The Mindset !

It's all about the mindset! Or India would have set an example before the world by making its President Pratibha Patil and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the champions of sanitation and hygiene.

Somebody with a high thinking about sanitation and hygiene must have placed the photos of these highest dignitaries of India on the doors of the washrooms of an Airport in Nagpur city in the state of Maharashtra. The photos were used to indicate 'men' and 'women'.

Although the photos were used in the washrooms of the VIP (very important person) lounge of the airport (which the mere mortals of the nation have no access to), yet a legislative assembly member of Maharashtra complained against the use of these photos.

His plea is that the display of these photos is against the discipline and the protocol. He has also demanded disciplinary action against the official responsible for this "huge mistake".

I wonder why no one has ever objected to photos of film stars and top models of the country on washroom doors.

India is a country where the sides of all the roads function as public urinals and where the toilets in any government office stink like hell (it is impossible for a person with a sensitive nose to pass in front of these toilets without covering not only his/her nose but also covering the whole face). The nation is losing at least 5 per cent of its GDP (gross domestic product) due to lack of sanitation and hygiene practices and facilities. India is also losing its tourism due to lack of sanitation facilities (tourists prefer to go to nearby nations like Sri Lanka or Thailand -which have better sanitation facilities)

The nation could have taken a lead in sanitation and hygiene sector in the South Asia by making its President and Prime Minister the brand ambassadors.

But the mindset is that washroom is a dirty place and putting a photo of a dignitary is an insult to the person.

In such situation how can we expect some celebrity to become the bran ambassador of sanitation and hygiene and disseminate the message down in the masses?

Kudos to Shah Rukh Khan (who is popular as King Khan) - India's one of the biggest film star who felt the urgency of spreading the message in this connection and agreed to become the brand ambassador of Sanitation and hygiene through Waste Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC).

Here is one more reason why Indian people follow the film stars rather than following their leaders!!!

No Monday Blues!

Monday blues... or Just another maniac Monday....
Who is not familiar with these common terms? We all have lived through these phases sometime or the other in our lives. But there are no such terms when it comes to pushing a story on as dry and non-glamorous a topic as sanitation.
"Mondays are the best days for journalists, who are working on WASH (Water Sanitation Hygiene) related issue, if they want to ensure that their stories get good placement and substantial space. The Parliament is closed on Sundays, the government offices remain closed, there are no activities during the weekends. And on Mondays, the editors are craving for stories. At such times reports on sanitation (which otherwise get discarded by the editors), have fairly good chances of getting prominent placement in the newspapers."
The idea (an encouraging one especially for scribes who are passionately writing on WASH) came from the Communication Specialist of World Bank Vandana Mehra. Mehra said this whilst addressing the journalists from South Asia and Africa, who are participating in the Global Forum on Sanitation, which is being convened by the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC), in Mumbai at present.
The idea was not hypothetical as it was preceded by a full page interesting reading on sanitation, which was published a few years back in one of the leading English dailies of India. The story simply displayed and expressed (through sketches, which were supported by facts) how unhygienic is the way the flour (the basic ingredient used for making cookies and pastries) is produced in India and many other neighbouring countries. It is stored amidst rats and cockroaches and is constantly handled by dirty hands.The intriguingly written story covered each and every aspect of the issue.
I am sure the mantra given by Ms Mehra's would prove quite useful for the journalists, who are working on WASH issues and are continuously struggling with their editors for getting their stories published.
And the mantra is - there is no maniac Monday for sanitation stories!!!

back to school....

There is an old saying.... ``Want to keep your brain agile, learn a new language''.

Having a strange kind of strong belief in adages (which are full of wisdom based on the rich experience of our forefathers/mothers), I got admission in the English and Foreign Languages University.

Languages. I started learning Spanish.

More than learning a new language (which I always loved) and sharpening my mental faculties, what I am enjoying the most is the feeling of being back in school.

I was under the impression that I might have lost the enthusiasm in life in general but to my surprise my excitement grew bigger than Himalayas.

I am the oldest (in age) student in the class - even my teacher is younger to me. My classmates are either in their late teens or in their early twenties - full of energy and enthusiasm - giggling on everything.

As a confident professional otherwise, I was in the impression that it would be cool in the classroom as it is in the life outside as a working woman.

