How often have we heard that so and so is such a ‘stud’, such a ‘man’ because he scored with so many women. Men especially, and the whole world apparently look upto this man. Then you have the wicked whispers about the cheap woman. The ‘slut’ actually, who sleeps around. She was intimate with so many men. How cheap! No one looks upto her and even the men she beds don’t have a lot of respect for her. Men all around find it justified to eve tease her or pass lewd comments. God knows what other forms of harassment she will have to put up with, especially in a so called conservative society like ours.
Why must we have this sort of discrimination for women? Isn’t it all basically the same? That it’s a matter of individual choice. Why can’t we let people be? If a man chooses to expose himself to dozens of women, so be it; provided of course that it is consensual and legal. Why can’t it be the same for women? If a woman wishes to voluntarily expose herself to dozens of men, why interfere in her personal choice? That would be truly liberal.
What then happens to ‘good’? Sex is the one topic that will never be resolved as long as man exists. He can’t do without it, can’t condemn it, can’t justify it, and can’t have the same set of rules for him or his neighbour.
Funnily enough the same is true of ‘good’. Man can never have enough of it. He breaks it, bends it, skirts it, buries it, bombs it and strangles it; and yet he can’t do without it. So he digs it up, resuscitates it, glorifies it, honours it and bandages it up.
What to do? shall we simply bury it as another paradox of man? And then dig it up later to look at it from all angles? I have a suggestion – Why not accept it as is? I’m talking of ‘sex’ and ‘good’. And no, I’m not saying combine it to say ‘sex is good’! That’s too simplistic.
Why not tweak the old grey cells a bit?
Man needs to be good or at least have ‘good’ around. The worst pedophile or mass murderer still wants everyone else to be ‘good’ to him. Even in jail, inmates still complain about in-justice if everyone but him is served a meal. So you may be a Hitler and mass murder thousands of Jews, but you still want your frauline Eva Braun to be good to you.
Why not settle the issue as best we can? Why don’t women stop trying to copy the womanising asses? I hardly think its emancipating to expose yourself to dozens of men who don’t care about you. There are better areas to catch up with in the emancipation department. Why not strive for equality at status quo? Why not show the men that it’s emancipated to be a woman on these issues? (Actually it is!) Why not show the men that it’s cool to not sleep around?
that it’s great to be a rejecter than a multi acceptor?
why not promote exclusivity and monogamy?
The idea is not to ‘catch up’ with the men in the Blackbook department.
The idea is to show the men the sexiness of a women’s world of No Blackbooks.
The idea is not to make lady studs, but to show the men how stupid it is to be a stud in the first place. Aren’t studs animals by the way?
If you see a mad man running around naked, isn’t it better to give him a shirt and teach him to how wear clothes rather than taking yours off?? So why not strive for an equalized bedroom behavior? Why not teach the men that monogamy rocks and that studs are not cool?? That would be a truly globalised bedroom. Now you know why they say, there’s not an area globalism hasn’t touched?
October 2010
Thursday, March 17, 2011
WHAT A CRYING SHAME
I read in the Times of India a few days back, that Mizoram, my home state in the North-east and the second most literate state in India, a 100% Christian and tribal state, was to have it’s very first woman pastor in ‘Pi.Hnuni’ (Unfortunately so unpronounceable). This is of course; provided that she will be given the go ahead by several bodies that count and all of us that don’t!
What perplexed me is the resilient and stubborn resistance she is being offered by most Mizos (as we, the inhabitants of Mizoram are called). In the first place, instead of fainting at the shame of not ever having produced a woman pastor in all these decades, which I used to attribute to the lackadaisical approach that Mizos had about it, there are in fact, many incorrigible, anti – forward looking, logic devoid and destructive male chauvinists (who sadly include many women themselves) who parrot some inane incomprehensible ‘isms’ to attempt to bolster their ‘reed will stand in a tsunami’ theories about why women, period, cannot ‘attain’ the holy status of a man.
From what I hear, the lady in question, in a typical, “so you want to be one of us? – prove it every step, compete and match every one of us” contest, had to prove she was all that most pastors put together are. At a relatively young age she was already the head of a theological college – the first Baptist one, no less, in Mizoram, and I trust the conditions to get there must have been equally strenuous.
What is even more disturbing – yes there’s more - is that these notorious elements as their type are wont to be, are degenerating to the point of quoting from the good Book– the Holy Bible no less, to prove their twisted agenda, which has as aboutas much righteousness as Paris Hilton has!! Lets not talk about sense, since there clearly is none.
