Is Kerala treading a dangerous path?

I’m not being too pessimistic or too insecure about the increasing number of terror related cases in Kerala, but in-fact expressing a genuine concern about the laxity of the Kerala State govt. to put in a sound anti-terror cell and intelligence unit. Over the past one year Keralites had increasingly come across the news about hitherto unknown terror training camps in Wagamon and other remote areas. But State Govt. doesn’t seems to see the signs on the wall and still stubbornly sticks to theory of the state being immune to terrorism. But this lackadaisical approach of the state govt. might just turn costly.

Kerala traditionally has been a much more peaceful and aware place when compared to the other states in India. Extremist ideas and thoughts have never found the fertile soil they were searching for, in the state which boasts of 100% literacy and highest number of readers of newspapers and magazine.  Negative school of thoughts like caste, prejudice, terror, have all been criticized and disapproved by the society irrespective of the community they belong to. It is this ‘ground reality’ that has made the Police force and the State govt to completely reject argument on any kind of terrorism that’s emanating from the state.  But the truth of the day is that terrorism is no longer confined to the ‘troubled’ spots like J&K and the North East.  Terror attacks in places like Pune, Bangalore, Hyderabad have all proved that terrorists are now looking for easier targets to send the message across. But neither the state govt nor the state intelligence unit seems to be concerned. Perhaps they are waiting for the smoking gun to be in the form of a mushroom cloud.

No matter what the history or the track record of the state be, but the startling truth is that the state has the ingredients and ‘infra structure’ that’s needed for a terror hub. The geographical presence of the state with ports in Cochin and many other smaller harbours across the coastline makes it easily accessible throuh sea route. Lack of sound Coast Guard despite the presence of Navy in the port city of  Cochin just worsen the situation.  The 9/11 attacks in Mumbai has shown us how susceptible the country is on it’s sea shores in the worst possible way. And another stark encouragement for the terrorists is the huge inflow of black money or the ‘kuzhal panam’, as it is called by the locals, into the state. Huge amount of black money that flows from the Middle East countries are virtually unchecked and the network has now become so established and complex that it’s now almost impossible to bust it by the State intelligence alone without the help of the Central intelligence and possibly even the Interpol. History has shown us in places like Afghanistan and Sudan that the Hawala racket has been the artery of the terror network. And the fact that the state has such a robust hawala network would surely not have gone unnoticed by the ‘big guns’ of terrorism. It’s not a rocket science to find out that International Airport of Calicut is entry point for this hawala network which is then transferred to various malabar districts. The rampant corruption and the connivance among the authorities and smugglers has ensured a smooth transition of the money and thus making the region a hot-spot for the network. This hawala network is being largely used for smuggling and personal ambitions of various politician and big guns but it won’t be that late when this ripe fertile grounds be the breeding ground for terrorism.

  Another startling fact is the gross inadequecy and the underpreparedness of the Coast guard that has been stationed in various coastal regions like Beypore. These Coast Guards are armed for nothing other than the mundane checking of the fishing boats and for rescue operations in case drowning or capsizing of the small fishing boats or the ‘vanchi’ as it’s called in the region. Even a layman can point out that these Coast Guard would be caught off guard in case of a bigger eventuality like a terrorist attack. It is vital to remember that the Navy stationed in Cochin is’nt that far and still the coastline is largely unsecured proves beyond doubt the lack of concern within the authorities. At a time when it’s neighbouring states like Tamil Nadu and Karnataka have woke up and stepped up it’s security the lackadaisical approach of the Kerala govt. is a scary thought.

  Moreover the state already have some political groups and organisations that foster extreme ideology in the like of PDP and NDF. It also has to be remembered that the banned outfit SIMI had a great influence in the state before being outlawed. Only recently has the Central forces caught a few terrorists from J&K whose roots where from Kerala and vowes allegiance ti Indian Mujahideen, the outfit that sprout up after the embargo on SIMI. These are visible enough footprints for anyone to stand up and be cautious. Add to these factors the communal tensions in certain pockets like Marad, Mahe, Kodungallur and other coastal areas which could be used for their advantage by terrorists elements my fear of smoking gun coming in the form a mushroom cloud is certainly not a persnickety thought by an insecure mind. It’s high time that the authorities wake up from their cozy couch and shed their inherent insolence and be pro-active and take necessary step to strengthen the anti terror cell in the state. It’s high time that the otherwise well-aware and well-read people of the state urge the govt. to tighten it’s screws and lay a strong hand on the brewing hawala racket in the state. If not,the people of the state would one day have to wake up to the reality that the hitherto peacefull state is the new hot spot of terrorism in the country. Let that day never come and let’s hope that somebody in the government be prudent enough. Let the state be always called the God’s own country and nothing else embarrasing. Let the state beckon the international tourists with its beautiful lagoons and greenery and not the armed bigots with its ‘soft spots’!PEACE!

