Fair Enough???

Many a time, many a person might feel this world isn’t fair enough. Maybe that’s why people are trying to make themselves fairer instead. We are not talking about Mr/Ms. Right and Mr/Ms. Wrong here; it’s about the skin complexion that has clinched the front seat for a while now. They say we are defined by what we do, but it’s a sorry thing that we are looked upon by how we look; rather than by what we do.

The Indian mentality of preferring a fair toned individual might not be a mystery, but it’s not a solved puzzle either. Most bridal columns feature fair skin as a take away; movies, magazines and ads portray fair skin as the desirable tone, the number of fairness products available in the market and much more. All these situations pose us the question – Have we become colour-despotic? Racism has become a loose word nowadays and let’s not discuss that here.

Everyone would have affronted this bias at some point and we were made to accept it rather than ponder about it due to various internal and external repercussions. The country which, once, considered dark to be beautiful was wracked up by the British colonial rule of those who imposed themselves as the superior. They did leave but not their impact on the cultural setting. One can casually point that the idea of fair skin being the desirable superior dawned upon us then.

The learned Brahman was inherently fair skinned owing to the occupation he did under the shade. The other working classes tasked under the sun resulting in a darker complexion. The system based on occupation slowly turned into a senseless caste system. Later, in the last decade education was made available to all classes but the stereotype that a learned person will be fair skinned did not change, thanks to a warped society and self-prejudice. It was only a matter of time for the fair which was considered learned to become the fair which was deemed desirable and beautiful.

It was well played by the cosmetic companies in utilizing the stereotype that had been created and cash in on the people's insecurity. Fair & _____, the first child of Indian cosmetic market has a lot of siblings and cousins now and has grown immensely in the last decade. The sales figures are staggering and ‘poor’ India is soon to be a billion dollar market for cosmetics. The macho look is being forgotten and metrosexual look is preferred for the men. Indian men of today say, “Oh, we want to prettify ourselves too” and have jumped aboard the ship of fairness cosmetics. The galore of media campaigns lead by the big screen stars aggressively drills the idea deep into every individual.

The capitalist industry itself did not plot this scenario and cannot be blamed for doing business with it. Media 

only spreads an idea whereas the birth of a socialistic perception is from within a community. Likewise the fix should also come from within us. We were swimming with the tide so far and one need not be proclaimed guilty because they had this unfairness in them, but, it shall be a misdeed to have it even after realizing the fact that facial fairness is only a mask we are trying to wear which will make us performers and never even close to the true us.

It is an outright irony considering the fact that the white Westerners try to tan themselves and the brown South Asians try to whiten themselves. The human ‘never contend with anything mind’ could be responsible for this or it could be something else, but whatever it is, we have plunged ourselves into the depths of self-insecurity. We somehow managed to convince ourselves fair is desirable; we just need to dissuade ourselves now. Endeavoring to be fair can no longer be fair and unfair is fair enough.

Swasthika Sang

Clean Bowled

Clean Bowled _{But still batting}

Everyone would agree that The Pursuit of Happyness was one heck of a movie. The movie, even though not among the elite in IMDB, is deeply emotional and highly motivational. Something that is greater than the movie itself is the fact that it is a true story. Sadly, that story also proved that money is important for a man’s happiness.

Today we might go on echoing about following one’s passion, one’s deepest desires of the heart, blah blah blah. But the hard fact is that money is needed to meet a human’s needs. So if any person concedes his passion for the sake of himself and his dependents; that’s purely understandable. But, what’s not understandable is trading the thing which you are supposed to be passionate about in spite of having more than enough money in your kitty.

They say cricket is a game of glorious uncertainties. I doubt if it’s a game of fixed uncertainties. With the version being short, T20 was, is and will always be giving close encounters. But, with the recent rise of the spot fixing scandal more matches and players will be open to suspicion. The fact that BCCI is the richest sport organization does not help the cause either. It’s really appreciable how BCCI handled the cricket marketing over the past decade but one might wanna ask them ‘How much is enough?’

It’s a pity to note the extent of stupidity the players are baring in going for a few extra bucks via spot fixing. I mean, even if all they want is money, IPL is like a golden goose paying bucket loads every year. Spot fixing and getting caught is like killing the goose. When tempted with money some thoughtless fools are always going to fall for it. They better be ready for some tough action ‘cos BCCI has been ducking some bouncers of corruption of late and may be this time they will have to face it head on.

