Seriously Sandeep

How not to Hear

Dear Abhishek,

Thanks for investing your time to respond to my post on the recent judgement relating to M.F. Hussain.

You misread my entire post by asking me not to speak for you. Upon reading your post, it seems that I should speak for you because you haven’t correctly heard whatever I spoke. What I find more amazing is that given your penchant for investment number-crunching, you have utterly failed to read my post completely. Else, you wouldn’t have selectively quoted what you call my “conclusion.” Before the said “conclusion,” I say

The judgement apart, I personally think the fault to a great extent, lies with the plaintiffs for filing the suit. In a nation where public discourse is perverted beyond repair…

Does that answer your question on why aesthetics etc shouldn’t be the subject matter of courts? You come across as really humourous when you say

I for one, can judge for myself, what I would consider aesthetically pleasing. If you seek to impose your standards of beauty on me through the courts, you patronize me to say the least. Husain’s art may offend, please or do nothing for me, but I will defend my right to judge that for myself. I will also defend Husain’s right to paint whatever he pleases.

Where in the entire post have I said or implied something to the contrary?

And the investment thing was just a remark by the way. My dear friend, do me a favour. Please read ALL the material on my blog where I’ve spoken at some length about Hussain’s “art.” For starters, this. As for this:

I am sorry, Sandeep, but I have to revoke your license to represent me for you stole it while I wasn’t looking, let alone without asking me.

You can’t blame me for carelessly dropping it: I didn’t make that yawning hole in your shirt/trousers, which everybody except you can see.

Here’s a parting tip to you: make sure you do your homework really well before jumping into an argument.

And a challenge to test your comprehension: read my post again and tell me in two sentences what I’ve said there.

Legal Breather for Hussain

The Delhi High court has cleared M.F. Hussain. Expectedly, the entire secular crowd of artists and SAHAMATites is jubilant.

Coming down heavily on the “new puritanism” being carried out by “ignorant people”, the Delhi High Court on Thursday dismissed criminal proceedings against eminent painter MF Husain, overruling the charges of obscenity against his paintings.

I have read only portions of the judgement as I’m yet to obtain the full text. At best, my reaction is mixed. The judgement is welcome in upholding the principle of free speech and other good things but treads into unchartered territories with little or no understanding of tradition.

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How not to Address the Naxal Problem

In a rather lengthy article, Manjeet Kriplani discusses the Naxal problem. While she correctly echoes what we all knew–that the Naxals pose the biggest threat to India’s internal security–she quickly bares her sympathies.

Judging from their past experience with development, the tribals have a right to be afraid of the mining and building that threaten to change their lands. “Tribals in India, like all indigenous people, are already the most displaced people in the country, having made way for major dams and other projects,” says Meenakshi Ganguly,

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Pragati: May 2008

The May 2008 issue of Pragati has hit the stands. Liberal nationalism is the theme of the month. Grab your copy now.

Observations on the Rama Setu Issue

A gentleman made an insightful observation on another forum I’m part of. While this observation is not new, it underscores what we all know: post-Independence Hindu society has failed to defend itself adequately. I had to make this post now because the Rama Sethu issue is relatively “alive” in public consciousness.

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Capitalizing an Assassination

Earlier this month, Priyanka Vadra Gandhi met Nalini to “come to terms with her father’s death,” etc. Noble sentiments. A heart-warming gesture. However, not everybody was happy.

Even 17 years after Rajiv’s assassination, the families of most of the 14 victims who died along with Rajiv are yet to get any compensation promised by the Central and Tamil Nadu governments and the Congress party, reports The Times of India.

The promises made to the kin of the victims included cash compensation and jobs for children in government services. What upsets the families is that not only did the government honour the promises, but they didn’t even get a letter from the Congress party or the Gandhi family condoling the death of fellow Congress workers.

Out of their reverence for the lost leader, these poor villagers have been keeping to themselves their sorrow and frustration at the failure of the government and the Congress party to honour the promises.

But Priyanka’s much-publicised visit to the Velloor prison to talk to Nalini, without bothering to meet any of the families of other victims and enquire about their well-being, has angered the villagers. They ask the question: Why doesn’t Priyanka, who is showing sympathy towards a convict in her father’s murder case, not show any consideration towards the victims who died along with her father?

