Sri Lankan Tsunami!

Sri Lanka, the island nation has once again in turmoil when the media blared an assassination attempt on their President Maithripala Sirisena, ostensibly engineered by India. In the next couple of days, the President surprisingly dismissed Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and appointed Percy Mahendra Rajapaksa in his place. On Ranil’s insistence that he still is the Prime Minister, the President has suspended the Parliament till Nov 16.

The Sri Lankan Parliamentary speaker has recognised Ranil Wickremesinghe as the Primi Minister even as China the hidden puppeteer of the nation congratulated Rajapaksa, a known China ally. India, for records, has maintained a studied silence, though, I trust the discreet diplomacy, which was reflected in the Maldives recently. Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, the former president of Maldives, stated that India helped in the restoration of democracy in the Maldives. Yameen, the defeated Chinese ally and president, was sticking on to his post, challenging the election results, in which he was trounced.

China has been waving wades of dollars in the form of FDI in infrastructure and entrapping nations, which are around India. Rajapaksa, who had served Sri Lanka as the President between 2009 and 2015 had borrowed heavily from China, from which the country is unable to rise, resulting in surrendering a port, which could endanger India greatly.

It is reported that the Cheng Xueyuan, the Chinese Ambassador to Sri Lanka has been politicking and personally carrying a congratulatory message personally to Rajapaksa, even before he was approved by the Parliament as per convention. China it is rumoured to be inducing legislators with large sums to switch their support in favour of Rajapaksa, according to Ranjan Ramanayake, an MP,

Rajapaksa is a monster, who annihilated Tamil civilians, in his war with Tamil Tigers. Thousands of women were raped, children killed and any able-bodied me of whatever age butchered. The International community is maintaining a distance, save giving press statements that the President should act according to the constitution. Their role was no different during the bitter Tamil war and the genocide after that. No UN war crime team has been allowed into Sri Lanka ever to assess the loss of lives.

In 2013, the UN panel estimated additional deaths during the last phase of the war: Around 40,000 died while other independent reports estimated the number of civilians dead to exceed 100,000.

A peaceful neighbourhood around India is very essential and looking at the Maldives and Sri Lanka episodes, such things are going to be repeated by China in Bhutan and Bangladesh too, as Nepal and Pakistan have already increased their reliance on China.

Ranil Wickremesinghe is a friend of India, and it would be in India’s interest to help reinstate him and defeat China’s manifestations by repulsing Rajapaksa’s backdoor entry.

Sampath Kumar
Intrépide voix

West Bengal and Communism!

The status of Communists in India has mostly been reduced to Kerala, and some suave, ‘London-or-New York-for-holiday’ loving left leaders, disagreeing on any and every issue, merely to be visible and in the circuit. They do make infrequent appearances with the face of Che Guevara on T-shirts of students, though in select universities.

Born in West Bengal, I can dare say, every Bengali is either left or left-leaning, though whichever party they would like to associate. Partition and the aftermath of millions of Bengali refugees in West Bengal repeated again in the Indo-Pak war of 1971, converted the state to one of a welfare kind, unlike any other in India.

People needed shelter, food and medicine. Rationing was in vogue, even as the most states discarded the PDS system. It was controlled everywhere, be it Kerosene, rice or bread. Queues were common, save for getting a precarious and scary foothold on ramshackle public transport. It was in the order of the day that for a 1 Paisa increase in the ticket cost a few trams or busses would be burnt.

Bandhs were rampant and covered all international issues from opposing the visit of World Bank President McNamara, to protest against US war in Vietnam or to demand rice supply, the canvas was divergent and extensive. The opposition would always retort with bombs, and the policemen, mostly then from Bihar hiding out from the action scenes.

The industry was an enemy, and industrialists, devils. Birla and Tata were famous as the scapegoat to be burnt as effigies or garlanded with footwear. The Mantra of sustainability was farming, and rural development mattered more. The state grew with a mind of opposition and negativity as political opponents were silenced or eliminated.