The call is for strict laws on fixing and betting which is very conventional. Why not go for the clear opposite. I mean, why not make betting legal? I just feel cheesy that I cannot brag this idea as my own paradigm because it’s been suggested by some already. Okay tears apart; let’s see what legal betting might bring to the game apart from money.

To start with, those who might oppose legal betting might sort the example of lottery tickets which is banned in 17 states of India. Oh yes, laws on betting are at each State’s government’s disposal. Lottery system did have an adverse effect on the middle class and the lower class. It made everyone to wait for some distant luck that never seemed to come. And also with my personal experience the state of Tamilnaldu has been doing much better without lottery. But, sports betting on the other hand, is a different ball game. Plus, horse betting and casino gambling is legal as they are considered “game of pure skill” and according to early constitution it’s legal to bet on “game of pure skill.”

No idea where that came from.

Legalizing cricket betting with modified set of rules such as

Licensing of approved bookies and betting houses.

Cap limit on the percentage of one’s income that can be placed as bets.

Levying higher tax on the winnings.

Am not qualified to give opinions on law, but, the above seem kinda good. Added to these the government can bring out certain other rules to sort out the legal ramifications involved. It will give the government extra income, the bookies will be under the radar and fixing can be reduced even though not completely eradicated.

Cricket comes pre-installed in all Indians from birth. In spite of the recent dents that cricket acquired due to spot fixing, I believe cricket craze will not diminish because when you love someone or something very much, after the storm is past, you will always overlook the bad qualities in them or those. Two best teams of this year’s IPL are facing off in today’s final. Let us hope yesterday’s controversy does not hinder the best of the best to come out on top.

Swasthika Sang

Boom

News about bombings and assassination attempts in some part of the world reach our ears every day or the other. In fact they have become part of the regular routine that when we feel indifferent, we enter into a situation of questioning our very human motives. Upon lighter thought one might be ascertained to think that the concept of terrorism is an irrational folly. But a little investigation will tell you that organized terrorism is nothing but rational.

It is intricate to interpret terrorism. How the word was perceived a couple of decades ago and how they are connoted now is very different. Something that is still in common is that there was and is a lot of loss of human lives. Freedom fighters, independent units formed to fight the colonial surge of another country, guerrilla units and a lot more were called as terrorists. Today’s terrorism is a lot more streamlined towards an express group of people whose motive is to disrupt normal human life.

The origin and rise of the Al-Qaeda will shed some light on Terrorism Begins. In the eighties when the Soviets invaded Afghanistan, the locals fought back. The US funded these locals as at that time they always had this anxiety that the Soviets might gain on them. The funding from the West and the Sheiks of Middle-East helped them secure even foreign recruits to their militia. Later when the Soviets had their own struggle and split, the war was over. The militia, which mostly consisted of uneducated and orphaned men, had nothing else to do, or, more appropriately, knew nothing else to do. There later amongst a few conflicts of interest between the West and Middle-East, arose a notorious man called Bin Laden. Rest is history.

Last month’s Boston Marathon Bombings was in contradiction with the other terrorist plots. The investigation gone so far has revealed the involvement of a few scattered individuals. One can say that the irrational minds of a few young people lead to it. But an act like this will need serious planning over a long period of time which does not go well with irrational minds. If a few irrationally rational minds are capable of such things, then what more peril awaits this world?

One more very disturbing and even more unfortunate thing is that most of the terrorist activities are attributed to people who follow Islam. While I am most certain that most Muslims would want to lead a calm and peaceful life like any other faction, there is this small portion of Muslims who are made to believe that there is a conspiracy going on against them on an international level. These people with their poor understanding of certain fundamental principles of their religion carry out the acts of terror.

While I am no master of any religion or religious belief, it is my understanding that people follow religion to keep themselves aligned to some principles. Principles that might lead someone through a path of spiritual, emotional and physical goodness to them and to those around them. What am sure of is that no religion would preach hatred and violence as that goes against the fundamental principle of human well-being.

