Jung-istan

The attacks in Mumbai were harrowing. Add to this the recent outrage in Gaza Strip. Terrorism is an imperative threat to mankind.

Be it the Hitler’s war on Jews or the American occupation of Palestine, Iraq and Latin ; be it the trouble in Afghanistan and Pakistan or be it ‘War on Terrorism’ itself; be it the Police shooting at innocent children and men in tribal regions of India or the army raping their (tribal) women; be it the attack on our Parliament or be it the bombings of cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Malegaon… the list just ceases to end; all claim innocent lives.

We must realize the significance of understanding the logic behind these ‘wars’, or else we are certain to fall prey to the deceptive propaganda laid out to drag us away from the real motives behind such brutal massacres.

All these wars are related to each other in some way or the other. Around 70% of America’s economy is war based / dependent. And so, America is obligated to sell off its bombs and choppers for its development. Clearly the common man doesn’t buy them.

So whom does America sell its weapons?

American officials have repeatedly admitted that ‘America needs enemies to survive, real or virtual…!’ And hence the Vietnam, Korea, Bolivia and Gulf Wars.

There is one more way by which America has egged on its weapon business. It has perpetually supported various militant organizations like Taliban and Al-Qaida. Where else do these terrorist outfits get their ‘state of the art’ weapons from?

Secondly, although America never admits it, but its economy has been in a terrible recession since long. For the last two decades, the best that it has managed is a growth of around 5%. Its Goliath MNCs have been ravenous for new markets. That’s the reason why America is always hell bent on forcing the third world countries to ‘open’ their economies for American companies (they force one-sided trade). But the third world countries realize the danger of doing that, and hence resist; Cuba and Venezuela being classic examples.

Most importantly, America has its eye on the vast oil reserves in the Gulf and in Latin America. And so it has always tried to establish military bases in countries of such strategic importance. But these countries have just not let America prevail.

These happen to be the major reasons of America waging or financing endless wars.

Humans cost less than dollars!

And to do all this, America needs to portray ‘somebody’ as the 'world enemy'. Probably that explains why is it that ‘Not all Terrorists are Muslims, BUT all Muslims are Terrorists’. So in the most sincere efforts to save the world from these ‘traitors’, America wages ‘War on Terror’, err ‘War on Muslims’!

The result, countless bomb and war victims in Palestine, Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere continue to roam around homeless, jobless, foodless and without medical attention. I ask you if this happens to you, would you ever protest and hit back to culminate this injustice, or would you choose to die a spineless and shameful death?

And when people start fighting for their rights, they are labeled as ‘terrorists’. We have striking examples to this in India as well. Some forces identify Bhagat Singh as a terrorist, don’t they? Film maker Ajay T G and maseeha Dr Binayak Sen is termed a Naxalite.

Even our media has joined hands with the swindlers. We read and see all sorts of stories about Muslims engaged in terror activities all over the globe. Why don’t we ever see even a glimpse of American atrocities in Africa, Middle East, Latin America and Eastern Asia? It’s easy to guess. The entire Indian media industry ‘buys news’ from the American and European media giants. Would they ever discuss their atrocities?

While analyzing the recent attacks in Mumbai, we conveniently put the blame on Pakistan. However, we can not afford to disregard the fact that even Pakistan has been subject to similar instances of terrorism. Benazir Bhutto was assassinated. There have been countless suicide bombers creating menace all over in Pakistan. Even their five star hotels have been attacked repeatedly.

As a matter of fact, terrorism has very little to do with the culprits belonging to a certain religion, country or race. Terrorism rises from injustice and the prevalent Economic System. It's always the poor and unemployed who actually take part in such doings. Kasab was a poor worker’s son, not able to find a job! The ruling forces take advantage of this helplessness to ‘mould’ them into the beasts they become.

Fellow citizens, in tough times like these, teaming up to understand and wipe out the roots of terrorism seems to be the only rational step towards ensuring a peaceful and ‘livable’ world for us and our future generations. We need to recognize our role in fostering our society.

When the Protector becomes the Predator...

The Indian Army catchphrase "Do you have it in you?" used to fill my heart with all the josh and patriotism in the world. Not any more! Check this...

