My Lecture on Hugo Chavez

Report published in Theekathir dated 28-04-2013

புதுச்சேரி, ஏப். 27-வீட்டு வேலை செய்யும் பெண்களுக்கு ஓய்வூதியம் அளித்தவர் தோழர் சாவேஸ் என்று பேராசிரியர் மார்க்ஸ் கூறினார்.இந்திய சமூக விஞ்ஞானக் கழகத்தின் சார்பில் புதுச் சேரி பிளிஸ் ஹாலில் கருத்த ரங்கம் நடைபெற்றது. கருத் தரங்கத்திற்கு கழகத்தின் புதுச்சேரி தலைவர் கே.முரு கன் தலைமை தாங்கினார். அரசு ஊழியர் சம்மேளன கவுரவத் தலைவர் சி.எச். பாலமோகனன் முன்னிலை வகித்தார். ஆலங்குப்பம் அரசு உயர்நிலைப்பள்ளி தலைமை ஆசிரியர் ஜே.கிருஷ்ண மூர்த்தி அனைவரையும் வர வேற்றார்.புதுவை பல்கலைக்கழக பேராசிரியர் டி.மார்க்ஸ் சிறப்பு அழைப்பாளராக பங் கேற்று, மறைந்த முன்னாள் வெனிசுலா அதிபர் ‘ஹியூகோ சாவேஸின் வாழ்வும் பணியும்’ என்ற தலைப்பில் பேசியதா வது:அமெரிக்க ஆட்சியின் கீழ் செயல்பட்ட வெனிசுலா வில் உணவு பஞ்சம் ஏற்பட் டது. அப்போது முதலாளி களின் உணவு கிடங்குகளில் மக்கள் உணவு தானியங் களை தூக்கிச் சென்ற நிலை இருந்தது. இத்தகைய நிலையை எதிர்த்து சாவேஸ் மக்களை திரட்டினார். மேலும் அத்த கைய ஆட்சியாளர்களுக்கு எதிராக போராடி வெற்றி யும் பெற்றார். தான் ஜனாதி பதியாக பொறுப்பேற்ற சா வேஸ் பெண்களுக்கு அதிகா ரங்களை வழங்கினார். பெண்கள் குடும்பத் தலை வர்களாக இருந்த குடும்பங் களுக்கு நிலம் வழங்குவதி லும், இன்னும் பல திட்டங் கள் அமல்படுத்துவதிலும் முன்னுரிமை அளித்தார். வீட்டில் வீட்டு வேலை செய் யும் பெண்களின் வேலையை அங்கீகரித்து அவர்களுக்கு ஓய்வூதியம் வழங்கினார். இதற்கு நேர்மாறாக நமது இந் திய நாடு உள்ளது. தற்போது ஓய்வூதியம் பெறுவர்களுக்கு இனிமேல் ஓய்வூதியம் கிடை யாது என்று கூறி அதற்காக புதிய ஓய்வூதிய மசோதாவை நமது ஆட்சியாளர்கள் கொண்டு வருகிறார்கள். இந்த நிலையில் தான் தோழர் ஹியூகோ சாவேஸை நாம் பார்க்க வேண்டும்.இவ்வாறு அவர் பேசி னார்.இதேபோல் ‘லத்தீன் அமெ ரிக்க நாடுகள் மேற்கொள் ளும் மாற்றுப்பாதை’ என்ற தலைப்பில்புதுவைபல்கலைக் கழக பேராசிரியர் மோக னன் பேசினார். நிறைவாக மானு டவியல் ஆராய்ச்சி மாணவர் அருண்குமார் நன்றி கூறி னார். கருத்தரங்கத்தில் திர ளான மாணவர்கள், அறிவு ஜீவிகள் பலர் பங்கேற்றனர்.

Seminar on Literature & Human Rights

Delhi emerges as a rape capital!!

