Being a woman

Recently a girl I know went to a very famous hostel in the city for admission. She did not join, however, as she found that the hostel would not allow mobile phones inside. This girl is addicted to internet and mobile phones, and cannot live without them.

The above mentioned incident has occurred many times over in the city. Many girls give up their gadgets for the security of the hostels. It is a classic case where one has to choose between freedom and security. Many prefer the latter. And that is sad. There are many women's hostels in the city which give greater freedom to their inmates. Then, why on earth do some hostels still continue with bans on use of technology? I admit that there have been incidents of misuse of mobile phones. But these are isolated incidents. Why should the great majority of law-abiding, 'decent' women suffer because of the pervertedness of a few?

The question here is: why women alone are targeted in such bans? It is far more sensible to ban them in Men's hostels then, as they are usually the ones who spread the porn content they get. Will anyone dare to do that? No. So women continue to be punished when they are actually the victims. Much like the women who refuse to go to toilets in hotels after the 'cam in the loo' incident.

After some hue and cry, the issue gets buried. Though Kerala boasts about its great strides in female emancipation, the condition on ground is worse than you can imagine. No girl dares to step outside her house after 8 in the evening. If anything happens, it is always her mistake.

To hell with it guys! I am no feminist. I just demand that women too get equal opportunity to do everything that men usually get to do. We too are human beings

French reforms

The French President is trying his best to raise the retirement age of his countrymen to 62. He wisely announced the final measures of his reform programme just before the French went on vacation so as to avoid the crippling strikes that usually make headlines all over the world whenever some reform measures are announced.

The social security system in France is rather lavish; something we can't even imagine in this country. Paid vacations, free medical care, heavily subsidised education even in liberal arts and unconventional subjects and nothing to say about unemployment benefits. All this makes me wonder: how on earth did France manage to scrape through the crisis that engulfed many of the countries of the EU? Germany's case can be understood easily. They are....well, Germans. Period. But France, that heaven of nihilists and anarchists? That I could not comprehend until I learnt about the attitude of the French to their work.

The people of France, whatever work they may do, consider it their moral duty to do it perfectly. A person who works need not bow to his master in this country. That is what makes France and the French truly great.

Will Sarkozy be able to 'reform' the social security system of his country? That is a question only the future can answer. The system was devised in a different era - a time when sub-prime crisis did not exist, when the trading in derivatives was far more sensible and when the country had enough surplus. To think that the system will be able to survive the evil world of today is to be naive. Whether the French will be able to understand the predicament of their President is the question that needs to be answered. Because reforms are never easy. And more so when it affects a majority of the population and bring them out of their comfort zone.

The Great Blockade of Manipur

In case you guys do not know, there is a state in India named Manipur. It is located in the north-eastern part of the country, near Myanmar. The reason I am stating this is the abysmally low coverage given to the highway blockade of Manipur spearheaded by the United Naga Council and supported by the All-Naga Students' Association of Manipur and the NSCN-IM. This has been going on for the past two months and I bet you would not have even heard about it.

The blockade was started by ANSAM on April 12 after Manipur decided to hold elections to elect members to the six Autonomous District Councils in the tribal hill districts. The ANSAM says that ADCs do not have sufficient autonomy to deal with the issues of the tribals. The Naga demand for amendments to the ADC Act was rejected by the state government led by the Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh. While the NSCN-IM opposes the elections as it would throw up new Naga leaders and thereby weaken their demand for the Greater Nagalim, the Chief Minister supports the elections for the very same reason.

The issue worsened when the NSCN-IM general secretary Thuingaleng Muivah, the charismatic leader of the Nagas, was denied permission by the Manipur government to visit his birthplace, the village Somdal in Ukhrul district. Three people were killed and about seventy injured in clashes related with the incident. This 'justifies' the government stand that the visit would evoke communal tension in the state.

The communal tension is a pre-existing condition in Manipur. The Meiteis, comprising the majority live in the Imphal valley which constitute only 10 percent of the geographical area of the state. The remaining areas are inhabited by the Nagas and Kukis. The Nagas want these areas to be part of the Greater Nagalim. The very thought causes terror in the minds of Meiteis as well as the Kukis, who are dead against the division of Manipur.

The blockade of the two National Highways, NH-39(Imphal-Dimapur), the 'Lifeline of Manipur' and NH-53(Imphal-Silchar) has affected the lives of common people in Manipur and enters the 60th day today.

Manipur faces severe shortage of essential commodities, especially food, fuel and life-saving medicines as a result of this blockade. They are very much used to blockades, as we are to 'hartals' but this one has become severe due to its long duration. A kilogram of rice sells for Rs.60, a gas cylinder sells for more than Rs.1000, all while the Central Government looks on.Surgeries are being postponed and people are in severe distress. Two main hospitals in the state have stopped functioning. The blockade continues in spite of requests by humanitarian agencies, political parties and even the Centre.

The Manipur government has resorted to airlifting rice and medicines. Also 500 trucks were brought in through NH-53(which is in deplorable condition) with state security via Assam. The only highway that remains is NH-150(the Tipaimukh Road). However, the vehicles using this road to travel from Silchar to Imphal have to travel 512 kilometres whereas they have to travel only for 212 kilometres on the NH-39.

Whither justice?

Finally, after a long wait of more than 25 years, the Indian judicial system today gave its verdict in the Bhopal case. Seven accused get a maximum of two years' RI. Warren Anderson, the then-chairman of the Union Carbide continues to live happily in New York. He is an 'absconder' in India. The seven accused, meanwhile, have got bails - that saves them from even the meagre punishment they got. Well done, India! Well done! Mera Bharath Mahaan. Gandhi would have been proud today. I am waiting for the Nuclear Liability Bill. The implications of that Bill is going to prove worse for India.

