Are women really to be blamed for rape?

The remark of Andhra Pradesh DGP, V Dinesh Reddy is highly uncalled for and a mockery of uniform. Such a derogatory remark from the Head of Law & Order maintaining agency is serious breach of social conduct and a portrayal of one’s mindset on the stature of women in the society. How can one possibly blame the victim and appraise the accused?

Chidambaram made a very rational and a sarcastic statement, and earned another admirer. “.......as long as he or she has regards to the occasion, the place and the context. Obviously, you don’t wear a whole lot of clothes to play football or tennis and you don’t wear swimwear and go to a cocktail party”, a statement worth everybody’s respect.

What made the DGP’s remark abstruse was justifying the stand of the police against increase in rape. Police cannot be faulted for rise in rape? What! Who is he fucking with!! And women to be blamed for provoking men with fashionable clothing?. Let me make this clear to the DGP: Rape is definitely not one of the ways in which a woman would want satisfaction, and does he think that all women are sluts?. I am not a lady, but being another human being, I do identify.

Quoting Dinesh Reddy, “Rise in rape cases cannot be attributed to failure of the police. One of the factors (for rape cases) is that the accused are getting provoked as women are getting more fashionable, even in rural areas.......and if one studies the crime pattern....it is one of the factors provoking the accused.”

Just because the rapist blamed the girl while convicted, doesn’t mean the girl lured him with her dress. Why on earth would a woman ever wear a dress just to be raped! It makes no sense.

God has given us intelligence, not instinct, and with it comes conscience. If you are an animal, blaming the woman’s dress makes all the sense. I am with you, dear rapist.

And with his ‘unresearched ’ remark, Dinesh Reddy has marred his image, and  career beyond repair.

And I thought the government’s decision (to stall vote) was a blunder...;)

                                                                                                                                                                      

Lokpal Debate in Rajya Sabha: UPA-II's blunder?

 My View

“Power corrupts, but the prospect of losing power corrupts absolutely”- Ram Jethmalani (BJP)

I took the liberty of deciphering his statement, and my conclusion made sense (at least to me). UPA-II govt., apprehensive of the mounting pressure from the public and the feasibility of losing public support, drafted a Bill that created uproar in the Upper House making Shivanand Tiwari term it as “a disease worse than cancer”. And finally the decision to stall vote, in the backdrop of losing support, even from its alliances, was seen as murder of democracy (Trinamool) and a sad day for Parliamentary Democracy.

Called THE LOKPAL AND LOKAYUKTAS BILL, 2011, it created more obscurity and opposition than applause (over it being passed advocating public opinion, or rather Anna’s hegemony). While there were many points of discord, like violating the federal structure of the Constitution, the autonomy of the CBI, the appointment and removal of the Lokpal and bringing the lower bureaucracy under the ambit of the Lokpal, I am more intrigued by the Government’s decision to stall vote in the Upper House.

Arun Jaitley (AJ), perhaps made the best statement of the session, when he said “It is ironical that I am the leader of opposition but I am speaking for the majority”. Given the fact that the extended time period of the Winter Session expired at 12 midnight, AJ’s use of the word “choreographed” seem legitimate. The Parliament decides whether a Bill becomes an Act or not, it is the people’s representatives that decide what is best for the public. The Bill would have either been passed or killed, but the incident that unfolded in the Rajya Sabha is indeed a mockery of democracy, prompting political analyst Yogendra Yadav to describe the abrupt end as “match-fixing of the worst kind”

After all the drama, the fate of the anti-corruption bill can only be speculated. With all the considerations for, and against the bill debated in the floor of the House, what had happened was uncalled for, and presumably a blunder my UPA-II govt.. Going forth with the voting, despite the certainty of losing, would have given the govt. the much needed favor of the public, but its decision has marred the govt., and rebuilding its image before the next election will be a challenge, more so with Anna campaigning against them.

But why was the Chairman, Hamid Ansari not conclusive when asked whether the business of the House would remain in continuity post 12?

North Easterners not respected in Delhi.Rational?

Being exposed to print media hardened me, enough to make a pro-North East activist out of me. The infamous “chinkies” tag associated with the North Easterners reached my ears before I reached Delhi, making it all the more easy and logical for me to brand the Indians ‘racists’. While the contravention cannot be justified, credibility lies in looking over the other side of the hedge. Coming to Delhi enabled me to decipher the “made to believe” one-sided argument.

Never been good at it, but let me try to reconstruct the event.
Apparently, it started as a Christmas Eve “get-together”, with a little modification though, Bible out, liquor in.  And with alcamahol rapidly finding its way into their breadbaskets, floodgates of insanity were thrown open and it was just going to be a matter of time before mayhem overran them.  

It was 3:30 in the morning, 25^th December when the “fun” actually began. All I could hear was ‘’WHAT THE HELL” and “FUCK”. Curiosity got the better of me, making me master the cold, and what I saw knocked the breath out of me. Naga women screaming, and hurling abuses at one another, men unsuccessfully trying to conclude peace, rampant Nagamese being flung at one another. As I shamefully studied the surroundings, all I saw was sea of faces hooked on to the scene from their balconies. If I were to raise a tower with words, “FUCK” alone would have easily challenged the Tower of Babel. Were they seriously fucked up that they literally fucked Nagaland on the street of Delhi?

