Moral Policing in Chennai

Never thought that this will become such a serious issue...

Encroaching on individual freedoms from The Hindu
(This is a must read article. brings up a lot of things I don't which part of it to quote and what to leave out. )
"It is inexplicable that, on the one hand, Chennai wants to position itself as the gateway to the future, a city of information technology parks and a manufacturing hub that will attract money and the best talent from abroad as well as other parts of India. At the same time, it wants to clamp down on everything that has the faintest smell of cosmopolitanism about it. One of the successes of New York or London or Shanghai as cities is that they are all things to all people, and peoples. It is no one's argument that these are the most egalitarian places in the world, but they provide the space and freedom that make these great cities the magnets they are for people from differing social, cultural, ethnic, and economic backgrounds. "
...
"How, then, to explain that a significant number of rape victims are minors? Should we now accuse underage girls of provocative behaviour? Has anybody suggested that it is time boys were brought up to think of women differently so that they can respect them regardless of what they wear? Strangely enough, even the Nazi propagandist Goebbels had more progressive views on women than those who talk about a dress code today. Writing in 1934, he argued that men trying to impose prudish moralism on society presumed that others shared their "dirty fantasies." "

But there is someone who still see the humor in the situtaion.

How dare you kiss in Chennai? from Rediff [via Neeraj]

This too is a must read. Gem of a satire.

"No, this is not an adaptation of George Orwell's 1984. This is 2005, and the city is Chennai."

1984 by Orwell, is a must read too.

GDP vs GNH

A New Measure of Well-Being From a Happy Little Kingdom from NYTimes

"What is happiness? In the United States and in many other industrialized countries, it is often equated with money.
Economists measure consumer confidence on the assumption that the resulting figure says something about progress and public welfare. The gross domestic product, or G.D.P., is routinely used as shorthand for the well-being of a nation."

I never thought that happiness was equal to money... here or anywhere else. I also thought that this was common knowledge.

"But the small Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan has been trying out a different idea.
In 1972, concerned about the problems afflicting other developing countries that focused only on economic growth, Bhutan's newly crowned leader, King Jigme Singye Wangchuck, decided to make his nation's priority not its G.D.P. but its G.N.H., or gross national happiness."
...
"While household incomes in Bhutan remain among the world's lowest, life expectancy increased by 19 years from 1984 to 1998, jumping to 66 years. The country, which is preparing to shift to a constitution and an elected government, requires that at least 60 percent of its lands remain forested, welcomes a limited stream of wealthy tourists and exports hydropower to India.
"We have to think of human well-being in broader terms," said Lyonpo Jigmi Thinley, Bhutan's home minister and ex-prime minister. "Material well-being is only one component. That doesn't ensure that you're at peace with your environment and in harmony with each other."
It is a concept grounded in Buddhist doctrine, and even a decade ago it might have been dismissed by most economists and international policy experts as naïve idealism."
...
"Bhutan, which had no public education system in 1960, now has schools at all levels around the country and rotates teachers from urban to rural regions to be sure there is equal access to the best teachers, officials said.
Another goal, they said, is to sustain traditions while advancing. People entering hospitals with nonacute health problems can choose Western or traditional medicine.
The more that various effects of a policy are considered, and not simply the economic return, the more likely a country is to achieve a good balance, said Sangay Wangchuk, the head of Bhutan's national parks agency, citing agricultural policies as an example.
Bhutan's effort, in part, is aimed at avoiding the pattern seen in the study at Harvard, in which relative wealth becomes more important than the quality of life.
"The goal of life should not be limited to production, consumption, more production and more consumption," said Thakur S. Powdyel, a senior official in the Bhutanese Ministry of Education. "There is no necessary relationship between the level of possession and the level of well-being."
Mr. Saul, the Canadian political philosopher, said that Bhutan's shift in language from "product" to "happiness" was a profound move in and of itself. "

Importance of the Nobel Prize!

Nobel prize's changing landscape from The Hindu

"How relevant is the prize? No one would argue that receipt ends wars or secures peace and prosperity for laureates: Kim Dae-jung, the 2000 winner, is no longer President of South Korea and peace talks with North Korea are stalled; the Dalai Lama is still in exile despite winning the prize in 1989. But for many laureates, the prize has meant not only recognition but exposure, a greater capacity for fundraising, and a stronger voice. In some cases, in countries such as Burma and Iran, the award may also have guaranteed the safety of its recipients. Perhaps the best indication that the peace prize makes a difference is the fact that it has managed to maintain its prestige. "

quotes

It is curious that physical courage should be so common in the world and moral courage so rare.
-- Mark Twain

It is only when we silent the blaring sounds of our daily existence that we can finally hear the whispers of truth that life reveals to us, as it stands knocking on the doorsteps of our hearts.
-- K.T. Jong

:)

Sania on Time cover from IE

Art of story telling

From BBC. There photos too not just dance(ocourse I liked thoes the best), nice collection.

