Arundhati Roy re possible sedition charge - Oct 26th 2010

Dear all of you,
I am sending this from Srinagar. This is my statement in response to the news that I may be arrested soon on charges of sedition. It would be lovely if the whole statement is carried— which is why I am not sending it to the wire services.
All the best
Arundhati

STATEMENT BY ARUNDHATI ROY

I write this from Srinagar, Kashmir. This morning’s papers say that I may be arrested on charges of sedition for what I have said at recent public meetings on Kashmir. I said what millions of people here say every day. I said what I, as well as other commentators have written and said for years. Anybody who cares to read the transcripts of my speeches will see that they were fundamentally a call for justice. I spoke about justice for the people of Kashmir who live under one of the most brutal military occupations in the world; for Kashmiri Pandits who live out the tragedy of having been driven out of their homeland; for Dalit soldiers killed in Kashmir whose graves I visited on garbage heaps in their villages in Cuddalore; for the Indian poor who pay the price of this occupation in material ways and who are now learning to live in the terror of what is becoming a police state.

Yesterday I traveled to Shopian, the apple-town in South Kashmir which had remained closed for 47 days last year in protest against the brutal rape and murder of Asiya and Nilofer, the young women whose bodies were found in a shallow stream near their homes and whose murderers have still not been brought to justice. I met Shakeel, who is Nilofer’s husband and Asiya’s brother. We sat in a circle of people crazed with grief and anger who had lost hope that they would ever get ‘insaf’—justice—from India, and now believed that Azadi—freedom— was their only hope. I met young stone pelters who had been shot through their eyes. I traveled with a young man who told me how three of his friends, teenagers in Anantnag district, had been taken into custody and had their finger-nails pulled out as punishment for throwing stones.

In the papers some have accused me of giving ‘hate-speeches’, of wanting India to break up. On the contrary, what I say comes from love and pride. It comes from not wanting people to be killed, raped, imprisoned or have their finger-nails pulled out in order to force them to say they are Indians. It comes from wanting to live in a society that is striving to be a just one. Pity the nation that has to silence its writers for speaking their minds. Pity the nation that needs to jail those who ask for justice, while communal killers, mass murderers, corporate scamsters, looters, rapists, and those who prey on the poorest of the poor, roam free.

Arundhati Roy

October 26 2010

NoiseofIndia again

Latest hilarity from noiseofindia: "Koda Booked under KODA"

Enjoy!

That Jan Moir Article

The original Daily Mail article here.

The clever satire on same article here on The Daily Quail, as it were.

A R Rahman at the Oscars

So, did you see how the sweet man's 'Mere paas Ma hai' anecdote fell a little flat? Haw haw. So kyoot only.

Umm. I think the Indian film industry and all the big-shots who are now jumping from their roofs in joy, should just shut up and stop feeling proud of themselves. Until Slumdog won its first international award, no one gave a shit about this film let alone rave about it, give it a thumbs up or CLAIM IT AS THEIR OWN!!!! Gaaak.
Well done to Danny Boyle, Rahman, Irfan Khan (whom I SHALL spell in the proper way), Anil Kapoor, Saurabh Shukla and other established stars should be the ones taking the bows for sticking their necks out on a low. And very good for the newbies.
'Nuff said.

PS: I love Kate Winslet.

Pakistan, India, Kashmir, Elections, Nonsense and other things.