The bottom line is that this proves what I oft quote – that Mizoram is a thoroughly male dominated place. Even our sex-less, non gender biased religion, which I’m terribly glad of, must be subject to such vile subjections, twisted to the same contortions that contortionists in other religions condone killings in the name of religion. We brand them terrorists. So we don’t kill …… yet. But are you and I theoretically any better? And this then is the ultimate paradox – that I, support this obnoxious line of thought, just because, as a Mizo, I’m a part of the teeming masses that make up the majority, my majority. What a shame! What a shame!
What perplexed me is the resilient and stubborn resistance she is being offered by most Mizos (as we, the inhabitants of Mizoram are called). In the first place, instead of fainting at the shame of not ever having produced a woman pastor in all these decades, which I used to attribute to the lackadaisical approach that Mizos had about it, there are in fact, many incorrigible, anti – forward looking, logic devoid and destructive male chauvinists (who sadly include many women themselves) who parrot some inane incomprehensible ‘isms’ to attempt to bolster their ‘reed will stand in a tsunami’ theories about why women, period, cannot ‘attain’ the holy status of a man.
From what I hear, the lady in question, in a typical, “so you want to be one of us? – prove it every step, compete and match every one of us” contest, had to prove she was all that most pastors put together are. At a relatively young age she was already the head of a theological college – the first Baptist one, no less, in Mizoram, and I trust the conditions to get there must have been equally strenuous.
What is even more disturbing – yes there’s more - is that these notorious elements as their type are wont to be, are degenerating to the point of quoting from the good Book– the Holy Bible no less, to prove their twisted agenda, which has as aboutas much righteousness as Paris Hilton has!! Lets not talk about sense, since there clearly is none.
The bottom line is that this proves what I oft quote – that Mizoram is a thoroughly male dominated place. Even our sex-less, non gender biased religion, which I’m terribly glad of, must be subject to such vile subjections, twisted to the same contortions that contortionists in other religions condone killings in the name of religion. We brand them terrorists. So we don’t kill …… yet. But are you and I theoretically any better? And this then is the ultimate paradox – that I, support this obnoxious line of thought, just because, as a Mizo, I’m a part of the teeming masses that make up the majority, my majority. What a shame! What a shame!
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Is there anyone who STILL thinks that Talwar is innocent? Its a bloody shame that he's a dentist; worse - so is his wife -Nupur. Shamelessly walking around trying to defend himself for KILLING his own daughter. He's really too much. Unsurprisingly, his wife supports him. Pathetic! Speaks volumes about the actual status of women in India.
He's a living advertisement for why we must have capital punishment. I'm fed up of watching this shameless couple walking around town. If Mrs. Nupur thinks she's better off because she didnt actually commit the crime - forget it. Her compliance and support to her husband is sick!! Her attitude and body language say she's less guilty or not at all. But sorry woman, you aint any better.
He's a living advertisement for why we must have capital punishment. I'm fed up of watching this shameless couple walking around town. If Mrs. Nupur thinks she's better off because she didnt actually commit the crime - forget it. Her compliance and support to her husband is sick!! Her attitude and body language say she's less guilty or not at all. But sorry woman, you aint any better.
Friday, February 25, 2011
White Tiger
I read Arvind Adiga's White Tiger quite by chance - I got it off the sidewalk on a cold December winter, in Karol Bagh at an irresistable price - under a 100 bucks. Frankly, I wasnt all that eager to read it. After his repeated rants in the Hindu, and even in India Today about, first, the state of Karnataka's politics (still forgiveable), and then about how his mother dressed him as a girl when he was a kid(!??), I began to think the Prize had gone to his head. Surely there are better ways to express angst at being displaced from Madras; and the 'Madrasis' dont even call it that anymore!
So it was with some trepidation that I opened the book - and lo and behold! what a book! I say, what a book!! I could not put the book down. It was so smooth, no breaks, I really wonder if he sat down and wrote it all in one go. Simply put, if he hadnt been given the awadrd, the jury would have died of shame later on anyways.
Moral of the story - Authors are so much more readable BEFORE they are 'prized'! The long list proves it - Adiga, Arundhati Roy and gang.
And to those of you who havent read it yet - hurry, read it - beg, borrow or steal (as I did!! well, it was such a steal)
So it was with some trepidation that I opened the book - and lo and behold! what a book! I say, what a book!! I could not put the book down. It was so smooth, no breaks, I really wonder if he sat down and wrote it all in one go. Simply put, if he hadnt been given the awadrd, the jury would have died of shame later on anyways.
Moral of the story - Authors are so much more readable BEFORE they are 'prized'! The long list proves it - Adiga, Arundhati Roy and gang.
