immediately, some lives could have been saved, if not all. Like the auto driver, several other locals must have come across some strangers with suspicious motives with a lot of cash to offer for atypical services or requests. Someone somewhere must have become suspicious about a little something going on.

What was not in place was a system that could connect the dots, a collective knowledge that weaving bits and pieces of intelligence can put together a nagging puzzle, averting a potential disaster-in-making. A lot of that collective intelligence could have been gathered at corners where youngsters typically hang around, under shady trees where seniors usually hang around, and in homes and communities where women-folk normally gather and chitchat. All that failed because in the days of instant cricket and reality TV shows, youngsters no longer gather around street corners, seniors no longer hang around under banyan trees, and women-folk no longer have time for smal-talk. Everybody is in a hurry to get home early so they can be in front of their TVs watching cricket’s millionaires or reality soap stars slap each other to death. With eyes glued to the idiot box, the terrorist at the door is all smiles, his job ever so easier and smoother.

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May

13

Several bomb blasts rocked the city of Jaipur in Rajasthan this evening, resulting in at least several dozen people killed and several hundred injured. Some estimates have put the number of dead at more than hundred. The blasts occurred in the crowded market area of the walled city, a series of them, one after another, setting of a panic situation in the city. The blasts took place at Manak Chowk, Chandpole, Tripolia Bazar, and also near Hanuman Mandir and the famous landmark Hawa Mahel. A visibly shaken and distraught chief minister Raje told the press that such terrorist activities would not be tolerated and that she had already briefed the prime minister and Mrs. Sonia Gandhi about the situation.

Concerned relatives can call the Goverment Hospital at 0141 2619827 or the Sawai Man Singh Hospital at 0141 2560291 to find more information about anyone presumed to have been injured in the blast.

Initial reports have implied the hand of HUJI (Harakat ul-Jihad-I-Islami) and LET (Lashkar-e-Toyba), the terrorist organization comprised of Pakistan’s Islamist fundamentalists who are known to have been operational in the Kashmir region.

Tonight, most Indian metros including Mumbai, Varanasi, New Delhi and especially the Jammu-Kashmir region has been put on high alert.

Barely a week ago, reports had surfaced about India being the hottest target for terrorist activities. Less than a week ago, armed insurgents from Pakistan had tried to cross the Line of Control between India and Pakistan, sparking gunfire for several hours.

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May

13

What about Dr Binayak Sen?

May 13, 2008 posted by indiatime | Leave a Comment

dr binayak senA few weeks ago, the Global Health Council, a non-profit global healthcare organization, announced the winner of this year’s annual Jonathan Mann awards, a prestigious honor bestowed for work in the area of global health, ethics, and human rights. There were 10 Indians in the list of 58 finalists, an impressive tribute to the dedicated humanitarian work by several Indian citizens. This year, the awards committe chose Dr. Binayak Sen of Raipur, from the state of Chattisgarh, for his service to the poor mine workers in his region.

While nominating the eventual winner of the award, the awards committee also expressed shock and dismay at the current plight of this year’s winner Dr. Sen, who remains imprisoned on unsubstantiated allegations. Yesterday, a group of 22 Nobel Laureates, 9 of them winners in the Medicine category, publicly appealed to the Indian authorities, asking to release Dr. Sen.

Dr. Sen was thrown in jail exactly one year ago, on charges that he helped carry messages or CDs for a jailed naxalite leader called Narayan Sanyal. Sen had been providing legal and medical assistance to the naxalite leader, under the full supervision and with full knowledge of the authorities. But Sen’s troubles with the local authorities have less to do with his medical help to the naxalites and more to do with the dynamic between the impoverished tribals and the heavy-handed authoritarian local governments that have, over the years, helped fuel unrest, discord and at times committed atoricities. Sen’s presence and his activities have been an unwelcome botheration, but the rising tensions between the naxalites and the local vigilante organization Salwa Judum (a government sponsored self-defense group), have taken the degree of discord to a new level, whose biggest victim is the human rights of the local population on either side of the issue.

If Dr. Binayak Sen is indeed guilty of the accusations the Chattisgarh state government makes against him, the government’s odd demeanor belies any straightforward intentions to accord him the usual rights that are due a prisoner. Even if the government’s case were to be believed in entirety, Dr. Sen would still be considered a political prisoner at best. And even if he were to pay in full for a crime he doesn’t at all seem to be guilty of, he has already paid for it by virtue of being imprisoned for a year. That the Chattisgarh government seems to be intent on making an example of a human rights worker with a splendid record of saving lives, is a telling sign that deep in India’s heartland, human rights is probably a scarce commodity.

