Living fossils in a dynamic world

In many dictatorships across the world, lampooning the ‘supreme leader’ is a crime punishable by death or prison sentences worse than death itself. Before we pat ourselves for our ‘vibrant’ democracy, as our political stalwarts and their foreign counterparts put it, let us take a realistic stock of our country.
If you thought it was the whimsical Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee alone who threw tantrums over cartoons and threw people into dungeons, you got it wrong.
The row over political cartoons in the NCERT textbooks is the best examples. Netas of all hues have thundered against a 50-year-old cartoon showing Jawaharlal Nehru whipping BR Ambedkar for the snail’s pace of work in drafting the Constitution. Both have played their roles in nation building, but are now dead and gone. The cartoon was published in a national daily and is a matter of historical record.
Now suddenly we find some groups taking umbrage to that cartoon (getting offended, developing feeling of animosity... the list goes on) and has got the government to agree to delete it.
The incident made several interest groups realise that if children were allowed free (or rather uncensored) access to political developments of the past, there would be little future for several ideologies based on divisiveness. It also dawned on many that if the origins of their political movements were laid bare before the smart schoolchildren, their out-dated and irrational outfits would soon run out of takers.
 And so began the clamour from across the country for text books to be ‘politically correct’. The designated panel of ‘experts’ sifted through the NCERT curriculum for political booby traps. And lo! 36 out of 176 cartoons were found to be inappropriate and the panel has recommended their removal.
These cartoons reflect the critical political analysis of the times when the corresponding incident occurred. Going back to them now and trying to erase their presence is nothing short of juvenile conduct. And the current ‘revision’ reeks of the dictatorship we see in George Orwell’s 1984. In the book, there is a government department dedicated to destroying records of all follies of the past and rewriting them to make the leadership look like infallible visionaries — we are not far.
Tolerance to criticism, no matter how vitriolic it is, is an indicator of the maturity of a leader or an organisation. The more convinced the party is about its ideology and history, the less will be the tendency to throw tantrums over ‘offensive content’.
It is an attempt at the impossible to keep historic realities away from the children as they are not confined to text book knowledge. Information of all shades is available in the media, especially on the internet.
We also need to understand that perspectives on the same person or event are divergent, depending on the level of involvement and impact in the life of the person involved.
 For example, Indira Gandhi is a great leader but others perceive her as the only dictator the country has had since independence. So who gets to decide the political ‘acceptability’ of a cartoon on the Emergency?
Many political parties that ran decades of mindless ‘education in mother tongue only’ campaigns are now struggling to own up their folly when English-speaking youths from other liberal states corner the best jobs. Attempting to erase the records of their actions will not undo the damage done.
We should come out from the state of denial and learn to accept criticism as inputs for introspection and course correction. Ego-driven ideas of self-glorification must not ossify us into living fossils in a dynamic world.
(This article was published as the editorial column in Postnoon on July 4, 2012)