What Indian Army has done in the state of Manipur in the last 50 years is worse than what Modi did in Gujarat.

There is something known as the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958, better known as AFSPA. This is one of the most draconian pieces of legislature in Indian history, which states that in any area that is proclaimed as "disturbed", an officer of the armed forces has powers to:

• Fire upon or use other kinds of force even if it causes death
• To arrest without a warrant and with the use of "necessary" force anyone who has committed certain offences or is suspected of having done so
• To enter and search any premise in order to make such arrests

What's more, there can be no prosecution, suit or any other legal proceeding against anyone (officer / jawan) acting under that law. Nor is the government's judgment on why an area is found to be disturbed subject to judicial review.

And that is precisely what has happened in Manipur. Incidents of false encounters, custodial deaths, youths disappearing, young women being raped and killed are a common phenomenon.

Mister Prime Minister, Manipur is not 'DISTURBED'. It is 'BEING DISTURBED'. Consciously! On Purpose! And the Indian Army is the worst terror outfit a common Manipuri can think of!

Justice Jeevan Reddy Committee says the Act is a "symbol of oppression, instrument of high-handedness. But GoI has turned a deaf ear.

Many human rights activists have also demanded abolition of this brutal Act. Sharmila Irom is an icon of the struggle to dismantle AFSPA. She has been on an indefinite hunger strike since Nov 2000.

8.5 years is a long time...

She has been kept on alive on forced-feeding by the state. Her only demand - Repeal AFSPA.

Sharmila, you are not alone. We stand by you in your struggle for justice!

Fascist Incarceration of Dr Binayak Sen must End Immediately

Enough is enough! It is 2 years now!

Chattisgarh government has failed to prove any of its accusations (obviously fabricated) against Dr Binayak Sen. He has been accused of being a Naxalite, incarcerated and denied a bail repeatedly. 22 Nobel laureates and eminent intellectuals like Noam Chosky and Arundhati Roy have demanded immediate release of Dr Binayak Sen. Yet Indian government is not concerned. We ask, why?

Dr Binayak Sen completed his medical studies from a reputed college in Vellore, and later chose to lead a selfless life serving poor tribals in Chattisgarh. But he is not just a good hearted doctor. Dr Binayak Sen is a staunch human rights crusader. He was always critical of the state-sponsored terror in the name of Salwa Judum and strove to expose police atrocities on innocent tribals, which triggered his arrest.

In essence, Dr Sen was arrested because he was speaking the truth! He was arrested because he was fighting discrimination and unfairness.

In our country, people who raise voice against injustice are shown the gallows!

Is this Democracy?

Govt should BAN Bt Brinjal

The government decision to permit testing on Bt Brinjal is indeed unacceptable. It’s high time we should start learning from past mistakes. Bt Cotton, in spite of being promoted as farmer-friendly, has been a major contributor to the colossal farmer suicides in our country.

It is an established fact that Genetically Modified (GM) food is fatal for all life forms. Bt Brinjal has tested alarmingly negative on rats. The ill-effects are claimed to be observed in the second and third generations.

Promoters of GM crop seeds claim it to be a variety that requires less water and is pest-resistant. All these claims have already been proved fictitious by Bt Cotton!

Can government provide a justification for introducing artificial crops in agriculture when we don’t face any crisis, especially in case of Brinjals? Also, we have developed many organic approaches to fight pests.

The TRUE Women's Day

Every 8th March, we advocate for having a Men’s Day. The rationale being, that even men deserve a day for being pampered. The fact, however, remains that Women’s Day is NOT celebrated to pamper women. Necessarily, it portrays an impressive history of the courageous struggles led by women in the past.

We live in a highly advanced society today where few know of women facing any kind of suppression. Words like Women’s Rights and Liberation do not astound us today, which unfortunately used to be deemed as being ridiculous till a few decades back!

Inherently, our society has been awfully patriarchic for ages. And the rights that women enjoy today have not come easily. They are fruits of the passionate struggles led by women in all parts of the world during the last century.