And to those of you who havent read it yet - hurry, read it - beg, borrow or steal (as I did!! well, it was such a steal)
Thursday, January 27, 2011
HELLO! GLAD TO BE ALIVE………
….and I am! My bretehren and friends! Behold we live in one of the most exciting times known to man. The world is reinventing itself yet again. ‘Change’, that ever present and ever maligned phenomenon is set to take the world by the neck and give it a shake or two. Aaah…. how lucky I am to be a part of this history.
To all those of us who are over 10 years old, we know what the feeling was to be an Indian – both here and abroad (to only the miniscule few who could afford it – one way or the other). We fussed and gaped at anything foreign and fawned and groveled in front of anything ‘white’. The feeling / s were not reciprocated. Most ignored us, and all despised us – apparently, politely or at least secretly! I myself saw the natural derision that was reserved for Indians, primarily because I don’t look like a mainstream Indian, on a journey abroad – Italy to be precise. They were effusive in their politeness to me, because they assumed that I was a Japanese (pure 5 star stuff), or at least a Malaysian, even a Thai?? Note: no one asked if I was a Chinese, because that was then not now. Imagine their shock when I patiently explained to them that I was indeed an Indian.
Cut to the present. Japan is making frantic allies and is even risking the displeasure of its most trusted ally, the U.S of A vis a vis agreements, especially regarding port usages and the like. Their premier visited us twice in so many years and they are much more polite as far as their ‘genuine’ concerns are about our well, concerns.
So welcome all. India is rising, and China our northern and often enigmatic neighbor is roaring. Well, the tiger was never a match for a dragon was it? On hind sight someone should award Ang Lee another Oscar for his forecasting prowess – remember ‘Crouching TIGER, hidden DRAGON’ ?? The 2000 blockbuster that I watched first day first show at Regal, Bombay with Shoba De behind me? (a decent 500 people way from the riff raff like us of course). Only of course, the dragon is in no mood to be hiding. As for the poor tiger, what else do you expect it to do, when a dragon is roaring about? Come to think of it, why didn’t our leaders choose something bigger and more powerful as our national animal? not that one springs to the mind immediately. A tiger looks too tame. Perhaps we could’ve just given the whole size and Grrrr… thing a go by and thrown in our lot fully with the Gandhian ideals and chosen maybe a simple white dove or a white swan or something like that!!
Point is, now that Bush baby has done WHATEVER he wanted to do and left poor Obama to serve the ‘khichidi’ he painstakingly cooked for eight L O N G years, the US appears to be a whimpering puss. In fact it’s status as a world leader has taken such a beating that people need to be reminded every now and then that it is STILL the most powerful country on earth as of now. It is. But, no matter how powerful you claim to be, it’s difficult to make nations stand up and take you seriously when you keep begging them for money and keep blowing crap on your face – the Wikipedia episode being the latest hot stuff. Compare this to a decade back when anything American was considered precious.
This maybe just what ‘I’ am feeling. But maybe it isn’t if you notice the exodus from the USA to good old India that many many NRIs seem to be making. All of a sudden you have ABCDs (American Born Confused Desis as we lovingly call them, because I’m totally against derogatory comments about any peoples), green card holders and what not. On another level one could even find some humour in the situation – struggle to settle in a foreign land which can never be easy, and then struggle to return home just as soon as you’ve set up your tent!
I think of the world a child born today would grow up in tomorrow. To the young un, when it can make sense of what’s going on in the adult world, he would know China and India as simply superpowers. He would be innocent of the awe we had held for decades for the US, Japan made anything (never underestimate them; I seriously doubt they’ll fade away anytime soon. Remember that the US, to whom they have been a faithful ally for about 5 decades thrashed them black and blue post Pearl Harbour, and even rewrote their Constitution just in case they still had any doubts about who the boss was) and even Korean stuff. All these things to him, as a voting Indian would simply be old hat and something that old people keep talking about or even simply as ‘History’, something to be studied in school.
Well, think about it. In this subtle shift that keeps occurring every now and then, to those of us who can remember further, not so long ago, Russia and the USA were the two biggest superpowers in the world. Period. They were so huge, that they fought while we watched and sidled up to one or the other. Every time they bared their teeth, which was very often, the world would shiver, and try to lie as low as possible trying to avoid big brother’s bad mood. Today, no one remembers any of that stuff because, some old man with a funny patch on his bald head and a well decked up wife on his right did something big, following which the US became the lone super power in the world. In other words – game, set, match USA.
