All posts by subhash gatade

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Bombers for a Cause ?

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Bombs always make news – even when they do not explode.

Terrorists of various stripes as well as criminals know it very well. And they time their actions accordingly.

Bombs – even if they do not explode – or even when they cause symbolic damage have an added traction for the politicos of the right. They pay rich dividends.

It is one of the easiest things to stigmatise, terrorise a community, a people. In an ambience where all such anti-human acts are projected as handiwork of the ‘other’ it takes very less time to polarise the ‘us’. It is common knowledge that the vitiation of atmosphere is so immediate and complete that all talk of harmony and composite heritage can just evaporate in a fraction of a second and the saner elements within can suddenly find themselves on the margins.

Kagal, a town in Kolhapur district, was witness to such an incident, where the police discovered a bomb making factory in the Lakshmi Hill near MIDC area. The culprits involved in this action could be nabbed before they could ‘operationalise their bomb’.

The gravity of the situation could be understood by the fact that police could bust this criminal module on the eve of Narendra Modi’s proposed rally in that area. It has arrested four youths who were involved in the operation. While Ajinkya Manohar Bhopade(22) and Aniket Bhivaji Mali(22) belong to Chokak village in Hatkananagale, Nilesh Babanrao Patil (20) is from Male Mudshingi, in Hatkanangale and Anil Popat Kharase (26) hail from Kabnur-Ichalkaranji in Hatkanangale. Patil and Kharase supplied material for bomb making and Bhopade – who has a diploma in electronics and Mali – who works as wireman have been arrested for making bombs. Continue reading Bombers for a Cause ? →

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Know Your NaMo

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Not very many people – living outside Gujarat – know that Narendra Modi, the Parivar’s ‘PM in waiting’ also happens to be a ‘passionate writer, poet and a lover of culture..’ and how ‘[d]espite his busy, .. schedule, ..devotes time to ..writing, interacting with people on social media etc.’ (www.narendramodi.in) We are also told that he has been writing ‘since he was young.’

Let me admit at the outset that this poor penpusher was rather unaware of Modi’s writing prowess apart from one of his initial attempts to pen a book called ‘Karmyog’ which had miserably backfired. It was basically a collection of his speeches to IAS aspirants and had to be withdrawn rather unceremoniously as it ‘glorified untouchability’. (http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/true-lies/entry/modi-s-spiritual-potion-to-woo-karmayogis).

Coming back to Mr Modi’s writing skills recently I came across a series called ‘Modi and His Mentors’ (www.firstpost.com) where the would be PM of this country has talked about many of those people who impacted his life in very many ways. Continue reading Know Your NaMo →

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Appeal to all Voters to Protect Democracy – People’s Alliance for Democracy and Secularism

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Dear fellow citizens

Sixty seven years ago, independent India adopted a democratic constitution that created a platform for equality and justice by ensuring the participation of all. Our constitution-makers were concerned to maintain a secular society free from any divisions of caste, sect and religion. 

What has become of that vision? A large part of the population lives in extreme poverty. Millions of Indians are denied their fundamental rights. There are strong linkages amongst powerful capitalists, biased officials and unscrupulous political representatives. The political system is in danger of being taken over and run for the benefit of the rich, rather than for the vast bulk of the Indian people. Communal forces of all colours thrive in our society. Their growth has been evident since the Delhi carnage of 1984. Biased behavior has appeared in the media, police, bureaucracy and executive. We are witnessing the criminalisation of the state. One example of this is the operation of private armies all over the country.

The Sixteenth Lok Sabha elections are an opportunity for us to preserve democracy. The RSS has emerged as a direct participant, discarding its ‘cultural’ mask. Continue reading Appeal to all Voters to Protect Democracy – People’s Alliance for Democracy and Secularism →

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आओ हम ढोएं हिन्दुत्व की पालकी

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अस्सी के दशक में उत्तर भारत के कुछ शहरों में एक पोस्टर देखने को मिलता था। 