Didi reigns supreme with little mamata

It’s been more than a year since Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee ended the three-decade-old rule of CPM and occupied the chief minister’s chair at Writers’ Building.
The firebrand leader rode the crest of anti-incumbency wave, powered by her ‘ma, mati, manush’ campaign: the communist government’s heavy-handed land acquisition made her victory easier.
If one were to judge the CM by the state of affairs during her rule, Didi, as she is popularly known, presents a disturbing picture.
Trinamool numbers are crucial to the survival of the Union government, and Mamata has never missed an opportunity to assert herself — though it might not be exactly in the interest of the nation.
She threw spanner in the works on crucial policies like FDI in retail and National Counter-terrorism Centre and even managed to derail an important river water treaty with Bangladesh. While her populist stance may win her applause from the masses, the damage that is being done will be hard to undo.
Like any leader who is dependent solely on personality cult, Mamata has shown extreme paranoia when it comes to facing criticism. Her conspiracy theories are ludicrous and at times would make one doubt the mental stability of the chief minister.
For all her rhetoric about the empty state coffers and the ultimatum to the Centre to provide a bailout package, the chief minister ordered all government structures to be painted light blue — it doesn’t take rocket science to understand the colossal waste of money.
Fires, rapes, baby deaths, train accidents and failures of governance are attributed to CPM-sponsored conspiracies ‘to tarnish the paribortan (change)’ she has ushered in. So far she has not suspected aliens, thank goodness! The much-hyped ‘surprise visits’ to check public amenities and open criticism of officials concerned has not changed much for the people.
When cornered over failures of the government, especially on law and order, she goes into a denial mode and lashes out at critics. When the story of a mother-of-two who was raped near a night club was highlighted by the media, the CM dismissed it off as another conspiracy — her minister went a step further to question the moral fabric of the victim.
Later, a diligent IPS officer who cracked the case and arrested the suspects, and therefore proving the chief minister wrong, was shunted out to an insignificant administrative post.
In a reminder of Emergency-era censorship, a professor was arrested for circulating a cartoon lampooning Mamata and Trinamool leaders. And, in a literal blacking out of criticism, the CM has ordered removal of English dailies from state libraries.
Even schools have not been spared. The history text books will be dropping sections about Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels to ‘correct the imbalance’. A basic understanding of history would have told the firebrand CM that she is not the first one to try this route (and fail).
The ally has now become a burden for the UPA government. She forced senior party leader Dinesh Trivedi to quit as railway minister because he defied her diktat and used common sense to hike passenger fares. Every time she forces the Centre to backtrack on a key policy, it is the credibility of the government that goes for a toss.
After yesterday’s civic poll victory, the Trinamool has made it clear that it doesn’t need the junior partner’s support anymore — more bad news for the already humiliated and marginalised state Congress. West Bengal definitely needs change, and for this the chief minister must rise above her self-obsession and put the state’s interest first.
(This article was published as the editorial column in Postnoon on June 6, 2012)

Just let them be happy and gay

In a landmark judgment in the Naz Foundation v/s Government of NCT of Delhi on July 2, 2009, the Delhi High Court struck down most of the provisions of Section 377 of the IPC, holding it violation of fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution.
The verdict came as a major relief to the covert and overt homosexuals in the country, who have been stigmatised by society and persecuted by the draconian law introduced during British Rule.
It was also hailed across the world by political leaders and human rights organisations as a right move in the direction of inclusive policy empowering minorities of all hues.
However, the revolutionary ruling was too much for religious leaders to stomach and they soon moved the Supreme Court challenging the decision.
The apex court sought the stand of the Central government on decriminalising homosexuality — and that is where the drama unfolds. Ever since the SC directive to seek its opinion, the Centre has been shuttling the issue from ministry to ministry, and has been delaying the decision. Opinions on the issue differ between ministries and there has not been a consensus yet.
At a hearing on February 28, 2012, addition solicitor-general PP Malhotra, who appeared for the Home ministry said, "Gay sex is highly immoral and against social order and there is a high chance of spreading of diseases (like AIDS) through such acts."
As civil society breathed fire over his ‘inputs’, the government distance itself from the controversial remarks — the apex court came down heavily on the flip-flop. Even a month after that, the Centre was not able to come out with a clear stand, and this angered the Supreme Court.
In a scathing observation, the SC on Tuesday rapped the Centre for its ‘casual approach’.
All across the world, countries are decriminalising homosexuality and giving legal recognition to same-sex unions. Such moves will ensure that they are not discriminated against and can enjoy their rights like any other person.
Homosexuality is a reality that cannot be wished away, whether the self-appointed guardians of social moral fabric like it or not. If an adult can make a choice to follow a religion, elect political representatives and take decisions on numerous life-altering choices, he/she can decide on what their sexual orientation should be. What’s the point in calling yourself a democracy when all voices aren’t allowed to be heard?
Nothing unnatural about it

Canadian biologist Bruce Bagemihl who has authored Biological Exuberance: Animal Homosexuality and Natural Diversity has documented evidence of homosexual behaviour among at least 1,500 species of animals. Therefore the argument that homosexuality is ‘against the order of nature’ or ‘unnatural’ doesn’t hold ground. While we are still stuck in a time warp trying to call homosexuality unnatural and immoral, other countries have move far ahead — using scientific logic rather than emotion. In a 2003 landmark judgment, the US Supreme Court cited documented evidence of homosexuality among animals to strike down sodomy laws of Texas and 13 other states in Lawrence vs Texas. Sculptures and Khajuraho, which date back to 9th Century BC, vividly display several representations of homosexual intercourse among both men and women.

