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Aiming for 10 per
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Stopping AIDS Renewing a promise The World AIDS Campaign theme for 2005 to 2010, “Stop Aids: Keep the Promise,” is a trenchant reminder to all concerned – governments, institutions, international organisations, NGOs and, indeed, all men and women – that the world has not done enough to combat the disease.
Pakistan courting
Israel
The gifted thanedar
Document Law fails to curb
foeticide AIDS undermines
development
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Sanyas for sanyasin IF there is an element of surprise in the suspension of former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Uma Bharti from the primary membership of the party, it is that the punishment is mild for a leader who claims she is the real BJP. However, the eventual punishment will depend on the kind of explanation she tenders for her conduct after the BJP parliamentary board chose Mr Shivraj Singh Chauhan as the new Chief Minister of MP. From the way she has responded to the suspension and the reverential references she made to Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Mr L.K. Advani, there is a trace of remorse in her. Perhaps, the sanyasin realises that any belligerence from her side would only invite a harsher punishment like expulsion from the BJP for which she is apparently not prepared. Ms Bharti does not seem to understand that politics is the art of the possible. Otherwise, she would not have antagonised a whole lot of leaders in the BJP, which as a party has lately suffered multiple injuries. After the spectacular victory the BJP achieved in the state under her leadership, she would have remained firmly in the saddle for the whole five-year term. But her style of functioning was such that when a Karnataka court issued an arrest warrant against her, many of her colleagues found it as a godsend to get rid of her leadership. They were the ones who stood in the way when she wanted to get back her lost position. She was so impatient that she did not leave any scope to needle her own nominee and successor, Mr Babulal Gaur. In all this, her conduct has been unbecoming of a sanyasin, let alone a senior leader. Nonetheless, she enjoys a groundswell of support, much to the disappointment of many BJP leaders. In any case, a “victimised woman” is entitled to some measure of sympathy, but it remains to be seen whether she has a political future outside of the BJP. Take the case of Mr Kalyan Singh who, too, thought that he had a personality larger than that of the party. When he left the BJP and formed his own party, all he could do was damage the electoral prospects of the BJP in some constituencies. And by the time he returned to the BJP like the prodigal son, he had become such a non-entity that his re-entry did not cause even a flutter. Ms Bharti is so identified with the demolition of the Babri Masjid that few in the BJP would like to sup with her these days — not even those who were also in the demolition squad. |
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Stopping AIDS The
World AIDS Campaign (WAC) theme for 2005 to 2010, “Stop Aids: Keep the Promise,” is a trenchant reminder to all concerned – governments, institutions, international organisations, NGOs and, indeed, all men and women – that the world has not done enough to combat the disease. A WAC report released ahead of World AIDS Day today, while criticising the efforts made so far, points to the need for greater accountability, and for a “civil society advocacy and campaigning that challenges agencies, governments and NGOs.” Such a challenge and a parallel self-assessment are mandatory if human society is to do away with a debilitating scourge. The latest World Health Organisation (WHO) report has found some ground for cautious optimism in India, which has an estimated 51 lakh people infected with HIV. There are signs of stabilisation in high-incidence states like Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, indicating that the efforts in place are bearing fruit. The rate of infection, however, is increasing in other states. HIV is spreading beyond urban areas, and a significant percentage of new cases is related to married women, who have got infected because their husbands visit sex workers.
AIDS control education has still not fully covered vulnerable populations like sex workers, drug-users, migrants and mobile groups like truck drivers. The WHO’s “3 by 5” campaign, aimed at providing Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART) to 30 lakh people in poor countries by 2005, has not achieved its goal. The ART gap in India is staggering. There is an awareness gap that needs sustained efforts to get it
removed. The WHO has found that increased use of condoms, delay in the first sexual experience and having fewer sexual partners have all helped. Clearly, there are promises to be made, and kept.
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Money is like muck, not good except it be
spread.