The underlined lines say a lot about the character of the youth leaders who promise a prosperous 21st Century India.

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The Makings of India’s Future Prime Minister

The Crown Prince, heir-apparent, and India’s Prime Minister-in-waiting asks with great gravity:

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi put a poser before non-government organizations (NGOs) and tribal youth cadre of the party during his stay in Chhattisgarh’s insurgency-hit Bastar region - ‘Why is Maoism growing in the state?‘

I find it really funny. But I can understand the Prince’s ignorance. So I’ll point him in the direction of, and the person with whom he can start searching for answers. South, in Andhra Pradesh, Chief Minister, Samuel Rajashekar Reddy.

The Way of Universal Brotherhood

We are witnesses to far gorier atrocities than this.

On the day he decided to run away, 9-year-old Coli awoke on a filthy mat. Like a pup, he lay curled against the cold, pressed between dozens of other children sleeping head-to-toe on the concrete floor. His T-shirt was damp with the dew that seeped through the thin walls. The older boys had yanked away the square of cloth… here are 1.2 million Colis in the world today, children trafficked to work for the benefit of others. Those who lure them into servitude make $15 billion annually, according to the International Labour Organization….For among the most cruel facts of Coli’s life is that he was not stolen from his family. He was brought to Dakar with their blessing to learn Islam’s holy book. In the name of religion, Coli spent two hours a day memorizing verses from the Koran and over nine hours begging to pad the pockets of the man he called his teacher.

This atrocity is attention-worthy because it is done in the name of a religion that trumpets universal brotherhood as one of its selling points. But the trumpeteers (Coli’s teacher in this case, and several Mullahs in other cases) are themselves the worst abusers of this selling point. More directly, Islam gives these worthies incredible power over the lives of entire populations.

The Last Hindu Kingdom Bites the Dust

This shows how India gifted Nepal to China. While most in the mainstream media gloat about the victory of democracy, free and fair elections, etc nobody wants to see behind the curtain.

India gifts Nepal to China

Balbir K Punj

The UPA Government can now flaunt one more ‘achievement’ along with inflation, deceleration in rate of growth and industrial production, and minority appeasement. The latest addition to this list is the gift of Nepal on a platter to China. With Communist China under virtual global siege for its horrible record on human rights in Tibet, the success of armed Maoists in Nepal should come as a heart-warmer for China’s President Hu Jintao.

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What they Teach You at JNU

The JNU marsh breeds uniform offsping in an assembly line fashion. Although unrelated, this “op-ed” is a close cousin of Sagarika Ghose. Template again. The directive from the top seems to be: bat for Mayawati, and the Dalits but yell at her when she creates trouble for the Congress party .

The op-ed is not even worth a read. In passing, what baffles me is the credentials of these worthies. They have some impressive-sounding degrees, are professors, lecture, write, and other good things. In the process, they shed their commonsense.

Mayawati seemed to go back to political square one as she took on Tikait recently — from one that targets the ‘bahujan’ to one that speaks to the ‘sarvajan’.

Those loyal to the BSP believe that this shift was necessary to tame Brahminism.

The day you put those ideology-filled books and enter the world to translate words into action, the world appears far different from what was described in the books. Admittedly, the BIMARU states still suffer pathetic “social imbalance” (Note to self: can’t believe I used those words). However, “taming” Brahminism is way off the target. The logical question is: what influence does “Brahminism” hold in today’s politics? If anything, the dominance of Brahmins–”upper castes” if you will–is rapidly diminishing. In passing, it is not incorrect to say Mayawati, not the BSP is the only Dalit force in India. Like other political stars, she’s going the personality-cult politics way. Name one successor to Mayawati. Take her away–and I don’t mean it in Karan Thapar’s “sudden removal” way–and the BSP will disintegrate in no time.

If you’re from JNU, you need to pitch in those mandatory two lines about the Communal forces.

In 1989, the resurgence of the BJP was marked by an aggressive sectoral mobilisation of upper caste Hindus against the Muslims around the demand of a Ram temple at Ayodhya.

According to this logic, all Hindus who want the Ram temple to be built are upper caste. And the rest of the article doesn’t matter.