Modi a hit in Delhi?

by Karan Thakur

Thursday , February 07, 2013 at 17 : 09

Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi marked his presence on the national political stage with a coming out speech of sorts at the Sri Ram College of Commerce in New Delhi. The speech which was an elucidation of his outlook on governance, inclusive growth, development and India's place in the new global order was apt for the setting with an audience receptive to his clarion call. That Modi has been the poster boy for development and for the Centre-Right and Right is not disputable, but what stood out was the charisma and the connect that he managed to achieve in this latest outing.

Modi has been a curious political entity since his coming to power over a decade ago. A lifetime party worker for the BJP, he moved up the ranks and today stands head and shoulders above his colleagues in the informal...Read more...

Why inclusion of marital rape in the ordinance is necessary

by Kavita Krishnan

Thursday , February 07, 2013 at 12 : 17

The ordinance, in its present form, justifies and legalises marital rape. Even if a wife separates legally from her husband, the husband will get a lenient (two year) punishment if he rapes her! Justice Verma's report had said that any sexual contact that is against a woman's consent is sexual violence regardless of the relationship of the accused to the woman - even if he is a boyfriend or husband. A wife is not the property of her husband, she still has the right to say 'no' to sexual contact with him. In case the accused is in a relationship (or had a past relationship) with the complainant, it cannot be assumed/presumed that the latter has 'consented' to sexual contact.

If marital rape is recognised legally, will it result in false cases? Well, we can look at the experience of domestic violence....Read more...

Bulldozed in Bangalore

by Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

Friday , February 01, 2013 at 11 : 46

'They tore down our whole neighbourhood in a few days. If the BBMP always worked this fast, what a city Bangalore would be!'

I'm standing near the bus shelter across the road from where the BBMP's EWS (Economically Weaker Sections) colony used to stand. I've been speaking to a tempo driver and a local hotel owner who are helping with relief efforts for the people displaced by the recent demolition of the colony. Both men grew up in this area, went to the same school; one of them owned a house here which he had rented out for some years.

While waiting for a few more volunteers to arrive so that we can start serving breakfast to some of the displaced families men, women and children camping out on a filthy pavement with whatever belongings they could save from the...Read more...

Death penalty for rapists? I hope not!

by Vivek Pundir

Wednesday, January 30, 2013 at 12 : 03

The five adults accused in the Delhi gang-rape case will probably hang for it, as they should. For, if the accusations are true, they are culpable for not only rape, but also battery and murder.

A significant proportion of our population, not the least of which is a broad coalition ranging from opportunistic political parties to feminist campaigners, is demanding a revision of existing law to make rape a capital offence. I think that's a terrible idea.

Death penalty for rape is not in the interest of the victim, it's not effective, and it's not fair.

Unlike pretty much any other crime, rape inevitably has an eye-witness - the victim. Further, absent a national DNA database, the probability of the perpetrators' identification is almost perfectly correlated with...Read more...

From 'The Satanic Verses' to 'Vishwaroopam': decoding India's ban culture

by Karan Thakur

Monday , January 28, 2013 at 16 : 35

Kamal Haasan's new movie 'Vishwaroopam', has run into rough weather in what is becoming a worrying and tragic trend for any movie that speaks on current realities or has religio-mythological leanings. Two censor boards today govern the Indian movie industry it seems one the more mundane cinematographic version and the other a self-appointed all-encompassing moralistic version that is by some people, of some people but meant for all the people. This trend of banning movies or the use of violent means to stop their broadcast and screening is in no way limited to only motion pictures. Works of history and literature, fiction and creative writing, visual arts etc. have all come under the spectre of the ban which must be whole-heartedly condemned. Perennially controversial writer Salman Rushdie has gone to the extent of saying that a cultural emergency exists in India today, which, whatever way one may look...Read more...

Rahul Gandhi and the politics of the dispossessed

by Karan Thakur

Tuesday , January 22, 2013 at 12 : 09

The Chintan Shivir or brainstorming session of the Congress Party in Jaipur ended on a high for the party with the elevation of the heir and scion of the Gandhi family as the vice president of the party. Rahul Gandhi's coronation was unanimously endorsed and welcomed with unabashed frenzy from party cadres and the old guard alike. Rahul made an emotional and eloquent speech, arguably the best of his eight-year old political career, touching upon politics, his family and his vision for the future. He reiterated his love for his party and country while highlighting the role of his family in the political history of independent India.

While much of the forty-minute speech touched upon a wide array of subjects, what stood out most was his focus on how many Indians feel neglected and shunned from the larger political mainstream. Gandhi spoke about...Read more...

Congress Chintan Shivir : a bundle of contradictions

by K Nageshwar

Monday , January 21, 2013 at 15 : 10

The Congress leadership at its Jaipur conclave has unveiled its thoughts (chintan) for the revival of the grand old party of India before the ensuing 2014 elections. But, the thought process is replete with a bundle of contradictions. Unless the party overcomes them, wishes will not come true.

The party supremo, Sonia Gandhi, said that the Indian people are fed up of corruption. But, she failed to make an honest introspection that people of India are agonised at the Congress-led political corruption in the country. The party has done precious little to check the unending saga of corruption scandals in the UPA-II government. The Prime Minister was also not above these allegations (read coal scam). Yet Sonia Gandhi ventured to talk about corruption in a brazen display of political opportunism. This is nothing but a case of devils quoting scriptures.Read more...

Cancer: when to get a medical opinion

by Shubham Pant

Wednesday, January 09, 2013 at 16 : 20

Cancer is believed to be the second most common cause of death after heart disease. Its symptoms can be similar to those of common diseases. For example unexplained weight loss may be an indication of cancer. Typically people ignore these early symptoms confusing them with other common conditions. Sometimes they are scared to consult a doctor. It is very important to detect cancer before it spreads, as treatment is most effective when cancer is found early. For example, if a breast lump is found at an early stage by examination, timely treatment can result in long cancer free survival. Always remember that every symptom could be explained by a harmless condition. Still, it is important to be aware of the following symptoms of cancer and get them investigated.

Unexplained loss of weight: Substances released by cancer cells can result in weight loss....Read more...

Addressing suppressed sexuality

by Karan Thakur

Tuesday , January 08, 2013 at 12 : 06

The ghastly and brutal gang-rape and murderous assault on a 23 year old by six men in New Delhi last month has shaken the national consciousness and hit our sensibilities as a society like no case before. The crime, like many before it, has only highlighted the brutal and life-altering nature that sexual violence has on the victim, but more than that, this case in particular, has highlighted a certain broken society that we live in today. India has been hailed as a success story the world over given our economic prowess and rising international stature. Pitted against the rosy news is the oft-reported but quickly forgotten issue of gender discrimination and sexual violence that exists in the country today. A lot of the sexual crimes committed against the victim are nothing more than criminal acts of a deviant mind hell bent on "proving" the superiority of one's...Read more...

The gangrape and thereafter

by Somesh Goyal

Wednesday, January 02, 2013 at 16 : 30

The brutal gangrape of a 23-year-old girl by six criminals in a moving bus on Dec 16 has shocked the nation like never before. One positive aspect has been that hitherto silent and submissive multitudes have decided to express their anger vociferously forcing the government of the day both at the Centre and Delhi to go into a huddle to find means to balm the scarred national psyche.

Girls and women have long been subjected to ill behavior at the hands of their male compatriots. They have been groped, pushed and molested in crowded buses, trains, malls, work places and so on by males of all age groups and social strata. It was heartening to see that women in large numbers decided to shed their inhibitions and voiced their grievances, in fact forced the government to assure immediate action.Read more...