— Francis Bacon |
Pakistan courting Israel Just
on the eve of its nuclear tests on May 28, 1998, Pakistan summoned India’s High Commissioner Satish Chandra and alleged that Israeli F-16 aircraft based in Chennai were preparing to strike at its nuclear installations. The relaxed nature of the exchanges on that day made it apparent that Pakistan was aiming to prepare domestic and public opinion for its forthcoming nuclear tests. Not surprisingly, the Pakistan action was front-paged in its media next morning with the usual references to the “threat” that Islamic Pakistan faced from the “Hindu-Jewish axis”. The Israelis took all this in their stride. Pakistan was, after all, maintaining secret contacts with Israel in Washington and elsewhere. Israel also realised that being an economic basket case, dependent on American assistance for its survival, Pakistan would inevitably move towards closer ties with it. There was thus little surprise to those who understand the twists and turns of General Musharraf’s policies, when Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri met his Israeli counterpart Silvan Shalom in Istanbul and announced that withdrawal of Israeli troops and settlers from Gaza constituted a “turning point” for the establishment of a Palestinian state. “Pakistan has, therefore, decided to engage with Israel”, Mr Kasuri proclaimed. His Israeli counterpart responded: “This is a historic meeting. We see the meeting as a beginning of open and useful mutual relations. I believe positive and full diplomatic ties will be established, but will take time”. The Israelis know that when General Musharraf is again desperate enough to secure American assistance and understanding he will move further ahead towards full diplomatic relations. General Musharraf claimed that he had secured the consent of both King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to the proposed Kasuri-Shalom meeting. Mr Nabil Shaath the Deputy Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority, however, contradicted this, saying: “It is not good to give Israel gifts before it really implements the peace process, not only in Gaza, but also in the West Bank and Jerusalem”. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas remarked: “I could not say no to him. So I said to him that as long as it will serve the Palestinian cause, then why not”. Facing domestic criticism, General Musharraf got Foreign Minister Kasuri to admit that clandestine contacts with Israel had existed for a long period. Details were leaked to the Press in Pakistan about how Pakistan had supported the Anglo-French-Israeli attack on Egypt in 1956. References were made to the contempt that then Foreign Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto had voiced for the Arabs at a meeting he had with his Israeli counterpart in 1957 and of the contacts between Ms Benazir Bhutto’s Interior Minister Nasrullah Babar and Mossad officials in the Philippines, when General Babar sought Israeli assistance to crackdown on the Muhajirs of Karachi. It was also revealed that Nepal had tried to broker relations between Pakistan and Israel in 1993. It is evident that the contacts with Israel initiated by General Musharraf were primarily aimed at impressing Senators and Congressmen in Washington who were preparing to vote on aid for Pakistan. There was yet another objective in General Musharraf’s mind: Pakistan had for long tried without much success to equate Israeli policies on Palestine with what he labelled as “Indian Occupation” of Jammu and Kashmir. General Musharraf claimed that while progress had been made in resolving the Palestinian issue, India had blocked such progress in resolving the Kashmir issue. Addressing a Jewish audience in New York on September 13, General Musharraf said: “It is necessary to urgently resolve conflicts and disputes, especially where these involve frictions between religions and faiths, for example Palestine and Kashmir”. In characterising Kashmir as a religious dispute, General Musharraf betrayed why he characterises terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir as jihad! New Delhi can look at General Musharraf’s manoeuvres to please the Jewish lobby in Washington with some amusement. Israel is naturally happy to be courted by yet another Islamic country. Countries like Turkey, the US and Nepal will continue to act as intermediaries to facilitate an improvement in Israel’s relations with Pakistan. But India has little to worry about on that score. Israel is, after all, not a member of the Organisation of Islamic Conference where Pakistan can get it to condemn India every now and then. More importantly, commercial, economic and military ties with India are booming. Trade with Israel touched around $ 2 billion in 2004. India is set to replace China as Israel’s largest trading partner in Asia. There are now over 170 Israeli joint ventures in India in agriculture, the manufacture of irrigations systems, telecommunications and medical equipment. With the United States now voicing concern about Israel’s military sales to China , India is becoming the primary market in Asia for the sale of sophisticated Israeli military equipment. Given its dependence on the Communist Parties, the Manmohan Singh government started in a rather unsure manner on relations with Israel. The Communists even went