Salient features of Delhi HC verdict on Section 377

Criminalisation of consensual gay sex violates rights to dignity and privacy, which falls within the right to life and liberty guaranteed by Article 21 of the Constitution. Section 377 runs contrary to equality guaranteed by Article 14 of the Constitution, because it creates an unreasonable classification and targets homosexuals as a class. Public hostility or contempt for a particular social group is not a valid ground for discrimination by State. Discrimination based on sex, prohibited by Article 15 of the Constitution includes discrimination based on sexual orientation. The right to life under Article 21 of Constitution includes the right to health, and Section 377 of IPC is an impediment to public health because it hinders HIV-prevention efforts. Section 377 is unconstitutional to the extent where it criminalises consensual sex between adults in private. None of the above exemptions apply to non-consensual non-vaginal intercourse and intercourse with minors.

  (This article was published as the editorial column in Postnoon on March 21, 2012)

Jarawa ‘cabaret’ reeks of colonial hangover

All hell broke loose a couple of days ago when British media aired footages of Andaman’s Jarawa tribal women dancing half-naked for tourists in exchange of food. It is alleged that the policemen who are deployed to keep the tourists from intruding into their reserved area were the facilitators for this ‘entertainment’.
With brickbats being rained on the Central government and the Andaman administration, the Centre has ordered an inquiry and has sought explanation from local authorities.
The blame game is on but no clarity has emerged till now on how Jarawas, designated by international bodies as human equivalent of ‘endangered’, can be treated so shabbily. The whole episode has proven that despite suffering from colonial bondage for 400-plus years we don’t know how to respect our own people.
Or maybe it’s a new phenomenon called ‘brown man’s burden’. When the ‘white man’ set out to reform the ‘uncivilised’ world with the Bible in one hand and a gun in the other, it sounded the death knell for several ancient civilisations, which did not conform to the West’s idea of modernity.
Today’s torchbearers of freedom, liberty and equality, who invade countries to liberate countries from tyrants and despots, are themselves products of the blood of indigenous populations who were suppressed, oppressed, tortured, enslaved and/or annihilated.
Canada and the US were once the lands of proud Red Indians who lived in sync with nature. They were no match for the ‘white’ invaders who almost exterminated them with guns and diseases. Canada’s Indian population was almost wiped out infecting them with smallpox — to which they had no resistance. Today they are refugees in their own country, living in reservations on government handouts. The story of Australia’s aborigines is not much different.
Civilisations of Incas, Aztecs and were also decimated by the European invaders. The ironic part is that when the West went to invade, plunder, colonise and enslave the rest of the world, the missions had full support of the religious authorities who are supposed to promote values of love, peace and tolerance.
Why look elsewhere when we have our own illustrious examples of trampling on indigenous populations. Almost all the mega power projects, industries and other such installations have displaced millions of tribal folk from their ancestral land. There begins the bloody tale of state-sponsored genocide — all for ‘greater common good’.
These illiterate people, unaccustomed to the wily ways of modernity, are being ruthlessly exploited ever since. They form the cheap labour, who don’t seek their rights. They work in hazardous industries as unskilled hands without safety gear. Their women become domestic helps and the remaining unlucky ones are pushed into flesh trade.
Children don’t go to school, start life as rag-pickers addicted to substance abuse and join the ranks of criminals.
While we crib about the extent of reservation benefits they enjoy, we should realise that what we perceive as unfair is the miniscule few who managed to survive and succeed. Their acquired modernity is no indication of equity or equality.
The special treatment and protection extended to the original inhabitants of this land is not our charity but an insufficient compensation for what we have unjustly taken away from them — a life and happiness we can never replace.
How we treat them is an acid test for us as a nation, a democracy and polity. And we must not fail.