Women’s struggles have played another significant role in the forming of the society that we live in today. For instance, the concept of overtime was simply absent, say, 100 years back, when people were made to work ruthlessly for 16 hours in a day! The 8-hours-work-a-day policy was a direct outcome of the constant struggles led by workers all over the world. And women were an integral part of this struggle too.

Today we remember and embrace 8th March as a symbol of such struggles. 8th March is by no stretch of imagination a day for pampering women, and hence the question of celebrating a Men’s Day is bizarre! We must view these days as significant milestones in the history of mankind. And hence we must take inspiration from the struggles of our ancestors.

Global WarNing

India aspires to be a Global Power by 2020. Given the current economic and terrorism crisis, there is no doubt that this vision has been punctured significantly.

This aside, there is one more thing which needs immediate attention. And that is the debacle of Global Warming. It is well established that Global Warming has struck Australia and America. Struck them hard! These countries happen to be world leaders in Green House Gas (GHG) emissions.

Lately, Australia has witnessed its hottest days of all times. Hottest months, to say the truth. The recent forest fire, which devastated thousands of families, stands an excellent testimony to this fact.

California is another victim. In recent years, it has experienced severe desertification of cultivable land, resulting in some of the worst droughts in its history.

It is high time we should start taking Global Warming seriously. Experts claim that if the world doesn’t check Carbon and Methane emissions in the next 10 years, things will move out of humanities reach!

People, Wake Up!

Dow ko Bhagao!

This refers to ‘Dow Fire – A Mindless Act’, Pune Mirror, TOI, dated 27 July ’08. The setting of Dow Chemicals’ plant on fire was indeed sad. But let’s also try and analyze the true situation.

Unlike NCL & UICT, Dow is one of the world’s most notorious chemical companies, with an appalling 100 year history of producing world’s most toxic CHEMICAL WEAPONS and pesticides. Thanks to Dow Chemicals, even today, the effects of Agent Orange & Napalm Bomb stand testimony to the havoc created in countries right from Vietnam to Iraq, wherever US has waged wars.

Also, there is always added danger from such research units since these try out and test new chemicals, obviously toxic! Think about the pollution of the nearby Indrayini River, which flows all the way up to Pandarpur.

Furthermore, if Dow claims not to intoxicate the vicinity, why doesn’t it reveal its Project Report, which is a public document by Indian Law!

Besides, Union Carbide (now taken over by Dow Chemicals), functioned on exactly similar lines and was downright responsible for the Bhopal Gas Tragedy. The question is, “Is Pune ready for a Pune Gas Tragedy?”

Kill the Cartels

Who has not been affected by the current price catastrophe? Why do politicians deceive people by saying that the current rise in prices is due to shortage?

Why does our honorable agriculture minister provoke North Indians against South Indians saying that the current rise in prices is due to South Indians consuming too much wheat & the North Indians consuming too much rice?

Why does Bush blame Indian middle class for the international hike in prices?

Why doesn’t the true picture come out?

This distressing inflation actually is not due to scarcity of goods, but is a comprehensible result of cartels becoming more and more active by the day. When five or six major corporations or dealers, who control 60-70 % of the market share, come together, they fix on the prices at will. Classic example to this is the Cement Manufacturers Association, which was the master mind behind the recent cement price escalations.

Why does the government give in to pressure from private players who flourish at the cost of common man’s blood?

Uncle Raj, Why is there Unemployment in your Maharashtra?

Mr Raj made a very interesting point recently, saying that North Indians are utter nuisance to the Maharashtrian community as they are giving their Marathi counterparts a run for their money. They are eating up all job opportunities, leaving a huge number of Maharashtrians unemployed.

Are you trying to say that Marathi people are incompetent? I don't think so. North Indians don't think so... By common sense, if North Indians are a mess in Maharashtra, so are Marathis in North India! In that case, lets drive out Marathi people from the North. Is that how you guys want to play politics for your votes?

I want to ask another basic question. Instead of fretting over who gets what jobs in Maharashtra, why don't we talk about the number and kind of jobs available in the state?

Lets say Maharashtra has 100 jobs, out of which North Indians ate up 70, depriving the locals of their livelihood. Let's consider for a while that there were no North Indians in the line up and all 100 jobs went to Marathi people. But still there are 200 jobless Marathis (coz there are 300 Marathis seeking jobs)! Isn't that the actual situation? My question is that if there are no North Indians in the state, why are 200 people still unemployed?

