I normally write a short reflection during Christmas. My reflection this year is on Christmas in the aftermath of the Orissa violence… A Christmas Wish – dedicated to all the people of Kandhamal, Orissa, especially to the 8000+ people still living in relief camps, and to all those who live under the shadow of violence, … Continue reading
The decision by the Vice Chancellor (VC) of Jamia Millia University to offer legal aid to its students accused of indulging in terrorist acts in laudable. Governments are under pressure to show quick results, and any suspect is presumed to be guilty if the case pertains to so-called ‘terror’. In this atmosphere, every care must … Continue reading
Reporting on the Malegaon blasts investigations, the media is full of reports about “Hindu terror groups”. (NDTV, Oct 26, 2008). Once again we are falling into the trap of linking an entire religion with groups who propagate violence and terror. The perpetrators of the violence claim to be indulging in the violent crimes for the … Continue reading
It is not very difficult to stoke the flame of communalism in the country. The ground work has been surely and steadily laid over the years and is bearing fruit now. The job of a fundamentalist or an extremist or a fanatic is very easy these days, be it a Christian, or a Hindu or … Continue reading
During recent discussions with a friend, I found him implying the oft-repeated notion that all those who were caught in recent times for “terrorist” activities were Muslims. I had dealt with a similar issue in an earlier posting (Stop communalising terror!) While the police promptly come up with some Muslim group’s name for involvement in … Continue reading
Rajdeep Sardesai of CNN-IBN has written a blog titled ‘Who will be India’s Obama?’ He has compared the Indian and American political scenario and ends his article by saying “For the moment, India awaits her Barack Obama.” This is my response to that blog article. Why are we comparing apples and oranges? America is as … Continue reading
Many Indians are aghast! And rightly so, because an Indian cricketer (Harbhajan Singh) who was accused of making a supposedly racial remark against an Australian cricketer (Andrew Symonds), was declared guilty by ICC Match Referee Mike Proctor, without any corroborative evidence. The accusers were the Australian team (captain Ricky Pointing and co.) and the witnesses … Continue reading
Tehelka has called it the truth about Gujarat 2002 in the words of the men who did it. And what is ‘it’? It refers to how: – a pregnant woman’s womb was indeed pierced with a sword and the foetus wrenched out. – Muslims hiding in a gutter in the hope that they would survive … Continue reading
Last night a neighbour invited me over for dinner. He said that we could share some ideas, clarify our thoughts on some issues and also discuss the latest news. I gladly agreed, and went over to his place. As soon as I entered, he began screaming at me, called me all kinds of names and … Continue reading
In this age of 24 hour television news channels, it is quite common to hear reporters quote unconfirmed reports and half-truths, especially when the situation is just developing. In the mad scramble to be the first one reporting the “story”, the causality figures are exaggerated, the cause of the incident speculated upon and the incident … Continue reading