रामबिलास पासवान के तस्वीर वाले उस पोस्टर के नीचे एक नारा लिखा रहता था ‘मैं उस घर में दिया जलाने चला हूं, जिस घर में अंधेरा है।’ उस वक्त़ यह गुमान किसे हो सकता था कि अपनी राजनीतिक यात्रा में वह दो दफा राष्ट्रीय स्वयंसेवक संघ के आनुषंगिक संगठन भारतीय जनता पार्टी का चिराग़ रौशन करने पहुंच जाएंगे। 2002 में गुजरात जनसंहार को लेकर मंत्रिमंडल से दिए अपने इस्तीफे की ‘गलति’ को ठीक बारह साल बाद ठीक करेंगे, और जिस शख्स द्वारा ‘राजधर्म’ के निर्वाहन न करने के चलते हजारों निरपराधों को अपनी जान से हाथ धोना पड़ा, उसी शख्स को मुल्क की बागडोर सम्भालने के लिए चल रही मुहिम मंे जुट जाएंगे।

मालूम हो कि अपने आप को दलितों के अग्रणी के तौर पर प्रस्तुत करनेवाले नेताओं की कतार में रामबिलास पासवान अकेले नहीं हैं, जिन्होंने भाजपा का हाथ थामने का निर्णय लिया है। Continue reading आओ हम ढोएं हिन्दुत्व की पालकी →

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Condemn the Vengeful Actions of the Gujarat Government – A Statement In Solidarity with Teesta Setalvad and her Comrades

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The following is a statement issued by activists and intellectuals in solidarity with Teesta Setalvad and her comrades

We, the undersigned express our deep shock at the rejection of the anticipatory bail application of Teesta Setalvad and four others in what is being called the Gulberg Embezzlement Case, by the City sessions court of Ahmedabad. From its beginning, the so-called embezzlement has been the concoction of elements instigated by the state government of Gujarat, including the Gujarat Crime Branch. In January 2014, an FIR was registered against the five accused for defrauding the members of the Gulberg Society of funds meant for the building of the Gulberg Memorial commemorating the state sponsored carnage.

It may be in order to recall the facts of the case, especially, since a section of the media is spreading canards that the funds thus raised were used for buying jewellery, wine and such like, and gloating over the possibility of the arrest of Teesta Setalvad and others.

Continue reading Condemn the Vengeful Actions of the Gujarat Government – A Statement In Solidarity with Teesta Setalvad and her Comrades →

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साम्प्रदायिक फासीवाद की चुनौती – नयी ज़मीन तोड़ते हुए

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यहुदी तथा ईसाई, हिन्दू तथा मुस्लिम ‘मूलवादी/बुनियादपरस्त’ श्रेष्ठ भिन्नता (सुपीरिअर डिफरेन्स) की बात करते हैं। हरेक का मुक़ाबला एक कनिष्ठ और डरावने अन्य से होता है। हरेक असमावेश की राजनीति में सक्रिय रहता है। इसलिए हरेक अपने दायरे में अल्पसंख्यक समुदायों के लिए खतरे के तौर पर उपस्थित होता है।.. मुस्लिम मिलिटेण्ट के लिए ‘अन्य’ यहुदी होते हैं, कभी ईसाई होते हैं और दक्षिण एशिया में हिन्दू, ईसाई और अहमदी होते हैं। मैं ऐसे किसी धार्मिक-राजनीतिक संगठन को आज नहीं जानता जिसके सामने एक दानवीकृत, डरावना अन्य नहीं है।

अन्य हमेशा एक सक्रिय निषेध (active negation) होता है। ऐसे तमाम आन्दोलन नफरत की लामबन्दी करते हैं और अक्सर इसके लिए अभूतपूर्व सांगठनिक प्रयास करते हैं।..
हिंसा का सम्प्रदाय और दुश्मनों का विस्तार भिन्नता की विचारधाराओं में निहित होता है। सभी अन्य के प्रति अपनी नफरत को संगठित ंिहंसा के जरिए अभिव्यक्त करते हैं। सभी धर्म और इतिहास की दुहाई देते हुए अपनी हिंसा को वैधता प्रदान करते हैं। लगभग सभी मामलों में दुश्मनों की संख्या बढ़ती जाती है। पहले भारतीय परिवार के निशाने पर मुस्लिम अन्य रहता था और अब उसने ईसाइयों को उसमें शामिल किया है।
( प्रोफाइल आफ द रिलीजियस राइट – इकबाल अहमद, 1999)