This then is history. The air is filled with palpable tension, excitement… will India really make it to the big-time league? Just 60 odd years back, we were begging the English to stop bossing us and to leave us alone. We started out as poor, dirt poor and sat down to write our very own Constitution, which they say is a ‘borrowed bag’! Cut to the present. Our Finance Minister, the brightest star in India today, met the IMF head to give him some relevant pointers. How wonderful life is! Why? There are even talks of our very own Monty (Montek Ahluwalia) being the next World Bank Chief.
As for Italy, air travel is no longer expensive and many Indians regularly traipse abroad; nothing like what it was just a decade ago, when travel abroad was strictly for the rich. So Auckland, Gstaad or Rio is much more happening now and people spoke with respect when I mentioned that I was an Indian some 5 years back, in Singapore - India was beginning to happen then. It remains to be seen whether India will make it to the finish line or end up as a paper tiger like Malaysia unfortunately did when it showed so much potential, which it lost somewhere along the way.
But knowing India, I doubt if that will be allowed to happen with all the official spaces that we have between our trademark prudence and frugality.(with due apologies for the TATAs and Ambanis, masters of Ms. Radia – by the way I wonder if Mr.Ambani will give me ‘chai’ anytime I want at his expensive 20 storeyed Antilla house considering that as a taxpayer whom he must have fleeced at some time or the other either directly or through some representative I elected, I must have earned my cuppas! )
I truly am thrilled at the twists and turns that will unfold before we take our rightful place at the table and do not grudge any or all the uns who will grow into this fresh new world not knowing any other, taking for granted that they come from a country that’s a superpower! Lucky brats!
To all those of us who are over 10 years old, we know what the feeling was to be an Indian – both here and abroad (to only the miniscule few who could afford it – one way or the other). We fussed and gaped at anything foreign and fawned and groveled in front of anything ‘white’. The feeling / s were not reciprocated. Most ignored us, and all despised us – apparently, politely or at least secretly! I myself saw the natural derision that was reserved for Indians, primarily because I don’t look like a mainstream Indian, on a journey abroad – Italy to be precise. They were effusive in their politeness to me, because they assumed that I was a Japanese (pure 5 star stuff), or at least a Malaysian, even a Thai?? Note: no one asked if I was a Chinese, because that was then not now. Imagine their shock when I patiently explained to them that I was indeed an Indian.
Cut to the present. Japan is making frantic allies and is even risking the displeasure of its most trusted ally, the U.S of A vis a vis agreements, especially regarding port usages and the like. Their premier visited us twice in so many years and they are much more polite as far as their ‘genuine’ concerns are about our well, concerns.
So welcome all. India is rising, and China our northern and often enigmatic neighbor is roaring. Well, the tiger was never a match for a dragon was it? On hind sight someone should award Ang Lee another Oscar for his forecasting prowess – remember ‘Crouching TIGER, hidden DRAGON’ ?? The 2000 blockbuster that I watched first day first show at Regal, Bombay with Shoba De behind me? (a decent 500 people way from the riff raff like us of course). Only of course, the dragon is in no mood to be hiding. As for the poor tiger, what else do you expect it to do, when a dragon is roaring about? Come to think of it, why didn’t our leaders choose something bigger and more powerful as our national animal? not that one springs to the mind immediately. A tiger looks too tame. Perhaps we could’ve just given the whole size and Grrrr… thing a go by and thrown in our lot fully with the Gandhian ideals and chosen maybe a simple white dove or a white swan or something like that!!
Point is, now that Bush baby has done WHATEVER he wanted to do and left poor Obama to serve the ‘khichidi’ he painstakingly cooked for eight L O N G years, the US appears to be a whimpering puss. In fact it’s status as a world leader has taken such a beating that people need to be reminded every now and then that it is STILL the most powerful country on earth as of now. It is. But, no matter how powerful you claim to be, it’s difficult to make nations stand up and take you seriously when you keep begging them for money and keep blowing crap on your face – the Wikipedia episode being the latest hot stuff. Compare this to a decade back when anything American was considered precious.
This maybe just what ‘I’ am feeling. But maybe it isn’t if you notice the exodus from the USA to good old India that many many NRIs seem to be making. All of a sudden you have ABCDs (American Born Confused Desis as we lovingly call them, because I’m totally against derogatory comments about any peoples), green card holders and what not. On another level one could even find some humour in the situation – struggle to settle in a foreign land which can never be easy, and then struggle to return home just as soon as you’ve set up your tent!