to the ridiculous extent of suggesting that military ties with Israel should be ended. They conveniently ignored the fact that their ideological mentors in Beijing were acquiring military technology from Israel and even passing on some of what they acquire to Pakistan. They also seemed to forget that Mr Jyoti Basu had led a delegation to Israel to seek economic collaboration. Further, the appointment of Mr E Ahmed from the Indian Union Muslim League, which is known to have extensive interests in Saudi Arabia, as the Minister of State dealing with the Middle-East, was a far from reassuring development. And Mr Ahmed did not exactly do credit to Indian diplomacy when he visited Mr. Yasser Arafat in Ramallah and pointedly avoided meeting anyone in Israel when travelling through that country. Mercifully, such indiscretions have been corrected with visits by Mr Kapil Sibal and Mr Sharad Pawar to Israel. The appointment of the sophisticated and experienced C.R. Gharekhan as the Special Envoy for the Middle-East is also a welcome development. Mr Gharekhan has met with both Palestinian and Israeli leaders. Recognising the importance of Mr Gharekhan’s visit to Gaza on November 18, the Palestinian Authority stated: “India, through its Special Envoy, can play an important role in bridging differences between the two parties”. Mr Gharekhan had earlier met Israel’s Vice-Premier Shimon Peres and welcomed the agreement on opening the Gaza crossings that had been reached with the Palestinian Authority. Rather than playing a partisan role on Middle-East issues, India is now trying to bring the concerned parties together to implement the “road map” for peace between the Palestinians and Israel that is designed to lead to the formation of a “viable” Palestinian
state.
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The gifted thanedar The
“poor thanedar” was being “cop-martialled”. The charges inter alia included his having received gifts on Divali. Before the entire battery of officers who sat in judgement the thanedar resembled what we call a bheegibilli — a wet (sic) cat. But he seemed to have prepared his case well, falling back more on his argument extending skills than the law points involved. The presenting officer, a senior cop himself, read out the articles of charge. Then there was a volley of questions showered on the meek thanedar. Why did you accept those costly gifts on Divali? Do you understand what is meant by the conduct rules? Don’t you know you can receive gifts worth only a couple of hundred bucks? How can we trust that you will not return undue favours to those who gifted you costly items? Can you advance one single explanation for accepting those Divali gifts which are poor euphemisms for oily substances needed for greasing the palms? The thanedar promptly picked up the last question to answer. “Sirs, I can cite many reasons for accepting the Divali gifts. They are in public interest as also helpful in enhancement community-policing — professional skills these days on the wane among our policewalas. The officers were shell-shocked. One of them sought from the thanedar his brief on his misconduct. The thanedar began to speak elaborating on each attribute of the gifted, the gifts and their makers. “Well sir, if you go by my gift-analysis, you will all pardon me of my sins. Gifts are a wonderful tool to know what kind of stuff we are dealing with day in and day out. For example, and I dare say, the heftiest of the gift, and take it from me, it comes from the most notorious criminal elements. Then, sirs, there are the ones who offer a big packet to cover small gifts inside. Such people are the ones who only fear you for your existence, otherwise, they may have no favours to seek from you.” The thanedar went on, “Then, my-baaps, there are the sickly ones who would affix their visiting cards on the items gifted. Surely, they are the people who are willing to offer themselves for any services needed, since you are not so sure about their vulnerability potential. Those who offer you simple packets of sweets are routine stuff, and are good for nothing. At least, the dry fruit packets gifted tell you of some respectable status of the last mentioned category.” The thanedar continued his banter, “And those miserly creatures who send greeting cards, or SMSs or call up on the phone to say good wishes should never be remembered. It is most honourable sirs, for this insight into the human psyche that we cops accept gifts because this makes us aware of why and how a person is to be treated if he needs police help. And which he always needs. The thanedar said the last sentence grinning to his teeth-display content. There was pindrop silence after the thanedar had fully exhaled his laughter followed by an ass-like inhaled nasalised wheezing. The judges started looking at each other’s faces. One of them put the last question, “But what will you yourself do with so many gifts? “Well, sirs,” pleaded the thanedar, “you will come to know when I will come to your house and press the door-bell with my elbow.” “Elbow? Why the elbow!” asked one of the curious judges. “Since both my arms would be full carrying those gifts for you and your family, huzoor”. The thanedar concluded griming from under his well-oiled moustaches. The “cop-martial” ended with the thanedar being acquitted. Honourably, of
course!