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मुखौटा और आदमी

बच्चों की फन्तासियां अनन्त एवं अकल्पनीय होती हैं।

वह शेर का मुखौटा पहनेगा और अपने आत्मीयों को अपनी गुर्राहट से ‘डराने’ लगेगा और दूसरे ही क्षण वह स्पाइडरमैन का मुखौटा पहन कर कल्पना करेगा कि वह हवा में उड़ रहा है। आप ने किसी वयस्क को शायद ही कहीं देखा हो जो बच्चे की उन शैतानियों से परेशान हो उठे, भले ही उसके लिए वह बच्चा बिल्कुल अजनबी हो।

क्या होगा कि किसी अलसुबह आप को वयस्कों का एक समूह या उसी तरह शरीर से दृष्टपुष्ट लोग सड़कों पर घुमते मिलें जिन्होंने उसी किस्म के या वही मुखौटे पहनें हों ? आप निश्चित ही उन बुजुर्गों की मानसिक स्थिति को लेकर चिन्तित होंगे और उन्हें यह सलाह देना चाहेंगे कि वह नजदीकी मनोवैज्ञानिक से अवश्य मिल लें।

जनाब नरेन्द्र मोदी के सियासत में आगमन – पहले गुजराती हिन्दुओं के एक नेता के तौर पर, जिस वक्त ‘गुजरात का शेर’ के तौर पर उन्हें सम्बोधित किया जाता था और बाद में ‘भारत माता के शेर’ के तौर पर राष्ट्रीय राजनीति में पदार्पण – के साथ हम ऐसे ही मुखौटा पहननेवाले वयस्कों से रूबरू हैं जो एक ऐसे चेहरे में अपनी पहचान ‘विलीन’ कर देना चाहते हैं जो 21 वीं सदी में सबसे ध्रुवीकृत करनेवाली छवियों में शुमार की जाती है। Continue reading साम्प्रदायिक फासीवाद की चुनौती – नयी ज़मीन तोड़ते हुए →

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Hidden in Plain Sight – Problems of Democracy Under Capitalism: Ravi Sinha

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Talk delivered by RAVI SINHA at the International Seminar on “Democracy, Socialism, and the Visions for the 21st Century”, 7th to 10th March, 2014 Hyderabad, India

If one has to say something brief and short about a large and complex subject, which is also a much discussed topic, one always runs the risk of stating the obvious. But one may also chance upon the unexpected and the counter-intuitive. Problems of democracy under capitalism and under socialism have by now a ring of tiring familiarity around them, but they also contain surprises that are hidden in plain sight. While fixing my coordinates by recounting the obvious, my hope is to point towards aspects that may be counter-intuitive to the political common sense prevalent in much of the left and the social movements.

 Let me begin with the status of democracy under capitalism. Popular mind considers them complementary to each other. Ancients – whether in Greece or in India – were familiar with the concept of democracy and, at least in some famous examples, they are also supposed to have practiced it. But the large-scale acceptance and practice of democracy overlaps with the history of capitalism. In addition, the history of socialism of the twentieth century has been such that this association got further entrenched in the popular mind. I will come to the socialism question a little later. For now, let me stay with the relationship between democracy and capitalism.
If I were to say, then, that at the core of this relationship lies a tension that is fundamentally irresolvable, it would appear counter-intuitive to the popular common sense. On the other hand, it would appear obvious to a leftist. On both counts there are reasons to dig a little deeper. Truth is often counter-intuitive for the wrong reasons, but at times it is also obvious for the wrong reasons.
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1933 of 2014 ? : Time to break New Grounds in Confronting Communal Fascism

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( To be published in the coming issue of ‘Critique’ a magazine published by  ‘New Socialist Initiative’s Delhi University team )

The Jew as well as the Christian, the Hindu no less than the Muslim ‘fundamentalist’ plies an ideology of superior difference. Each confronts an inferior and threatening Other . Each engages in the politics of exclusion. Hence each poses a menace to the minority communities within its boundary…For the Muslim militants the Other are the Jews, occasionally Christians and, in South Asia, the Hindus, Christians, and Ahmedis. I know of no religio-political formation today which does not have a demonized, therefore threatened, Other.

The Other is always an active negation. All such movements mobilize hatred, and often harness unusual organizational effort to do so. ..

The cult of violence and proliferation of enemies are inherent in ideologies of difference. All express their hate for the Other by organized violence. All legitimize their violence with references to religion and history. In nearly all instances the enemy multiplies. At first, the Indian Parivar had the Muslim Other for target. It has now turned on Christians.