Another one totally lost it!

Sangh’s Dandia song: no Muslims, please from IE

"Male garba participants in Indore better watch out. Their Hindu credentials will be checked before they are allowed to dance. This is the Bajrang Dal’s idea of screening Muslim participants, who, it believes mingle with Hindu girls and elope with them at the end of Navratri.
A week before the festival begins, Dal’s Indore unit has asked organisers of commercial garbas to ban Muslim men from venues, or face consequences. "We will ask participants to chant the names of Hindu gods or eat tulsi leaves. Hindus won’t mind, Muslims will. We will thrash them and also teach the organisers a lesson," warned Pradeep Nair, Dal’s Mahanagar Sanyojak.
Said Dal’s Bhopal chief Devendra Rawat: "It’s a festival of Hindus, why should those from another religion take part? Only Hindu youths should be allowed because Muslim boys run away with Hindu girls." "

I want to scream... Someone please get hold of these idiots Pleeeaaaaaase.

quote

"The hardest of all is learning to be a well of affection, and not a fountain; to show them we love them not when we feel like it, but when they do."
-- Nan Fairbrother

Global warming

Report: Ice-free Arctic summers possible by 2100 from CNN

"One Arctic variation, known as Arctic Oscillation, an atmospheric circulation pattern that can push sea ice out of the area, had become less of an influence in the region since the mid-1990s, the report said.
Inuit hunters threatened by the melting of Arctic ice plan to file a petition in December accusing the United States of violating their human rights by fueling global warming. The Bush administration has opted out of the Kyoto Treaty to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The Inuit number about 155,000 people in Canada, Alaska, Greenland and Russia.
Scientists say the Arctic is warming faster than the rest of the globe because water or bare earth, once uncovered, soaks up more heat than ice and snow. That process means melting can spur even warmer temperatures and more melting."

Now what reason will he give?

Pakistani women march in rape row from BBC

"Mr Musharraf said that rape in Pakistan had become an opportunity to make money and emigrate, but also insisted his government supported womens' rights.

He initially denied making the remarks, until an audio recording was released. "

Do we belong to the same country??????

Pro-Kannada activists seek quotas in IT jobs from The Hindu

"IT firms have made it clear that merit would be the sole criterion in recruitment and they cannot earmark jobs for anyone.
The Karnataka government too has also acknowledged the IT industry's stand, saying job quota cannot be made mandatory in that sector."

Maybe the next thing I will write about... reservations and quotas.

As Expected... Compromise

Committee asks captain and coach to work together from Cricinfo

Empowered India

When we begin to value those who do physical work from IE [via Neeraj]

"Look closely at the men who hang from the back of the scavenger trucks in our metropolis. Clothes smeared with dirt—face blackened with garbage. These men, bare foot and barehanded, pick up wet garbage from dustbins, load these trucks and travel with the garbage to its final destination. They do not have the ignominy of carrying human refuse on their head, but the risks to their health is just as real."
...
"To me, empowerment means liberating India of this convenient social exploitation. It is a disgrace to me and my social conscience. It is a disgrace to the system I have built. It is a disgrace to the words government and democracy. Earlier, the "untouchables" had names and faces. Today, they still exist - but they have been granted Constitutional anonymity.
Now I want to talk to you about the other untouchables—our women. When I first started traveling outside India, I realized that most women on streets in India, while going about their daily work, walk with their eyes downcast. Everywhere else in the world, they look straight ahead. However educated she may be, if she is alone on a road, if she is traveling in a train, wherever she might be—the Indian woman looks down. It is a necessary defence against Indian men."

quotes

It takes a great deal of courage to stand up to your enemies, but even more to stand up to your friends.
-- J. K. Rowling

Relationships are like glass. Sometimes it's better to leave them broken than try to hurt yourself putting it back together.
-- Author Unknown

Coaches must work with their captains form The Hindu

"Captains must concentrate on leading their players on and off the field. Their task is to build an enduring spirit and a side that plays to the best of its ability. Naturally their opinions on matters of selection will be considered, not least to avoid them walking into the rooms before a Test match and growling, as Archie Maclaren once did, "Oh, Lord, see what they've sent me this time!"
A captain, though is not appointed for life. He serves at the pleasure of his Board. Sport is for young men. Dictators may remain in power till their last breath. Cricket captains are sacked when confidence is lost.
Coaches must work with their captain. They can assist players, suggest tactics, spot weaknesses in opponents and develop the sort of strategies that helped England to regain the Ashes. They cannot expect to transform a side in a month. Nor they ought to challenge the captain. They belong in the rooms but must speak with authority. Obviously captain and coach must work together. If they cannot, one must be replaced, or both. A wise coach will bide his time."