Actor Swara Bhaskar has revealed she was sexually harassed by a director but it took her nearly six to eight years to realise what had happened as the culture doesn’t teach women to recognise predatory behaviour.

Swara, without taking any names, said the harassment happened at workplace and the director was being “predatory.”

“It took me 6-8 years to realise when I heard someone else talk about their experience of harassment at a panel discussion like this. I was like God, what happened to me 3 years ago was actually sexual harassment at work place! I never realised it because like you said, I escaped. Because the person did not touch me and I managed to ward it off,” Swara said.

“I would just tell myself that this director is being… whatever, but that is not the full truth. The director was not being an idiot or an ass, he was being a predator,” she added.

Swara was speaking at a panel discussion on the life of Harvey Weinstein at &PriveHD’s Prive Soiree. Actor Dia Mirza, Anand Patwardhan were also part of the discussion.

The actor said she wasn’t able to recognise that pattern or behaviour because as a culture “we do not teach our girl children to recognise predatory behaviour for what it is.”

“There is so much of culture of silence, around sexuality in India, around the issue of sexual harassment, actually not just In India, everywhere around the world that we are just going through are lives without recognising it properly. We just recognise the discomfort.”

Before moving to Mumbai, Swara lived with her parents in Delhi, who had a university background, and so was very aware of things, but said “the real world is the world.”

She said she came to the film industry thinking if someone dares to proposition her, she will show them her “upbringing and values” but nothing of this sort had happened.

“It is really sad, because then slowly I began to realise that I am just not recognising it. Because we are so endured to handle and manage things. Since childhood, if anything happens there is no one to tell you that this is sexual harassment,” she said.

The “Veere Di Wedding” actor said women avoid taking legal route because they face a hostile society.

“First of these things is completely inhospitable and hostile society and a culture that actively or sub-consciously enables predators… We should use this moment to not just talk about the one predator that got caught and got glamourised.

“But we should also talk about the culture that enables these predators to reach the position of power they do. So, it’s also a question of making ourselves aware of many things that go into legitimising predatory behaviour,” she added.

Atal Bihari Vajpayee will be remembered for his bold peace initiatives and also for the nuclear tests in 1998 — many foreign newspapers on Friday wrote about the late former Indian Prime Minister who passed away on Thursday.

Pakistan’s influential daily Dawn on its front page wrote that Vajpayee “was idolised in Pakistan as a sincere peacemaker and wooed by rivals at home as the right man in the wrong party”.

Recalling Vajpayee’s 1999 visit — one of his three visits to Pakistan, the daily remembered how the then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had famously remarked that Vajpayee “could win an election” from there.

The daily said he would be “remembered for his bold peace initiatives with Pakistan and defiant nuclear tests”.

The Washingon Post in an obituary referred to him as “the Indian Prime Minister who oversaw nuclear tests that ushered in a new arms race in South Asia”.

“Vajpayee shocked the world in May 1998 with five underground nuclear tests, prompting international sanctions, rattling neighbours and setting off an arms race with archrival Pakistan.”

The nuclear tests “established India as an overt nuclear-weapon state”, it said.

“Vajpayee worked discreet diplomacy behind closed doors and set in motion a friendly dialogue with US President Bill Clinton, who went to India in 2000, the first visit by a US president to the country in more than two decades.”

The New York Times recalled how Vajpayee “stunned the world by ending a decades-old moratorium on nuclear weapons tests” and still “managed to ease tensions with Pakistan and build closer ties to the US”.

“His passing away marks the end of an era. He lived for the nation and served it assiduously for decades.”

The Los Angeles Times recalled the February 1999 bus ride to Lahore that “cemented Vajpayee’s stature as a peacemaker even though he had set off the nuclear arms race”.

The Independent also recalled how the “groundbreaking bus ride to Lahore” kicked off “a peace process that, while often rocky, remains the basis of ongoing negotiations” between the two countries.

The Gulf News published a three-column photo on its front page with a bold caption: “A giant of Indian politics bids adieu”.

Mahindra Group Chairman Anand Mahindra on Wednesday said DMK President late M. Karunanidhi was a giant among the male politicians of Tamil Nadu.

In a tweet following the death of Karunanidhi on Tuesday evening here, Mahindra said: “Political leaders in Tamil Nadu have always been larger than life. Kalaignar Karunanidhi ji was a giant among men for sure.”