We must try to look through this propaganda and raise more important questions. Questions like, "Why are there so less jobs in Maharashtra? Why are there no jobs in the North? (else, why would North Indians come all the way to Maharashtra, leaving their homes and families?)

I ask Mr Raj, "Why is there such widespread employment in Maharashtra?"

Oh, I get it now! That must be because of the Christians or South Indians! No no, it has to be those Muslims again, right Uncle Raj? Lets bombard Muslims now. But, that's the BJP strategy, lets leave it to them! Well, then we are left only with the South Indians, but even that episode is over, thanks to Bal Ji. I think the best option would be to come up with some more innovative ways to distinguish among people and make them fight. Atleast that would serve the purpose for some while, right?

What we don't realize is the kind of impact and hatred it inculcates in the common man. And not only men, in children as well. I happened to talk to a few children in a slum in Pune, and guess what they had to say about North Indians. "Ye North Indians ko laat mar ke bhaga dena chahiye Maharashtra se! Unke wajah se humein naukari nahi milti!"

These are kids in 6th and 7th standard. So from the age of 11-12 yrs, we are training our next generation youth to fight against each other. Who says, India is not developing?

The Great Hockey Inanity

If you thought 'All that glitters is gold', go for a reality check! Meet Team Hockey, India and you will feel hog-tied as a slave craving for freedom. Real heroes often have a long and bitter history of being unsung most of the times.

How many of us actually know that India has have had an excellent repute in the game and are ranked among the top Hockey playing nations in the world. India and Pakistan dominated men's Hockey till late 80's and still are respectable hockey playing nations even now. I invite you to consider that being among the top Hockey playing nations is far more commendable than being good at Cricket.

The fact can be testified by a simple comparison of the two sports. India ranks 8th among 120 Hockey playing nations and 6th among 11 Cricket playing nations. Media in India does all the ballyhoo about 3 sports in particular, CRICKET, CRICKET and CRICKET!

Why so much hype to cricket only? Even the Sports Ministry is to be blamed here. Poor Hockey players are the ones who actually play for nation's pride. They are still very poor unlike our cricketers who have become so irresponsible now. No media coverage, no big sponsors, no big company hiring hockey players as brand ambassadors... that's how tough and humiliating it is to be a Hockey Player in a nation who's National Sport is Hockey!

I bet you will be shocked to learn that while India clinched the Asia Cup 2007 title for Hockey in Chennai beating South Korea 7-2, our media was busy interviewing prominent personalities from the field of cricket asking them to comment on Sachin's retirement! This is how important issues are sidelined by the media.

Truly speaking Hockey is a sport which badly needs Media advocacy and recognition from public in general. Had India invested wisely in Hockey as much it glutted on cricket, we surely would have been paragons in the sport!

Show some Spirit, CFBC

The Central Board of Film Certification (CFBC) has yet again proved its improbity. Its our motivational guru's Documentary Film this time to face the music.

Intended for a good cause, the 29 minute documentary on Reservation, Jaati Todo - Bharat Jodo (Break Caste - Unite India) by Shiv Khera, was allegedly advised 3 cuts, with the Board asking for proof for 2 claims made in the film.

Khera dismisses them by saying, "They want documentary evidence of some of the statements I've made. For example, there's one that says that in 1984 riots, thousands of sikhs were killed. I've gone on to ask whether their lives can be compensated with money. The Censor Board wants a documentary proof of this! The others are equally ridiculous."

This is the level of people in the Censor Board. It can safely be stated that we're not the world's biggest Democracy, we're the world's biggest Hypocrisy...

Its sad to learn that just because of those corrupt politicians India is in such a sorry state, and to add more to the misery, the political heads do not even want these facts to be stated in the documentary.

Mera Bharat Mahaan, Sau mein se Ninyanave Be-Imaan... Jai Hind!

Bt Calamity

We all read daily about farmer suicides in India. But have we ever thought what could the reason be? Here is why they are bound to take the ultimate step.

