Sunitha Krishnan: Anti-trafficking Crusader

Here's Sunitha Krishnan, a gutsy, straight-talking, inspiring lady, with something worth listening to. The horrors of sexual trafficking, especially young children, and the social stigmas attached to it. Stigma for the victims sadly.

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.

Bush: It's Shoe Time!

What a pick-me-up on the news yesterday. The whole family laughed deep and loud from our bellies after a long-time.
Iraqi journo Muntadar al-Zaidi (Saab singing "Tu mera hero hai..." to man on left) let loose two good ones but Monkey Man dodged both. Damn. Maybe someone else can try elsewhere. A new trend has begun!
(Can you imagine what Bush will now feel before taking the podium at any press conference? As if he wasn't shifty-looking enough already.)

Anyway, here's the video. Enjoy.

Really now.

F1 season heading to another frenzied end with one point separating McLaren's Lewis Hamilton from Ferrari's Felipe Massa. If the stewards this year continue to behave as they have so far, viz. abominably, no surprise if the Reds come out on top.

Bah. Read this CNN article.

(PS: I hate CNN. But still.)

Who Speaks for Islam?

Extracts from very interesting Gulf News article I found just now:

"In this five-part series, carried every Friday during Ramadan, Gulf News publishes excerpts from the fascinating conclusions of the largest ever opinion survey of the world's Muslims, carried out by Gallup. 'Who speaks for Islam?' by John Esposito and Dalia Mogahed was published by Gallup Press.
What do the world's one billion Muslims really think? What does the silent majority of Muslims want for their lives, and in their politics? Why are the aspirations of the vast majority of Muslims in direct contrast to most of the world's impressions of Muslims?

1. "The religion of Islam and the mainstream Muslim majority have been conflated with the beliefs and actions of an extremist minority.
The vital missing piece among the many voices weighing in on this question is the actual views of everyday Muslims. With all that is at stake for the West and Muslim societies - indeed for the world's future - it is time to democratise the debate."

2. "- Dream jobs: When asked to describe their dreams for the future, Muslims don't mention fighting in a jihad, but rather getting a better job.
- Radical rejection: Muslims and Americans are equally likely to reject attacks on civilians as morally unjustified.
- Religious moderates: Those who condone acts of terrorism are a minority and are no more likely to be religious than the rest of the population.
- R.E.S.P.E.C.T.: Muslims around the world say that the one thing the West can do to improve relations with their societies is to moderate their views toward Muslims and respect Islam.
- Clerics and constitutions: The majority of those surveyed want religious leaders to have no direct role in crafting a constitution, yet favour religious law as a source of legislation."

3. "While Sharia is widely depicted as a rigid and oppressive legal system, Muslim women tend to have a more nuanced view of Sharia, viewing it as compatible with their aspirations for empowerment. For example, Jenan Al Ubaedy, one of 90 women who sat on Iraq's National Assembly in early 2005, told the Christian Science Monitor that she supported the implementation of Sharia. However, she said that as an assembly member, she would fight for women's right for equal pay, paid maternity leave, and reduced hours for pregnant women. She said she would also encourage women to wear hijab and focus on strengthening their families. To Ubaedy, female empowerment is consistent with Islamic values."

4. "A growing number of Muslim women are choosing to cover their heads, while others do not."

5. "Though no society is free from racial prejudice, Muslims take great pride in what they regard as Islam's egalitarian ideals.
For example, a Moroccan World Poll respondent says what he admires most about the Muslim world is Islam's message of racial equality. "I have a high regard for Islam's values and teachings and the non-racial attitudes of Muslim people." The Quran emphasises the unity of believers around a shared faith, regardless of ethnicity or tribe."

6. "- Faith and family are core values in Muslims' lives, and Muslims regard them as their societies' greatest assets.
- Jihad has many meanings. It is a "struggle for God", which includes a struggle of the soul as well as the sword. The Islamic war ethic prohibits attacking civilians."

Hwhat the deuce.

Now, this sort of thing pisses me off.
Also pisses me off when governments decide that secularism means you can't wear a headscarf or a turban at your school/college/workplace etc.
And when everyone everywhere uses words like Islamist/fundamentalist yadda yadda yadda.

Damn and blast.
Note to self: Must stop watching back-to-back Family Guy episodes.