A few, crafty pseudo industrialists thrived in the embrace of the mighty, either in Writers’ Building or in Alimuddin Street and they could grab precious contracts and offers for a song. There grew two schools of thoughts within the party, staunchly Stalinists who blocked any progress and neo-liberals, who were hungry to match the other states in growth. Leaders discreetly prayed at temples and reverently took the Tirupati ladoos, and a few dared the party and publicized their temple visits, exposing the weakening stranglehold of the party over its lea

The last CM, a change of face, promising a change that Bengal prayed for, was confined in the walls erected around him by hardcore ideologists, who opposed his development agenda fiercely. Opposition parties were supported in the Singur imbroglio to weaken the CM from within.

In the scary scenario of today, when capital is getting confined to a few individuals, not only in India but the world over, bridging the gap between the poor and the rich could have been better done by the communists. However, in the war between far right and the left, the left was decimated and now are a relic of the past, be it in Soviet Russia, China or India.

If the left becomes progressive, not believing only in Bandhs, strikes and militancy in labour, and turning tolerant towards opponents, it could have been a balancing factor indeed.

Sampath Kumar
Intrépide voix

Sabarimala!

The about to retire Chief Justice of Supreme Court, as per convention, was in a hurry to dispose of the important pending cases he was hearing. Gender inequality in disallowing women of menstrual age into Sabarimala temple was one such case, which the bench he headed, decided is violative of the Indian Constitution and struck it down. The court, by challenging the century-old practice of barring women has not only challenged the very foundation of religion but could have contested the existence of God itself, placing our secular credentials above religion.

I was close by in the Brahmagiri Hills and saw nothing else in the media or on the TV except the vexed issue of permitting women into Sabarimala temple.

Religions of the world, often, have been patriarchal and grossly discriminatory to women. Hinduism is no exception. ‘Women only’ temples do exist, but they are in rarity. Menstrual period of women was considered to lack hygiene and they thus voluntarily refrained from entering any temple or participate in any religious function. The deity Ayyappa is celibate, and mythology refers to harm to the land if it is broken by the entry of women into the sanctum.

Nothing that is a law or the written in the constitution could be sacrosanct and requires amendments as the people want. Therefore, the court has armed itself with powers to revise, recall any order at any time. By this order, the Supreme Court has placed law firmly over faith, though it sounds hollow and discriminatory when demand for uniform civil code or challenges to Sharia law in discriminating women are all gathering dust.

Implementable is a fundamental requisite of Judicial orders, which was seriously threatened by Karnataka State on the Cauvery river water sharing issue. The Government of Kerala is in a quandary, the choice being a devil or the deep sea, whichever way it responds, torn between its secular credentials, respecting the rule of law and violent aftermath of a Hindu retort.

However, if women devotees have to be allowed, where from emerged Fatima and Mary Sweety? Who perpetrated plan of the devious mischief? Fatima claims to be a devotee of Ayyappa, will it be alone enough strip her of her Islamic bearings? Trupti Desai, the Pune based other activist, who has spearheaded such movement in Sani Signapur is digging her heels to arrive with her aggressive team.

Kerala is a strange state, where all major religions have co-existed in peace for a millennium and more. Inter-religious and inter-cultural practices are standard and tolerance usually the highest. The advent of Wahabi Islam, funded by Saudis has polarised the tranquil lands, which needs to end.

Women could go to the temple, with a pure mind. They should be devotees and not activists, who are funded by foreign powers to instigate communal disharmony and chaos. I must add, this issue could be singularly force polarisation of Hindus and consolidate the vote bank of the BJP.

I wish the lordships had kept the final judgement of the case undelivered and saved itself from the ignominy of disregard by the state in its implementation.