Bt Cotton accounts for one of the most cardinal causes for the growing deaths. Unlike usual cotton, Bt Cotton is grown from artificially developed seeds and ensures a much superior harvest with the minimal use of pesticides.

Companies selling the seeds claim that the use of Bt Cotton can increase the yield by 30-40 % and also decrease the use pesticides by a whopping 70%. As anticipated, these advantages come with a cost. The seeds cost roughly 16 times the cost of Non Bt Cotton seeds.

In no time, farmers across India became interested in these seeds and opted for them hoping to increase their profits. But the results were truly crestfallen.

New crops cant be grown from the seeds of artificially grown cotton

Farmers have to buy new seeds every season

The crop stills required almost the same amount of pesticides

As opposed to 50-60 bolls in the Non Bt brand, the Bt Cotton bore only 20-30 on an average

Most of these would fall off much earlier than the crop could be harvested

Use of these seeds degraded the soil, which affected other crops as well

Result, all hopes shattered! Harvests became their biggest nightmare.

Most farmers took loans for buying such costly seeds

Loans were made available on a staggering 35-40 % interest rate

Investing about Rs. 25000 (that too through loans) gave a return of only Rs. 2500 after harvesting

Other crops also affected

No way of returning the loan

Possible Reasons

Seeds were developed in the USA and suited their environment, soil and weather, not ours

No tests or experiments conducted to study the impact of artificial seeds on the soil

Government privatizing Agriculture Sector because of political gains through MNCs

MNCs don't bother about the impact of seeds on Indian Agricultural. They only think about selling off their product in the Indian market

Unawareness among farmers

Possible Solutions

Try to raise voice against privatization of agriculture sector

Spread awareness among farmers

I feel the first optional is very crucial. We must take a stand against the various injustices happening around us.

There is also a need to unite our farmers and raise voice against the deliberate murder of our Agiculture. No industrialization can sustain without a firm agricultural base!

How Penurious is our Police?

When it comes to taking responsibilities, the Indian administration is world class in demurring and turning away. And Indian Ploice is no exception.

In a recent happening, a man was brutally beaten to death by crushing his head with stones by 6 people near a railway station in Pune and then laid down on the tracks to be chopped off in day light in public. The most exciting part of the story is that even Police was there enjoying the sight. When asked be the people around to do something in that regard, they promptly replied, "A railway line is not in police jurisdiction. Railway Police should stop and catch the criminals."

Yes sir, why would you do anything to stop someone from killing people in public? Was it your family member being brutally murdered? But sir, you would atleast call up the Railway Police and hand them over your criminals, right?

A National Level Convention for RTI Crusaders

A National Convention of RTI activists was held in Pune on 12,13th May 2007. Activists from 23 states in India participated. Bharat Uday Mission (BM) Pune members were present as volunteers to assist the organizers "Surajya Sangharsha Samiti, Pune", a group of RTI activists in Pune.

The convention was attended by well known personalities including: Aruna Roy, Arvind Kejriwal, Anna Hazare, Prashant Bhushan, Manish Sisodiya (parivartan), Medha Patkar. Phew, being with such people was quite an honour.

Following members from Pune participated as volunteers: Prerna, Ranjini, Rishikesh, Abhijeet R, Ashwin T, Dipendra, Pradnya K, Ketaki M, Abhijit K.

Members of BM Gwalior and BM Ujjain chapters were invited and Saurabh and Gaurav Bharat From those chapters represented BM.

Through this convention BM got good visibility among some of the activist groups like Parivartan, and among activists from various other states. We also showed our interest in helping the RTI activists all over India in making a database of all RTI activists.

Lot of BM members are already members of HumJanenge yahoogroup, which is the prime medium of communication for RTI activists. We can further use this group to update the RTI activists about : our experiences with the applications that we have filed, difficulties, solutions,
suggestions, etc. BM members can use the name of Bharat Uday Mission in their signatures to further give visibility to the mission.

The next RTI convention is planned in Ranchi in September and I believe that BM members from nearby areas will definitely participate.

I believe working in isolation is exremely inefficient, and we should be coordinating our activities with other activists in our states. "Ekta Mein Bal Hai", you see.