“But in every encounter that I had with him, I was struck by his informality, his humour and his hearty laugh. The most celebrated men are always the most human,” Mahindra said.

“The country has lost a great visionary, dynamic and inspiring leader who had worked tirelessly for the upliftment of the underprivileged and ensured equitable socio-economic development for the people of Tamil Nadu,” said Rakesh Bharti Mittal, President, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

“During the tenure of Karunanidhi as Chief Minister over many terms, industrial growth in Tamil Nadu had progressed remarkably well. CII has worked closely under the guidance and leadership of the former Chief Minister,” Mittal said.

According to him, several key initiatives were undertaken by Karunanidhi’s inspirational direction and strong encouragement which contributed to the industrial development in Tamil Nadu.

By  D. Santhosha

“The world ‘s hunger is getting ridiculous. There is more fruit in a rich man’s.Shampoo than in a poor man’s plate”

 

Poverty; is a reduction which has been unanimously endorsed by the international community as the over aching goal of development.

Poverty can be defined in very precise technical terms that facilitate it’s measurement. It can also be characterized in a more multidimensional – yet less precise manner that helps seeing poverty in relation to it’s cause, it’s context, it’s consequences and the way it is related to phenomena that can be influenced.

The level under which the poverty is unacceptable ( absolute poverty, extreme or serious poverty)

The ILO introduced the ” Basic Needs ” concept in 1970’s and 1980’s. This concept is to bring available in the community of public goods and services to define and assess the poverty.

“People move out of poverty when they fall into poverty” this is to understand poverty as a static affair and the poor as a stable and identifiable group of people which is offense misleading.

Transmission of poverty is commonwealth and have a high tendency to transcend generation. In most of the country context, to be born in a poor family predestines a child to a lifetime of poverty.

This shows that the poverty is an end result of brooder development which is possible through transformative economic and social policies.

To eradicate the poverty, One should put oneself in the shoes of poverty to feel and understand the sympathy which ignites the empathy in a person heart which can bring changes in the society. Let poverty not be told just in words but let it be done in reality

 

   

Lakhs of students are affected by CBSE’s decision to hold re-examinations for Class X and Class XII Maths and Economics papers, respectively.
Maths is widely considered as one of the most dreaded subjects for students around the world. Appearing for one Maths examination can be a nerve-wracking experience. But imagine writing the same exam twice – with a new set of questions? That is exactly what over 16 lakh Class X students will have to go through as their Maths – and the Economics paper for Class XII – has been scrapped following a question-paper leak.

Most CBSE students were left fuming when CBSE announced earlier this week that the exams for Class X Maths and Class XII Ecomics will have to be taken once again. Admitting that the two papers were leaked on WhatsApp, CBSE said a new date will be announced shortly.

Ticking off each subject after its exam is over brings about a special joy for students across the country in the otherwise tense month of March. The ticks were unticked. The books were brought back. Lost time was, well, lost.

Even as authorities face an uphill task to apprehend the culprits behind the paper leak, the task ahead for students appear even steeper.
Protests across the country erupted shortly after CBSE announced its decision to conduct re-examinations. Online and out on the streets, students expressed anger at a time when they should have been expressing a strong determination to get good marks.

In one such protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, students braved the summer sun to show exactly what they thought of CBSE and its decision.

“CBSE should have put every single measure in place to ensure that papers do not leak. If the leak happened, it is not our fault, why should we write the papers again,” asked Priti Rajput, a Class XII student. Agreed Ajith Kurup, a Class XII student in the science stream. “My engineering examinations are round the corner and I was putting finishing touches to my preparations. Now, I have to put it on hold and revise for an exam I have already appeared for. What is my crime?,” he asked.

Other protestors in locations across Delhi and elsewhere echoed similar sentiments.

Over 28 lakh candidates registered for the CBSE examinations this year. Of these 16,38,428 candidates are appearing for Class X and all of them will now have to write the Maths paper again. Another 11,86,306 students are appearing for Class XII exams. Of these, more than 3 lakh students wrote the Economics paper and will now have to write it once again.

The sheer scale of conducting CBSE exams is astounding. That two of these exams have to be conducted once again is, therefore, appalling. “I understand the despair of students. I am a parent myself and even I have had sleepless nights,” HRD minister Prakash Javadekar said recently.