The Big Fat Indian Wedding

The grandeur of the Indian marriages is admired and revered the world over. It’s perhaps enthralling for the westerners who come here from a materialistic lifestyle, and perhaps a reason to celebrate for the family of the bride and the groom. But I am not going to make this blog a ‘celebration of the Indian marriage and so called ‘custom’ ‘, Karan Johar, Yash Chopra and Farah Khan is doing that remarkably well. So there is no need for an irrelevant mortal like me to join the bandwagon, but I am here to talk about the other side of the all that glitter and glamour. Why is it that Indian marriages are so pompous and ostentatious??Is it all about just celebration??

The outflow of money in marriages is a known fact. The pile of gold, the row of cars, the designer wears and not to mention the business deals and the flats given as ‘gifts’, it’s all a big mighty eventful celebration, but a celebration of the negative mentality that is so deep within us. The system of dowry is so deep rooted in Indian mindset that a simple and modest wedding is a blasphemy. I would put the blame on both the bride’s family and that of the groom’s. Even being ready to give such dowry is nothing but a crime. More the people are ready to give more it’s demanded.Forget the demands of the ‘ladke waalas’, even if there were no such demands, people spent each and every penny they have earned to make their daughter look like the mannequin in the jewellery shop. It’s more of a symbol of status and pride than being obliged to do so for many of the families. They take pride in their child being exhibited as a commodity that is being sold with a hefty price tag in an attractive market. Not to mention the all important race to belittle the price tag of the neighbour’s wedding or that of the cousin’s. But why do people degrade themselves??Why do they exhibit themselves as a mere commodity??

But yes for many it’s an obligation. They have to give the ridiculous dowry to marry off their child no matter how educated or independent she is. Also its a matter of survival in this world full of wolves who are all set to weigh and measure each and every gold and do the best they can to besmirch the reputation of family if they are not satisfied enough. Lets not talk about the wolves, they are bound to do that, but I feel pity for the groom who accepts this dowry. I feel pity for the spineless creature who is ready to degrade himself into parasite ready plunge into someone’s misery and take joy in it. I feel pity for the whole family who see their own son as being incapable of standing on his own feet and rather have to dig into someone’s pocket to live. Why are the people so immoral? Where is the self respect??

It’s hard to cleanse this dirty system of dowry in a single day. The mindset of the ‘society’ is so narrow and rigid that a revolution is hard to come up in the streets. But people with spine and self respect can refuse such dowry,parents who are bold and determined can refuse to make their child a mere commodity. And when they do that gradually the ‘society’ would change. There is no argument that life is a celebration but these ostentatious weddings are much more than just celebration. It reflects how narrow-minded we are, it shows how low our self-respect is, and it is a testimony to how parasitic we are. We need to introspect, it’s high time to do that. But when? When will the literate be educated?

Linguistic Chauvanists, the insecure and chaotic minds.

Linguistic chauvinists, probably should be commended for bringing in a new form of chauvinism as male/female chauvinism or any other variants that I can possibly think of has become boring to be worth talking about. But kudos to the intelligent, misplaced and insecure minds, I have something to talk about!! So who are these linguistic chauvinists??. Well for starters, they are superhuman immortals who can vanish a city like Bangalore in a single day and bring in a new city named Bengaluru, take out a Tamil movie from a theater for having an English caption, and who can make an entire state so hospitable and cordial for any outsider with highly informative Tamil boards and signposts.