Important opinions I have on various subjects which the world just can't do without. In no particular order then:
1. Elections over in Kashmir, and I fail to understand why India is turning cartwheels with elation. To see the turnout in the state elctions as a thumping acceptance of India is oh-so-naive. To make it very clear to the general public, here's Kashmiri sentiment in a simple line: Not pro-India, not pro-Pakistan, very pro-autonomy/independence. As was the case many happy years ago when we had our own national anthem, flag, peace and no nonsense about 'my religion vs. yours' doing the rounds. Elections have done nothing to change that feeling. [NDTV has taken a great spin on it with its 'separatism' vs. 'separatists' line. I find it infinitely amusing to watch non-Kashmiris take stances on the situish in Kashmir as if owning the place was a birthright and the preference of the Kashmiri people was a trifle that could be ignored. This cuts across both borders.] What we say is, "Excuse me, if you aren't Kashmiri, stop speaking." C'est ridicule, non? (Ooh. Except if you agree with us.:)
People came out in healthy numbers to vote this time because they want to live under some sort of clean, organised governance. So the idea was, vote for your own people to form an efficient administration. If they didn't vote they'd get a few more years of no basic amenities: 'bijli, sadak, pani' and schools. Education and everything else here still is in pretty bad shape but whatever little there is of it seems to have opened the eyes of the general public some. In any case, this was the first time I have been witness to so much brouhaha over elections in my lifetime. Even kids here were so into it. Folks took the day off and travelled across the state to wherever they were on the voters list. Everyone voted. Not me though. :( I didn't know which voter list I was on. InshaAllah, next time.
2. Pakistan is being silly with its denial post 26/11. It almost verges on ridiculous when it claims to not have any knowledge of unappetising activities in its territory. (I mean, I'm Kashmiri. I KNOW. *rolls eyes*) Sure Pakistan is also the victim of terrorist acts every now and then, but the fact of the matter is, when have the terrorists ever turned out to be from India? They're homegrown mostly. So stop pointing the finger back at India as defense. It's stupid. Poor folks of Pakistan. Are you embarassed by your government? I am. And why is taht Zardadri dude always grinning so scarily? Is he blotto all the time? The rest of the suits are all glum and solemn-looking and he's beaming like glare off the snow.
3. Then. Kashmir on its own: It disturbs me so much to see the moral fibre completely missing in an entire generation of our people, and its trickle-down effect across the state. I speak mostly of the previous generation, my parents' time. These are the folks who have had the reigns of government in Kashmir for the past few decades and the level of corruption, thievery, dishonesty and laziness in-built into the 'system' is astounding. The amount of money that has gone into the pockets of a very few (who then build big mansions in Jammu or Srinagar) while the rest of the people languish in poverty, unemployment and helplessness is very shameful. I know a lot of these peeps myself. My extended family is filled with them. It's taken as a matter of course here this dirty way of life and to try and get something done the straight way, through rules and regulations and processes is almost a joke. We come back to morals, ethics and a sense of right and wrong, and it's clearly missing here. The fear going ahead is that these rich buggers who have the reign of administration in their filthy hands have now passed on the same spineless character and way-of-life to their spoilt young kids, who will also eventually end up inheriting their parents' prestigious posts in government. It's an ugly cycle. On the other hand, I see many young, poor, hard-working kids who seem to have got it right and are making things happen on their own merit. Will this blessed lot be able to do any good? Or will they not be able to get that foot in the door because they don't happen to know the right people. Bleak, I say. I am so glad my folks and us lived in Dubai for a very long time and were not privy to this sickness. We have a nice house, and we've built it on purely halal money. Yay.

4. More on Kashmir. The primarily Islamic nature of life and our culture and how I have witnessed its revival in the past two decades. Say what you will about militancy and the 'Kashmir issue', if nothing else, Islam has started coming back to the people. Going back to the useless previous generation, it's quite clear that they had lost their Imaan in overwhelming form. Whereas, in the past 20 or so years, most everyone, especially the younger lot, have taken a shine to religion again. I can see this in my own family and in my town and village. (This is possibly true of non-Muslims in the region as well but I can't be a reliable source.) Anyway, it's a good thing. I mean, we'll have our fanatics and hardcore religious-pokey-noses, but for the most part, it's worth it. Ignore the small section of nuts and look at the bigger picture.

What am I going on about? Ranting to continue at a later time and place. Am tired.

Kashmir (Not the Led Zep version); And 'A+' to BBC.

اگر فردوس بر روی زمین است
همین است و همین است و همین است

Agar firdaus bar roo-e zameen ast,
Hameen ast-o hameen ast-o hameen ast.

If there is paradise on face of the earth,
It is this, it is this, it is this.
-Amir Khusro

I thought Shah Jahan was moved to poetic outburst on taking in the beauty of Kashmir when he said this, but like all romantic notions this seems to be an exaggeration, a fallacy and not a little bit of an anticlimax. See this post [on a blog called AMAR AKBAR ANTHONY] for a fuller explanation. How interesting.

Anyway.

In the beginning of October, BBC online posted a great Special Report on Kashmir. There are several related links and articles here, starting from a very factual Background [roots of the crises, the forgotten plebiscite, the LOC etc], Voices from Kashmir, Key Questions Answered, even a page on Possible Solutions and Pitfalls.
It's kind of your summarised overview of the problem. Read and understand, my friendships. It's a non-propaganda-angle report. Not the Indian, Paki or Chinese version. Facts as is.