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Document I am delighted to be amongst you to inaugurate this international seminar on “Guru Granth Sahib and its context” to mark the 400th anniversary of the installation of the Adi Granth at Harmandar Sahib. My personal association with Bhai Vir Singh Sahitya Sadan adds to the sense of privilege I feel as a proud Indian, and as a Sikh, in discussing the eternal relevance of this important sacred text. I also welcome the release today of a translation of the Guru Granth Sahib into German. This work by Dr Jarnail Singh, who is unfortunately unable to be with us today, is a labour of love. I am also happy that as a result of the initiative taken by the Sadan, Dr Swami Veda Bharati has translated selected hymns from Guru Granth Sahib into English and their translation into Spanish has also been done through the munificence of Swamiji. I offer my felicitations to all those involved in these projects. These are all worthy efforts, in keeping with the decision of our national-level celebration committee to mark the 400th anniversary of Guru Granth Sahib. I will not dwell at length on the historical context and the manner in which the Adi Granth was composed. Our knowledge of these aspects is substantially evolved, and in any case, I cannot claim expertise over this fascinating subject. However, as one who has found great spiritual and mental solace from the teachings of this remarkable sacred text, suffice to say that I do believe that Guru Granth Sahib has contributed immensely — perhaps disproportionately — to our composite culture in the past four centuries. The impact of its teachings has been so profound that it has influenced language, literature, art had of course the history of much of this subcontinent in a relatively brief period of time. Scholars and historians tell us that this sacred text distils the essence of the wisdom of that great period of philosophical ferment in India during the Sufi and Bhakti movement. That period of social and philosophical enquiry followed the unprecedented interaction between the great faiths of Islam and Hinduism in our ancient homeland. While compiling the sayings of the sacred Gurus before him, Guru Arjan Dev had a plethora of material, as well as the obvious editorial freedom, to select and reject. Guru Arjan Devji collated the sayings of those who shared the broad and all encompassing spiritual outlook of Guru Nanak such as Baba Farid, Kabir, Jaidev, Namdev, Ravidas and several others. This illustrates his all-inclusive approach. The ideals of monotheism rational enquiry, brotherhood of humankind, egalitarianism, concern for women — all of these are recurrent themes in the teachings of these saints, and in Guru Granth Sahib. Many of them — Guru Nanak Dev ji in particular — embodied the spiritual convergence between Islam and Hinduism of that time. Perhaps denomination and regions was also an act of both religious and secular integration. To the extent one can extrapolate a modern metaphore to those times, the compilation of Guru Granth Sahib is a unique and pioneering example of an inter-faith dialogue. It is remarkable how, in that age of great political instability and social crisis, the teachings of these holy men are so stark and simple. Perhaps the message had to be reduced to its basics, born as it was in a time of great stress. This also explains the common message underlying the teachings of the sufi and bhakti saints. Many of these teachings are, therefore, particularly relevant today, in our troubled and weary world. I would add, however, that it is simultaneously ironic and a little saddening to realise that many of the same evils that plagued our society 400 years ago, continue to do so today. I, therefore, believe that the message that emerges from the Guru Granth Sahib aims at addressing the most basic doubts and dilemmas of humanity, which have remained unchanged over centuries. Although this sacred text is embedded in the historical context in which the sayings were compiled, it is even today a collection of what we would now call very progressive teachings, aimed at creating an ideal world. This ideal world would be a world without borders, free from the pernicious divisions of caste and status, one where differences of religion and language are rendered
irrelevant. The teachings of guru Granth Sahib seek to harmonise the world as we know it. These teachings synthesize the essential wisdom of all religions and earlier mystic saints and the ancient traditional cultural and civilisational ethos of the Indian people. In doing so, it sets out a powerful and appealing message of gender equality, concern for women and concern for our natural environment. It defines a moral compass for humanity to follow, but without adopting an imperative approach. Most of all, it sets out an agenda for social equity that is most relevant for our society today. For instance, the common teaching of Guru Granth Sahib explicitly proscribes the reprehensible practice of female infanticide, the customs of purdah and evil of sati. Guru Nanak said, why do you despise her who gives birth to monarch and prophets?” Guru Nanak argues for a life, which if well led, would address both the internal crisis of the human spirit as well as external crisis in our society and our natural environment, which are often the result of spiritual emptiness and
irresponsibility. This is by no means an exhaustive elaboration of the eternally relevant ideals of Guru Granth Sahib. As participants at this important seminar, you have the opportunity to provide new and valuable insights into the continuing relevance and validity of the eternal message of the great
Gurus.