Well formulated and organized languages is probably the most influential discoveries(if it can be called so) of mankind. A standard form of communication has made interaction and socializing so easy that mankind has been successful in every frontier he has placed himself in. And the beauty of it is the variety of languages different people use in different parts of the world. But as the world shrank the command over just one language became inefficient. In this global village its a necessity to know more than one language. And since English is possibly the most understood language{forget the argument about Chinese as it’s cos of the large population that Chinese finds the top position in the most spoken category} in the world it is necessary to have a command over it. And in case of India its definitely an advantage to know Hindi as that’s the most common language in this land of diversity. English and Hindi can act as a vital connecting link in the Indian linguistic space. So the importance of these languages cannot be rejected nor neglected. But many it seems have not come in terms with the realities of the modern world or is pretending to have not. They are rather isolating themselves from the changes that is taking place around them. The secluded and insecure mind has overpowered their own conscience and is driving them to arrogance and violence.

Having love to ones mother tongue is one thing and indulging in absurd and illogical chauvinistic prejudice is another thing. Promoting ones mother tongue doesn’t mean vandalizing shops and pulling down hoardings written in English. If a language whether Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, Marathi or any other has stood the test of time and is still prominent after hundreds of years then it surely would withstand the tests ahead. Yes, there might be some changes but language no matter which has always evolved with time. No language is at present in the form as it was first in. Change is perhaps the only constant in this world. But having a defiant attitude towards change is nothing but being stubborn and losing the game of life. Forget the financial lose that renaming a city or the entire signposts in a place would induce, but think about being stranded in an unknown place with signposts and milestones that’s in a form that would seems like a MATRIX message that has to be deciphered. How informative would be a board like :” Master the bedrock of English and be a scholar in a few days”, be for the intended ones???

Having said that, it does not indicate that English or Hindi is supreme to any other language. The conviction that English is supreme to other languages is also as chauvinistic as vandalizing a shop for advertising in English is. Perhaps the reason why the English language has crossed the seven seas and the boundaries is because of the large empire the colonial British was able to raise. If it had been the Mughals or the French the case would have been different. English isn’t superior to any language nor is Hindi to any of the ‘regional’ languages. But the fact is, the reach these language possess is much greater than any of other the languages in India. So a proposal by state CM to teach only in Hindi and not in English or a war cry by a bunch of stick laden disoriented hooligans not to advertise or publish in English is just absurd and unrealistic. The insecurity that these people have for English language or anything that is foreign to them is only damaging their prospects for being in an integrated society. As long as any one can invent a time machine and rewrite the history to make the Pallavas or the Shivajis the colonial superpower of the of the 19th and 20th century, English would remain as the vital connecting link between various lands. But who knows, since these intelligent and chaotic mind has been successful in vanishing a mega city and replacing it by another so perhaps they may even invent a time machine!!!

Caste….the stain

The recent Haryana court verdict on Karnal ‘honour’ killing case was a big news everywhere. Yes, it was a landmark verdict and it was the first time that a ‘caste’ panchayat has been punished for such a crime. It does sends out a message to all such ‘caste’ panchayats from ordering such heinous crimes in the name of ‘social morals’ and norms. But why do these people indulge in such crime?? Why is that even after 63 years of Independence we have not been able to abolish this blot called ‘caste’?? Are we not guilty of this failure??

Caste system has been a stain on our nation for centuries. The crimes and the prejudice it brought along is well known. But forget the time before 1947, lets talk about the Independent India. Even after all these years why is it that caste still holds a priority in most of the homes in India?. Couldn’t this Democracy we take pride on really do anything to change the situation? World history has seen many scars, some which are probably more severe than the scar of caste system. America saw the crimes against the ‘blacks’ , S.A saw apartheid, Germany saw Holocaust. But all these prejudice was more or less contained and erased to a large extent. Yes, you might argue that the ‘blacks’ still have to face racism in many parts of the world. True, but is it as bleak a situation as the caste system we find in states like Rajasthan, Bihar, M.P and so on?? And remember, we are talking about the largest and probably the most secular nation in the world. So why is it that time actually has failed to heal this wound??