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May

12

India’s supreme court today threw out the bail plea for Manu Sharma, the main accused in model Jessical Lal’s murder case. The court also chided a lower court, saying the trial judge seemed to be in a hurry to acquit the accused, and had disregarded evidence in a bid to set the accused free.

About 9 years ago, Jessica Lal, a New Delhi model-turned-restaurant-waitress, refused to serve drinks to a group of latecomers that the bar was about to be closed, and was shot to death at the high-profile late night party, in front of almost 400 people. The initial investigation and eyewitness reports firmly put the perpetrating gun in the hands of Manu Sharma, a local politician’s rouge son. He fled the incidence, vanishing for almost a week, but was caught later. The case dragged through the legal system for years, the eyewitnesses started having memory lapses, critical pieces of evidence went missing or were tampered, leading to an eventual acquittal in a once-strong case. Intense public pressure followed with people literally taking to the streets to protest an obvious mockery of justice, and the original acquittal was overturned, leading to the conviction of Manu Sharma. Sharma appealed for a bail through Ram Jethmalani, a celebrity lawyer who has recently sought controversy by representing low-life scums that most other lawyers have shied away from.

But Jethmalani’s case today, for Manu Sharma’s appeal, seemed not just weak but frivolous. Jethmalani contested the very premise of the murder, contending that there was no question of murdering Ms. Lal for refusal of serving drinks. “Liquor is freely available in India”, he said, arguing that “a person cannot be expected to shoot another person down because they refuse to serve drinks”.

Jethmalani’s point revives the frivilous motive behind the murder - someone getting killed because they refused to serve drinks. But his argument that the aforementioned frivolousness be the reason to absolve the accused is itself ridiculously frivolous. Saying that it was highly unlikely for an Indian person to be killing another Indian for such a trivial matter, Jethmalani tried to stir things up for his convicted client. His problem, however, is that, it is that very frivolous disposition by his client and the corrupt people helping him, that energized India’s citizenry against the injustice in this case. By continuing to make light of a tragedy, Jethmalani, a one-time-heavyweight of India’s legal community, has only further eroded whatever respect people may still for this 85-year old oldtimer.

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May

11

False dreams and fake promises

May 11, 2008 posted by indiatime | Leave a Comment

Last year, answering a question on his presidential website, the then President kalam said this :

Question: You always say “Dream, dream and dream”. Can you please elaborate?

President Kalam: Dreaming leads to thinking; thinking provides knowledge; knowledge leads you to work hard, which in turn makes you great.

Yesterday, Dr. Kalam spoke to the graduating class of the Ravenshaw University in Cuttack, telling them this:

“…Dreams transform into thoughts and thoughts into action and with knowledge all problems would be defeated and goals achieved…”

Yesterday, Dr. Kalam also outlined his multifaceted profile of India in 2020, saying it will have

1. thin line dividing urban and rural areas,

2. abundant quality energy,

3. best destination for science and technology research,

4. quality health-care facilities,

5. a responsive government,

6. Illiteracy would be reduced,

7. malnutrition solved,

8. India to be a conglomerate of entrepreneurs, administrators, service providers and farmers

I respect Dr. Kalam very much, and wrote endlessly in his support last year (here, here and here), but I am very very skeptical of this kind of enthusiastic dream-big cheerleading that fails to address the enormous problems India faces today, focusing only on the success of a fraction of India’s population. Let’s look at what Dr. Kalam’s dream told the students and let’s realistically look at the state of the union in that regard today.

1. thin line dividing urban and rural areas:
I hope Dr. Kalam doesn’t mean this is a good thing. Because I believe it will be horrible if India’s rural area start disappearing and become extensions of cities like Mumbai and Delhi and Pune and Bangalore. By any standards, this will be an environmental disaster and dwarf every other problem we may face in 2020.

2. abundant quality energy:
The only way India would be anywhere close to this target if we harness nuclear energy plus come across some exceptional alternative energy options that have hitherto not been explored. As of today, several areas still have not seen modern electricity, several cities face power cuts & shortages. And there is nothing India in particular would be achieving in this regard. The energy issue is a universal one, and the solution is not coming from within India.

3. best destination for science and technology research:
That is a high goal, considering India universities have never been known for quality research. India’s past record in this area has been nothing but dismal and shameful, and we do not account for much in the Intellectual Property sector as well. China and Japan have long been known as Asia’s giants in that regard, and let’s not even compare ourselves to the west in this matter.

