BHOPALI BIYAS - FROM BEAUTIFUL TO BOLD

BHOPALI BIYAS - FROM BEAUTIFUL TO BOLD

The filing of the chargesheet in the murder of Shehla Masood may have brought this shocking tale to an end, but has left a question mark on the Bhopali society and women in particular. The whole episode was orchestrated by the women against a woman, all belonging to the same community, in the most auspicious and holi month of Ramadan. All the girls have pious religious parents & family background, educated in the best schools & institutions of the city. The life style of Shehla, Zahida & Saba is largely reflected in many household of the bhopali families. The story narrates a shocking tale of ambition in the women of this rather sleepy town with a large number of muslim population. Shivraj singh Chowhan must have found it difficult to build inroads in some areas of this town due the traditional Muslim- BJP anarchy but his MLA seems to have build inroads into the heart of the community’s women. The story of ambition, love , hate and competition between Zahida & Shehla reflects the falling standards of society and culture among the traditional Bhopali Muslim women or as they are popularly called ‘Biya” (a popular form of address for women in Bhopal) of this beautiful town. Pained at the deteriorating culture many of us are forced to aske what is going wrong with the society?

Bhopal has been known as the city of begums as it was ruled by the women for more than 150 years.  Bhopali women has always been extraordinary not only in the sense of their beauty, complexion & traditions, but also in their state of empowerment. A culture which discourages dowry and welcomes the birth of females has always stood out. During the weddings the family of the girl always have an upper hand while deciding the formalities. They take all the major decision from the number of guest to the amount of Mehr (dowry to be paid to the bride and entered in the marriage contract). Giving dinner to the baraties is an option and not mandatory with the girls family.  Asking for dowry in Bhopal is still rare, though many dowry cases are registered in Bhopal courts which are quite often used as a tool in case of bitter divorce battles. A daughter in a Bhopali family is cherished and appreciated. They are brought up with more love and attention than the boys. All this infuses them with a rare self-determination and freedom. One walk in the by lanes of Chowk Bazaar and you get to understand the remarkable spirit and independence of this rare class.  Although dressed traditionally and often in a hijab they could be seen driving from a scooter to a typical Bhopali jeep on the roads without apprehension. Women empowerment might have been a recent phrase in the vocabulary of gender literature, but Bhopal had embraced it for over a century ago.

The ghastly Murder of the daring RTI activist, Shehla Masood was traumatic to the upper middle class Muslim Bhpalies living in the Kohe- Fiza and other Muslim dominated area of the old town. It was a setback for the high spirited, educated and ambitious Bhopali women. Zahida belongs to a traditional and well placed family of Bhopal.  Young, beautiful and self-sufficient – Shehla, Zahida & Saba are the symbol of a new breed of educated, independent and daring muslim girls of the society. Their story and lifestyle has posed several uncomfortable questions for all. Their proximity to RSS /BJP activist and politicians reflects their fierce ambition and attitude in order to attain success in their professional life.  While they flaunted their connections, no one in their family ever objected. The whole incident happened in the Holy month of Ramadan, which the devout bhopalies spend in prayers, charity and self introspection. Unfortunately the planners & perpetrators of the murder were all Muslims. Erosion of religious values is evident here.