I am talking about the incident that occurred at a locality mostly inhabited by IAS aspirants, a place where more than half of the Indian states find their representations. Previously, I had tried to understand the reason for the attitude of the Indians towards the North Easterners. A reply from a friend from Uttar Pradesh disarmed me against any good comeback. Co-habitation or the infamous “live-in relationship” which is prevalent among the North Easterners(in Delhi) is seen by the others as being inherent in our very society. 

However the most humiliating part of the already humiliating assembly of boorish Nagas, was the “MERRY CHRISTMAS” wish, as they departed. It would be more reasonable to say the sun revolves round the earth than to explain the true meaning of Christmas to the hundreds of Indians who, by now, will have heard of the “Christmas” of the Christians.

For the record, even if no Nagamese was spoken, any Naga would know they were Nagas.


Come what may, we are never letting our accent go, are we?...HAHAHA...

The Naga phonetics:Serenity in turbulence

 A layman's observation

One doesn’t have to be a professor in English (not even a graduate in fact) to notice the injustice that is being done to the language.  English is not our mother tongue and apparently, Nagas speak better English than more than 4 billion people on earth, but the variety in speech that is being offered is perhaps native to Nagaland.

“His pro-NOUN-ciation is so bad” A ‘well-educated’ Naga, with a touch of sarcasm, whispers to me. Self-control stopped me from screaming “ cme’n dude, at least learn to criticize others. You can’t be that dumb that you end up criticizing yourself in trying to gossip. That’s obsolete“. We pro-NOUNce, but his pro-NUN-ciation is bad, not his pro-NOUN-ciation.

It literally took me 19 years to realize the ‘tag’ that had been associated with me, being born and brought up in a Konyak influenced society. But being exposed to the diversity of languages made me sensitive to the same problem faced by fellow Nagas. Constructive criticism is never an aversion and more so because I belong to the same community, my critiques may be forgiven. My observation is based on deduction, rather than induction. 

More than 90% of the Konyaks still do not know that “WE” and “V” are phonetically different. While Zunheboto is proud of being the source of “h”, Mon is unhappy over being devoid of its share, because while it is “shorom” (shame) for the Zunhebotoeans, it is “worsip” (worship) for the Monites. We go to “college” Monites, not “collese” and “message” is preached, not “messase”. My “non-Konyak” friend had to come to my rescue seeing me struggling for words, after being asked “Do you know any music sop in kohima?”And while some eat “moomoo”, others wear “fascrack” sun glasses. If “sossess” identifies with Kohima, “pRRRRogRRRess” definitely is for wokha.

I think English has never been subjected to modifications of such a degree in any other part of the world, than in Nagaland. But we have always been excellent modifiers right? People come to conquer but whoever invaded Nagaland had been victimised always, if not physically, culturally.

But can the English speak any of the Naga dialects? NO!! They can never. Be proud fellas, we did what others could have never done.

We deserve a BARDY for that, I mean PARTY.

Indian Railways:Deplorable

Went to New Delhi Railway station the other day. It practically betrayed me and robbed me of whatever knowledge I had acquired about government responsibility and civic sense. Should I blame the authority of not prioritizing use of public money or the public for not making use of the 'very' limited facilities provided for exercising their right to hygiene?

My intellect falls short in trying to understand the root of the deplorable condition of the Indian railways. Deductive conclusion is improbable, if not impossible, given the fact that India boast of not less than  7500 railway stations, but whatever numbered stations I’ve been to, none has been commendable. Inductive approach do prove legitimate in some cases, Indian railways is one of them.

The Indian Railway Budget for 2010-2011 had been proposed at Rs 41,426 crore  (on the investment front). Notwithstanding the huge task of inclusive management, this is enough money to maintain the cleanliness of the tracks, at least at the stations. While the territorial limitation is a fastidious consideration, it makes little sense why the ‘normal ‘railway stations cannot be like the Delhi Metro Stations. If it is because of the branding of the usual train commuters as being ‘ordinary, rustic ‘citizens who cannot adhere to rules of cleanliness, it is serious breach of the ideals enshrined in our Constitution.

Did they lay the tracks over a giant septic tank?

Stench? Headache? Any amount of oxford would still not be an exaggeration.

Are we compromising our priorities?

Does the GOI really need to spend Rs 4.79 crores & Rs 2.46 crores on print media advertisements on the occassion of the birth anniversaries of the two Gandhis?
You know how much did it cost the exchequer?
Rs 47900000 & 24600000 respectively.Enough to feed 2265625 & 27884615 urban and rural poor(following the Rs 32 & Rs 26 limit recommendation of the Tendulkar committee)
And to think that it is the expenditure of just a year,2011.
are we missing the mark?

Pre-censorship of opinions!!

Opinions cannot be “booed”. My stand as a civilized individual.

But imposition of your ‘infamous’ opinion on the society is an overstepping of rational conduct and a serious breach of societal liberty.