I think of the world a child born today would grow up in tomorrow. To the young un, when it can make sense of what’s going on in the adult world, he would know China and India as simply superpowers. He would be innocent of the awe we had held for decades for the US, Japan made anything (never underestimate them; I seriously doubt they’ll fade away anytime soon. Remember that the US, to whom they have been a faithful ally for about 5 decades thrashed them black and blue post Pearl Harbour, and even rewrote their Constitution just in case they still had any doubts about who the boss was) and even Korean stuff. All these things to him, as a voting Indian would simply be old hat and something that old people keep talking about or even simply as ‘History’, something to be studied in school.
Well, think about it. In this subtle shift that keeps occurring every now and then, to those of us who can remember further, not so long ago, Russia and the USA were the two biggest superpowers in the world. Period. They were so huge, that they fought while we watched and sidled up to one or the other. Every time they bared their teeth, which was very often, the world would shiver, and try to lie as low as possible trying to avoid big brother’s bad mood. Today, no one remembers any of that stuff because, some old man with a funny patch on his bald head and a well decked up wife on his right did something big, following which the US became the lone super power in the world. In other words – game, set, match USA.
This then is history. The air is filled with palpable tension, excitement… will India really make it to the big-time league? Just 60 odd years back, we were begging the English to stop bossing us and to leave us alone. We started out as poor, dirt poor and sat down to write our very own Constitution, which they say is a ‘borrowed bag’! Cut to the present. Our Finance Minister, the brightest star in India today, met the IMF head to give him some relevant pointers. How wonderful life is! Why? There are even talks of our very own Monty (Montek Ahluwalia) being the next World Bank Chief.
As for Italy, air travel is no longer expensive and many Indians regularly traipse abroad; nothing like what it was just a decade ago, when travel abroad was strictly for the rich. So Auckland, Gstaad or Rio is much more happening now and people spoke with respect when I mentioned that I was an Indian some 5 years back, in Singapore - India was beginning to happen then. It remains to be seen whether India will make it to the finish line or end up as a paper tiger like Malaysia unfortunately did when it showed so much potential, which it lost somewhere along the way.
But knowing India, I doubt if that will be allowed to happen with all the official spaces that we have between our trademark prudence and frugality.(with due apologies for the TATAs and Ambanis, masters of Ms. Radia – by the way I wonder if Mr.Ambani will give me ‘chai’ anytime I want at his expensive 20 storeyed Antilla house considering that as a taxpayer whom he must have fleeced at some time or the other either directly or through some representative I elected, I must have earned my cuppas! )
I truly am thrilled at the twists and turns that will unfold before we take our rightful place at the table and do not grudge any or all the uns who will grow into this fresh new world not knowing any other, taking for granted that they come from a country that’s a superpower! Lucky brats!
Saturday, December 11, 2010
RESERVATION
RESERVATION
It is a well known fact that the Government of India ‘reserves’ seats for those sections of people it considers backward in the fields of education and government services. Talks of reservation in the private sector haven’t really taken off as yet.
I, an S.T from Mizoram, am in the reserved category myself and find every need for such a reservation. Unlike a confident Mizo civil service aspirant I ran into who told me that she felt she had no need for reservation, I genuinely feel that the Government hasn’t erred in this department. (By the way, Miss.confident could not make the cut for the prelims we appeared together for).
Here, I would like to clear the air about the meaning of ‘S.T’s. It stands for ‘Scheduled Tribe’. Any group of people that the Government of India, chooses to club in this category are known as ‘Scheduled Tribes’. The President of India then issues this in writing in the Gazette of India and henceforth that particular community is known as a ‘Scheduled Tribe’. No particular reasons have been given for clubbing any particular group under this category, but, most of these groups lag behind in terms of development.
As anyone can tell you, the ratio of S.T civil servants is abysmally low for the All India Services – around 2%. Only the I.A.S, the I.P.S and the I.F.S (Forest) constitute the All India Services. And most of the S.Ts in India come not from the Northeast, but from central India – predominantly M.P. The Northeast S.Ts in fact account only for a small percentage of the overall S.T population in India. As for Mizos, in our entire 60 odd years of existence, we have produced only 3 I.A.S women to date :
Pi. Boichhinpuii of the 1970 something batch. After a 30 year hiatus!
Dr. Christina Zothanpari Chawngthu of the 2000 batch
Ms.Saidingpuii Chhakchhuak of the 2007 batch, after a 7 year gap.
That would be an average of 1 lady I.A.S officer every 30 years! Translation- An entire state in all its existence has produced only 3 lady I.A.S officers to date. That’s pathetic at best.
Why then, do people protest so much against reservation?
When the very Government that has been freely and fairly elected by the people of India chooses in all its wisdom to aid those societies that lag behind in development, why do the very people who elect them protest?!