I was wrong!

From day one my excitement was childlike and so was the nervousness. From buying new notebooks and syllabus books to dictionary etc - I felt all youthful once again.

Initially, I dreaded the two hour class thinking it would be too much but when I was there two hours were over before I could even look at my watch. What I discovered the next day is that I did not enjoy the gap (the classes are held on alternate days) and was keenly looking forward to my next class. I was anxious to finish my assignment and felt nervous in class sometimes.

Then came this five day break.

I thought its the best time to jot my feelings down and share the joy with my friends. I want to share how does it feel to be a student after finishing two phases of my life - a daughter/student and a mother/professional.

It is amazing!

Being a student - is the most amazing thing and the most interesting enjoyable time in a person's life - of course, provided your teacher keeps it interesting and does not turn the subject boring, and also does not turn himself into a living terror. Thankfully my teacher has made the subject more interesting.

I thank my stars for giving me this insight to become a student again.

politics of sentiments

Many eyebrows were raised when I wrote a line on Facebook in favour of Slut Walk - a protest march by women to tell the world that they can dress up the way they want and their dress is no excuse for a man to molest her.

My friends lectured me on culture and talked highly of our Indian heritage. They said the Slut Walk was against the Indian culture.

I am surprised that none of those people have uttered even a single line against Delhi Beli - the new movie of Amir Khan. I wonder if they find the content of the movie in sync with the Indian culture!!!

The reviews rated the movie quite highly (maybe people do not dare citicise Amir Khan as for them he symbolises intellectualism!).

Apart from mentioning that the movie is full of swear words, no body said anything else about it. Then there was a little brouhaha on a particular song. But none spoke about the rest of the garbage this film has served to its audience.

I went to watch the movie after reading the reviews. I had the impression that the movie might be about some issue (as Amir Khan is known to have been raising issues) or it would be pure fun movie.

I came out of the cinema hall sick and disgusted. I had taken a friend of mine who did not understand Hindi and it was his first Hindi movie. In some scenes I just kept mum as I didn't know where to look - leave aside translation.

The movie was full of vulgarity, obscenity, cheapness, and of course, swear words (which at places seemed out of place and unnecessary).

Oral sex was not only talked in cheap and vulgar terms but was also shown. The director did not mind showing a man touching a woman's body in a demeaning way.

The movie was literally full of shit. The scenes, which could have been amusing if they were shown once or twice, became sick as the director went overboard with them and repeated them end number of times.

I wonder how the Film Censor Board viewed the movie and what it saw in it and how it got passed without picking up its scissors.

However, now the same Censor Board is raising objections on a Arakshan - a film by Prakash Jha. The film talks of reservation policy of India.

``The film talks about the ramifications of the reservation policy and the commercialisation of education as seen through the experience of a particular group of people,'' in Prakash Jha's words.

However, since it might hurt the political interests of a few, the National Commission for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes has issued a notice to the Central Board of Film Certification. The Commission has demanded to have a preview of the film.

``We want to see whether the film is suitable for screening or not,'' the Commission's explanation.

Fine!

Two different treatments to two different genre of films.

The whole scenario makes one thing clear....

If something is damaging for the political parties it will go through lot of screenings and all checks and boundaries but no one will give a damn if something is hurting the society.

Talk of real diseases Mr Health Minister and not of people's sexualtiy

The India health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad says homosexuality is a disease and it is unnatural.

Also, Chapter XVI, Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code criminalises homosexual activity.

More - a few years back, the government of India - fighting a case against toning down of Section 377 of Indian Penal Code to help prevent spread of HIV/AIDS among the homosexuals - filed an affidavit in the court. The affidavit read - ``Homosexuality is a social vice. Descriminalisation of homosexuality may cause breach of peace. If it is allowed, evils of AIDS and HIV would further spread and harm people leading to big health hazards. It would degrade moral values of the society.''

The case had been filed by a group of some human rights activists - who had pleaded the court that ``homosexual act among consenting adults should not be treated as a criminal activity''.

Even the then Director General of NACO (National AIDS Control Organisation) Sujatha Rao had stated in one of the international conferences - "Section 377 places a huge constraint on Government's HIV/AIDS programme. By criminalising any behaviour, we increase the chances of it going underground.''

