India-Rapes: Process,Police and Politics*

For much of the last one month, the media spotlight rested on a heinous crime committed in the heart of India. It wasn't the first time that we as Indians woke up to read about a rape in the capital city. It was certainly not the last time either.

For all of the past four weeks, different parts of the society rallied and protested. Some calling for death penalty for the alleged criminals. Others calling for stricter laws. Many others calling for nothing but the most basic requirement of all- 'Action'

Going by the statistic that a rape is committed in India every 22minutes, there have been 1832 rapes since the crime in Delhi on the 16th of December. Startled, i try to look at the issue from the angle of some other numbers. I chose to start from the odd analysis using high school level of ratio and proportion.

As per the 2011 census in India, India has a gender ratio of 940 to 1000 males. Which effectively means there are 581 million women in India versus 618 million men. This translates to an unbalance of about 37 million more men than women over the entire population. The number may seem small unless you try and see it from a different stand point and perspective.

It basically means two cities like Mumbai or Delhi or 5 countries like Singapore, with NO WOMEN. Who is to be blamed for lack of inaction in formulating a policy structure enforceable to avoid a "Coutry of all men". The people, and by them their Government's? Lessons need to be drawn from nations like South Korea which have successfully tackled the issue in the past. In addition the Sate Govt.'s need to establish a metrics wherein social agenda is chalked out taking this inequality into account. Sadly, 4 of the 6 worst figures for Gender ratio are from Union Territories for sure areas wherein UT administrations are to be held responsible.

Now as much as I 'respect' our wonderful politicians, God-men, News Anchors or for that matter the popular opinions on their , "How Not to Get Raped in India" diktat's for women, the problem clearly is way more deep than short skirts can solve.

Women in a society so fundamentally imbalanced as India are not safe, and there aren't many ways to put it differently.

The past few days have seen self confessed gurus come out and speak loudly about the impact westernization has had, or the treatment being 'right' for girls calling for attention, or for those not doing enough to protect themselves. Central Govt. has blamed state police machinery and the States have been sharp as ever in playing the "Not me but You.. " on virtually all issues.

Clearly there has been complete apathy towards greater look at policy reforms for addressing the root cause. This however is not to take away the importance of enforcement of law where again we have failed miserably. By now the media has often played out hawkishly the low rates of conviction in case of rapes in India. In a country with over 4 million court cases pending, it is not surprising to hear of judgments being delayed, appeals pending decision and eventually hapless victims losing moral courage to pursue a road to justice, long out of sight.The Chief Justice of India by far gave the most responsible call of all the eminent people in the wake of the crisis. His urging State High Courts and lower courts to expedite trials involving Rape was a wake up call to put words into action, and emotion into conviction.

Yet, the wheel wouldn't turn a full circle of change if elementary assumptions on reasons of rape remain in the minds of people and the policy makers. There is NO REASON on why a woman gets raped, but there may be some on why a man is a rapist. This may seem a fundamental play of words but signals a change of perspective. The travesty that the victim begged to be victimised, is rightfully read, as a criminal perpetrated the crime.

It is not till the process of addressing the RIGHT issues gets sorted out, that we shall even begin to see any change.

I wish that this entire issue would have not however highlighted another grave issue, an issue of even more far-reaching consequences than currently the media houses understand. That of a nation losing trust in its Police.
Begin to think about it, how destructive can a nation become if its citizens were to doubt those entrusted with safeguarding them? The recent spotlight on the unspoken reality of Indian police's high-handedness and their obvious lack of ability in handling people presents a perfect blend- One of British era of colonialist attitude, and Independent India's bureaucratic inefficient aptitude. However to pass a judgment at this stage would be unfair. As we'd be making the same mistake as our policy makers often do, ignore the stats.
India's Police Personnel per capita number is 41.4% lower than the 222 per 100,000 people recommended by United Nations. But the people today question, would getting more of those cut from the same cloth cover the bare body of India social structure? What is that we may do to avoid the inevitable state of having more questions than answers?