In the meanwhile....

(Meaning the week and more that I was out of action - interesting news items of interest not in chronological order)
1. Pakistan won the penultimate and utterly useless final ODI, garnering a face-saving 3-2 scoreline. Hah. Big deal.
2. Imran Khan was released.
3. Nandigram became uglier and uglier and now it's par for the course so expect it'll move to Page 8 or 10 of the dailies soon.
4. Synchronised triple blast in UP, some b@$-turds taking innocent lives again for another incomprehensible motive.
5. India wins first test at Kotla easily. Kumble shines as captain, Tendulkar shines as always, Shoaib whines as always. Well, okay, he didn't whine. I'm a pissed fan. I can say anything. I'm waiting for hi to grow up into a captain. And I really think he should eat more. He looks near-death.
6. Saab in Bangalore researches life in Mumbai and readies self for the big Heave-Ho.
7. Pakistan still simmers under Busharraff's dictation.
8. Taslima Onscreen in another silly controversial attack-escape routine.
9. Kolkata sees fire.
10. Darjeeling sees the GNLF spring back into action after a while now.
11. Fedex and Sampras played three exhibition matches around Asia [Seoul, Kuala Lumpur and Macau]. Fedex won the first two - they were pretty tight matches though they were both straight set wins [6-4, 6-3 and 7-6, 7-6]. And then Pistol Pete, balding ever so slowly, took home the third. Another tight match with the first set tie-breaker going to 10-8, and then 6-4. Experts and laymen are all agreed that in current form, Sampras could be in today's top 5 in the men's world rankings. Yayyyyy! Sampras quietly shooed away any hopes of coming back into competitive playing. [Full BBC story on the third match.]
8. Yet another Middle-East peace conference scheduled to be held in Annapolis. Yawn.
9. I had a farewell party thrown in my honour at darling Titla's place o Saturday. There was biryani, there was Cranium, there were friends and there were new friends. I got a super MP3 from a Ryanotaurus, earrings from an Annettie, Fab clothes from Doc Iqbal, jvellries from a Thirtha and a losing place in Cranium on account of some very shite luck. Whatte fun it was! Pics up soon.

What's the gory morning story?

Please read, ponder, feel shitty and spread awareness about the horrible Japanese whaling industry resurgence as posted on the Animals in the Media blog, and the related post by CatsJellicle on her blog.
(Here's a not-so-fun activity. Run a Google Images search for 'whaling'. Observe the results. Barf.)
I'm telling you, this place gets stinkier by the day.
More on Japanese whaling and Greenpeace and SeaShepherd's protest activities on this page. A short Whaling Video created by Josh Taylor for Greenpeace drives the fact home.
"Extinction is forever."

What in the world...

Ugh. More bad news. Here's BBC's report on Volganeft, the Russian tanker that spilled its guts into the Black Sea along with 2,000 metric tonnes of fuel oil. Making it a Blacker Sea. The people who know say the mess "could take years to clean up."
Just what we needed - another environmental disaster.
Coincidentally, I was cussing under my breath just last night when watching a TV program [on Discovery or Animal Planet, I'm not sure] about the Galapagos Islands, with special focus on the unique indigenous marine iguanas found there. A few years ago, an oil spill in the San Cristobal area had reduced the population of marine iguanas on Santa Fe Island by a whopping 62%, because the oil affected the algae that the iguana fed on. Or that's what they said on the program.
The New Scientist website report said the algae was okay, it was the fermentation bacteria in the iguana's hindguts [Yes. Hindguts.] that were affected so they couldn't digest the algae etc.
Anyway. It's not nice to know.

Many years ago when I was in middle school in Dubai, I remember there was a 'big oil spill' which affected the Gulf, and it was all over the news which is the only reason it stuck in my childish memory. I was quite disturbed by the dead bodies of oil-blackened seagulls washing up ashore [not my favourite bird by any means, but...] and I read up a lot on the subject and felt even back then that human beings can be quite shit. (After which ruminations I would go back to my gripping games of Hopscotch, Poison-Medicine or Four-Square.) Our schools organised programs to go help clean up beaches, there were special presentations and seminars on the environment in general and the effect of such disasters on wildlife etc. That was probably the first time I thought about such things seriously. I think it was the visual of the dead birds that affected me most.
I hardly remember anything specific about the incident but searches on the internet and my brilliant deduction techniques [my approximate age at the time of said spill plus Google search], lead me to understand it was the Persian Gulf oil spill of 1991, only the biggest oil spill of all time. Phew. An environmental warfare technique used by Iraq where over 2 million barrels of oil were deliberately released to prevent US Marine forces from landing in Kuwait. Fantastic.