Her statement was buttressed by famous Indian writer Vikram Seth and Nobel laureate Amartya Sen.

A senior advocate in the Supreme Court, Anil Divan, too, in one of his articles, had quoted the American Psychological Association - ``Despite historical views of homosexuality, it is no longer viewed by mental health professionals as a `disease' or `disorder'. But obviously, neither it is simply a matter of deliberate personal selection. Homosexual orientation may well form part of the very fibre of an individual's personality.

And then Even the Delhi High Court in 2009 had observed -- "Moral indignation, howsoever strong, is not a valid basis for overriding individuals' fundamental rights of dignity and privacy. In our scheme of things Constitutional morality must outweigh the argument of public morality, even if it be the majoritarian view." Going even further, the court had found that Section 377 went against the Indian tradition and guiding political principle of inclusiveness.

"The big question is : Shouldn't we be allowed to pursue our sexual preferences in our own way rather than being dictated by the government or being governed by the law???

In matters of sex, the stress should be on ``consenting adults''. Any sexual act becomes a criminal activity if it takes place without the consent of the both involved - irrespective whether these two are men or women or man woman both.

Besides, more important point is - should or should not a country --

which despite all developments and scientific achievements still tops in maternal mortality, infant mortality, where women delivering their babies on the footsteps or in the corridors of hospitals is common (it does not become a matter of national concern as no minister discusses that), where immunisation of children to save them from deadly diseases is considerably low and many children die of common preventable diseases, whichis still fighting to eradicate polio, where majority of growing girl and expecting mothers suffer from acute anaemia, where a person dies of diabetes every ten second, where the number of people suffering from mental problems is remarkably high, where the number of Alzheimer disease is increasing --

should such a country concentrate on such a trivial and personal matter as its people's sexuality rather than making all our efforts to improve the pathetic health scenario of the nation ???

Bangladesh unfolded.....

There were so many firsts in my life during my recent visit to Bangladesh - a nation where people know how to welcome their guests and make them feel at home.

Starting from immigration and crossing the border, to our stay in Jessore district - each incident left some memory to cherish for life.

This was the first time I crossed the border and entered a foreign country, walking.

We arrived at Benapole - the border - in our car from Kolkata (84km) where an agent, who was supposed to ease the immigration formalities - received us. Whilst we sipped tea at his shop, our passports got stamped and we crossed the borders without any hassle.

On the other side of the border (in Bangladesh) a Toyota mini bus was waiting for us with its engine and air conditioner on. We didn't even realise when our passports got the immigration stamps done.

The journey started....

We were taken to the government guest house for lunch. A neat and clean place, including the washrooms (unlike government guest houses, at least in Uttar Pradesh).

As we entered the dining hall, we found irresistible culinary temptations waiting for us - the dining table was laid with a good number of mouthwatering dishes.

This was my close encounter with the Bengali cuisine and it turned into love at first sight. I binged for a change and longed for more. But this was only the beginning as afterwards each meal out-passed the previous. For me it was difficult to decide which dish I liked more or which meal I enjoyed more.

After the day-long work we were driven to our hotel Park Palace in Jessore. The hotel appeared shady from outside but as I entered the room, I had to change my opinion. Big clean rooms with all facilities and swanky lifts ensured that better times were ahead.

Bangladesh seemed to be strongly influenced by China. The roads are full of smart Chinese auto rickshaws. The shops are full of variety of stuff from China. The height - Channel V was in Chinese and all English movie channels gave subtitles in Chinese. What topped everything else was their cold drink called Mojo!

Small place yet all imported cars from Mitsubishi, Toyota, Volvo etc could be seen on the road. However, the trucks or lorries are either the old English Bedford or our very own Tata, which get modified immediately after they enter the country.

A country so green and so full of water reservoirs is full of fruit trees - such as Jackfruit (Kathal), Taad (a variety of palm), Batabi Lembu (a huge lemon), Jamrule (never seen that fruit before), Date Palm (Khajoor), Coconut Palm and many others. Strange is that all these fruit are taken as fruit even Jackfruit, Taad and Batabi Lembu.

During our visit we also met a few government officers and strangely enough we found them quite forthright. They neither tried to dissuade us by saying they don't have time nor they tried to paint a rosy picture of the problems around them.