The amount of neglect that the S.Ts have suffered for decades, translated into underdeveloped societies and conditions of living, is unfair by any standards. For instance, my mother never tired of telling me and anyone she came across about how my father never even knew what classes his children were in even, though he is educated. This would be unthinkable to an average mainstream Indian, since most of them are fifth (or so) generation educated. Realising this, the Government has decided to aid such communities by encouraging their participation in the decision making process of the country, by giving them reservations.
It is a well known fact that the Britishers who ruled India for 200 years deliberately kept the tribal areas isolated because of their explosive potential in a national movement -Dr.S.D.Sharma. This was amply proved by the tribal revolts such as the Santhal revolt or the Munda rebellions. While these revolts were ruthlessly crushed by the British, they taught the country about guts and about the very possibility of a revolt against the biggest world power of the time – the British empire. The tribals showed heart wrenching bravery and unity in the face of the most modern weapons of war that were ruthlessly used against them, never knowing when they were defeated and won the admiration of even the very people they revolted against - the British.
Reservation by the way, for instance, in the Central Services is no cake walk. You still need to make it on your own and get good marks on your own. While it is not yet known for certain, the cut offs only in the Civil.Service.Mains exams are said to be reduced by a few marks for S.T candidates. Frankly, at that stage it hardly matters; in the sense that the amount to be studied is so voluminous that the amount you have to study to get 10 marks more or less hardly makes a difference.
Why do people with no reservation grudge us this small respite? As the Supreme Court has ruled - living is not just about being alive. The right to live “with dignity” is as important as the right to live; for a life lived without dignity has no meaning at all. Thus when our right to reservation is mocked at or begrudged, a part of the essence of reservation is lost. On the other hand, this very reaction justifies the act of reservation. Here, I would like to state loudly and clearly that reservation is not something I’m begging for, it’s my Right. So stop treating it as a dole out or as some kind of charity that you are handing out to us. Because it’s not. It’s my legal and dignified Right. I’m not begging you for it and I don’t need your permission for it.
November 2010
It is a well known fact that the Government of India ‘reserves’ seats for those sections of people it considers backward in the fields of education and government services. Talks of reservation in the private sector haven’t really taken off as yet.
I, an S.T from Mizoram, am in the reserved category myself and find every need for such a reservation. Unlike a confident Mizo civil service aspirant I ran into who told me that she felt she had no need for reservation, I genuinely feel that the Government hasn’t erred in this department. (By the way, Miss.confident could not make the cut for the prelims we appeared together for).
Here, I would like to clear the air about the meaning of ‘S.T’s. It stands for ‘Scheduled Tribe’. Any group of people that the Government of India, chooses to club in this category are known as ‘Scheduled Tribes’. The President of India then issues this in writing in the Gazette of India and henceforth that particular community is known as a ‘Scheduled Tribe’. No particular reasons have been given for clubbing any particular group under this category, but, most of these groups lag behind in terms of development.
As anyone can tell you, the ratio of S.T civil servants is abysmally low for the All India Services – around 2%. Only the I.A.S, the I.P.S and the I.F.S (Forest) constitute the All India Services. And most of the S.Ts in India come not from the Northeast, but from central India – predominantly M.P. The Northeast S.Ts in fact account only for a small percentage of the overall S.T population in India. As for Mizos, in our entire 60 odd years of existence, we have produced only 3 I.A.S women to date :
Pi. Boichhinpuii of the 1970 something batch. After a 30 year hiatus!
Dr. Christina Zothanpari Chawngthu of the 2000 batch
Ms.Saidingpuii Chhakchhuak of the 2007 batch, after a 7 year gap.
That would be an average of 1 lady I.A.S officer every 30 years! Translation- An entire state in all its existence has produced only 3 lady I.A.S officers to date. That’s pathetic at best.
Why then, do people protest so much against reservation?
When the very Government that has been freely and fairly elected by the people of India chooses in all its wisdom to aid those societies that lag behind in development, why do the very people who elect them protest?!
The amount of neglect that the S.Ts have suffered for decades, translated into underdeveloped societies and conditions of living, is unfair by any standards. For instance, my mother never tired of telling me and anyone she came across about how my father never even knew what classes his children were in even, though he is educated. This would be unthinkable to an average mainstream Indian, since most of them are fifth (or so) generation educated. Realising this, the Government has decided to aid such communities by encouraging their participation in the decision making process of the country, by giving them reservations.