Profile of the Religious Right – Eqbal Ahmad (1999)

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Masks and the Man

Child’s fantasies are endless and unimaginable.

It will wear a mask of a tiger and start ‘scaring’ it’s near and dear ones with a growl and the very next moment would imagine itself to be flying in the air with the mask of a Spiderman. Have you ever noticed any adult -may be completely stranger to the kid – getting annoyed with such tantrums of a child. Definitely not.

What will happen if you tomorrow discover the same group of adults or similar physically grown-up people moving on the streets or herding together wearing similar masks or identical masks? You will have sincere doubts about their mental faculties and if possible, would love to advise them that they consult the nearest psychiatrist. Continue reading 1933 of 2014 ? : Time to break New Grounds in Confronting Communal Fascism →

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Whose “Hurt Sentiment”? On Pulping of Wendy Doniger’s Book: Association of Students for Equitable Access to Knowledge (ASEAK)

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Issued by Association of Students for Equitable Access to Knowledge (ASEAK)

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From Rushdie’s The Satanic Verses to Wendy Doniger’s The Hindus: An Alternative History, we are witness to an increasingly regressive trend of banning books, films and art in the name of ‘hurt sentiments’. However, while in a plural and diverse society as ours where sentiments are routinely hurt, when do certain instances of ‘hurt sentiments’ translate into the clamping down of such ‘hurtful’ narratives, leading to their censorship and banning? The aggressive intolerance towards any effort that challenges the dominant discourse on religion, caste, gender, sexuality, nation, etc. points us in a direction where knowledge produced takes the shape of propaganda. In the face of this attack, let us reclaim our right to think, question, challenge and criticize – the pillars of knowledge production. Continue reading Whose “Hurt Sentiment”? On Pulping of Wendy Doniger’s Book: Association of Students for Equitable Access to Knowledge (ASEAK) →

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Modi and The Art of ‘Disappearing’ of Untouchability

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It is a story attributed to a famous Saint from Middle Ages – a votary of the idea of Brahma Satya, Jagat Mithya (Brahma is the Only Truth, Rest is All Illusion). Once this gentleman was walking with his Shishya (disciple) on a road and suddenly a elephant appeared from nowhere and rushed towards this duo. Abruptly ending his discussion on Maya (illusion) the Guru instructed his Shishya to just run away to save himself. When both of them were at a safe place, the exasperated Shishya asked the Guru, why did he ask him to run knowing well that everything else is an ‘illusion’. Without winkling his eyelid the Guru said ‘Gajopi Mithya, Palayanopi Mithya‘ (The elephant was also an illusion and our running away was also an illusion).

One does not know whether the famous sage had visited Gujarat or not but his influence seems palpable there at least among the ruling elite. If the Guru could ‘invisibilise’ the elephant calling it an illusion, here in Gujarat an age old problem like untouchability could be similarly ‘disappeared’ by terming it a matter of ‘perception’. Continue reading Modi and The Art of ‘Disappearing’ of Untouchability →

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Mirror, Mirror on the Wall ! Who Were Those ‘Bad Elements’ Mr Bhagwat?

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‘Cat drinks milk with closed eyes and thinks the world is not watching it’

(Marathi Proverb)

 I.

Rare have been occasions in recent times that the RSS, with all its anushangik (affiliated) organisations on their toes, is engaged in dousing the fire in which it has caught itself unawares. Reason being the ‘interview’ of one of its own Pracharaks (wholetimer) turned terrorist named Swami Aseemanand which was published in a leading magazine named ‘Caravan’.(http://www.caravanmagazine.in/reportage/believer).  According to the RSS, it is a ‘concocted’ one and has even issued a handwritten letter supposedly written by the interviewee ‘denying’ that any such interview occurred whereas the magazine has stood the ground and has even made transcripts of the said interview and its audio recordings public.

Perhaps with the ‘denial’ by the interviewee the matter should have ended there for the RSS, but this does not seem to be the case. And for reasons which is known to itself, it is trying to ‘clarify’ its stand on various aspects which came up during the interview and is trying to distance itself – once again – from Swami Aseemanand alias Naba Kumar Sarkar, a disciplined activist of the ‘Parivar’ for last more than three decades, who hails from a village in West Bengal. Continue reading Mirror, Mirror on the Wall ! Who Were Those ‘Bad Elements’ Mr Bhagwat? →

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The Unending Amnesia Over Hindutva Terror

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image : Courtesy – http://www.abplive.in

 

 

..[A]seemanand’s description of the plot in which he was involved became increasingly detailed. In our third and fourth interviews, he told me that his terrorist acts were sanctioned by the highest levels of the RSS—all the way up to Mohan Bhagwat, the current RSS chief, who was the organisation’s general secretary at the time. Aseemanand told me that Bhagwat said of the violence, “It’s very important that it be done. But you should not link it to the Sangh.”