It was a short visit and soon it was time for us to say good bye to our hosts.

We took a local airline United Airways to fly from Jessore to Dhaka - the capital of Bangladesh. We were supposed to walk up to the aircraft - identify our luggage on way before boarding the aircraft. A small aircraft - sitting inside I could see its wheels going in and out at the time of take off and landing - again a first!

We arrived at Dhaka - quite neat airport but probably one of the very few airports anywhere in the world, to have Azaan on loud speakers inside the airport.

Over all it was an enthralling experience, which inspired me to visit the country at least once again with the eye of a tourist and find out more ways, which make it an interesting and unique nation.

Human Rights?

Human Rights!

Every time a terrorist is killed anywhere in the world a debate starts in India on ``violation of Human Rights''.

The debate is sure to start after the Navy SEALs of the US succeeded in killing Osama Bin Laden - the man who changed the skyline of America.

The Times of India sparked the debate by raising the Human Rights issue. The paper wrote - ``American Commandos are now vulnerable to the allegation that they overreacted and cannot claim that they killed in self-defense. This is thanks to universally accepted principle that whenever there is scope to capture somebody alive, the first priority of the security personal should be to bring him to justice. The prospects of interrogating the Al Qaida chief and putting him on trial would have arguably served the cause of justice.''

Now, I am dreading the Human Rights activists to start the debate on the issue.

But the question is : which cause of justice they are talking about!

And what would anybody achieve by bringing the killers of millions of people to justice!!

India presents explicit examples of capturing terrorists and then bringing them to justice.

There are Afzal Gurus, Abu Salems and Abdul Kasabs locked in jails undergoing trial after trial.

They dared to attack the Indian parliament, killed thousands of innocent people, including children and women - of all religion and caste and all social and economical backgrounds.

Their never-ending trials are going on forever. We have grown old watching and listening about them. We also watched our politicians fighting over questions whether Afzal Guru should be given the death sentence or should he be pardoned. We have seen Kasab laughing at our lenient judiciary and political system. We have seen Abu Salem aspiring to reach the parliament eventually.

All courtesy - Human Rights!!!

No one talks of Human Rights when these barbaric people kill millions of innocent people in the name of Jihad.

Ask the families, which lost their sons, daughters, fathers, mothers, spouses in terrorist attacks, about Human Rights. For them the justice is when the man who caused a genocide, gets killed.

I, too, feel that the justice is when such barbaric and mentally deranged men are eliminated from this planet.

I salute to the US - the country which could wipe the tears of millions of people who lost their near and dear ones in the terrorist attack, in the real sense.

Such killings should not be seen as revenge - because they are not revenge in any senses.

If a tiger starts eating humans who are entering the forests he is declared man-eater and the more than often such tigers are killed to save human lives.

In the same way, people like Osama who are killing humans should be declared harmful for the human race and their elimination should be the only answer.

The news of Osama's killing made me also happy as I have been feeling frustrated with never ending trials of terrorists in India.

The reason behind my frustration and the frustration of many more alike is that we all know where these trials will lead to....

Obviously to nowhere!!!

In lighter vein....

The mention of word surgery - be it minor or major - is enough to give anyone jitters - especially if a person is a weak hearted one. The unfortunate part is that more than often surgery is unavoidable, if advised by an expert. So, whether courageous or chicken, one has to undergo the long ordeal and the linked trauma, post operative pain, precautions and so on.

However, now I feel that a person can cope with all the mental agony, anxiousness and physical pain or discomfort. What is most difficult to cope with is the later part when one is recovering.

It is alright if the surgery was of head or limbs or any such important but non-interesting part of the body. But what if the surgery is of a woman's breast? Then it becomes a real trouble!!!

People ask with genuine concern, ``Oh, what had happened?'' and she simply explains that she got a surgery done on her breast for fibroids. Suddenly the expression changes. Curiosity takes over concern. The gaze shifts a meter below the eye level. It seems as if the person is trying to examine the operated organ through his x-ray vision. The inquirer starts measuring the difference this surgery must have made to poor woman's assets.

Now what a woman is supposed to do? Should she coyly avoid the question? Or should she mention a general health problem? Or should she boldly and casually tell the friends and acquaintances about the surgery, if asked?