The usual suspect is lack of proper education in many parts, especially rural India. Yes, proper education can eradicate such crimes to a large extent. But don’t we find educated people having caste prejudice?? We don’t need a extensive survey to find out that. Just take a look at the matrimonial sites and pages, its hard to find a column without mentioning the caste of the bride/groom. Yes, that too is prejudice. It’s the same mindset that the people in the so called ‘caste’ system have. Why do many have reservation when someone in the family is marrying a person from ‘other caste’?? We complain about the racism Indian have to suffer in Australia. But are we clean?? Are we not racist?

One other main reason why caste is still given a priority is probably because of the significance it is given in various government forms and application forms. Yes, that may sound a frivolous argument but actually assumes greater significance than it seems to have. These application forms and papers make a person aware of his caste right from his childhood. It tells him which ‘group’ he belongs to and which he doesn’t, so it actually creates a psychological demarcation in his mind and it grows with time. It is because of that even highly educated youths are seen looking for a partner of the same caste when it comes to issues like marriage. Yes, these caste criteria are in place due to the issue of reservation. Reservation was introduced for the upliftment of the hitherto underprivileged and downtrodden. But after all these years did reservation based on caste actually help in eradicating the prejudice?? Reservation based on caste has as many drawbacks as the merits its introduced for. (Detailed analysis on this topic is discussed in the article Reservation..The True Messiah? ).

So we Indians are made to be aware over our caste every time we embark on doing something. This has to be changed.

We need to understand that caste is actually man’s creation. Nobody is born into some caste. Actually if we are going by the history of how caste system came into be then we don’t belong to ‘brahmin’, ‘nair’, ‘menon’, ‘patel’ and so on instead the castes should be like ‘engineers’ , ‘doctors’ , ‘writers’ and so on because caste was actually demarcated initially based on the job. Whatever be the case caste is a blot and we have to understand that. A sudden expression of sympathy or anger on hearing a heinous crime isn’t enough. We have to look deep within ourselves. We need to question ourselves why is it that we look for a partner of same caste?. Why is it that we failed to abolish this prejudice even after 63 years of democracy??..We need to introspect first. And we need to make an environment such that every other person is able to see light. We perhaps should learn to be human first. Only then we would be able to find a broader idea on how to abolish this discrimination from each and every home in our country.

Kashmir returnees,..PC’s welcome

PC, goes personal again. Well not the personal computer, but the more charming one, P Chidambaram, The Home Minister of India. In a move if which materializes, could bring a  lot of  joy and hope for the hundreds of disillusioned Kashmiri youths who had crossed the border, Home Minister had endorsed the idea of having a proper mechanism to enable these youths to return to Kashmir in a more amicable manner if on abjuring violence. This would prove to be a welcome sign for many Kashmiri youths who took up arms in the illusion of a better future and who are now willing to return to their homes. The proposal which was earlier mooted by J&K CM Omar Abdullah, had brought mixed response from across the political forum. But with PC’s endorsement, a wider debate has started up. Does PC have a point?

It’s a common knowledge that many Kashmiri youths, many in their teens are either forced or brainwashed to take up arms to fulfill their dream to ‘liberate’ Kashmir. The youths who are smuggled across the border in the indirect route via  Nepal are given combat training in POK. Of this, many who have decided to hung up their arms due to various reasons end up being merchandisers and shopkeepers in POK. Those who try to cross the border and return home end up being arrested and put behind bars as there is no proper guideline or mechanism to accept them. What makes the situation grimmer is that many of them have married girls from POK and return to Kashmir with their wife and children. These children are neither considered Pakistan citizens nor Indian citizens and thus find themselves in utter chaos and misery.

The J&K CM Omar Abdullah had earlier mooted a proposal to set up a mechanism to accept these returnees amicably as these are youths who have abjured violence and thus do not pose a security threat. He also points out that this would be a welcome signal to many of the youths across the border to renounce violence and return home. But many politicians and security officers did not share the same view and has been critical of the issue. Former J&K CM Gulam Nabi Azad has often said that such a move would create ‘tension’ within Kashmir as some of these youths have been known to return with guns. Also the returnees have been known to join various political forums demanding freedom for Kashmir. Security officers fear that this could adversely affect the ground situation in the state. But these issues of giving autonomy to Kashmir or Kashmir remaining as a state in federal structure are issues that has to be looked upon and discussed across the table. Hence these political forums instead of being a threat is actually a welcome sign as it provides a mainstream platform for those who share the view. This could help in a peaceful dialogue and open discussion in finding a long term solution for the Kashmir issue and help in returning peace to the valley.