And in recent days, I read up on tigers worldwide actually going extinct in the near future. Seriously. Alarmingly. Not the usual "Yeah, yeah, they're going extinct. We've been hearing that for ages now," that we used to hear in the same vein as "Yeah, yeah, Metallica's coming to Bangalore this year for sure."
Some factoids:
"At the turn of the century, the world had approximately 100,000 tigers. Now it is estimated there are only 3,000 to 7,000 left in the wild. In the last 50 years, three subspecies have vanished, and a fourth, the South China tiger, is on the brink of extinction. More than half the
tigers that survive in the wild are in the Indian subcontinent, persisting in threatened habitats. If the trend continues, our magnificent tiger may disappear completely from the face of the Earth."
In India alone, the tiger population has decreased by 50% in only the last 5 years. There are just 1300-1500 tigers left in the wild in India.

This is devastating. Till last year I used to feel horses were the most beautiful creatures in the world. Then I discovered cats. My feline initiation leaves me no doubt that cats win hands down. And tigers especially. Rrrrrrr.

The Tehelka Stink

Which is what last week's Tehelka/Aaj Tak/Headlines Today 'sting' dredged up. An almighty stink but not much more.
So we were witness once again to grainy videos and casual blood-curdling statements made by the perpetrators in Gujarat 2002, who were quite clearly operating freely and at will with the blessings of the State Government, a disturbingly large majority of the police and even members of India's esteemed, independent and proud legal system.
Now, honestly, nothing that has come up in these videos is new or shocking. I mean, we all know exactly what happened back in 2002. The facts were just never caught on tape nor was there any real evidence damning the offenders.
The media at that point completely failed to report the truth of what was happening in Gujarat. [I was very much in India at the time, I had full access to TV but I'll be damned if ANY channel, any ONE channel pointed out the 'genocide/mass murder/ethnic cleansing' etc that is now being made a very big deal of.] Are we expected to believe that no one in the media covering the ugliness at that time saw fit to bring to light the atrocities that were obviously and openly being committed? Whatever. 'If it's not going to go down well with the overwhelming majority, we can't show it.' I have seen half-baked, sensationalised, one-sided presentation of stories by the glorious media too often to start frothing at the mouth over this issue again.
Anywhoo. Pat on the back to Tejpal and Ashish Khetan for at least ruffling some dirty feathers.

Now, here's the thing.
What I find most disturbing about the sting in today's context is the deplorable behaviour of politicians in response to it.
Far more infuriating and unbelievable than Babu Bajrangi's proud recollection of the murders he committed, or Suresh Richard's comments on police killings or all the other sordid facts that came out of this expose [and boy, are there many] was the immediate onslaught of miffed BJP leaders and spokespersons on various news channels, distraught at the underhanded techniques being used by the slimy Congress party and the UPA alliance. Tsk tsk. Bechaara BJP. Being made a tool in the hands of the opposition, that too just before the elections! Can't everyone see that the issue is not the gross human violations that had take place in 2002? Obviously the only relevant point is that the BJP is but a poor sacrificial lamb placed in front of the power-hungry, opportunistic Congress? That, forget what happened, the point is that NOW this is seriously going to affect the outcome of the elections. (Possibly, but not probably. I myself don't think it's going to do any good.)
One after the other viewers were privy to disgruntled, peeved BJPians who evaded any real response to the questions that this expose threw up and were only concerned with pointing fingers at the timing of this revelation, the fact that Tehelka was the Congress party's PI agency and that excuse me, but why did Aaj Tak and Headlines Today give a disclaimer at the beginning of their broadcast? This last query was screeched in a exceedingly accusatory and victorious tone by some BJP spokesperson, leaving the melodramatic presenters of the show stumped for a few moments. They soon regained their composure when they realised this was possibly the worst comeback of all time on live television, that it was all fart and no shit from said BJPee-Pee [BJP-Personality], and went on to explain to him what the disclaimer actually said. There was a lot of caterwauling and stuffed-shirt huffiness on the part of truly despicable representatives of the party, and more than anything else, this non-apologetic attitude and blatant dismissal of the seriousness of the issue is what sickened me.
Obviously the opposition [primarily the Congress party] themselves didn't hold back from jumping in and slinging some mud, aimed specifically in BJP's direction. But again, it came across as political posturing and insipid and too bloody little and too late.
I HATE POLITICIANS. They truly are a smorgasboard of all things despicable and every time we think things can't possible get any more filthier than they are already, we see a new low in sordidness.