A suggestion came from someone that the woman should frankly satiate the query and then depending on the gaze of the inquirer, she can also explain that the surgery was a simple process of removing a malignant or benign tumour known as fibroids and it does not cause any cosmetic harm to her breasts. The only difference this surgery has made to her is to lessen her mental stress and improved her chances of living a healthier life.

will someone please check what TV is serving our children

Facebook is an easy way to stay connected with friends. It also sometimes inform us about things which normally we are unaware of.

I am talking of a post by one of my friends which did not enlighten me though, but it did open my eyes to a new era and new generation of Indians, which I am not aware of.

The post introduced me to a different league of Indian youth, which I was totally unaware of. I had no idea that such a generation exists in this nation that talks so high of its culture and heritage.

The post was about a Rodies show on MTV, in which the channel tests the endurance of boys and girls and the one with true grit wins the contest.

I am not fond of such reality shows as I feel they spoil the innocence of children. I prefer not to waste my time watching such programmes, which according to me, are made for TV addicts with non-functional thinking faculties.

However, the comment of my friend on the post forced me to go through it.

And it left me aghast!!!

Although it did not affect the anchors of the show, who appeared cool and calm throughout.

I have no guts to repeat what I heard there - atrocious and objectionable language, obscene gestures and all that by two girls in their early twenties!!!

What I wonder is - Is there any censor board for television in India?

If there is, what are its members doing? Where are they? Don't they check what is being served to the audience?

The censor board for Hindi movies is so strict that they do not allow a love making scene in any movie, even today.

But here the words these girls used and the gestures they made, were not only obscene and shameful but was also a blot to Indian culture.

The sad part is that the target audience for these programmes is our future generation, which will grow watching and learning this crude and filthy way of talking.

The post said ``uncensored part of rodies' show''.

Fine, the MTV producers can say that it was the unedited version. But then they should know that in today's technologically advanced world everything comes on the internet - edited and unedited versions, both.

I again ask the MTV producers to answer as to why their anchors did not they ask the girls to leave the show immediately when they started using that foul language? Why did the anchors wait and let the girls continue belching filth out of their mouths?

It is an unpardonable decision by the anchors of the MTV Rodies show as well as the programme producers of MTV, to let that obscenity and vulgarity.

Just wonder is there anyone who would have taken notice of such a degradation of our culture and would stand up and take an action in this regard???

Right to Education - a long wait in Uttar Pradesh

When in Hazratganj - the posh shopping area of Lucknow city - people gathered in support of Right to Education Act, I spotted a kid (6-7 years old). His clothes were tattered and face was full of dust and grime. He was unaware of the event and its importance. He was there only because he saw a crowd there, which he found useful for him.

The kid was begging - lost in the crowd of grown ups.

He came to me also and I fired my curiosity at him, `hey, do you know what is happening here?' the kid looked at me with blank eyes and shook his head in negative. My curiosity was now reached its boiling stage. I asked another question, `do you have any idea about Right to Education?' The kid gave me a strange look and apparently taking me as a waste of time, he walked into the crowd - may be to a better client.

I stood there for a while shell-shocked - thinking.

The congregation was to gather support in favour of the Right to Education Act.

In 2002 the Indian government declared education a constitutional right after making an amendment in the constitution. This amendment was followed by Right to Education Act which was brought in 2010 and which made education compulsory for children between the age of 6-14.

The Indian government also made budgetary provisions for the implementation of the Act. Each state was asked to make its rules as per its requirements, so that the law could be enacted. The states were also asked to share a small portion of the financial burden only to make them committed to the cause.

A year has passed since then but the government in Uttar Pradesh is yet to formulate the rules to implement the law. Presently the state is basking in the glory of current census which has established the fact that the literacy rate in the state has gone up from 56 percent in 2001 census to almost 70 percent in the 2011 census.

Lost in my thoughts, I spotted the young boy again. Standing in the middle of the crowd scratching his unkempt hair with one hand while holding the begging bowl in the other.

I started wondering -- if this is the attitude of our governments, what would happen to children like him.

His presence in the elite crowd, demanding the government to implement the Right to Education law, was conspicuous. I wondered at the apathy of this government in Uttar Pradesh, which can easily spend billions of rupees in erecting monuments and statues but feels so tightfisted when it comes to investing on education of our children - the future of this nation.