4. quality health-care facilities:
India may have the know-how and the workforce to do this, but let’s get this straight. India’s future as a magnet for medical tourism has more to do with the ridiculous healthcare costs in the US. Internally, we keep having problems with blood-banks, sloppy post-op care, conditions like polio, TB and HIV-AIDS, and most especially, the plague of politics in our healthcare system

5. a responsive government:
Ha! Ha! Ha! Dr. Kalam can say that again. It’s a great idea, but Dr. Kalam knows better than that. I’m not saying we do not have wel-meaning people in our government. Far from it. But we have too many corrupt individuals as well, and anybody who promises that India will be free of much of that in ten years, I have a piece of land in the Arabian ocean to sell you.

6. Illiteracy would be reduced:
Dr. Kalam seems to be getting closer to reality with this one. He isn’t saying we will eliminate illiteracy. He isn;t even saying how far we will reduce it. All he is saying is it will be reduced. I agree.

7. malnutrition solved:
I don’t believe that. I think like the previous item, malnutrition, too, will be reduced.

8. India to be a conglomerate of entrepreneurs, administrators, service providers and farmers:
Actually, India is that already. And India would do just fine in this regard if we did not have one more entity that pollutes and muddies the waters of that conglomerates - our politicians.

It seems to me that Dr. Kalam and all of us are still in the dreaming mode on his model. My worst fear is that in this middle of all this dreaming and thinking and transforming, there is a lot more corrupting, stealing, lying, electioneering, race-religion-baiting, quota-reserving, female-infant-killing, bride-burning, and special-groups-pandering. The problem with Dr. Kalam’s utopic vision is that his inspiring words can do little to catalyze a revolutionary change in the way Indians look at their government and political system.

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May

10

“…We have been called the land of Karma Sutra then why is it that in this land we shy away from its very name…Ancient art has never been devoid of eroticism where sex worship and representation of the union between man and woman has been a recurring feature….Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder and so does obscenity….”

- Justice Kaul, Delhi High Court

In a scathing rebuke to the opponents of artist MF Hussain, Delhi High court, on Tuesday, threw out obscentity charges against the 92-year old artist, clearing the way to Hussain’s homecoming, if he chose to do so. Calling those who oppse Hussain’s nude paintings ‘vandals’ and ‘ignorant’, the High court also reminded the nation that we are and have been, the ‘land of Kama-sutra’.

The high court’s strong judgement is vindication in capital letters for the artist who has been driven out of India by his opponents. At the same time, it is an elating news for thousands of other artists who have shied away from controversial art, for fear of reprisals and potential legal worries.

I think there are two kinds of art forms that we have come to understand, since this erotic painting issue surfaced in the first place. The first art form is of course the free-formed erotic art that is not always to be treated as an impressionist art would be, but in a more candid, open and interpretative fashion. Fair enough and fairly true. But that art form, as the court also seconded, has been around for eons, in India.

But the more interesting one is the new art form that has flowered and bloomed with such artistic expression. It is the art of fundamentalist politicking through opportunistic exploitation of erotic art. The expression and exploration of that art form by extremist political currents, has been shown to titillate and excite sections of Indian psyche that respond in uncontrolled passionate revelry.

Until the legislators and the courts find a way to calm those tides, any conventional art will never breathe free.

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May

9

Ganga, the river goddessA dolphin couple, fleeing the polluted and dirty waters of river Ganga, was stoned to death by villagers who thought it was a pair of killer fish. The tragic incident occurred in the Nagram village, near Lucknow’s Sharda canal. The villagers mistook the Dolphins, members of the dwindling Gangetic Dolphin species, for killer fish, and then pelted them both with stones, eventually beating them with rods as well. The female dolphin has disappeared, but the male was found being wheeled on the streets of Nagram village, when the cops accosted the village idiot who was carrying it.

The Gangetic dolphins are one of the two varieties of dolphins found in South Asia, the other one being the Indus river dolphin. Worldwide, only four freshwater bodies are known habitats for the dolphins - rivers Ganga, Indus, Yangtze and Amazon.

The number of subspecies as well as the overall population of the Gangetic dolphins has been declining over the last century. The annual monsoon floods are said to bring the dolphins out of their usual range, sometimes straying into artificial water bodies such as canals, thus endangering the animals. Experts blame the rapid decline in the dolphin population to the emergence of multiple dams in the original habitat, in addition to poaching, toxic contamination of waters, and the dolphins being trapped in fishnets.

Hindu mythology has long considered the dolphins as the vehicle or the ride for the river goddess Ganga. Plus the killing of dolphins is and has been illegal in India (schedule 1 of Indian Wildlife Act 1972 - poachers can be imprisoned for 1-6 years and fined upto Rs. 6000). But that ban is said to be completely ineffective.

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May

8