It will, however, indeed take sleepless nights for students to ensure they appear for the re-examinations with confidence even if their faith in the Board conducting the exam remains forever shaken.

by Madhyamam

Many are the questions raised by Kerala Police’s arrest of M M Akbar, head of Niche of Truth, the body to propagate Islam, a regular speaker on platforms of Mujahid organizations, and director of Peace International School.

The case against him is based on the allegation that the text books of Peace School create communal discord, and charges him under IPC 153(A). The others accused in the same case were arrested earlier and they came out on bail. Akbar who had been in Qatar for nearly a year, was arrested around Saturday midnight at Hyderabad where he was in transit between Melbourne and Doha, after being intercepted by airport immigration. Soon after this, Kerala Police brought him over to Kochi and produced him before Judicial Magistrate in Ernakulam where he was handed to police custody for five days.

The religious text book for Class II of Peace School had contained a question, “If your classmate decides to embrace Islam, what advice would you give him?” The case was registered following the conclusion of the District Educational Officer of Ernakulam that this question and the answers to it would spread religious hatred. The head of Burouj Realization of Mumbai, the publishers of the book, its content editor and designer were the other accused in the case. They were all arrested in December 2016 and put in jail for nearly a month, but later obtained bail from High Court. The school officials explain that once they found the disputed part of the lesson inappropriate, they had already given instruction that it should not be taught.

It cannot be said that the lesson that prompted registration of a case is one that overtly spreads religious hatred. The publishers clarify that this part was included as an activity to teach children that declaration of faith by truth (kalima shahaada in Arabic) is the first step to becoming a Muslim. Still, the publishers announced, since it was likely to be misconstrued they were withdrawing the book. In other words, Peace School cannot be said to be trying deliberately to inject enmity towards other religions, although it could be argued that under close scrutiny there was imprudence in teaching second level children a lesson that was likely to create misunderstanding. As for the school, the contention that they had already issued instructions not to teach that portion, need not be taken as such by everyone. All the same, the propaganda to the effect that Peace School was a centre producing hatred are malicious. It was the wide spread of such misinformation that pitted the school and its chief MM Akbar in the centre of controversy. And then his continued tour abroad following the case gave further ammunition to those who inflated the propaganda.

M M Akbar is not the first person to be charged with section 153 (A). Of late, this particular section has been imposed on half a dozen people including SNDP leader Vellappally Natesan, former DGP T P Senkumar and BJP president Kummanam Rajasekharan. But none of them was arrested. The most recent one to be arrested under this section was Mujahid orator Shamsudheen Palath. And now, M M Akbar as well. From this, it could be easily understood that the government and the police have been adopting a bigoted stance on the matter. M M Akbar is only the latest victim of this discriminatory policy. The central government has been moving ahead with a goal of tracking down Muslim individuals and groups, demonizing them and entangling them in legal issues. It is a fact that Kerala government has been following the same approach in several matters. The girls who escaped from the controversial Ghar Wapsi centre in Tripunithura, Ernakulam had given their statements that lessons inciting hatred towards other religions were being taught there. Still, the police have been reluctant to charge section 153 (A) on the owners of the yoga centre. And as regards the Sangh Parivar influence on Kerala police, it is a matter raised as an issue even by those in the Left wing. M M Akbar’s arrest should be analysed in this perspective.

Akbar’s arrest is just one of the many instances of state terrorism aiming at Muslim community. And terrorism by state has been going forward on the pretext of fight against extremism. And often there were examples when the Mujahid movement went alongside the government position that those were necessary as part of countering extremism. And now a scholar from among them is becoming a victim of the same terrorism by discrimination. Thus the message from MM Akbar’s arrest is that collective efforts to take on governmental aggression brooks no delay.

by Umar Shariff

Recent media flashings are echoing with comments of hatred against the Moghuls and their contributions by the likes of Adityanath Yogi (chief minister of Uttar Pradesh) and Sangeet Som (a political leader of the BJP). Even a common layman can understand the motives behind such comments; nothing other than playing hate politics dividing communities to magnify their own vote banks. But hey, this is not 1992 or 2002 (the years of demolition of the Babri Masjid & Gujarat riots). Things have changed a lot since then. People now have access to unadulterated news; despite the aura of so many charismatic liars on television primetime shows. People today want solutions to their practical problems such as poor city infrastructure, deteriorating education system, malfunctioning health services and not to forget – a dwindling economy due to demonetisation of currencies and demonization of the entire Indian economy through GST and Hitlerian policies.