Sampath Kumar
Intrépide voix

# Me Too- Phase II

We move on to phase II. The complaints, a deluge, have started flowing in ever since a Bollywood actor braved to come online to reveal her sufferings of harassment in the hands of a co-actor, a famous male.

Soon many joined the great #Me Too movement, shaming high and mighty, whose escapades were hidden in the dark confines of their workplaces and bedrooms. A few, have appropriately responded from stepping aside, resigning from their present engagements, thus allowing an impartial enquiry into their alleged misconduct.

A few, on the other side, have been braying with claims that the allegations are conspiratorial and with hidden motives. A Union Minister of state has even gone a step ahead, threatening defamation suits against the complaints. It is not just one, but many who have complained over the misconduct, sexual assaults of the minister. The noblest and gracious response the minister should have done was to have stepped down from his post and thus relieve the government of the ignominy arising from his action. But where’s the scope of gracefulness and nobility when one embraces politics.

The opposition is muted, as there are many skeletons in their cupboards too. The circulation in the TV Channels and YouTube of not-too-old gory oral sex scenes of a Congress spokesman with his colleague in his chamber had to be withdrawn only by order of the court. She was not the wife of the spokesman. Was the action consensual? What is the guarantee the judiciary was not forced into submission, knowing the power of the perpetrator, who once argued that his Godrej almirahs were eaten away by termites and thus prevented him from submitting his tax bills running into crores?

A film director promptly resigned. A famed writer is shouting ‘foul,’ a socialite and column writer has become corpse-quiet, and a poet with a Padma Bhushan under his belt too is daring the accuser to meet her challenge in the court of law. I asked a political bigwig if the ‘Padma’ award would be withdrawn in such cases. The reply was piercing, “Padma thrives in the dirty soil.”

#Me Too movement has merely jolted the society and is exposing a well-known truth, but each such case must go through due diligence and scrutiny of law, which I feel could be Phase III. Save a minuscule percentage of complaints moving to courtrooms, much of the cries of agony, stored in the darkest depths of the victims would be lost in the wilderness with lack of evidence and the money, political power of the oppressors. The world in the meanwhile would get disinterested, chasing new stories of newer thrills.

Unless of course there emerges a fit body, to hear out all the allegations and to act upon them, giving weight to each one of the complaints. Notwithstanding all what has happened so far, the patriarchal and a misogynist society has gone into hiding, licking its wounds, some grievous and a few fatal.

I hear from my doctor friends, that sleeping pills are in high demand, unlike any time before! My advice, sleep while you can, for you are long going to be awake facing the brutal force of truth!

Sampath Kumar
Intrépide voix

#Me too!

Human society is continuously evolving, forever setting trends, be it good, bad or evil. Such patterns these days tend to spread very fast, thanks to social media. One of the off-shoots of such a trend is oppressed women opening up against predator men, colleagues, neighbours, tutors et al.

A Hollywood actress dared to publicise molestation by a famous director Harvey Weinstein, which snowballed into a ‘#Me too’ movement, with 80 women opening up and sharing their horrid moments with the predator. The Director was shamed and shunned and might spend all his fortune for fighting cases and yet end up in prison. The same has been in the fact of the famous comedian Bill Cosby, who has already been already sentenced and several men in the film industry could follow him.

Escapades by the high and mighty have been food for tabloids at best, but the society had not much bothered about it earlier, brushing the allegations under the carpet labelling them as ‘perils of the profession.’ A classic example is of an editor of a famous investigative journal, whose case has been going on for several years now.

The ‘#Me too’ now has spread to India as well. Casting couch is not new, and periodically they come to light, though soon forgotten by the overbearing political scams and scandals. One actress has raked up a ten-year-old case of harassment against a male lead actor, considered to be a heavyweight in the Bollywood. Soon, as the dykes opened from an overflowing dam, various complains have started pouring in against, co-actors, directors, producers, sports persons and of course politicians.