Had social networking sites been part of the societal interaction back in late 1940s, I am certain Article 19 (1) (a) of the Indian Constitution would have read “to freedom of speech and expression, inter personal or cyberspace.

While pre-censorship of internet uploads seem preventive, it is infringement of the tenets of democracy. A country calling itself the 'largest democracy’ cannot, in safeguard of its integrity, cap the opinions of its citizens. Judiciary still is the sole arbitrator of law and an instance in the past has actually shown the court passing an ex parte ad interim injunction against a cyber defamatory suit.

Sensibility persists in allowing the citizens to let their emotions flow and  defamed individuals keeping judiciary on its toes.

Durban vs India:Climate paradoks

The success of the Durban climate talks, apart from highlighting the captain’s role played by our Environment minister, Jayanthi Natarajan in rowing the boat in favour of the developing world; pose a great challenge for India.

 Securing a decade of economic growth without emission restrictions has created a platform of taking India into a new era of overall parity with the developed world. India being seen as a potential contender to control world economy, these ten years could well be the deciding factor of India’s future position.  With the increasing role of India in world geopolitics, coupled with the concerning factor of the “String of Pearls”, India cannot afford to take the upcoming decade with ease. It is almost certain that post-2020, all the countries will be forced to take legally binding obligations. While India has succeeded in bringing equity on the agenda, the biggest tragedy would be to see India post-2020 still fighting for the same.

Morality Degradation aka corruption

If end was all that mattered, and not the means, democracy would be obsolete.
  The ultimate objective of instituting a strong Bill for curbing corruption is legitimate and well taken, but didn't we elect our representatives for that very purpose? To speak on our behalf?
If their silence was because the people never spoke, they have raised a battle cry now,
  if it was because of their insensitivities to people's need, they cannot afford to be any longer.

The Konyak Nagas

PROGRESS AND PERSEVERANCE

If not the stepping stone, perseverance is precisely the ladder to progress.  In the journey of life filled with both success and failures, perseverance is the only tool that can sustain mankind, especially in the context of the Konyak Nagas where progress is a matter of desperate urgency.  Perseverance is not about never failing in life but getting up every time we fall and continuing our journey. True failure is when we stop trying and quit. Perseverance is to follow and live the statement “Little drops of water make a mighty ocean”.

The Konyaks were known for their bravery and intellectual prowess and we did have a glorious past, but to take glory in the past without preparing for the future is sheer foolishness, and sadly this is exactly what we are doing today. Humility towards our work and fellow beings is absent. To be humble enough to work in small trade and persevere is a legitimate definition of “strong”. I think we are a big-hearted people with narrow mentality. This contrasting personality is posing a great threat to progress in our area. Big-heartedness should not and cannot be portrayed in terms of domination over the weak, which is what we do, we become parasitic. Rather we should capitalise on it by taking the driver’s seat in areas of socio-economic and infrastructural development. Mountain top will remain an unattainable destination if we refuse to start at the valley.

It is both surprising and intimidating to know that, post-graduation today is considered mediocre! Sadly, MBBS, MA or Msc still remain the pinnacle for many of our fellow Konyaks. Sometimes I wonder whether our backwardness is the reason for our limited vision or is it our lackadaisical approach to life’s challenges that make us backward. Today we live in a world where there is no room for mediocrity. Everybody everywhere is looking for specialists, and it is this group of people that will usher in progress and prosperity. A MBBS student should go on to become a super-specialist and the same with other fields. I think it’s time we realise we are in the 21st century where specialisation is the currency that rules.  

Same Sex Marriage

Family is the best institution for a child and two men or two women do not make a family. Culture will be lost and procreation severed. The very meaning of family will be completely lost.

Life-A mystery and its beauty.

Reminiscence

Today is 31^st March 2011, exams just got over and I am leaving the campus tomorrow. I am seated in my room with all those thoughts hovering over me. I have so many things to do, so many people to meet and bid farewell to, so many friends to visit to, and all I’ve got is just one day. I am still seated in my room, pushing myself to get going, promising myself that “I’ll make every minute count today”.

I am out of my room and the more I meet people and talk with them, the more I am reminded of the inevitable. I am overwhelmed by my “last minute” engagements. I cannot devote enough time to one place since I have so many other “engagements” I can’t afford to miss.

In the midst of all these hustle is when I realized “the BEAUTY of life's mystery”. I always knew that life is a mystery but never realized the beauty of it. That is one beautiful lesson that God taught me that day. The very realization that “I’ll be leaving tomorrow” filled my day with gloom and sadness. The truth dawned on me that the very reason for me enjoying my stay in Science College was basically because I did not know the day of my departure. We enjoy the lives we are living now, filled with laughter, fun, celebrations, and tears. If we were to know the day of our death, our lives would be monotonous, with no variety. Every human being would be busy in his own endeavors and the meaning of 'laughter' would be lost and one would be least bothered to know what it means to have a society.

Life is a mystery and that’s the beauty of it. I am so thankful to God that I do not know when I am leaving for my heavenly home.

In the words of Kahlil Gibran

“Ever has it been that love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation”.