2015

MUSINGS
Last fortnight I was in the Kashmir Valley. My first visit after the floods of 2014 and also after the PDP-BJP tie-up in the State of J&K. And the first thing I wanted to grasp were those expected changes in the backdrop of the ‘packages’ worth crores getting announced from the Centre. After all, with supposed crores getting pumped into the State there ought to be visible betterment. Nah, I couldn’t get to see even traces of it. Nothing less than a shock, seeing the run-down (…)

POLITICAL NOTEBOOK
This morning has put an end to the endless speculations whether Yakub Memon would be hanged. He was hanged. His execution, however, does not provide answers to a whole gamut of uncomfortable questions before the people and polity. The first of course is: why was his hanging highly politicised and communalised? Hyper-nationalism was worked up to a fever-pitch. Nationalism and patriotism were reduced to a simplistic equation: Do you or do you not support Yakub’s hanging? (…)

The current events have raised some ponde-rable questions relating to our criminal justice system. The system involves three different institutions—the investigating agencies, the prosecution and the Courts. The Courts have to decide the cases on the basis of the evidence, law and jurisprudence. The evidence is collected by the investigating agencies according to their own methods which are inscrutable. The prosecution has to assist the Court by presenting its case as fairly as possible. (…)

TRIBUTE
by Vivek Kumar Srivastava
Because I could not stop for Death— He kindly stopped for me— The Carriage held but just Ourselves— And Immortality Emily Dickinson
Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam’s death was sudden, shocking and sad for the reason that the country lost a man who was really true, honest, literally simplicity incarnated and a darling of all Indians. He was a man of high scholarship and attained the zenith of achievements though he was born in a simple family.
His great values (…)

The following are excerpts from an article written by the author and published in the editorial page of The Hindu on July 5, 2002 after the election of Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam to the post of the President. These excerpts are being reproduced, with due acknowledgement, as their validity remains undiminished to this day.
The incoming President, Dr Kalam is a great achiever. His achievements have been duly recognised by the award of Bharat Ratna. Dr Kalam will be the role model for millions of (…)

Always wondered whether little People may be called "great", Those who live and die Without ever coming into the public Eye—noble to the core in Every sort of menial chore. Or must greatness of necessity Involve the conquest of land And leverage, through sword Or subterfuge, or cunning Deployment of the beguiling Word, leaving behind the claims Of the yellowed page. Can those Who simply wish well and remain Mindful of such whose stories Few sribes or or eulogists will tell Ever be (…)

IMPRESSIONS
In no democracy is religion as politicised as in India. And no other religious event in India is as politicised as Iftar. The breaking-fast ritual signalling the end of the daily Ramadan fast is traditionally an occasion for piety and family gathering. While that tradition remains strong among the faithful, commercial interests and politicians seem to work against the spirit of the occasion. Some promote the feasting rather than the fasting. Others host Iftar parties to show (…)

The following is a Joint Statement issued by the Pakistan and India Chapters of the Pakistan-India Peoples’ Forum for Pece and Democracy on July 23, 2015
The PIPFPD urges India and Pakistan to immediately stop ceasefire violations and restore peace in the border areas.
We, members of the Pakistan-India Peoples’ Forum for Peace and Democracy, strongly condemn the ceasefire violations and firings taking place on the Line of Control (LoC) and the International Border (IB) or Working (…)

The People’s Alliance for Democracy and Secularism (PADS) strongly condemns the CBI raids on July, 14 2015 at the premises of social activist Teesta Setalvad, her husband, Javed Anand, Gulam Mohammed Peshimam and office of Sabrang Communications and Publishing in Mumbai. These raids are undertaken for purely vindictive reasons given the assurances of complete cooperation and submission of thousands of pages of documents to the CBI. It is by now an open secret that activists working for (…)

The following is a statement by the Bangalore citizens against state-sponsored intimidation of human rights activists and civil society organisations.
The CBI raid on the residence and office of activist Teesta Setalvad and her husband, Javed Anand, on July 13 and 14, 2015 is a shocking development. Socially conscious citizens perceive this as a political vendetta to insult, humiliate and intimidate the couple fighting for the rights of the victims of the 2002 Gujarat riots. Needless to (…)