Some choice excerpts from various people the night this news broke (sic). Also 'sick', now that I think about it.

An irate BJP leader, when asked on live TV for a response to one of the open admissions [bragging] of mass Muslim murders committed during the riots, screamed: "So? What about the Hindus that were murdered?" Err. Yes, good point. Since you put it that way, it all seems okay.

BJPeePee v Congressor argument in studio:

BJPeePee: Why is the Congress bringing this up now, blah blah blah, just before the elections, blah blah blah?
Congressor: This was a Holocaust committed by the ruling BJP! *vent*fume*looks shocked*
News channel host: Erm, the Holocaust is a very specific term used to refer to the deliberate extermination of millions of Jews by Hitler during WWII.
Congressor: *looks nonplussed* I mean, ethnic cleansing. [Ooh, good one!] Yes, the Muslims in Gujarat were systematically targeted for killing etc etc, blah blah...
News Channel Chump: These are strong terms you are using! [*looks suitably and dramatically impressed*]. But what about the atrocities against the Sikhs in '84? Wouldn't that be ethnic cleansing under the then ruling Congress party? [What??!!! Viewers are reeling at the non-sequitir and unnecessary needling by said channel chump, but still....]
BJPeePee: *looking vindicated and relieved at the same time* Oh, yes! Oh, ha ha! Oh, yes, what about that, hmmm?
Congressor: *lamely* I have nothing to say on that matter. *Mutter*mumble*
BJPeePee: *not wanting to lose the upper hand* (screaming suddenly) And what about the Hindus that died, hmmm!!!!? What about the Godhra massacre?!!!
News Chump: Yes, but is the BJP not going to come out and respond to these terrible charges, these clear facts that have just come to light.....
BJPeePee: Aha! And why is it only now coming to light? These cunning UPA politicians......
And so on and so forth ad nauseum.

PS: A week later and this Sensational Breaking News is no longer featuring in the top stories section. Aishwarya's first Karva Chauth at the Bachchan's rooftop got live coverage though.
PPS: Still no apologies, condemnations, acceptance of wrongdoing, official action or resignation from the BJP or the state government in Gujarat.
PPPS: And frankly, no hope of anything happening in the near future either.

This is India, folks. We get used to living with stinks all the time.


Full story from tehelka's website.
Also, interesting [and disturbing] related read, "Compassion Doesn't Scale", from the India Uncut Blog.

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.

*Drumrolllllllllllll*

Till later today, when the first ODI between India and Ozz takes off.
I will swing by the midwicket region outside Chinnaswamy Stadium hoping to catch a few balls hit-out-of-the-ground by the Blue Boys-some-Men. Down, Ozz! Down Under with you.
I watched Dhoni's press conference today. Aww. He's sweet. Henji.
Meanwhile the Ozzies started their verbal BS even prior to getting on field, where we are of course, expecting to witness some fine low-quality sledging and hooliganism. Even that Sreesanth. Someone needs to tell him to take it down three notches. It's embarrassing to watch.

And, following on from the previous post about quiet-as-a-mouse campaigns at the US Open, just look at what Justine Henin is up to!

Very good. Now that the chinkaras have been avenged, let's throw him inside for a few more years for running over human beings. You know, our kind.
When's that judgment going to come across in that case? What is the window period in this country for a person to actually be sentenced for his crime. Not intent/possible crime [I'm a Sanjay Dutt admirer, okay?], but an actual occurrence. Like, say, events which leave dead bodies in their wake. Hmmph.


And now, on a very mature note: Salman Khan should be jailed just for his sideburns. What's with them? They're almost as long as he is tall. Gaaaaak.

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.]

Very good.

Sania-watch continues

Well done again, Miss Mirza. Here!