It is a well known fact that the Britishers who ruled India for 200 years deliberately kept the tribal areas isolated because of their explosive potential in a national movement -Dr.S.D.Sharma. This was amply proved by the tribal revolts such as the Santhal revolt or the Munda rebellions. While these revolts were ruthlessly crushed by the British, they taught the country about guts and about the very possibility of a revolt against the biggest world power of the time – the British empire. The tribals showed heart wrenching bravery and unity in the face of the most modern weapons of war that were ruthlessly used against them, never knowing when they were defeated and won the admiration of even the very people they revolted against - the British.
Reservation by the way, for instance, in the Central Services is no cake walk. You still need to make it on your own and get good marks on your own. While it is not yet known for certain, the cut offs only in the Civil.Service.Mains exams are said to be reduced by a few marks for S.T candidates. Frankly, at that stage it hardly matters; in the sense that the amount to be studied is so voluminous that the amount you have to study to get 10 marks more or less hardly makes a difference.
Why do people with no reservation grudge us this small respite? As the Supreme Court has ruled - living is not just about being alive. The right to live “with dignity” is as important as the right to live; for a life lived without dignity has no meaning at all. Thus when our right to reservation is mocked at or begrudged, a part of the essence of reservation is lost. On the other hand, this very reaction justifies the act of reservation. Here, I would like to state loudly and clearly that reservation is not something I’m begging for, it’s my Right. So stop treating it as a dole out or as some kind of charity that you are handing out to us. Because it’s not. It’s my legal and dignified Right. I’m not begging you for it and I don’t need your permission for it.
November 2010
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Some of my favourites………………
The politics of interpreting History:
If you plunder from West to East, you are great like Alexander
If you do the same from East to West, you are a Barbarian like Genghis Khan!
According to Aerodynamic laws, the bumble bee cannot fly
Its body weight is not in the right proportion to its wing span
Ignoring these laws, the bee flies anyway
So you are married?
Congratulations! Don’t do it again!
A journalist had asked the Texan, U.S President George Bush jr, if he knew who the President of Chechnya was.
He replied – “ I don’t – do you?”!!
WHY MY MAID TALKS AND TALKS AND TALKS………
Well, I don’t actually have a maid, but you get the drift…. I’ve always been intrigued and often annoyed by the fact that maids and their male counterparts talk and talk. This dangerous Chinese whisper habit which often assumes malignant proportions makes one appear prejudiced for or against a number of issues that could have been harmlessly set off by an innocuous comment or better still, a habit you practice or even better, your very life style.
Sample this – before I knew what hit me, I was branded a Brahmin hater, simply because I told an old maid that I eat chicken often. It may seem perplexing to those of us who are not in the loop of things, but veteran house-wives and other such dragon ladies simply smirk at my discomfiture – “juvenile novice”! Surprisingly enough, they don’t seem to be having the same problems. An agile combination of bribe and tough love seems to do the trick for them. For those of us who are yet to get our degrees in this new management program, we continue to be looked at askance by a virulently malicious social system which has clubbed me an ignominious pariah.
What then makes these illiterate ladies pathological ‘talkers’?? I realized that my poor sisters live an insecure life compounded by the fact that they have no access to legitimate information. This is even more pertinent when they have to walk into a number of absolute stranger’s houses to do intimate family work – cleaning personal effects, running the heart of the house – the kitchen (sink), and even procuring vegetables.
How do they know who will do a Shiney Ahuja on them? How do they know whether I will pay them or not? How do they know if I will work them to the bone or not? How do they know if I will beat them or not?? If they were you and me, they would use a combination of commonsense honed by years and years of education and the confidence that what the law promised them and all other Indian citizens will hold them in good stead. We just know that 2 and 2 will be 4.
Cut to the maid. She can’t read – so no matter what the papers say about Shiney Ahuja, she will only know about it when her friends tell her about it. So if she doesn’t gossip, she will never hear about it. Thus talking and gossiping are her lifelines to survival. Since she has no idea what the Indian law has in store for her and lacks a lot of commonsense, she depends on the ‘intelligence’ provided by her neighbours, family and friends. This, they get through the all vital ‘talk’ and ‘gossip’. Thus, a maid who doesn’t talk or gossip is not a maid! The only problem of course is in the quality of this ‘information’. Along with the important news that could save her from a Shiney Ahuja, she also gathers a lot of Chinese whisper style improbable news which she would automatically reject had she been literate. But she isn’t.