One Union Minister, an ex-editor of a famous newsgroup, has primarily come into focus as many have raised their fingers exposing the misdeeds of the minister. The government cannot be dismissive of the allegations on the premise that he wasn’t a minister at the time of the alleged misdemeanours. He has to step aside or should be forced to quit until proven otherwise.

The #Me too movement itself is a game changer for all women in India, providing now and in the future a cloak of protection unavailable until now. Every prowling man will be wary of the future consequences and resist his momentary cravings. The social media as a weapon has undoubtedly contributed to the welfare of the society in no uncertain terms.

Having said that, it may also be a bit lopsided to conclude that men alone could be the predators or perpetrators of the attack against the modesty of women against their will. There could also be women, who are bitchy and wanting to settle scores with men for entirely different reasons. One can imagine the plight of an innocent man, whose life could be devastated by a wily women’s false accusation. A few black sheep does not make the herd black and there are many decent men who would vouch for my statement!

Regardless of such minimal aberrations and trendy exploitation the #Me too movement has dealt a deathly blow to the exploitation of women, particularly in workplaces, which is a welcome situation.

It was not without reason that I missed out ‘godmen!’ They are heterosexual and are capable of molesting all genders.

Sampath Kumar
Intrépide voix

She has arrived, Durga!

The light nip in the morning air and the sway of the blooming ‘khas’ flowers announced the arrival of the greatest auspicious celebration, the appearance of Goddess Durga to the homes in Bengal for a brief stay. Like the married girls, her visit is short, and she leaves to the eternal teary farewell of many. She adorns the image of a mother and as well a daughter.

While Ma Manasa arose as a symbol of defiance to the Brahmanical hierarchy, worshipped by the backwards, the early Durga was in the clutches of the priest-clan, and the celebrations were limited to the landlords.

The Sarbojanin or Universal worship that began in 1926 changed all that. It could have roots from Maharashtra when in 1893, Bal Gangadhar Tilak brought out the Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations to the common man as a means to unite the people against the then British government sometimes in the middle of 19th century. The rise of Hindu zamindars after the Nawab of Bengal broke ranks with the Mughals in 17 the Century and the subsequent victory of the English in the 1757 Battle of Plassey buoyed the landlords, who would flaunt their status with flamboyant indulgence during this period of ten days of pujas. Noteworthy Englishmen used to attend these functions, and a law was enacted banning their participation in the celebrations.

The Bengal Puja became the symbol of the swadeshi campaign “Nothing bideshi, everything swadeshi.” The later political changes and the abolishment of the zamindari system shrunk the size of pujas in the houses of Landlords, and the quiet transfer of power went into the hands of the public. The Pujas got transformed as Baroari when a few contributed, and later it assumed the universal ‘sarbojanin,’ character, thus opening goddess to all, organised and celebrated by the public.

Durga Puja today cannot be called a religious function anymore. It’s a carnival of sorts, the budget of the big clubs often running into crores of rupees. There is suddenly an economic boom of an additional few thousand crores into the circulation as every segment of business thrives. Durga herself seems to have settled with the change in a state, struggling for investments in industry and generation of employment, the ten days period is undoubtedly a shot in the arm.

A prominent minister from the present state government, a member of the minority community, is the president of one of the vital puja committee, which could describe how the celebration has transcended caste and creed resulting in the bloom of a rich culture of cross-fertilisation and understanding.

Durga Puja is the enduring hope of a section of the battling society. The goddess blessings reach one, and all in some form or other like many kind souls rush to bring the neglected old and sick by special buses to the pandals to give them some moments of enjoyment. Durga symbolises the destruction of evil, in the form of the buffalo demon Mahisasura, but I guess none cares about that much.

Regardless of an occasional cloudburst, storms or cyclone which has tried to dislodge the pujas in the past many times, the brave Bengali spirit soars high in the celebrations of Maa Durga, who will ceremoniously arrive in a couple of days.

Sampath Kumar
Intrépide voix