Aseemanand told me about a meeting that allegedly took place, in July 2005. ..In a tent pitched by a river several kilometres away from the temple, Bhagwat and Kumar met with Aseemanand and his accomplice Sunil Joshi. Joshi informed Bhagwat of a plan to bomb several Muslim targets around India. According to Aseemanand, both RSS leaders approved, and Bhagwat told him, “You can work on this with Sunil. We will not be involved, but if you are doing this, you can consider us to be with you.”

 

(Reportage : The Believer: Swami Aseemanand’s radical service to the Sangh, by LEENA GITA REGHUNATH | 1 February 2014, Caravan Magazine, http://www.caravanmagazine.in/reportage/believer)

 

‘Law is an ass’ a phrase which was used by Charles Dickens in  ‘Oliver Twist’ in a completely different context today finds a deep resonance in this part of South Asia. And nothing illustrates this better than the predicament of what is popularly known as Hindutva terror. Continue reading The Unending Amnesia Over Hindutva Terror →

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सामाजिक मुक्ति की ज्ञानमीमांसा : स्वामी दयानन्द, विवेकानन्द एवं महात्मा ज्योतिबा फुले के बहाने चन्द बातें

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कल्पना की उड़ान भरना हर व्यक्ति को अच्छा लगता है।

कभी कभी मैं सोचता हूं कि आज से 100 साल बाद जबकि हम सभी – यहां तक कि इस सभागार में मौजूद अधिकतर लोग – बिदा हो चुके होंगे तो आने वाले समय के इतिहासलेखक हमारे इस कालखण्ड के बारेमें, जिससे हम गुजर रहे हैं, जिसकी एक एक घटना-परिघटना को लेकर बेहद उद्वेलित दिखते हैं, ‘हम’ और ‘वे’ की बेहद संकीर्ण परिभाषा को लेकर अपने पारिवारिक, सामाजिक एवं राजनीतिक फैसले लेते हैं, क्या कहेंगे ? आज हमारे लिए जो जीवन मरण के मसले बने हैं और जिनकी पूर्ति के नाम पर हम किसी भी हद तक जाने को तैयार हैं, उनके बारे में उनकी क्या राय होगी ? क्या वे इस सदी में सामने आए जनसंहारों के अंजामकर्ताओं को लेकर उतनीही अस्पष्टता रखेंगे और कहेंगे कि मारे गए लोग दरअसल खुद ही अपनी मौत के जिम्मेदार थे, जिन्होंने खुद मृत्यु को न्यौता दिया था ? क्या वह किसी वैश्विक मानवता के तब लगभग सर्वस्वीकृत फलसफे के तहत इस दौर की घटनाओं को देखेंगे और अपने अपने ‘चिरवैरियों’ के साथ हमारे रक्तरंजित संग्रामों पर एक अफसोस भरी हंसी हंस देंगे ?

स्पष्ट है कि स्थान एवं समय की दूरियां किसी विशाल कालखण्ड की वस्तुनिष्ठ आलोचना करने का मौका प्रदान करती हैं। दरअसल जब हम खुद किसी प्रवाह/धारा का हिस्सा होते हैं तब चाह कर भी बहुत वस्तुनिष्ठ नहीं हो पाते हैं, समुद्र की खतरनाक लगनेवाली लहरों पर सवार तैराक की तुलना में किनारे पर बैठा वह शख्स कई बार अधिक समझदार दिख सकता है, जिसे भले तैरना न आता हों, मगर जिसके पास लहरों का लम्बा अध्ययन हो।

Continue reading सामाजिक मुक्ति की ज्ञानमीमांसा : स्वामी दयानन्द, विवेकानन्द एवं महात्मा ज्योतिबा फुले के बहाने चन्द बातें →

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‘Orthodox of All Religions Unite’ – Who is Celebrating the Judgment on Section 377 !