We all know that maids and their ilk are the lowest social group of people. But I have seen that people who are from lower class backgrounds also tend to talk a lot. Why does this happen then? Clerks, babus and others talk a lot too. Why? Though there exists a definite distinction from the maids who gossip, this class of chatterati are not much different. Their reasons though are very different. They talk a lot because, though literate, they have low social standing. Their words and actions carry no weight. The only way they can gain attention is by talking. So they talk. Besides, since they are nobodies, so to speak, or rather unknowns, they have nothing to lose. It’s not as if folks would say the son of so and so is saying so and so. It’s simply a case of ‘a’ someone said a something. The sense of worth inherent to a person from a certain social standing is missing. The sense of I, son of so and so, from the family of so and so can’t do it, or the “we are not like that” simply doesn’t exist for them. It is not below their dignity to talk. The stiff upper lip can’t prevail when the upper lip is so wobbly! The decades of upbringing that naturally ingrains a sense of self worth is conspicuous by its absence.
This then, is the linguistic thread that runs through us; that says so much about who you are and more importantly, who you’re not.
13/9/10
The politics of interpreting History:
If you plunder from West to East, you are great like Alexander
If you do the same from East to West, you are a Barbarian like Genghis Khan!
According to Aerodynamic laws, the bumble bee cannot fly
Its body weight is not in the right proportion to its wing span
Ignoring these laws, the bee flies anyway
So you are married?
Congratulations! Don’t do it again!
A journalist had asked the Texan, U.S President George Bush jr, if he knew who the President of Chechnya was.
He replied – “ I don’t – do you?”!!
WHY MY MAID TALKS AND TALKS AND TALKS………
Well, I don’t actually have a maid, but you get the drift…. I’ve always been intrigued and often annoyed by the fact that maids and their male counterparts talk and talk. This dangerous Chinese whisper habit which often assumes malignant proportions makes one appear prejudiced for or against a number of issues that could have been harmlessly set off by an innocuous comment or better still, a habit you practice or even better, your very life style.
Sample this – before I knew what hit me, I was branded a Brahmin hater, simply because I told an old maid that I eat chicken often. It may seem perplexing to those of us who are not in the loop of things, but veteran house-wives and other such dragon ladies simply smirk at my discomfiture – “juvenile novice”! Surprisingly enough, they don’t seem to be having the same problems. An agile combination of bribe and tough love seems to do the trick for them. For those of us who are yet to get our degrees in this new management program, we continue to be looked at askance by a virulently malicious social system which has clubbed me an ignominious pariah.
What then makes these illiterate ladies pathological ‘talkers’?? I realized that my poor sisters live an insecure life compounded by the fact that they have no access to legitimate information. This is even more pertinent when they have to walk into a number of absolute stranger’s houses to do intimate family work – cleaning personal effects, running the heart of the house – the kitchen (sink), and even procuring vegetables.
How do they know who will do a Shiney Ahuja on them? How do they know whether I will pay them or not? How do they know if I will work them to the bone or not? How do they know if I will beat them or not?? If they were you and me, they would use a combination of commonsense honed by years and years of education and the confidence that what the law promised them and all other Indian citizens will hold them in good stead. We just know that 2 and 2 will be 4.
Cut to the maid. She can’t read – so no matter what the papers say about Shiney Ahuja, she will only know about it when her friends tell her about it. So if she doesn’t gossip, she will never hear about it. Thus talking and gossiping are her lifelines to survival. Since she has no idea what the Indian law has in store for her and lacks a lot of commonsense, she depends on the ‘intelligence’ provided by her neighbours, family and friends. This, they get through the all vital ‘talk’ and ‘gossip’. Thus, a maid who doesn’t talk or gossip is not a maid! The only problem of course is in the quality of this ‘information’. Along with the important news that could save her from a Shiney Ahuja, she also gathers a lot of Chinese whisper style improbable news which she would automatically reject had she been literate. But she isn’t.
We all know that maids and their ilk are the lowest social group of people. But I have seen that people who are from lower class backgrounds also tend to talk a lot. Why does this happen then? Clerks, babus and others talk a lot too. Why? Though there exists a definite distinction from the maids who gossip, this class of chatterati are not much different. Their reasons though are very different. They talk a lot because, though literate, they have low social standing. Their words and actions carry no weight. The only way they can gain attention is by talking. So they talk. Besides, since they are nobodies, so to speak, or rather unknowns, they have nothing to lose. It’s not as if folks would say the son of so and so is saying so and so. It’s simply a case of ‘a’ someone said a something. The sense of worth inherent to a person from a certain social standing is missing. The sense of I, son of so and so, from the family of so and so can’t do it, or the “we are not like that” simply doesn’t exist for them. It is not below their dignity to talk. The stiff upper lip can’t prevail when the upper lip is so wobbly! The decades of upbringing that naturally ingrains a sense of self worth is conspicuous by its absence.
This then, is the linguistic thread that runs through us; that says so much about who you are and more importantly, who you’re not.
13/9/10
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)