Yogi has removed Taj Mahal from the list of tourist destinations in Uttar Pradesh, and Som has acclaimed that it was built by the traitors. These politicians merely want to make headlines through such disparaging statements that cause detrimental outcomes to the general masses. They throw in such topics to be debated, so that the real topics of debate such as infrastructure, healthcare, quality education and waning economy are forgotten. For your kind information, these politicians have no genuine concern for the masses in general. Sangeet Som and Yogi Adityanath have blood on their hands. The infamous politician Sageet Som was in the news back then for causing riots in Muzaffarnagar. And he was also in news for running slaughter houses where cattle were slaughtered and the beef being exported. Yogi Adityanath has criminal cases registered against him in the past, and has the curse of the poor people of Uttar Pradesh, whose children have died in great numbers due to negligence shown by his government hospitals. Hence, their similitude is like that of the naughty bullies of a school who want to become famous by causing havoc on the premises. Consequently, they are not to be taken too seriously; however, we must analyse the subject at hand in depth.

Taj Mahal is one of the seven wonders of the world, and a declared World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The city of Agra finds an augmented place on the world map due to this glorious monument, which was built by the then Moghul ruler Shah Jahan. India as we see today was not the same within the borders set by our leaders at the time India got Independence from the British Raj. The vicinity of India covered much more area than what we have with us today, which included parts of today’s Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Burma and other neighbouring lands that we see beyond the Indian borders of today. Indians were even known to have ruled lands of today’s Iran and the areas between. Hence if one were to understand the identity of India based on the ancient civilizations, the laws and customs during the times of the last few millenia were different from what we see today.

In ancient world, the kings conquered lands to establish their political supremacy, and they ruled their lands to improve the quality and prosperity of their subjects. There was no concept of Indian nationalism or an integrated India then. Hence, when the Wodeyars were ruling in the South India then, they were not concerned with the rule of the Marathas in the areas of Maharashtra. They didn’t have a federal system that governed all the provinces and kingdoms ruled by the kings of the Indian soil. Most of the states within the Indian precinct were involved in conquering and defending their territories from each other; although they were people from the same Indian subcontinent of the present India. Hence, the Cholas, Cheras, Pallavas and all such kingdoms of the past used to fight amongst themselves to expand their territories with the sole purpose of ruling a bigger chunk of land. Even the Mauryan Dynasty that eliminated the Nanda Dynasty is part of the same history. King Ashoka, who is highly respected by the Indians today, is held by history as a person who had killed one lakh Hindus in Kalinga, and later taken one lakh Hindus as captives of war. Was Ashoka not a traitor in the essence of this definition to have killed so many Indians? Probably not, because we see Ashoka as an Indian contributing some very positive things to the spirit of India after the battle of Kalinga.

The valor and appreciation that we associate with Ashoka today is evident from the fact that we have Ashoka Chakra as part of our national flag. Going by this convention, labeling Moghuls as traitors is both illogical and hypocrisy; because on the one hand we pay utmost respect to the national flag that contains the Ashok Chakra, and on the other hand, we hoist the national flag on Red Fort, which was built by Moghuls. If denouncing Moghuls and their legacy is logical because of the perceived belief that they killed Hindus, isn’t patronizing Ashoka and his legacy, who did the same, hypocrisy? Hence, history must not be evaluated based on today’s operative systems; but must be understood based on geo-political systems of the ancient world.

Back then in the past world of the ancient India, the kings were not essentially communal as being portrayed by the likes of Yogi & Som. Let me share certain glimpses of some ground shaking facts:

Akbar, the grandson of Babur, was a Moghul king who had Raja Mansen as his army commander in Chief. Raja Mansen was a Hindu who stood against Rana Pratap Singh’s army. Akbar’s council consisted members such as Birbal, Todarmal and other Hindu advisors who supported the Muslim king Akbar.

Tipu Sultan, popularly known as the Tiger of Mysore, was a Muslim who had Hindus as his advisors and army men. Pandit Poorniah was given the high post of “Mir Asaf” in his kingdom. He even had the kingdom’s treasury under the custody of Krishna Rao, who happened to be a Hindu. Tipu Sultan had close ties with even the French Army. Nepolean Bonaparte was a close friend of Tipu Sultan. By the way, Napoleon was a Christian.