But how and where it went wrong for Islam? The best explanation I can give is the wrong interpretation of the word Jihad. It means struggle. The misunderstanding came in the understanding of what struggle Jihad means. Most scholars feel it’s the struggle within the self to follow the righteous path shown by the almighty. A few others feel that it’s the struggle against those who oppose Islam. I am not sure if deeper investigation into this term by me will bring clarity or obscurity. These fewer Muslims are not helping themselves or their community as many hate crimes are targeted against other righteous members.

Religious writings were meant to serve humans barring time. But that does not mean that they can guide us all the time. This is a time when individual right to freedom comes second to nothing. Some of the religious myths of the yesteryears cannot be imposed at present. People of all groups and factions have to reconcile and words like dominance, hatred and ego should be kept lying in the dictionary alone. This new world we live in is very much powerful and if not treated right we shall lead it to destroy us. Universal harmony is the Need of the Hour. Love All and Hate None.

Swasthika Sang

Where are we heading???

We have been told that leading a successful life means adhering to some conventional unwritten rules. Graduating with a good percentage, securing a stable job, acquiring phony assets and some others fall under this category. Once those so called achievements which almost every average human being will be able to achieve are achieved, the achievers become happy.

One pronounced quality about humans is that they tend to show good will when they are happy. Some pay their thanks to God, the Almighty; some treat the people around; some others do something for the society. I am not much different; after all I am one of us. So, some part of my mind wanted to do something to this extolled earth which has held us since the beginning of beginings.

That thought barely exists in my mind now, for I have changed. We think change occurs tout de suite but it doesn’t. We assume certain crucial incidents bring about the change but they only point out the change that has happened in us. In the past few months there has been no short of those incidents. The infamous ‘Delhi Case’ and the beheading of a soldier in LOC might elude the memories of us with time but now they are still fresh.

Most often when brutal and barbaric behavior is noted in humans it is termed as animalistic behavior. I have to say that I strongly disagree with it. Animals act by instinct, hunt for hunger and attack for self-protection. We have that so called sixth sense still act much more devilish than animals. Maybe a new term should be given for that sui generis human behavior.

The above mentioned are just two of many which are happening all over the world. Thinking about all these, one question arises in my mind – Where are we heading? We believe that with the technical advancements, we are marching towards an era of human glory. But I fear that behind that thin layer of prosperity and glory there is a huge wall of destruction hiding from us.

Most of the crimes and incidents like these are not planned and executed. They just happen out of the beauty of human mind. It takes in everything that goes on around over the years and when that moment arrives which challenges the basic human mind’s architecture, those things come out in a very different way; a way which we hadn’t even dreamt of.

The thing which makes us drive forward amongst all these scenes is the hope that there are at least few good minds. It is like two faces of a coin; it’s just that the good side is rusted with only a few bright spots.

I don’t know if there is a solution to all these; just a couple of thoughts. At the end it all leads to what we let into our mind with or without our knowledge. Our actions will be only as good as our thoughts. Another thing is about the 4 C’s. Okay, you would have heard about the 3 C’s – Colour, Caste, Creed. The fourth C is Country which comes as my personal addition. Unity within the first three divisions have well been documented at times of dire need but unity amongst countries is a very hard thing to come by. Maybe we will have to be attacked by aliens in order to witness that.

Easier said than done I know. Things might happen to any of us. So in a way we need to secure this world for our own cause of fulfilling our own wishes. Respect others and you will respect yourself.

Swasthika Sang

Shhh!!!

Long gone are the days when someone actually has to commit a crime to get arrested. There is cyber-crime where one need not commit it physically. But, how will you feel when you get arrested for a status update in a social networking website? If you have been following the news, you will know that am not just contemplating.

A week back, one of the polemical Indian politicians passed away. The city of Mumbai was shut down throughout the day of his funeral. A young woman expressed her unrest in the form of a facebook status update. We know what happened next.

India boasts as the biggest democratic in the world and its people enjoy certain basic rights and amongst those comes the freedom of expression and free speech. The actions which took place seem to contradict the above stated rights.

Within a day of the arrest, there was a lot of criticism directed towards the police and the government. Also, the woman’s account was hacked, several fake accounts were created along with fan pages under the woman’s name. I am wondering if these are methods of showing support or exploiting the situation. Bottom line – The public or more specifically the Virtual Public felt that the police action on the women was harsh and uncalled for.