You know, when there are more than a hundred crore people living in the country, who is bothered if some scores of thousands die? Show me the money, honey!

Nothing in particular

Classes at the Academy start only on June 9. I have decided to take Pub Ad and Socio as my options.(Still can't forget the smirks on many faces when they first heard the phrase 'pub ad'!) Unlike its abbreviated version, public administration is a subject you can read only if you have a tremendous amount of willpower. Sociology is more of a gossipy kind of subject. I am talking after comparing everything with engineering, of course. Engineering was precise, accurate and actually, boring. Sociology is anything but the above three. Confounding questions like 'Is touching the feet of your elders a norm, a custom, a more or a tradition?', details of interesting customs like kula and the rather eccentric observations of the sociologists like 'avoidance between relatives is practised to avoid incest'(This is obvious: Freud's opinion.), ideas like the class struggle of the Marxists, the Fourth World, the Post-Industrial society, the theory of power etc make it a really interesting subject to read. Where else would you find Plato, Marx, Spencer, Comte, Freud and a host of others together?

Now, to today's news. The Flotilla story is slowly losing out on its coverage in newspapers. There was an Op-Ed by the Israeli Ambassador in NYT. Read it to have a balanced view. Whatever that means. Meanwhile Israeli PM says blockade will continue.

There is a really a lot of discussion going on about the EA minister's to the US. Barry is coming to India in November. US says it is 'definitely committed' to consider India's demand for UNSC seat. Our Prez went to China recently. I could not make out what they said about it. Most of the newspapers say the leadership has supported India's demand but I find that particularly difficult to believe. You'll have to give me the entire sodium chloride on this planet to make me believe that. Most probably, China will change its stand when it comes to voting. I believe the journalists have really misunderstood what the Chinese premier was saying. After all, we are not so proficient in Mandarin.

Not so about English, though. Another Indian-American has won the Spelling Bee contest. Why don't they outsource the contest to India?

Nearer home, Phet spared Gujrat, but struck Oman. There was a fire in Bangladesh. (Seems to be a problem with colonial-era buildings. They are catching fire like dry log wood these days. May be its the temperature. Global warming sceptics, please take note! )

Everyone is talking about doing something about N. Korea. However, N.Korea has nukes, and Dubya is not in office. So, by deduction, there won't be war in that region. I just can't understand why everyone is so concerned about N.Korea. Those fellows are not going to start a war. Not with China around! Why is no one bothered about those trigger-happy nutjobs in Pakistan? I would have felt safer if Iran had nukes than Pakistan! At least, that country has a government!

Time to be irreverent

Japan has got a new Prime Minister. I am tired of reading this. Naoto Kan takes over from Yukio Hatoyama. Only if the Japanese had simpler names!

Ajmal Kasab appeals against his death sentence in Mumbai High Court. Just when it was all over. Sometimes, civil rights can be pretty irritating. Like this one. When it is as clear as daylight that Kasab was one among the terrorists, why is it taking so long to hang him? Where are the fake encounter specialists when you need them?

Arundhati Roy thinks Maoists are Gandhians. Just wondering what her ideas about Gandhi are.

India loses again to Zimbabwe. The news was buried deep inside most of the newspapers. Are these the 'hidden depths'?

In spite of visits by about half the Who's Who in the US, oil keeps leaking in the BP well. Why don't they use Fevicol to fix it? aise jod lagaye yamraj bhi tod na paaye

Meanwhile there is a lot of noise about India in connection with the EA Minister's trip to the US. We will get a clear picture only after the dust settles. The best thing to do is not to read newspapers during the visit. Read the reports dated half a week after. That gives the real picture.

North Korea is threatening the South with war. India and S.Korea have got a peculiar similarity - both have absolutely nutjob governments in countries to their north. Still, any day, North Korea is better than Pakistan!

Supposedly someone has written a book about Sonia Gandhi. Though Madam herself has no problems with the book, it seems her supporters have oodles of them. BJP meanwhile is supporting the book citing something called the Freedom of Expression. It is an article in our Constitution, by the way. Once upon a time there lived a person by the name Jinnah....

Almost everyday, there's another article titled 'Another mishap averted at ... airport'. It is almost as if these journalists are waiting for a scoop. Why don't they do a TV series on the dangers of Indian airports if they are so concerned about it? And cover it till the Government does something about it rather than jump to the next story?

That's all in today's news.Have a nice day.

In defence?

The Israeli attack on Flotilla came as a shock to everyone. Use of force on this scale was unexpected and I must say, unnecessary. The incident took place in international waters, and that makes it more worrying. Is Israel going to stop at nothing? The Flotilla incident has resulted in widespread condemnation of Israeli action but this too, will be forgotten soon. No country in the world today dares to stand up to Israel. Why?

Today's The Hindu carried the statement of the Prime Minister that terror would be fought 'root and branch'. I wish that were really true! If you look at it, we have too many kinds of terrorist groups in the country. Islamic extremists, Maoists, the uncountable number of -ists in the north-eastern region... the list goes on and on. And we have poorly equipped police forces in most of the states. On top of that, there is severe shortage of manpower too. This is not the ideal way to go about the task if the PM really meant it.

The interesting fact is, everyone seems to know how to fight terror: use force against the terrorists and win the hearts and minds of the locals. The question is, why is no one able to do it?

I am worried about the rate at which Japan seems to be changing its PMs. The Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama is stepping down as he could not fulfill his election promise of relocating a U.S Marine base. Quite sensible too, if you look at it. You are the Prime Minister of the country and you cannot get a foreign military base to be relocated, it doesn't make much sense to be holding the position, right? Thank God for the Non-Aligned Movement. That is one thing for which I will be forever grateful to Nehru.