Based on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s speech delivered at a seminar organised by Bhai Vir Singh Sahitya Sadan and the Union Department of Culture in New Delhi on October 3. |
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Law fails to curb foeticide More
than 10 years have passed after the enactment of the Pre-Natal Diagnostic Treatment (PNDT) Act, but the purpose has still not been served because people who want to get sex determination of a foetus done are getting it done. The law-enforcing authorities have also been partial in conducting raids/imposing checks when it comes to parity between government and private hospitals. While it has been learnt that some government doctors have been conducting sex determination of foetus and sex selective abortions in government hospitals. The government always tries to be strict with their private counterparts. The law-enforcing authorities also exercise disparity amongst various doctors/centres when they conduct raids. While almost none could be caught while committing any offence, most of the cases have been framed on the charges of improper record maintenance. It has been learnt that when a raid found similar discrepancy in the record maintenance of seven scan centres, the case was registered against one or two who did not bribe the authorities/political bigwigs. The PNDT Act enforcing authorities are partial when it comes to punishment in case of violation of the Act. While the Act cites more stringent punishment even to the couples/persons who forced the lady to undergo sex-determination of a foetus, most of the times the cases are framed only against the doctors who violate the Act and the authorities turn a blind eye towards the couple/husband who was equally a party to the crime. Once two persons entered with a lady in my room and asked me to conduct a sex-determination test on the foetus. I refused despite the huge chunk of money they offered me. At this they started citing their contacts. When I did not relent, they went away, but not before threatening me with dire consequences. What immunity against false complaints / nuisance/harassment by these people does the PNDT Act confer on me or other law-abiding citizens? What action could I take against those who threatened me and went away? Later I heard that the persons got their job done from some other colleague and then started blackmailing him by saying that they had video-recorded him doing the gender determination. The deal was reportedly settled in lakhs of rupees. Certain scan centre owners (on condition of anonymity) say that sometimes they have received directions from senior bureaucrats and political leaders to conduct gender determination in cases of their kith and kin. Obstetricians have often received similar directions to get foeticide done. Let the law-makers show the path to doctors as what should they do in such cases knowing very well what would be the consequences of saying no to the high-ups. Without even any monitory considerations the doctors are compelled to do illegal activities. Doctors are hence many a time in a catch 22 situation. There is a need to create equal opportunities for girls in education, jobs and society. The security of girls needs to be ensured. There is a need to educate society that it should worship Durga and Lakshami all through the year and not on Navratras and Divali alone. One yardstick needs to be applied to all doctors when it comes to irregularities and hence framing of charges. The offence should be sex determination rather than improper paper work. |
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AIDS undermines development AIDS reverses the gains of development, undermines the foundations for development and targets the most vulnerable. AIDS is no more mere a health issue. It is now a development issue. An estimated 90 per cent of the people with HIV/AIDS live in developing nations. One measure of development is life expectancy. AIDS shortens and impoverishes life. Life expectancy has already declined in the developing world by 12 years after 1990. AIDS is now turning back the clock on those decades of progress (1950 to 1990) when life expectancy increased by 24 years. It erases life expectancy gains and the vital advances made on the health front. AIDS hits families where it hurts the most, those in the most productive ages, especially women. Women are also vulnerable because of biological, social and economic inequality. The development of a child suffers the most whose parents die of AIDS. Around 7.8 million children in Africa are orphans because their parents died of AIDS. AIDS thrives on poverty and also deepens it. AIDS and poverty together weave a vicious circle. The poorest of the nations and the