Yet, our learned politicians for sure lnow all these facts. That they chose not to address these issues is entirely a call they have made repeatedly in successive governments. But calls that they make from hereon would decide not just the fate of this case, the justice for this one brave girl, but the women of an entire nation. My best wishes with them all.

Courtesy: Wikipedia, CIA World Factbook



Sex ratio total population. Pink = Female higher than male. Green = Equal Blue = Male higher than female
Grey = No data
*Disclaimer: Some numbers may differ from data sources that people may refer. The author's views are entirely his own and not of any organization, government or otherwise.

as i walk and walk away

As I walk, and walk away

I think of having spent the day

In the cool of shadow in angry sun

But I walk now, for I have run

Miles from where I started out

When voice was new, I could shout

To the grass that beckons me today

To the hope we’ll meet, some other day.

As I walk, and walk away

SRCC Cut-off Row: Shouting what has been known for long.

To all young aspirants

Please do not feel de-moralised if your dream of getting into SRCC has not materialised because you couldn't get 100% as a non-commerce student. It's not your loss but of the institution if it 'unintentionally' discourages a wider, ecelectic mix of fundamental learning for the student base.

This entire fiasco highlights a few things quite clearly. No, not just that we lack more quality institutions or that the quality of students has gone through the roof. What it does however tell is the fundamental flaw in our understanding of assessment, and review.

This however is not a newly acquired handicap. For a country that has known to put people through strange tests expecting stranger results can never get a grip of what testing really is. Leave alone the assumption that examination boards have any clue as to what they are looking for.
Digressing from academics, if i may be allowed, we have grown up knowing tests are a fundamental part of lives. An agni pariksha for chastity, or be it a lakshman rekha for control or fasting for austerity, we Indians love putting ourselves to test. However, the tradition breaks down when modern education gets intwined with unrealistic expectations.

How on earth are you promoting holistic education with cut-off's being the only criterion for gaining admission. By classifying students as non-commerce and then putting a 100% 'see-if-you-clear' criteria are you assuming a 17-yr old to focus on anything but academics.

If SRCC is truly looking at taking students with these credentials alone, then there is a serious flaw in our system. The corporate patronage to such institutions needs to be looked at again. Because lets face it, the reason for such craze for the institution is not for its 'learning' provided, but for the 'packages' available thereafter. Corporates need to assisst other lesser known tier-2 city based institutes too to ensure lesser pressure on both infrastructure as well as students.

Let this cut-off list not let the students assume that every single person walking in or out of SRCC is better than what they are. They are like you. And trust me, the life and its successes are going to be a lot more than a single admission process. And several of my batch-mates who were ex-SRCC would definitely agree.

Of Constitution: The little Indian inside me.

Nitin Gadkari, quite recently was hawking from the rooftops, post Ramdev arrest, about the alleged assassination of Constitutional Rights. For someone as naive as me, it is only natural to gain interestto discover what rights is Mr. Gadkari talking about. Afterall, if he could understand and comment on them, they musn't be very difficult to fathom.

My inquisitiveness was to know, what does the constitution imbibe that makes it so sacrosanct and ubiquitous in reference? What is it, that we take refuge into, assuming it to be an omnipotent salvation for common man's misery by the rule of law?

And yet, the fact that there are so many disgruntled by its virility, betrays its status as an aphrodisiac for the masses drove me to atleast start with what we know, as the Constitution of the Republic of India.

If it were a book review, which this is not, my first disappointment would have come with the opening lines itself. The oft quoted Preamble. The poetic flow of words which has tried its level best to meaninglessly encompass every word relevant for a nation as diverse as India. However, the beauty in the 'wordy' start represents the dilemma to speak in one flow for a nation as vast as ours.

What disappoints about the preamble is the irony. The irony that the words that presumably are to be symbolic of any Indian life, have lost relevance in the common day of any individual.

It promises and pledges rights, which 'We, the people of India' best know aren't redeemable to them.