The rape of a five-year-old girl in New Delhi, a city that is acquiring the notorious reputation for rape, has once again underlined that children in India are not safe anywhere. Each time a horrific incident of child abuse comes to light, we, citizens of India, stand aghast in horror and helplessness. Rape of children is one of the most heinous crimes for which there should be no reprieve.  It is indeed very regrettable that sexual offences against children are on the rise and more painful to note the apathy and irresponsibility exhibited by the police. This fresh incident of child rape has once again raised a critical question as to what is the level of security of children in our country. Though The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 has been made in this regard, it seems to serve as paper tiger only. It sounds hypocritical that on one hand we project child rights in society and on the other hand brazen acts of brutality have been coming to light more often than before.

This incident has forced us to sit up and spare a thought for what ails our society. As ever-increasing indulgences in liquor, fashion and sex across the board and lack of education and awareness are the reasons for these evils, the government, the police and the administration need to take strict action at their respective levels by censoring steamy scenes on TV and films which can be a source of provocation for adults and teenagers to commit sexual crimes. Since 2009, instances of child abuse have more than doubled. One in three rape victims happens to be a child, says a UNICEF report. While the fear of social stigma deters parents from reporting the crime, the low conviction rates further discourage the victims from coming out in the open. The lack of effective implementation of the Child Protection Act 2012 is a serious lacuna. Addressing child sexual abuse or rape is a challenge that has to be met with sensitivity and alacrity. Sexual offences against children should be brought to light shedding the social stigma and punishment to the offenders must be ensured. The children should also be sensitized and alerted about the dangers that lurk around them through appropriate inputs and education. 

For your reading: The Hindu Report dated 20-04-2013

Delhi outrage over child rape

Angry protests spilled onto the streets of the Capital on Friday over the alleged insensitivity and inaction of the Delhi Police in handling the rape of a five-year-old girl, whose condition continues to be critical at the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences here.

After the girl was abducted, she was brutalised, subjected to unnatural sex and kept in confinement for over two days at Gandhi Nagar in East Delhi.

Expressing shock, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in a statement said he was “deeply disturbed” to hear the news of the shameful incident. Taking cognisance of the widespread protests and allegations of the police offering hush money to the victim’s parents, the Home Ministry has also sought a report on the incident.

An Assistant Commissioner of Police, who assaulted a young protester at Swami Dayanand Hospital, where the girl was earlier admitted in the Intensive Care Unit, has been suspended.

Earlier on Friday, protesters started converging at the hospital around 9 a.m. after news of the brutal rape broke. Volunteers of Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party also joined in demanding that the victim be shifted to AIIMS.

Amid ongoing protests, East Delhi MP Sandeep Dikshit and Delhi Health Minister A.K. Walia visited the hospital to enquire about the victim’s condition. They were heckled by the protesters. Women and Child Development Minister Kiran Walia, who arrived later, had to retreat as the protesters blocked her way.

Following hectic consultations, in the late afternoon the authorities concerned decided to shift the victim to AIIMS, where activists of the All India Students’ Association also staged a protest against the alleged police inaction. They demanded stringent action against the ACP of Khajuri Khas sub-division who assaulted a protester, which damaged her eardrum.

Accusing the police of callousness, the victim’s relatives said the girl had gone missing on Monday, after which they lodged a missing report. “She was locked up in a room on the ground floor of the building where we live on the first floor. We rescued her after some of the tenants raised an alarm on hearing her cries on Wednesday morning,” said a relative, alleging that the police had offered Rs. 2,000 to the victim’s parents to “keep quiet.” The police have identified the accused as Manoj who had taken the room on rent about a week ago.   

Casteist forces at work abroad! Shame on them!

British MPs vote against anti-caste legislation (The Hindu report dated 17-04-2013)

Britain’s Dalit immigrants on Wednesday suffered a setback in their long-standing campaign for an anti-caste legislation when the House of Commons rejected a motion to amend the Equality Act to ban discrimination on the basis of caste.

Had the proposal gone through, it would have provided for discrimination on the basis of caste to be treated on par with racial discrimination. It was defeated by motion 307 to 243 following heavy lobbying by groups like the Alliance of Hindu Organisations UK (AHO) which argued that such a legislation would “stigmatise” the entire Hindu community.