Even Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, who was a Maratha ruler, had Muslim generals in this cavalry and infantry. He also had Muslim men serving on other posts in his kingdom. Shivaji was even a good friend of the Nizam of Hyderabad, and the dual jointly attacked Tipu Sultan. In retrospect, Nizam was a Muslim who joined hands with the Hindu Peshwas and attacked another Muslim king, Tipu Sultan.

Aurangzeb and Adil Shah were contemporaries, but were rivals to each other. Emperor Aurangzeb had Hindu Rajputs serving in his army, even while fighting the Hindu Marathas. So, this was a glimpse of the ancient India. The kings back then ruled their lands, made treaties with other kings who preferred peace and were not seen as a threat to their respective kingdoms, and fought those who didn’t seem favourable for their kingdom’s safety and security. To reiterate, during those days, the land of today’s India was ruled by hundreds of independent kingdoms.

Let’s reminisce another important datum of history that can never be erased by the ones like Yogi and Som. In 1857, during the Sepoy Mutiny, the Hindus and Muslims together joined hands and rebelled against the British East India Company; both the Hindus and the Muslims had accepted Bahadur Shah Zafar as their leader to accede power after ousting the British. Now this says it all; the fact that the Hindus and the Muslims chose the last Muslim Mughal King Bahadur Shah Zafar as their leader distinctly proves that Moghuls were not communal in their approach, nor a threat to the survival of a secular society.

For those who are averse to Moghuls, here is another powerful information of truth. The Moghuls were aboriginally Mongols. They were the descendants of a non-Muslim Mongolian ancestor group that had invaded the Muslim lands of Baghdad in the 1200s, plundered the Muslims and pillaged their cities. The Mongols under the leadership of Chengis Khan had destroyed the Abbasid Caliphate (with its capital at Baghdad) of the Muslims. After destroying them, the Mongols learnt the religion of the Baghdad people, and many of them embraced Islam. It is one of the rarest incidents in world history where the vanquishers of a nation adopted the religion of the conquered nation. That’s probably the only unexpected turn that has impacted our perception of the Moghuls today. These non-Muslim Mongolians worshipped nature and many among them had adopted to various twisted philosophies. When a section of these people became Muslims, they entered Panipat under the identity of Moghuls. Eventually, the ones who had once plundered the Muslim nations came to India and built a Muslim nation. That’s the plan of the One Who controls all events of this world – the plan of God Almighty.

Coming to the issue of Taj Mahal and Shah Jahan, I do not say that Shah Jahan was an angel. Like any other ruler who has a good and a flip side, he too had his share of shortcomings. He too is guilty of making some historical blunders that must be paid off in future. In my opinion, the construction of the Taj Mahal in the memory of his dead wife Mumtaz was a national waste. Instead, he could have built universities and educational institutions in his wife’s memory, which could have elevated the status of his people. People who visit Agra very well know and revel in the abyssal contrast between Taj Mahal’s grandeur and the city’s slums and dirty roads devoid of any respect to traffic regulations. I would blame the Moghuls to have taken a backseat when it came to develop the nation through education and social upliftment. They were neither concerned nor spent enough time and resources in research and development, which ultimately served as cakewalk for the British to conquer them through their enhanced knowledge of science and technology.

Well, history is to be read with a positive approach and correct perspective to it. We must benefit from the good events, and denounce the evil deeds irrespective of who the doer was. These historical misdeeds must not be made a scapegoat to take revenge with the ones connected to a group or clan. Let me conclude with an example: if you come across a tree that was planted by a sinner of the past, it is neither practical nor logical to cut the tree that he had planted. What is logical and practical is to benefit from the tree. That is Dharma. The Hindus, Muslims and Christians have contributed equally for the development of this land. If we were to remove all the rails and the railway routes designed and constructed by the British simply because we hate the British oppression, we will not be punishing the British by our actions; but will be punishing ourselves by our foolishness. So, leave the Taj Mahal alone; for it gives us Rs 25 crore income annually (and Indian needs every pie of it after demonetization!). To end on a positive note, let’s hope that the Hindu-Muslim divisive politics do not work in India anymore, God-Willing. The people of India wish to see the politicians perform. If they perform well, they will be retained; or else trashed by their own people for good.

Umar Shariff is the Director of Mission Possible for Justice & Rights (MPJR), a Bengaluru-based human rights group.