The justice spoken of in the Preamble is best available to the choicest few.

Liberty, is infringed and violated upon, or even removed depending on which voice you chose to support.

'the constitution resolves to secure to all its citizens' an equality of status and opportunity, a pledge so void, that it isn't even worth commenting upon.

Ofcourse, there is an easy way of looking at things. We may chose to pat our back and compare the better state of affairs than several other nations. Or we may hang our head in shame when constitutionally bound pledges of sovereignty are broken by corrupt leaders, committing nothing short of treason.

We live in times which are difficult, not because there are hardships in only our systems and governance, but the level of inertia to now change the wrongdoings is tremendous. That, which was gauranteed by the constitution has been raped and abused. Even more sadly the same has been accepted as a norm and we lookon if not look away, helplessly.

Today, the Supreme Court, the guardian of the constitution,tries bring the blunders in following the code of the constitution by the Government. Sadly though are the pricks of the small mistakes regularly committed which miss the discerning eye of the Honb'l Court.

What we have to look forward to is whether the documented hopes of those who brought us freedom remain to be known by coming generations as the 'constitut'ion or lead to what might be the 'con'situation.

Lessons for the Indian Democracy

More than often, the Indian political class has thumped its own back, in celebration of a democratic franchise it has safeguarded for its citizens through thick and thin. Or so it claims.

A recent visit to Singapore for me, took place at extremely interesting times, when the small city-state emphatically showed the power of 'free and fair' public voting rights. While the news of Arab states,continuously in a state of upheaval kept filtering in, the local channels were filled with a strong message the people of Singapore had given in the recently concluded elections. The message, was ironically the same that blood was being splattered for in Arab nations, and one that the US president had spread to see himself elected. The message of Change.

In Singapore, and as much elsewhere, the 2011 General Election results must be looked at with greater detail. The election which jolted the ruling party out of sleep after 30 years of unabated success, also saw the foreign minister as well as other senior political figures being voted out. The message of the voters was loud and clear. The names don't count, work does. A logic that misses both the Indian voters and the politicians alike.

The Arab uprising, much a concern for oil hunting US too was a call for a change from oppresive regimes to establishment of citizen centric policies. Though even the most hardened politicians wouls not observe any pattern to these demands of change, yet what the common man across the globe connects of these is fantastical. The power of a single voice.

Exhibited quite recently in the form of Anna Hazare, using Gandhian tactics to coerce the Government into relooking at the Lokpal Bill, a utopian tool intended to curb corruption, this voice has now been given wings by popular social media platforms. The spread of information and understanding of macro situations by a common man are leaving little room for any Indian politician to continue his game of 'Change will Come'. The world wants to see if it 'has come' or not.

Indian democracy, arguably came to India when it was little too young. With a history, in which it continued to revel, rich with kings, dictators and aristocracy, the Indian democracy has known little of how to leverage on fundamentals of public franchise. The empathizers of Indian progress highlight the difficulty of the nightmares of partition, subsequent wars, and natural calamities ,insufficiencies to claim refuge against allegations of non-performance. However, the reality of their lack of vision is not in what they havent achieved but social evils they have ingrained which discourage meritocracy and others from performing.

What remains to be seen is how if ever, do the Indian politicians end up controlling the public sentiment, if they were to face an equally vocal and consistent dissent against the way Indian politics is run.

Swami Vivekananda's Speech on September 11 in the World Parliament of Religions

Swami Vivekananda's Address to the World Parliament of Religions September 1893

Sisters and Brothers of America,

It fills my heart with joy unspeakable to rise in response to the warm and cordial welcome which you have given us. I thank you in the name of the most ancient order of monks in the world; I thank you in the name of the mother of religions, and I thank you in the name of millions and millions of Hindu people of all classes and sects.