Urging the MPs not to vote for the motion, AHO said: “This would be a hugely backwards step for the Hindu community, who believe that they have now very largely moved beyond the caste system in this country and who are themselves totally committed to eliminating discrimination based on caste or any other characteristic. Such legislation would be more likely to have the effect of setting back the cause of equality and of introducing new divisions in society between castes and also between Hindus and Christians who are supporting this move.”

Business Minister Jo Swinson told the House that there were deep concerns in the Hindu community about the implications of such legislation.

“There is a range of views within those communities that are very, very concerned about the possibility of actually increasing stigma through using legislation to try to deal with this particular issue,” said Ms. Swinson.

CasteWatchUK, which has been campaigning in favour of anti-caste legislation, expressed its disappointment but vowed to continue the “fight”.

“We knew this would be a difficult fight because the government has already taken a stand on this matter which is not in line with our human rights. Today’s vote will be perceived as them siding with the perpetrators rather than the victim community. We will not stop here and we will continue with our campaign,” said its general secretary, Davinder Prasad.

The setback came a day after CasteWatchUK held a large rally outside Parliament to press its demand.

Meanwhile, the government has asked the Equality and Human Rights Commission to investigate allegations of caste prejudice and harassment in Britain.

PBS passed away! Baritone voice is no more!

Homage

With the passing away of the renowned playback singer PB Sreenivas, the voice of South Indian Film music has fallen silent marking the end of an era. Legendary playback singer PBS’s contribution to Indian music industry, both in Tamil and other vernacular languages, will continue to reverberate in the hearts of Indian fans even after his demise. He has a separate style and a unique voice which cannot be matched by any singer today. A journey spanning decades of unswerving devotion to music, PBS’s was a life that musical history is made of. As in life, so in death, he will continue to inspire generations of classical musicians. His songs reflect the versatility of the artist who mastered the art and acumen of bringing vast variety in popular melodies. Time and again I find myself spellbound by songs like Intha mandrathil, nilavuku en mel – these songs are in the hundreds, all irreplaceable. He was known for his baritone voice and clear diction and his songs carried the smell of the earth and the hum of the deep rivers, he sang so passionately about. Apart from rejuvenating our spirits, his songs also inspire us to face adversities boldly and therein lies the relevance of the Songs of PBS in our daily life.

My Letter to The Hindu dated 16-04-2013

PBS will be remembered as an icon in the south Indian film music world. The maestro who became popular by his unique style of singing with great tenderness leaves behind a void that would be hard to fill for a long time to come. All his songs have an arresting quality. His death may seem to mark the end of an era, but he will remain a shining example. His songs such as Mayakkama Kalakkama and Nilavukku En Mel Ennadi Kobam struck an emotional chord with music lovers.

No tooth for tooth!!! No blood for blood!!!

Abolish Death Sentence!!!





The Supreme Court’s ruling that a death sentence cannot be commuted to life imprisonment because of a delay in execution in Bhullar case is very unfortunate. The Supreme Court’s verdict is based on the erroneous view that death penalty deters crime. In the exercise of the power to act on clemency petitions, the President does not have any individual discretion but has to act on the advice of the governments and hence obviously, any inordinate delay or rejection of mercy plea is based on political and other considerations. The founding father of the Constitution Dr.Ambedkar thought that this power would be abused and said, “After all this country by and large believes in the principles of non-violence, It has been its ancient tradition, and although people may not be following in actual practice, they certainly adhere to the principle of non-violence as a moral mandate which they ought to observe as far as they possibly can and I think that having regard to this fact, the proper thing for this county to do is to abolish the death sentence altogether”.


The Hindu's Editorial says, "In declining to interfere with the President’s rejection of the clemency petition of Devinder Pal Singh Bhullar, the Supreme Court has lost an opportunity to invoke the sound legal principle that prolonged delay in disposal of mercy petitions could be a key ground for commuting the death penalty. Although a 1989 Constitution Bench in the Triveniben case had leaned towards the view that there could be no hard and fast rule on what constitutes a delay so unacceptable that a death sentence should be converted to one of life, it did note that “the only delay which would be material for consideration will be the delay in disposal of the mercy petitions or delays occurring at the instance of the executive.” Since the President took over eight years to dispose of Bhullar’s mercy plea, this was surely a fit case for the Supreme Court to exercise judicial discretion in favour of commutation."