“Respect is earned, not given and definitely not forced. Today Mumbai shuts down due to fear and not due to respect. People like ________ are born and die daily and one should not observe a bandh for that.’’ These were the lines that lead to the subsequent events. Let’s forget the laws and the rules. Does it lie within human morals to defame a person who had just died? While I strictly condemn the arrest made, I believe the woman could have shown her dissent in a different way without directly attacking the deceased man.

Even before this incident, there has been a raging debate going on about the increasing number of hate speeches that are alleged to happen in this world. On one hand, freedom of expression has given a loud voice to a lot of minorities who fight for their cause and on the other hand, it has been used intentionally to hurt and insult the sentiments of certain minorities. Where to draw the line between free speech and hate speech?

Certain countries have laws against hate speech. Even our Indian government spearheaded by Kapil Sibal tried to censor the contents of social media. If it does happen at any point of time, it will have a good start for sure. People with heinous intentions will think twice before posting dubious content. But, on the longer run it has the potential to be used as a tool to curb or silence the critics and oppress the minorities.

Decades back, only the writers and orators had the power to reach the masses and convey their ideas. Now, thanks to social networking, everyone with access to the internet has become a proponent. It’s a good thing that people have found a way to voice their opinions but, they must also realize the power of ideas. When someone gives an opinion about you, it’s going to stay in your mind for a very long time; also it’s going to have an influence on your actions henceforth. Ideas have the same effect when it reaches more than one person.

Laws and censorship are not the answers to the problem of Free Speech Vs Hate Speech. Ethics and moral values should be realized by the humans themselves. If we have to protest against something let’s voice opinions for our own cause and not to insult or hurt someone. Free world and free speech doesn’t mean that one can take everything for granted.

Swasthika Sang

Gender Bender

Time has never been so fitting to discuss the social issues and evils faced by women.

On one hand – A fifteen year old girl was brutally shot for her propaganda on girl education; rate of violence and harassment against women is on the rise each day. While on the other hand – Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma becomes the first woman to take charge as the chief of the African union; Kumud Srinivasan is appointed as the head of India operations for Intel.

So, two entirely opposite conditions are prevailing in the same world. Why is this difference?

Let us dismiss the current situation from mind and go to the beginnings of all this – The Fundamental question. What is the purpose of gender? On an animalistic note, it is for the mere purpose of reproduction. But, we humans claim ourselves to be more than just animals. We devised something called as culture which was meant to override nature. We set up families and created a bond between males and females in the name of relationship. So by culture, it becomes implicit that the gender difference in humans is not for the mere purpose of reproduction. It means much more and relates to everything we do.

By nature, no species tries to dominate its opposite gender. In every species males and females carry out their work instinctively without any comparison. Even humans were like that once. As told in one of my previous articles, there was no problem when man was hunting and woman was at home taking care of the younger ones. As other means of occupation grew, the custom of man doing the outside work continued. But, little did women knew, that it was going to upset their own cause later on.

We started comparing men and woman based on the capabilities of men. Earlier studies were related as to why women had a smaller brain and smaller physique. One of the eminent naturalists, Darwin, stated that it was natural sex selection that made women inferior to men. Maybe the reasons put forward by him were right. But, why do such a study and declare women as inferior, while so many greater qualities were in their possession in comparison to men? Will it be acceptable to compare men and women in baby-care and decide who is better? If women are considered inferior to men in certain things, then it is most certain that men are inferior to women in their own specialities. But the point is not who is inferior or superior. It is about doing, what one feels good at doing.

Malala Yousafzai is a fifteen year old girl who is fighting a nation’s fight single handed. The fact that she was targeted by the Taliban, describes the utterly sick condition of the world we live in. Her fight is not only for girl education, but also for the cause of women in every field. I don’t see her age. I don’t see her gender. I only see her as a perfect example of a human. Her notes and speeches show her immense maturity and rational thoughts, in spite of the adverse conditions she had to endure over the last few years. A similar character who took the world by storm was Anne Frank, another young girl who unfortunately died at the age of sixteen. I salute and bow down to them. These two little girls have sent out a strong statement that women can take it to the next level when given the opportunity.

What is moral? Is it equal for men and women? Most definitely no. Should it be equal? I would say that the moral values expected from women are not their natural traits, but the traits which were conditioned into them by the society. As a result of western influence in our society, women are under the scanner like never before. Think again, am not saying women can do whatever they want. I propose to say that if women are bound to certain morals, so should men; and if men shall get away with whatever they do, so should women.