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Our India is a religious country whose overwhelming majority believes in religion and upholds traditions of the east. All religions emphasize on construction of a family through marital relation between men and women, on which depend not only the existence of human race and lasting peace and tranquillity in the society but it also establishes the respected and central position of woman in the society.

The Constitution of the country has rightly described homosexuality as a punishable offence. It is because homosexuality not only prevents evolution and progress of human race but also destroys family system and social relations. Moreover, it is a great danger to public health. Medical research has also found it as a basic reason for the spread of AIDS…

( Signatories : Maulana Syed Jalaluddin Umari – (Ameer (National President), Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, Maulana Mufti Mukarram Ahmed  – Shahi Imam, Fatehpuri Masjid, Jagat Guru Swami Omkar Anand- Sanatan Dharm, Gyani Ranjit Singh-Chief Priest, Bangla Saheb, Fr. Dominic Emmanuel, Lokesh Muni- Jain Dharm,  http://jamaateislamihind.org/eng/joint-statement-of-religious-leaders-on-supreme-court-order-on-article-377/

The recent judgment by the Supreme Court which has recriminalised homosexuality might have baffled a broad section of peace and justice loving people but it has definitely emboldened many a self proclaimed leaders of religion and purveyors of morality who today feel vindicated. For them it is a moment of celebration. Continue reading ‘Orthodox of All Religions Unite’ – Who is Celebrating the Judgment on Section 377 ! →

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पाकिस्तान के प्रबोधन शहीद

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14-year old Aitazaz Hassan Bangash is being hailed as a hero for ...

उस किशोर का नाम एतज़ाज हस्सन बंगश था, जिसे आज की तारीख में एक नए नायक का दर्जा दिया गया है, जिसने अपनी शहादत से हजारों सहपाठी छात्रों की जान बचायी। तालिबानी ताकतों के प्रभुत्ववाले पाकिस्तान के खैबर पख्तुनवा सूबे के शिया बहुल इलाके के एक इब्राहिमजई स्कूल का विद्यार्थी एतज़ाज उस दिन सुबह अपने चचेरे भाई मुसादिक अली बंगश के साथ स्कूल जा रहा था जब रास्ते में मिले एक शख्स को देख कर उनके मन में सन्देह प्रगट हुआ। उन्हीं के स्कूल यूनिफार्म पहना वह युवक उनके ही स्कूल का रास्ता पूछ रहा था। बाकी बच्चे तो वहां से भाग निकले, मगर कुछ अनहोनी देख कर एतज़ाज ने उसे ललकारा, इस हड़बड़ी में उस आत्मघाती बाम्बर ने बम विस्फोट किया। दोनों की वही ठौर मौत हुई और दो लोग घायल हुए। मालूम हो कि उस दिन सुबह की स्कूल असेम्ब्ली के लिए लगभग दो हजार छात्र एकत्रित थे। इस आतंकी हमले के लिए लश्कर ए झंगवी नामक आतंकी संगठन ने जिम्मेदारी ली है।
अपने बेटे की मृत्यु पर उसके पिताजी मुजाहिद अली का कहना था कि यह सही है कि मेरे बेटे ने उसकी मां को रूला दिया, मगर उसने सैकड़ों उन माताओं को अपनी सन्तानों के लिए रोने से बचाया और उसके लिए उसकी मृत्यु का शोक नहीं बल्कि उसकी जिन्दगी को हमें मनाना (celebrate) चाहिए। Continue reading पाकिस्तान के प्रबोधन शहीद →

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आरोन श्वार्त्झ: मुक्त सूचना आन्दोलन का पहला शहीद (1986 –2013)