The death penalty is an archaic, barbaric, and outdated institution that Indians are increasingly coming to despise. The irreversible consequence is clear: there are no means of redress for those condemned who have actually been killed by the state. People are realizing the irony of killing people as a punishment for murder, and understanding that a civilized society cannot condone the murder of its own citizens. Death penalty satisfies only the base, barbaric instinct of retribution. The death penalty should be strictly abolished in India in law and practice. Punishment should be given to a criminal but taking somebody’s life is against the ethos of a civilised and cultured society. Our present laws are based on old dictum – tooth for tooth and eye for eye. Death penalty is an attack on basic human rights as it is not a remedy for the crime committed. Nothing can be moral or good if a single individual has to be sacrificed to gain it. None can compensate him for the deprivation of his natural rights – life. More than two-third of the countries in the world have abolished death penalty and the rest are considering a moratorium on death penalty. The Supreme Court is duty bound to debate and think over this vital need to abolish death sentence.

Does Gotabaya have selective amnesia?

Gotabaya should speak with historical facts. Ignorance is not an excuse

Gotapaya Rajapaksha’s statement that India was responsible for promoting terrorism in Sri Lanka by way of training, arming and harboring Tamil rebels during 1984-90 periods is highly distorted and slanderous. Gotabaya seems to have suppressed the genesis of the civil unrest in the island nation which started as early as 1948 just to absolve himself of the accountability to the war crimes. When Sri Lanka gained independence in 1948, the country experienced the biggest problem of the political status of Tamil immigrants which in fact increased the ethnic tension between the Sinhala and Tamils. In 1956 the SLFP leader S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike passed a ‘Sinhala Only Act’ by encouraging xenophobic fears among the Tamils. Subsequently, the 1956 Gal Oya riots, the first reported ethnic riots, the 1958 ethnic riots, a watershed event in the race relationship of the various ethnic communities, the 1977 anti-Tamil riots, the 1981 Burning of Jaffna Library, 1983 Black July pogrom-all targeted the minority Sri Lankan Tamils.  Further, during these turbulent years imports into the country were banned and as a result it included the banning of Tamil media and literature imports, and this agitated the Tamils. Riots swept through the country and affected many of the Tamil minority. As these riots were set in motion by Sinhalese dominant forces, Tamil organizations sprung up with the sole purpose of calling for an independent state in order to protect their rights. In 1970 a militant student body called the “Tamil Students Movement” was formed and from it emerged the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in 1976.

It was only in this context that India’s major concern was to prevent the crisis from escalating to a degree that might harm the minority Tamils. It is true that Indira Gandhi expressed her concern over the safety and rights of the minority Tamils but made it clear that India does not pose any threat to Sri Lanka nor do we want to interfere in its internal affairs. Gotabaya also forgot an important truth that the first time the dialogue between the Sri Lankan Government and the LTTE could be held only with India’s help.  India through its actions has tried to maintain a balance between being sensitive to the interests of its own Tamil population and that of the Sri Lankan government. At every moment, Indian efforts were aimed at keeping both parties at a dialogue only to avert the danger of escalated violence. However, in the recent past, India's policy shifted drastically as it moved away from the pulls of domestic compulsions to giving priority to larger geo-strategic interests by aiding and extending military and diplomatic help to the Sri Lankan Army in the Last Eelam War. Post-LTTE period, mutual blame games cannot be nipped in the bud unless India seeks an equitable solution to the ethnic question earnestly and expeditiously.    

For you Reading The Hindu report (12-04-2013)

India responsible for 30-year war: Gotabaya Rajapaksa

HadIndia acted responsibly, Sri Lanka would not have experienced a 30-year war, Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa has said.

According to local newspaper Daily News, Mr. Rajapaksa, who is a brother of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, said India could never absolve itself of the responsibility for creating terrorism here, though some of those directly involved in subverting Sri Lanka were blaming the Rajapaksa administration for the plight of the Tamil-speaking people here.

