Open Letter To Actors in Bollywood

Bollywood Actors: Show Some Character And Refuse To Let A Convicted Rapist Touch You. This Is The Least You Can Do If You Truly Find Rape & Rapists Repulsive.

Do Not Welcome Them Back And Hug Them As If Nothing Happened.

Otherwise Don't Take A High Moral Ground If Unfortunately A Similar High Profile Case Occurs In Future. Words Don't Matter - Actions Do.

AIB: Is it our birthright to be vulgar in public domain?

I received an appeal from a pro AIB person to sign a petition on change.org which claims, if we take all the frills away, that using foul, obscene and vulgar language publicly is one's birthright. Not just that, some are even calling it a bold attempt to new way of humour. My programmer's response to that is:

If shameless exposition of vulgarity = boldness then I = coward

Our previous generation did not stand up to corrupt practices in 1950s when graft in public life was at nascent stage. Today we can see what monstrous proportion this beast has taken.

If we allow space to such proponents of vulgarity in public life and not nip it in the bud right now, I wonder what our society would be like after 50 years. All in the name of "freedom of speech", "double standards", "hypocrisy" etc to make those of us in favour of decency, feel guilty.

Let's be clear about it, what one does in his or her own bedroom or what is acceptable language within a close circle of friends can never be the same in public domain. To claim it is hypocritical to differentiate between the two sets of behavior is itself hypocritical.

Open use of abusive and vulgar language in places where it was unthinkable few decades back has already become common. If you are sitting in a rickshaw and the traffic is not to the liking of rickshaw driver, today he is quite capable of using expletives without bothering to care whether its a male passenger sitting in his taxi or female. Not that using expletives in front of a male passenger is right, but you get the drift.

In fact things have come to such a passe that in certain circles if you express your dislike for foul language, you may be considered 'uncool'! If you object to language being used on a table next to yours, it could be you who is considered disruptive by the restaurant establishment!!

Yes, things are already bad. But to allow such a behaviour by law would be a shame. I hope our government will take the right steps to curb such behaviour in public domain and not get bogged down for fear of being labeled as 'moral policing'. It has nothing to do with morals and everything with maintaining decency in public life.

I hope those who believe in decency in public life, those who think there should be a Lakshman Rekha between public and private life, will stand up against the onslaught of vulgarity in public life and give open support to government officials who can enforce if needed.

Election Commission, Kejriwal and Bribe Statement

Should Arvind Kejriwal now tell the electorate in his election rallies, "I agree with the EC, you should not take bribes when they are offered in cash or kind by our opponents, but please vote for AAP"?

A Day To Be Proud Of And Show Off !

Yes sir, I am proud and WILL show off.

Today 5 names were announced for Fields Medal and Nevanlinna prize winners. Two of them are of Indian origin! Obviously I am proud!!

But there is more to it, and once I disclose what it is, you will yourself say that I have good reasons to SHOW OFF!!!

I am showing off because I am basking in the reflected glory of being connected to both in some manner!!

First, Manjul Bhargava, the winner of Fields Medal (considered Nobel Prize of mathematics), is my nephew! His mother Mira jiji is my first cousin. My mother and Dr. Purushottam Lal Bhargava (Manjul's grandfather, HOD of Sanskrit Department in Rajasthan University, Jaipur) were sister and brother. So yes, I have every reason to show off my nephew :-).

Now comes Subhash Khot. Of course unlike Manjul, I do not know him personally - but the fact that he and I are both from IIT (though he is from IIT/Bombay, and I from IIT/Kanpur), is enough for me to roam around like a proud peacock.

Here are the links to articles about them...

2014 Fields Medal and Nevanlinna Prize Winners Announced

• Artur Avila
• Manjul Bhargava
• Martin Hairer
• Maryam Mirzakhani
• Subhash Khot

Khobragade Case: Visa Fraud Plus Arrest and Strip Search Are Two Separate Issues.

Khobragade is coming back to India.

If she is innocent of any wrong doings, her running away from USA should be seen as lack of confidence by India in US system of justice. Therefore if US also shows lack of confidence in Indian system of justice (by 'evacuating' Sangeeta Richard family to USA), we should not raise such a hue and cry. On the other hand if she is guilty, she should at least be punished in India now - although punishment in USA was preferable for bringing shame to India. Rule of law - let it be seen to work.

Strip search is a separate issue. If strip search is not a norm in such cases and was performed solely to humiliate her then it should be taken as deliberate attempt to humiliate India. For this India should take a stand that educates USA suitably.

Let Sangeeta Richard not be forgotten in all this. We must know whether she was exploited or not. If Indian government wants, I am sure it can get to the truth. There must be plenty of witnesses to tell us as to what hours she was keeping and the type of work she was performing. Surely it is one of the easier things to do for many of our investigative agencies.

Devyani Khobragade's Arrest: Are Indians suffering from Animal Farm syndrome?

I am not very clear what our (Indian's) main gripe is. Is it that 'an Indian woman' was subjected to strip search? Or is it that our diplomat who in our view should have enjoyed full diplomatic immunity, was arrested and handcuffed? My confusion is that I do not understand what our stand will be if some other Indian lady is arrested and strip searched as per the law of the US land. Is it a case of Animal Farm's famous line "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others".

 

Riots in poor villages and towns

An interview of a young woman who seemed to be in her thirties, by NDTV, on the site where blankets were being distributed, revealed that she had lost 2 of her 6 children.
This probably gave me an insight into possible causes of the real problems which are simmering under the surface. These simmering problems need just an excuse to manifest themselves into such riots.
While it is necessary to apply ointment on the open wounds, unless we identify the root cause, a permanent cure is not possible.
In this case I was appalled to hear that this young woman already had six children. These days even middle class families try to have keep the number under three, if not just one. What's happening in our villages?

Where is the space in Uttar Pradesh to have six children in each family in a village or town or a city? Where are the resources for even passable parenting, forget good parenting, if a couple has six children? Do parents even have time (forget money) to teach their children on how to become a good citizen, if they produce six children (or more - this lady definitely seemed fit enough)? Won't teenagers of such families be simply loitering around? How can families keep producing children and expect the state (tax payers at the end) to provide for them?

There was a time when family planning was a given great push, for many years. "Hum Do, Hamare Do" was the slogan behind every state bus. What is happening now? Should not there be accountability to justify the funds being used under the banner of 'family welfare'?

During emergency Family Planning got a bad name and for good reason as some people in power went overboard and in order to reach the "quota", they became ruthless. But it does not mean that the concept itself is bad. In India we need to perpetually educate the masses about 'Family Planning' for next 100 years.