However as P Chidambaram points out, welcoming these returnees is not simple as it may sounds as the case of determining the citizenship of the children of these returnees is a complicated issue. But PC however points out that legally POK is also an Indian territory and hence they are not coming from another country, giving hints to his grand plans and recommendations. Whether his entourage shares the same frequency or not is something that has to be seen. But his statement itself would have brought in a great deal of respite for hundreds of Kashmiri youths who are willing to renounce violence and return to homeland. It surely would have given them a light at the end of the tunnel and a hope for a better future, and this time a hope which wouldn’t prove to be a mirage. And it’s definitely would be justice to those youths who have been forced to take up arms during their teens. It’s justice for those who lost their precious teenage amidst penury and helplessness. We cannot return their lost years, but atleast we could help in ensuring their coming years to be brighter and peaceful. After all Kashmir is supposed to be the paradise on earth..

Durga’s coition and the raped freedom

By the time I am writing this blog, the man in the picture would have come to the conclusion that the cars in Qatar is much faster, the kababs tastier and the coffee more refreshing than the ones in India. The melancholy of being an outcast would have soon been lost in the aroma from the shawayas and the thandooris. Nevertheless, I keep wondering what vulgarity lies in M F Hussein’s paintings? Was a nude painting of a goddess that objectionable and distasteful??

I am not an artist neither do I understand art like many, but I do have a sense and an open mind. I do not know that if Hussein’s paintings are that beautiful or path breaking. And being brought up in family where everyone goes to the temple and having studied in a very religious and spiritual school I am quite aware of the religious beliefs, principles and the tradition. Yes, there was nudity in many of the Hussein’s paintings, but doesn’t almost all artist portray nudity?? Yes, he might have even drawn goddess Saraswati nude or might have depicted the coition of Durga and a two-headed tiger. But doesn’t almost a majority of the temples and ancient monuments have sculptures and idols of nude deities? What is the famous temples of Khajuraho known for??

Nudity or depicting god and goddesses in coition is nothing new to Hinduism. Kama and Moham has always been deeply entangled in Hindu mythology. Ever since the Aryan periods (and perhaps even before that) the grace and the prowess of goddesses have always been depicted by curvy bosom and staring eyes. It is actually hard to find any goddesses in full clothes!! But a such a deep insight into the history is not needed to understand that the nudity was never a taboo when it comes to Hindu deities. Anyone who has been to quite a number of ancient temples (or even new ones) would have certainly noticed that the goddess in the idol was not in a lovely Kancheepuram saree, but was in a beautiful pose with nothing other than some jeweleries to cover her bosom.

Yes, nudity and sex was always a taboo in our homes, but that is probably because we are not well aware of the Hindu mythology and writings. The principles and tradition we talk about is actually not something that was passed on from earlier generations from ancient Indian culture, but was probably made when man began to assume things by looking at surface of the water. The tradition these ‘moral protection force’ talk about of keeping the women inside the house for cookery and man earning was never the tradition of the true India. It is actually by following these morals that we are distancing ourselves from the Indian culture. Indian culture was never so closed and was never so bigoted. Yes, there was chauvinists and bigots in the past and would be present always. But the true Indian culture was never passed on from them. They had little to do with or understanding what India or what Hinduism is. And yet it is their voice that looms louder in the outer world. It’s their wishes that is granted, and it’s their ideas that we unknowingly agree to…Where is India??

It doesn’t take much time to find the huge number of blogs and articles calling these paintings and art vulgar and against the Indian morals. Depiction of a nude goddess is far less vulgar than abusing a lady in the street who has been out with her male friend. If these bigots and chauvinists find Hussein’s paintings vulgar and erotic then I must say that Hussein is bad in it because personally I found the ancient nude idols more erotic than any of these paintings. Hinduism or the Indian culture is not for them to preach. But what strikes my mind more than these zealots is the looming doubt about each and every one of us. Have we really gone blind??Are we being a gullible and powerless puppet in the hands of these sectarians??..Seeing an artist forced to live in exile, I really wonder was it really the ‘rape of India’ or was it the rape of freedom??