Once I saw an advertisement hoarding of a high school with an attractive female model on it. I was wondering if I should be surprised. I have always questioned the way women are portrayed as sex symbols in the media. Models and actresses are often criticised for exposing their skin for money. I don’t see a single reason why they should not, if they are comfortable doing so. As far as I know there are far less lesbians than straight men. So who are to be blamed for this; women or men? The society would not let a woman to enter a challenging field on par with men and when they find a way to make money, the society again plots a way to stop them.

A couple of years back there was a huge debate regarding the reservation of parliamentary seats for women. My suggestion to those women who wanted 33% reservation – Do not hang on to the cheap 33%. Do not fight for reservation in the future. Go for the maximum. If women prove themselves as better administrators, then the Lok Sabha deserves 545 women.

Amidst all these burning issues there is a small group of women who are cunning enough to use the current laws to their utmost self gains. The increasing percentage of pre-nuptial agreements in high profile marriages, display the effect of this small group. For these women I say – Equality is a right, not a privilege.

I firmly believe that the day will come when women will no longer need to fight to fulfil their rightful wishes; if not today, then explicitly tomorrow. The society never accepts a giant leap, in any form. But, on the day when it flourishes because of equality between the two genders, it shall be bashful for the lost time.

Swasthika Sang

The Verdict

The 2G scam, Commonwealth Games scam, Indian Coal Allocation scam or the Coalgate as put forward by the media, DLF-Vadra allegations and the list is about to linger further. In a fresh aspersion, the government is accused of receiving pay offs from Ispat Steel during the years when Virbhadra Singh was the Steel Minister. A document seized by the Income Tax Department in 2010 contains details of the pay offs, says a news report.

Regardless of the outcome of the last two accusations, things do not seem to go on track for the ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA). With Trinamool Congress and Jharkahnd Vikas Morcha already withdrawing support recently, it is fair to say that the days of Dr. Manmohan Singh lead UPA government, are numbered.

Reviewing the Tamilnadu Assembly Elections of last year, might give some foresight of what is in store for the UPA. The then ruling DMK took a serious blow to its credibility, when the party faithfuls Kanimozhi and Raja became the prime accused in the 2G spectrum scandal. The effect was evident in the state elections as the DMK hit an all time low in accumulating votes.

Coincidentally, the UPA run Central Government is in a black cloud of corruption scandals and they are being hit with accusations over and over again. The results of the recent by-elections to fill the vacated seats of our President Pranab Mukherjee and Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna, serve as an ultimatum to the UPA.

One thing I have noticed over the years – Be it a sex scandal of a celebrity or a financial scandal of an organisation; once the first accusation hits the accused, repeated accusations starts flowing in, even if it’s from a decade earlier. One may never find out if the trailing accusations are true or simply directed to attain media publicity. So either one should keep his slate clean or prepared for a backlash.

Coming back to the UPA’s position, who is going to hit the jackpot when they slip up? Is it going to be the NDA again, led by BJP? The centre has failed to create a third party over the years and so one’s loss is simply the other’s gain. That’s what happened in Tamilnadu as well.

If the NDA does succeed, the most favourable candidate for the post of PM is arguably Narendra Modi, who has tightened his grip on party administration over the years; of course by his unique methods. Is he an authoritarian or an able administrator? May be he is a mix of both. Amidst the speculation of his involvement in the Gujarat riots in 2002 and his alleged authoritarian style of rule, he did manage to uplift the state on many fronts. But, if he does become the most powerful citizen of the country, certain subjects have to be pondered upon. How will the Indo-US relations get affected (?), with the latter holding onto a firm stance over Modi. Also certain European countries had cut off their ties with Gujarat. England resumed its ties very recently, but, other countries still retain their position. Will this affect India?

The recent wave of reforms put forward by the government needs time to bear fruit. With hardly 18 months to go maybe it is too little too late already. A look at the achievements of the two-term UPA rule tells that they have controlled unemployment woes, taken bold steps in the international level such as the Indo-US Nuclear Deal, achieved national highs in highway projects, increased FDI in infrastructure and a few others. But, will these be able to eclipse the rising inflation and various corruption related scandals? I don’t think so. What do the people think? The verdict is just over a year ahead.

Swasthika Sang