slow-down-baby
I, and with me this blog, have been experiencing a blogging slowdown of sorts. Lots of things going on, so many things to write about (including justified anger directed to my employer and an impending Java exam) but all that will have to wait because I have been invariably spending a good part of the day in BMTC volvos coming and going to office.
You should read this piece at tehelka, a perspective on the now infamous Nira Radia tapes. Another article on the same website, some comprehensive research and we have the life and times of Nira Radia, the lady herself, here. I doubt if I have ever heard of any other woman who has (had?) “so much fire in her belly”, as the author put it. If I had known the lady, I would have given her only one advice — slow down, baby.
Oh well, I am experiencing that first hand right now.
Enough stuff to ponder upon, so read up those links and you would be left thinking, just like me.
The Textbooks Of Pakistan
Months ago, I came across an article written by Col Athale(retd) at rediff.com. I have read Athale’s writings earlier and I have always found myself disagreeing with most of what he has to say. This article too, had a conclusion in the title itself — Peace with Pakistan: Chasing a mirage. But it did raise a very important point which made a very lasting impression about what the future could hold with regard to our western neighbor.
Colonel Anil Athale, in his article, indirectly points out that it was under Zia-ul-haq that Pakistan took a stance of radical Islam as a state policy. As a part of Zia’s adoption of Wahhabism, a very conservative and almost radical form of Islam, textbooks were changed in schools to accommodate religion as the basis of the state’s existence. In effect, what Zia’s textbooks of social studies, speculated to be still in effect, are seeking is “to create practicing Muslims rather than democratic citizens” (2), to put it mildly.
The author of the article should also be credited to taking this up with Prof. Abdul Hameed Nayyar, a prominent Pakistani physicist who is probably more famous as Pakistan’s man of peace. Professor Nayyar was, at that time in 1998, working on what was being preached out of Pakistani schoolbooks. In 2003, Nayyar went on to author a paper that created ripples in the country. “The Subtle Subversion: The State of Curricula and Textbooks in Pakistan” (1) clearly stated that what Pakistan was offering to its school going children was a very flawed version of history, among other things and facts, which were conveniently changed to nurture hatred for any non-Muslim, specially Hindus.
Not only that, the report mentioned that in the post-Independence days of Pakistan, the textbooks offered a much “real” version of history and even had admiration for Hindus. Chapters on MK Gandhi were a part of the curriculum while teachings of Ramayana and Mahabharata were also mentioned. This was contrasting because this text existed after the bloody experience of partition that both the countries went through and two gory wars.
What happened after Zia took over was a very systematic conversion of Pakistan from a democratic state to a country that based everything on religion. There have been many papers published since Nayyar’s, authored by Pakistani nationals and others, who have confirmed and validated the claims made by Prof. Nayyar. The textbooks have time and again mentioned the western powers and India specifically as sworn enemies of the state while endorsing the involvement of military forces in day to day governance of the state.
In his paper titled: “Islam, Democracy and Citizenship Education: An Examination of the Social Studies Curriculum in Pakistan”, professor Iftekhar Ahmad of Long Island University raises another important point that could very well be another branch of the concerns raised by Colonel Anil Athale: Could it be that it is this model of civic and citizenship education that is now hurting Pakistan the most?
Athale continues to say that If the texts of these books were changed for the better, it would still take a good two decades before we see any change coming out. There is no doubt in my mind about the validity of his statement.
Just a day ago, the Indian diplomat, SM Krishna, on his visit to Islamabad raised the issue of anti-India speeches made by LeT chief there in Pakistan. There is no doubt that the hate rhetoric coming out on the streets when Hafiz Saeed gives his speech should be objectionable to people in the Indian Government. What worries me is that the Textbooks of Pakistan, with their unending tirade against India, do not appear to be bothering much to the Indian administration.
References:
1. Islamisation of Curricula – A. H. Nayyar, link here.
2. Islam, Democracy and Citizenship Education – An Examination of the Social Studies Curriculum in Pakistan – Iftikhar Ahmad, link here.
3. Peace with Pakistan: Chasing a Mirage – Anil K Athale, link here.
Versions
At timesofindia.com, a report that is carried by many other Indian news sources, about Pakistan troops opening fire in Pooch, a sector along the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir — Violation of cease fire by firing mortar bombs and rockets. Also mentioned is a jawan on the Indian side who was critically injured.
Dawn, Pakistan’s premier newspaper reports a very similar story at its website dawn.com — There was fire yes, but “due to unprovoked firing by Indians”. In fact, a Pakistani soldier “embraced martyrdom” in all this.
Both highly respected publications in their own part of the world, reporting the same incident with two entirely different versions.
Who were these soldiers, one who “embraced martyrdom” on the other side of the fence and the Indian jawan who was “critically injured”? What is the truth? When will this stop? We will never know.
Make Believe Green Plastic
There is this very unhealthy trend (and I know this is a part of the “mall culture” we find ourselves in) gaining ground in India. Go to any mall for grocery shopping and see how the helper at the billing section arranges every little thing that you have bought in crisp, bright polythene bags. I could buy 3 soaps, 1 bag of flour and 1 diet coke and they would be packed in 3 plastic bags at the counter.
Often, I have tried to counter this by a couple of ways. I ask the guy at the counter to put it all in “one” bag. The idea is to minimize the usage of the plastic bags. The result, always invariably, is that the guy would continue packing the way he wants it, each “class” of item bought in its own separate bag and then, here’s the thing – pack all of these bags into one big bag. So, I end up using more bags than I would have if I had kept mum.
What is so hard to understand in this whole arrangement that I wished, I do not understand.