The remarks came in response to a recent article, ‘Why India is right on Sri Lanka’ by Hardeep S. Puri, India’s former Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York, published in The Hindu.

The news report quotes him as having said “people of all communities would have been still suffering the horrors of war, if not for the eradication of terrorism in May 2009, following a three-year combined security forces campaign”.

The Defence Secretary said Mr. Puri was involved in the Indian operation against the Jayewardene government, ahead of the India-Sri Lanka Accord in July 1987.

“He was one of those aware of the Indian operations here,” he said adding that both Mr. Puri and his wife, Lakshmi, were attached to the Indian mission here during the tenure of J. N. Dixit as High Commissioner.

Responding to Mr. Puri’s call for investigation into “specific allegations of war crimes during the last 100 days of military operations”, Mr. Rajapaksa said: “Those demanding accountability on Sri Lanka’s part for alleged atrocities committed during the last 100 days of the conflict were silent on the origin of terrorism here.” Indian intervention had resulted in a major regional crisis, when Sri Lankan terrorists, trained by Indians, raided the Maldives in early November 1988. “The international community should consider a comprehensive investigation into the issue beginning with the Indian intervention,” he said.

Mr. Puri could aid an investigation by revealing what was going on at that time. Mr. Dixit, in his memoirs, had said that arming Sri Lankan Tamil youths was one of the two major policy blunders of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, Mr. Rajapaksa said.

Meanwhile, Sinhalese nationalist party Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) has said that before New Delhi pointed the finger at Sri Lanka, it should address human rights violations in India, particularly Kashmir.

Expressing scepticism about an Indian parliamentary delegation’s visit, JHU general secretary and Science and Technology Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka said that if the delegation had come with honourable intentions, their visit would be welcome, but it was evident that the Indian visit was part of a protest campaign to further distort the country’s image, according to a report in Daily Mirror here.

Caste permeates every pore of our society! Shame on our Nation!

Caste based Discrimination in Matrimonial Columns

“RC TAMIL BC PG Doctor 27, seeks RC PG Doctor groom except SC/ST. Ct:9842482474/a.geetharaj@yahoo.com” (Published in The Hindu dated 07-04-2013).

Even when it is a common phenomenon that untouchability had crept even into matrimonial portals, it is disheartening to notice that The Hindu becomes a source for untouchability to continue pervade the public sphere. The Hindu’s Matrimonial supplement (April 7, 2013) carried an advertisement “RC TAMIL BC PG Doctor 27, seeks RC PG Doctor groom except SC/ST. Ct:9842482474/a.geetharaj@yahoo.com” excluding Dalits and Tribals, thus discriminating against people on the basis of caste, thereby violating the letter and spirit of Articles 15 and 17 of the Constitution. Such an advertisement can only be construed as an expression of untouchability in a hidden, insidious way against the SC/STs.

Though excluding people based on caste from having matrimonial alliance is a personal choice, publishing it in a public medium is a blatant act of bigotry and oppression that causes great distress to the SC/STs who are hitherto socially marginalized in India. It’s an affront to the country’s Scheduled castes that the Hindu allowed its clients to post such entries quite often in the Matrimonial columns. I am afraid that the Hindu’s Secular credentials will be at stake if it continues to publish these advertisements quite inadvertently or to compromise with its secular stance for advertisement revenue. Though The Hindu does not endorse the content of any advertisement, it is the social responsibility of the editors to ensure that the advertisements are not contrary to constitutional values and to moderate the content to prevent the practice of untouchability.

Even when the constitution of India outlawed untouchability, untouchability is still rampant and is taking new forms particularly in media content. In fact, untouchability has not only survived the constitutional ban but taken new avatars in many parts of the nation. Dalit’s efforts to overcome deeply entrenched caste hierarchies and to assert their right to live with dignity become a dystopia with this kind of advertisements. Millions of SC/STs will be grateful to The Hindu if it sticks to its secular fabric and resolves by principle not to publish any such discriminatory advertisements in the future.