Over to you, citizens of India. It's time to demand justice for Ruchika

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Our criminal justice system has once again failed. Once again the ghost of a young girl cries out to be heard. In a country that celebrates its woman president, its woman speaker of the Lok Sabha, its woman leader of the Opposition and its woman head of the Congress party, once again this country is in danger of failing a powerless young woman. The criminal justice system has failed Ruchika Girhotra, as it once failed Bhanvari Devi, Jessica Lal and Priyadarshani Mattoo. Indian society's horrifyingly patriarchal face, is revealed again, where a powerful and influential male babu or politician is able to twist the system so efficiently that for 19 long years not only is justice denied, but a modest family is harassed, driven out of employment, and forced into hiding out of fear. Justice denied so completely that a desperate child, alone in her solitary grief, has been driven....

Speaking the language of change

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2009 marks the return of the English-speaking politician. Environment and Forests Minister Jairam Ramesh is India's new king of climate, leading our country's charge against Western nations who are forcing India to accept carbon emission cuts. The IIT-educated Ramesh is an unlikely nationalist folk hero, and in spite of being targeted by the Opposition on his alleged sell out to the West, it is he who now embodies India's national interest at Copenhagen. Even before Jairam Ramesh became Mr Green India, the Harvard Business School educated Home Minister P Chidambaram has already been consolidating his image as Mr Strong India. Chidambaram proudly claims that in spite of several attempts by terrorists, India has been able to foil all terror attacks in the last year. His speeches have charted a bold new position of defending the `Idea Of India' from "Islamic terrorism", "Hindu extremism" and "ideologically-driven violence." ....