My thanks, also, to some of the speakers on this platform who, referring to the delegates from the Orient, have told you that these men from far-off nations may well claim the honor of bearing to different lands the idea of toleration. I am proud to belong to a religion which has taught the world both tolerance and universal acceptance. We believe not only in universal toleration, but we accept all religions as true. I am proud to belong to a nation which has sheltered the persecuted and the refugees of all religions and all nations of the earth. I am proud to tell you that we have gathered in our bosom the purest remnant of the Israelites, who came to Southern India and took refuge with us in the very year in which their holy temple was shattered to pieces by Roman tyranny. I am proud to belong to the religion which has sheltered and is still fostering the remnant of the grand Zoroastrian nation. I will quote to you, brethren, a few lines from a hymn which I remember to have repeated from my earliest boyhood, which is every day repeated by millions of human beings: "As the different streams having their sources in different paths which men take through different tendencies, various though they appear, crooked or straight, all lead to Thee."

The present convention, which is one of the most august assemblies ever held, is in itself a vindication, a declaration to the world of the wonderful doctrine preached in the Gita: "Whosoever comes to Me, through whatsoever form, I reach him; all men are struggling through paths which in the end lead to me." Sectarianism, bigotry, and its horrible descendant, fanaticism, have long possessed this beautiful earth. They have filled the earth with violence, drenched it often and often with human blood, destroyed civilization and sent whole nations to despair. Had it not been for these horrible demons, human society would be far more advanced than it is now. But their time is come; and I fervently hope that the bell that tolled this morning in honor of this convention may be the death-knell of all fanaticism, of all persecutions with the sword or with the pen, and of all uncharitable feelings between persons wending their way to the same goal.

Courtesy: www.writespirit.net

- Swami Vivekananda

Secrets to Success: REALLY???

I do not intend to add humor in what I say, as I talk of an entity so unpredictable that it borders on the verge of being funny by itself. An entity called Life. The topic I have chosen to express my views is Resolve: The essence of Life.
Optimism is just an affair with realism. Where all is well till you are focused and determined, but the relation goes awry with adultery of unreasonable ambition. However there are a few who justify their rendezvous with that, not accepted by all in the society, these are the likes of Katara’s, Lal’s and Mattoo’s.

The horn blowing, self proclaimed societal villains here are the spoiled BMW driving young brats, kids of politicians and the uber rich. For all those in the life of mere mortals the life is a challenge. Thus, in a world that’s changing every second, growing every minute and falling, only to resurrect every once in a while, men and women have recognised a vital rule for living. The rule states: to live up to the challenge of every moment, you need to live up the moments in every challenge.
There are those in the world jumping in front of trains due to failure in love, exams, businesses or purely publicity hungry siblings of honourable Rakhi Sawant. However there are those too that take this failure, dejection and disappointment as the stepping stone to the next level of performance, the saga of Mr. Amitabh Bachhan is a living testimony to this relentless effort to succeed. However there is another level where result driven endeavours cease.

At such moments we see the rise of individuals who etch their names on pages of history.
A frail Mohandas when stood against the mighty British was the one immortalised with the title of Mahatma. When the black man called Dr. King stood firm against the atrocities meted out to his brethren, the whites went further pale in colour. Poverty, illness, destitution and several other human impediments could not stop the saintly Teresa from stoping work for those she cared for. It wasn’t their being the unfavoured at any moment which diluted their resolve for achieving the goals in sight.

A proof of the fact that to achieve what may appear as a mirage, all you need to do, is envisage.
The life today that we live, is a life where learning is tough and the going tougher. In such an environment its imperative to to have a resolve that withers the storms with resilience. Be it the living God Tendulkar, or the immortal Dhyanchand, they have all had resolve of steel.

To achieve heights in life one need not have vastness of land owned, but expanse of a heart that cares. It is not important to have a bank balance that cant be counted, but well wishers who say countless prayers for you. For all of this it need not be that you make an effort that unreasonable, but are able to reason when your fellow brethren are afraid to do so.
Life is collection of events that leads one to repeatedly question, what does it take to be successful, and the answer: A Resolve