poorest of the people are the hardest hit by this scourge. AIDS eats into vital investments and forces economies to make funds available for it at the cost of basic health facilities. It increases the cost of and reduces the availability of basic health care to everyone. AIDS essentially deprives other sectors of vital funds. Labour migration, urbanisation and culture changes can fuel the spread of AIDS. Thus development in itself may lead to the spread of AIDS. Development is much more than mere GDP. The role of the government is of vital importance in this regard. There are certain things the government can do and make it possible for others to do. The government can put it on the development agenda. It can ensure that AIDS is addressed in every sector and it is discussed publicly. It can create more favourable conditions for others to play their roles in this regard. It can coordinate with society, NGOs, religious bodies to fight this scourge. Only the government can effectively reduce the spillover effect of unsafe behaviour. It can reduce legal and social hindrances and subsidise the costs of safer behaviour to help reduce risk for others. The Director-General of the National Aids Control Organisation (NACO), Dr S.Y. Quraishi, said at a media workshop on AIDS that the Health Ministry was interacting with all other Union ministries to put AIDS/HIV on their agenda and allot funds to fight it. He said the Health Ministry was interacting with the Home Ministry for changes in the Indian Penal Code to make discrimination against persons with HIV/AIDS a crime. Only the government can protect the poor and those vulnerable to the virus. Women are among the most vulnerable as they easily get HIV from their promiscuous husbands without first knowing about it. It can act by reducing household poverty to keep women out of sex trade, while improving access to information, condoms and STD care; by empowering women through economic independence, girl’s education and female-controlled preventive methods. Currently, 39 per cent of the HIV-positive Indians are women. The government needs to expand investments in women’s education and health care. It needs to work on behavioural changes to overcome social cultural barriers. |
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From the pages of Communal representation
The United Provinces Government has granted communal representation to the Mahomedans because, it says, a definite pledge has been given to them by the Secretary of State and by the Government of India. But neither the Local Government nor the higher authorities seem to take a long-term view of the effect of this short-sighted “pledge.” The pledge was given at a time when all sorts of evils were being conjured up by interested parties as likely to result from the Morley-Minto reforms. We wonder whether those who make much of the “pledge” have had their attention called to what sober-minded and far-sighted Anglo-Indian administrators think of these “communal electorates.” ... We can well understand this, but what is not understandable is why so much stress is laid on the “pledge” given by the authorities at a time some administrators had apprehensions of the interests of minorities being jeopardised. Is it really contended that the communal electorates will serve to unite the two communities in common efforts? |
He exists beyond the boundaries of nations of today, tomorrow and of all times to come. How petty are the wishes we put before his might! — The Upanishads Though one may be reputed to be a great teacher, it is his students’ prowess that will prove the worth of his teaching. Not just be deeds must he prove his merit as a great teacher. — The Mahabharata See him in all—a fallen leaf, a sick dog, the drunkard and the thief. Then you will know the meaning of love. —The Upanishads@@@@Dispute not. As you rest firmly in your own faith and opinion, allow others also equal liberty to stand by their own faith and opinion. — Ramakrishna The guru stands above all. To him bow the multitude and the king. He is the giver of knowledge. Knowledge is the greatest source of strength. — The Mahabharata From the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. If your heart is full of love, you will speak of love. — Mother Teresa God is the first and the last, the manifest and the hidden: and God has full knowledge of all things. — Islam There is only one way to remove caste distinctions and that is by love of God. Through this divine love the untouchable becomes pure, the pariah no longer remains a pariah. — Ramakrishna Even the rich are hungry for love, for being cared for, for being wanted, for having someone to call their own. — Mother Teresa |
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