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बीते शनिवार 11 जनवरी को इण्टरनेट की आज़ादी के कार्यकर्ता आरोन श्वार्त्झ की पहली बरसी थी। बीती 11 जनवरी को आरोन ने अपनी जीवनलीला खुद समाप्त की थी। मेसेच्युएटस इन्स्टिटयूट आफ टेक्नोलोजी के नेटवर्क का इस्तेमाल कर लाखों अकादमिक लेख डाउनलोड करने के लिए – जिन्हें वह मुफ्त उपलब्ध करना चाहता था – उस पर मुकदमा शुरू होनेवाला था। उसे 30 साल की कैद की सज़ा होती और काफी जुर्माना देना पड़ता। रविवार को हैकर ग्रुप ‘अनानिमस’ ने एमआईटी की कई वेबसाइटस् पर हमला कर उस पर आरोन पर मुकदमा चलाने के उसके निर्णय के खिलाफ मेसेज लिखे और इण्टरनेट नियमन में सुधार की मांग की। मेसेज में लिखा गया था ‘‘इस शोक की घड़ी में हम आवाहन करते हैं कि एक मुक्त एवं निर्बंधमुक्त इण्टरनेट के प्रति अपनी समझौताविहीन प्रतिबद्धता के लिए, जिसे किसी सेन्सरशिप का सामना न करना पड़े और जिस तक सभी की सुगम एवं आसान पहुंच हो, हम नए सिरेसे संकल्पबद्ध हों।’ सप्ताह के अन्त में श्वार्त्झ से जुड़े कार्यकर्ताओं के एक समूह ने ‘न्यू हैम्पशायर रिबेलियन’ की शुरूआत की जिसके तहत वह सरकारी भ्रष्टाचार के खिलाफ जनजागृति हेतु दो सप्ताह की यात्रा करेंगे। इस मार्च का अन्त डोरिस ‘ग्रेनी डी’ हेडोक के जनमदिन पर समाप्त होगा जिन्होंने वित्तीय सुधार की मुहिम के तहत 90 साल के उम्र में संयुक्त राज्य अमेरिका की पैदल यात्रा की थी।

यहां प्रस्तुत है वह आलेख जिसे मैंने ‘सूचना आन्दोलन के इस पहले शहीद’ के सम्मान में पिछले साल लिखा था : Continue reading आरोन श्वार्त्झ: मुक्त सूचना आन्दोलन का पहला शहीद (1986 –2013) →

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‘आप’ से मुलाक़ात

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दुनिया के सबसे बड़े लोकतंत्र कहे जानेवाला हिन्दोस्तां और दुनिया के सबसे ताकतवर लोकतंत्र में शुमार संयुक्त राज्य अमेरिका – जो पिछले दिनों बिल्कुल अलग कारणों से आपस में एक नूराकुश्ती में लगे हुए रहे हैं – के दो अहम शहर न्यूयॉर्क और दिल्ली, पिछले दिनों लगभग एक ही किस्म के कारणों से सूर्खियों में रहे। अगर न्यूयॉर्क में मेयर पद पर डी ब्लासिओ का चुनाव और उनका शपथग्रहण, जिन्होंने 12 साल से कायम रिपब्लिकन नेता को बेदखल किया, और सबसे बढ़ कर उनका प्रोग्रेसिव एजेण्डा सूर्खियों में रहा तो सूबा दिल्ली में एक साल पुरानी पार्टी ‘आप’ (आम आदमी पार्टी) के नेता अरविन्द केजरीवाल और उनकी टीम ने सूर्खियां बटोरी।

दोनों को एक तरह से आन्दोलन की ‘पैदाइश’ के तौर पर देखा गया।

दो साल पहले अमेरिका में ‘आक्युपाई वॉल स्ट्रीट’ के नाम से खड़े आन्दोलन ने आर्थिक विषमता पर बहस को एक नयी उंचाई दी थी, जब उसने 1 फीसदी बनाम 99 फीसदी का नारा दिया था, हजारों लोगों की सहभागिता ने और उनके अभिनव तौरतरीकों ने पूरी अमेरिका के मेहनतकशों में नयी ऊर्जा का संचार किया था। डेमोक्रेट पार्टी से जुड़े शहर के वकील डी ब्लासिओ ने आन्दोलन की हिमायत की थी, एक अस्पताल की बन्दी को लेकर चले विरोध प्रदर्शन में उनकी गिरफ्तारी भी हुई थी। मेयर पद के लिए चले चुनाव प्रचार के दिनों में ही उन्होंने रईसों पर अधिक कर लगाने की बात की थी और ‘रोको और तलाशी लो’ जैसे न्यूयॉर्क पुलिस के विवादास्पद कार्यक्रम को चुनौती दी थी। वहीं अरविंद केजरीवाल , जनलोकपाल के लिए चले आन्दोलन जिसे लोकप्रिय जुबां में ‘अण्णा आन्दोलन’ कहा गया, उसके शिल्पकार कहे गये Continue reading ‘आप’ से मुलाक़ात →

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Condemn Attack on AAP Headquarters, Defend Freedom of Expression, Oppose Politics of Hurt Sentiments : New Socialist Initiative

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New Socialist Initiative Condemns Attack on AAP Headquarters

New Socialist Initiative condemns the attack on the headquarters of AAP (Aam Aadmi Party) office at Kaushambi, Ghaziabad by vigilantes of the Hindutva Brigade and demands stern action against the culprits. Given the inordinate delay by the police in reaching the place and nabbing the hooligans in the case of an emergent political party and high-profile politicians, one can only imagine the safety and security of common citizen under such dispensation.