Another way I have tried (and failed) is to use a cloth bag. A mall, in Madivala, Bangalore has a set of cloth bags at the billing counter. The proudly encourage you to buy it because they say it helps the environment to shop in cloth bags. I could buy it but when I come back to the mall the next time with the cloth bag to use for shopping, they ask me to leave it at the entrance, which is at the 1st floor, because I could be such a shoplifter, for all we know, you see. And then, I have to get my items billed at the 3rd floor, make the guy at the counter understand that I do NOT want to use plastic bags and carry all my stuff way back to the 1st floor where I have kept my cloth bag, at the baggage counter. And after all this, well, I am just trying to be planet friendly — would you believe it?
And in case, I decide to use the plastic bags (just like all the lesser mortals out there), I could still help save the environment. Because the mall uses this special polythene bag that is good for the environment and can be recycled! I just need to pay Re.1 for it at the counter!
I mean, who do you think you are bullshitting, is my question. Is it too hard to understand that you don’t care a damn about the environment and you are using this “green-polythene-green-planet” or whatever-it-is propaganda eventually to cut your own costs so that you can make some money by charging a Rupee for a polythene bag that a customer cannot help but buy because you don’t even let him carry his own bag — plastic or cloth, within your shopping place?
But maybe I know now where this all came from. I have been in the US for a week now and have had to visit a few super stores to setup home and I see the same liberal use of polythene here, in the exact same way as it is now happening back home in Bangalore.
Begs the question — why do we blindly follow the west, doesn’t it?
Madness
Two bombs went off yesterday at the Bangalore cricket stadium, minutes before the Bangalore-Mumbai IPL match. 15 were injured, several among them in a serious condition. Despite all this happening at the match venue, the match went on. A 30 minute delay was all that these bombs managed, apart from the 15 injured. The match went on, Bangalore eventually lost the cricket too while DNA, the day after, has this headline: “Cricket wins over safety”.
And if all this was not enough, rediff and timesofindia.com have reported, here and here, the discovery of another live bomb, at the Mahatama Gandhi Statue just outside the stadium.
My question to the IPL commissioner and the Police commissioner of the city would be why was the match allowed to go on, despite two bombs going on within a few meters of the stadium. With the bomb that was discovered on Sunday, it appears the match went on with a live, yet to be discovered bomb in its vicinity.
Lalit Modi is a greedy man and it is high time he is made to realize the repercussions of his deeds.
Contrary to what DNA said, I do not think that it was cricket that won yesterday but it was eventually the money.
What surprises me further is that everyone, including some of the most admired Cricket commentators involved in the event look like they have sold themselves off. While they could admire the MRF balloon all they want while discussing its virtues and influences on humanity (not to forget the karbonn kamaal catches), I think it is a disservice to cricket that these individuals have started to advocate everything, good or bad, that the IPL stands for. Well, it is the bad that hurts.
It would also be interesting to see if any of the senior cricketers, of the likes of Anil Kumble and Sachin Tendulkar, come out in the open, questioning the decision of continuing the event in a scenario such as this.
The BCCI should ask itself questions, retrospect and take ownership. Or has this madness of money which is often confused with cricket, overcome us all?
Deuced
Years back, when rediff.com was yet to be degraded and more often than not carried articles of substance, I remember reading a detailed story about Shoaib Malik’s Indian wife on the website. Of course, as we all know, Shoaib Malik has been in a state of denial since then but it is a strange cover-up (if it is one), especially since the whole Pakistani team had been treated to a gala dinner in Hyderabad. What adds more credibility to the rediff article is that it claims the source of the news to be Reuters.
The article is still online. If you are interested, it can be found here.
Then today evening, I read the news on another news portal that hits a new low every now and then. Timesofindia.com has Bal Thackeray fuming over Sania’s wedding plans — “Had her heart been Indian, it wouldn’t have beaten for a Pakistani”. I read that and wondered for a moment. What is wrong with Sania marrying a Pakistani? Would the supremo had said that if her prospective husband was of any other nationality or religion? Her heart is human and it is beating for a fellow human but then again, how can one expect Thackeray to understand things that involve human nature?
I am not a fan of Sania Mirza and I would be happy if she went ahead and proved me wrong because I believe that her best is behind her. And personally, I think there is a chance that she may miss the freedom she enjoys as a Muslim lady in India but these matters, I think, should be left for the individual to decide upon.
How very unreasonable we all have been in quietly discarding her choice of a beau. Who are we to judge and who gave us that right? Would there be such noise if Shoaib Malik was not from our hostile western neighbour?
Cascading psychological fear of Civic Championship
One of the candidates for the BBMP election to be held today — I won’t name her, sent leaflets to her prospective voters through newspapers. One such leaflet made its way to me. While I must insist that the Candidate’s usage of English grammar (or the lack of it) should have nothing to do with deciding who to vote for, I am still reproducing here the contents of the leaflet, as is:
Dear Respected Voters
I know you have hopes from New Carporator, Who want order in every thing, Voters who have some issues which they want to be sorted out by the new Carporator, to do and facilities by solving Civic problem. Like Garbage, Drain or Rajakaluve cleaning specially in the rainy season, Mosquito problem in summer and they want health security, chain snatching incidents are also not uncommon, and they create a cascading psychological fear among women. We hope that Ward No.174 voters will give me one opportunity to show my civic championship I will work for their safety, healthy, security & welfare. I would like to show qualities in practical not by writing in serial one by one many school’s and colleges around the place and this will be an immense requirement of students is bigger stadium 1. water facility 2. swimming pool 3. government school conditions 4. road conditions 5. day to day theft door lock break problem 6. water pipe damages 7. free legal services to senior citizen and physical handicraft 8. Street dog bite problems specially for vehicle drivers by doing many other work want to make the HSR Layout is the pride of Bangalore, I COMMIT FOR HUMBLE, HONESTY AND HARD WORK.