There are many reasons BBC World is my preferred news source.
Objectivity in news stories is the primary one.
Newsreaders and presenters don't have that annoying nasal twang from umreeka. [This is very important.]
Also, an overwhelmingly large number of these respectful presenters have no notion of frivolous Botox-usage. They exhibit more than one facial expression and it's usually the right one for the story.
You can often find obscure news pieces here, special reports, great documentaries, some really kick-ass shows like Hard Talk and The World Debate, even their travel and entertainment segments are top-notch. Oooh, which reminds me, how nice is Top Gear?
I could go on and on but here is where I stop.

The Jena Six

I started reading up on the Jena Six issue only after I came across a post on Umar Lee's blog. Strange that there has been no news coverage of the Jena Six around here. Disturbing even. Are we turning insular like the Americans [yes, I WILL generalize]? MORE.
This is not a story set in the times of the Civil War or a historic anomaly. These are events that have unfolded in present day America, Deep South or not being irrelevant. See here for another related article.
Most disturbing points that stand out:
1. We learn of blatant Black-White segregation even today, in a high school in Jena, a small town in Louisiana.
2. Black students had to ask the principal permission to sit under the shade of a 'White tree'. They do so.
3. The KKK-style noose act by the White students is brushed under the carpet as a 'joke in bad taste.'
4. Black-White tension simmers through the high school for the entire semester. And passes on into the town.
5. A Black student, Robert Bailey, is assaulted at a dance considered to be 'White'. Only one White youth is arrested. He is eventually given probation and asked to apologize.
6. White man pulls a gun on some Black students at a gas station. They wrestle it away from him and get charged with theft. White man goes free.
7. Confrontation between a White student, Justin Barker, and Bailey in school - Bailey is taunted for the attack on him at the dance, and a fray ensues. Barker is allegedly knocked down and beaten by a group of six Black students present at the time of the confrontation.
8. Barker hospitalized for a few hours but seen out and about the same night. No major damage.
9. Six Black students - The Jena Six - allegedly the attackers of Barker, were arrested, charged with attempted manslaughter and expelled from school.
10. The six were arrested in December 2006 with outrageously high bails ranging from USD 70,000 to USD 138,000, leaving all of them unable to post bail for many months.
11. The first student went on trial this June - Mychal Bell. He was tried by an all-White jury, presided on by a White judge.
11. Bell was convicted [big surprise] of two felonies: aggravated second-degree battery and conspiracy to commit second-degree battery and faced up to 22 years in prison.

In light of rising international outcry and the controversy this case has stirred up, there may be hope for the Jena Six yet.
On September 15, a Louisiana court overturned the conviction because Bell shouldn't have been tried as an adult on battery charges in the first place. (Bell was 16 at the time of the arrest.) Major irregularities have already been noted in Bell's trial, such as the public defender not producing a single defense witness..... Some other nonsense about the prosecutor using the argument that Bell's tennis shoes were a 'deadly weapon' and hence justified the charge of aggravated battery. Ye gods.
On September 20, a peaceful rally of more than 10,000 supporters of Jena Six took place in the small town. Among those present were Jesse Jackson, Martin Luther King III, Al Sharpton, Mos Def and Salt n Pepa. Whatever.
Anyway, I'll be watching.

Is the Left right?

I don't know.
As things stand with the nuke-deal impasse, I obviously don't know the merits of the case to swing either way.
All I know is:
-Do I like anything to do with nuclear power? NO. Deep inside of me, I still think it's a horror that shouldn't have been discovered in the first place. Don't give me some rot about it being the source of all energy in the future, please. What's wrong with hydel- or solar-power and windmills? Even the aesthetics are better. Why not spend billion and billions of dollars, Euros, pounds, rupees or whatever-have-you to work in this direction? Beats me.

-Do I like the US Govt and its policies? N-O. Pronounced "Nohhhhhhhh!!!!!!" And this is where I am all for the Left approach. Don't get into bed with the US, because the next morning you'll find she'll have disappeared and left no loose change on the dressing table for your services.
I know, crass film scenario is jarring but that's what I think of when any deal with America is in the offing. Getting screwed.

[PS: While posting, I had to choose where I wanted the image: Left, right or center? Hyaahahahaa.]