It is distressing that each time any individual or group has expressed views on the violation of human rights by Armed Forces protected by the draconian Armed Forces Special Powers Act, frenzied jingoism by the rightwing forces as well as by the print and electronic media turn to the rhetoric of hurt sentiments. It is equally distressing that the Aam Aadmi Party too succumbed to such jingoism, found it necessary to distance itself from Prashant Bhushan and turned the question of human rights violation by the armed forces into a question of national integrity. Continue reading Condemn Attack on AAP Headquarters, Defend Freedom of Expression, Oppose Politics of Hurt Sentiments : New Socialist Initiative →

Culture, Debates, Government, Right watch

Statue of Unity – How the Varna Media is Loving It !

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..The man who belonged to the whole country has now been abducted by Narendra Modi, a pracharak of RSS, the communal organization who the Sardar fought against throughout his life. ..The only purpose of the construction of the Sardar Patel statue which was declared by Narendra Modi after he was anointed as the BJP’s Prime Ministerial Candidate is to collect votes for the 2014 elections in the name of this leader of India’s freedom struggle. It is therefore a downright irony that the RSS pracharak is trying to build the facade of unity by erecting the statue of one of the staunchest opponents of RSS. (Facade of Unity – RSS Abducts Sardar Patel, Pratik Sinha October 31, 2013 |

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History bears witness the fact that the attitude to appear ‘big’ or ‘tall’ so that even posterity remembers you is very evident in every megalomaniac. It is a different matter that due to a poor sense of history, such megalomaniacs cannot even comprehend that thanks to the way they subdued a population, or cleanse it of ‘others’, actually overwhelms the giant monuments they build or the memorials they erect to commemorate their bloody victories. The Halakus, the Chengiz Khans, the Menanders or the Mussolinis of the world are remembered today not as noble representatives of humanity but as its other. Continue reading Statue of Unity – How the Varna Media is Loving It ! →

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When is a Collective ? An Address to High School Students : Ravi Sinha

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Guest Post by Ravi Sinha

It is unusual for school students to be worrying about the “collective”. But, then, yours seems to be an unusual school. When I was here the last time, you were pondering the “continuum”. I find it truly remarkable. To grapple with issues and concepts that are deeply philosophical and at the same time of immense practical value – and doing so at a young age – is an ingredient that goes into the making of great civilizations. In a world that seems to revel in everything that is crass and commercial, and in a country that appears like a continent of cacophony and shallowness, this is not expected of you. You and your teachers must be congratulated for swimming against the tide.

Collective is something that falls between a collection and the composite. There is ample space between these two categories, and where exactly does a collective fall in this space depends on what kind of collective we are talking about. But let us first talk a bit about the endpoints of this space. Continue reading When is a Collective ? An Address to High School Students : Ravi Sinha →

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THE Tejpal WHO IS FAR MORE TEZ! :Kishore

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Guest Post by Kishore

So Tejpal allegedly sexually assaulted his lady colleague in an elevator. Criminal charges have been pressed against Tejpal and it seems sooner or later the woman journalist who may not get another job any time soon will at least get justice.

About time we discuss another TEZpal. This one had also harassed a lady colleague in an elevator. That was in 2007. TEZpal after having asked the woman journalist very personal details about her boyfriend repeatedly had not understood she was “not interested”. One night while TEZpal was the shift in charge of the night shift he tried  kissing and hugging this lady colleague in the office lift.

The woman journalist had reported  the incident to her bosses. An internal investigation was done. Many other journalists were called. They asserted that  TEZpal was indeed sexist and out of line a little much too often. Some old HR exit interviews were brought out. TEZpal was asked to leave.

But, all this was done quietly. This was also an “Internal matter” you see.

Continue reading THE Tejpal WHO IS FAR MORE TEZ! :Kishore →