 One is forced to ponder if this is an isolated case of revenge between two  women fighting for the attention of a flamboyant MLA, or is this a picture of deteriorating social structure and decaying  Bhopali “tehzeeb’. The rising cases of Divorce and ‘Khula’(a practice where a women asks for a divorce forfeiting her mehr) is already a cause of worry among the Mullahs and community elders. Divorce is not a taboo  in Bhopal and women often get remarried here with much ease which needs to be appreciated. But it is often attained for frivolous reasons. A typical Bhopali Bia is miles apart from her counterparts residing in different part of Bhopal. Their lifestyle attitudes and priorities are bizarre. This is easily reflected in any party, function or a marriage. Attending anybody & everybody’s function is a must.  Always late to arrive past 10 pm, their dedication to self is above all and is clear from their mannerism & makeup. Latest fashion in clothes, extreme glittering makeup with matching eye lenses straight out of salon and late nights, defines them.  A working day ahead or their children’s school does not deter them. The children are fine tuned to this routine from their childhood. Most of these families sleep late after midnight and wake up late. One reason why there was no witness to Shehlas’s murder is that the majority of Muslim dominated areas of Bhopal come to life after 10 Am compared to other areas of working class like BHEL. Even the educated and non working mothers depend on private tutors to take care of their kids homework of class one & two. One look at the Urdu section of any CBSE schools (which consists of 95% bhopali kids of good families) tells you the sorry state of these children’s education. Lack of seriousness on the part of parents is often the cause for pathetic standards of these children. Although the children are given good education in elite schools of Bhopal but the contribution to their studies at home is negligible. Girls largely excel in education leaving behind the Motorbike crazy teenage boys carrying their proud mothers as pillion riders without license of course.  Majority of the Boys start driving without ever attending any driving school or getting a valid license much before 16 years. What amazes me are that often the most notorious of children in bhopali families have extremely religious parents. They are least participative in their children’s activities & lives. Most teachers agree with my opinion of poor parenting and lack of attention to the children in these families to be one of the cause of notoriety in them . Largely the women in bhopali household have the power and the capacity to regulate their day- to- day lives in the social, political and economic terms unlike their counterparts in other cities. This power has enabled quite a number of them to move from the periphery to the centre stage of Politics, business and society. I admire the independent strength of many of these Bhopali ‘biyas’ and a large number of them have brought in a positive change in the society. But the wanton spirit of the likes of Zahida and alike is a warning to many homes. The Shahla Masood episode is a wakeup call for the Bhopali society.

Turbulent times

“Air India is sick and I hope it doesn’t reach ICU” was the honest announcement made by the Minister of Civil aviation Mr. Ajit Singh while combating the fresh threats from the Air India Pilots. His candid admission of the problem faced by the National Carrier did not take any body by surprise. In fact it is common knowledge that the once smiling maharaja is not only sick but on the verge of death. En mass the pilots have actually reported ‘sick’ to halt the operations of the airlines is double irony. This comes a t a time when the entire nation was waiting for the sick AI to take off on a bailout package of Rs.30, 000 Crore and hoped that perhaps this time round the package may cure the airlines of its cancer. But it seems that this cancer is not curable and the Government & its inefficient ‘Babus’ are largely responsible for this malady. The overstaffed jumbo organization is in a complete mess after the merger of the Air India and Indian Airlines. Before its merger in 2007, both were doing just fine and earning profits. The cause of the strike is also rooted in the concern of the senior Pilots of the Air India against the training being given to the erstwhile Indian Airlines Pilots to fly the prestigious 787 ‘Dreamliners’ due to be inducted in the fleet. It is clear and admitted by the Honorable minister himself that all did not go well with the merger. All mergers & acquisition take place after much research and a clear plan to accommodate the smaller company & its executive in the mainstream. The government has miserably failed in providing professional leadership and management strategies to run the airline after the said merger. The sarkari  Babus simply did not do the essential pre-merger exercise and ended up with surplus staff and heart burn among the Indian Airlines Pilots.  The airline has a massive Rs 40,000 crore debt enough to fund and run at least 80 airlines. It has around 475 employees per aircraft as against 70 in Indigo & others. The humongous staff, enormous debts, incompetent management and lack of political will to run it on commercially viable routes, have all contributes greatly in grounding the AI. No wonder the Minister himself admitted that the Government should not be in the business of running an airline which is essentially a service industry.

The Government should learn its lessons from the British Airways & Lufthansa which were privatized some 20 yrs back and are now a much recognizable brand in the aviations sector. It should invite experts like Gopinath, the founder of air Deccan, who have proved their mettle in this sector and start the process of disinvestment to revive the airlines through a credible & strategic partner. On the other hand the highly-paid pilots should sit across the government and solve their problems through dialogues rather than holding the airlines and its passengers to ransom. The government should immediately implement the recommendations of the Justice Dharmadhikari committee report which has suggested ways & means to tackle the problems of the merger of the two giants, and integrate the problems of the human resource, training etc in AI. The problems do not exist only in AI, the Indian aviation sector itself is facing turbulent times, with Kingfisher also running up huge losses and struggling to turn around their operations. The Government must create a vibrant aviation sector and devise long-term plan and vision for all players. It should formulate policies and incentives to increase the percentage of the domestic passengers to competitive international levels and lift this ailing sector from its comatose state. If a surgery is required then it should be performed immediately to save the  smiling Maharaja from death.

Economic Hiccups

Popular perception over the slow pace of reforms got strengthened by our outlook being lowered from stable to negative by Standard & Poor. Slow pace of economic reforms and the numerous hurdles in the way of clearing several crucial legislative Bills has damaged our prospects of growth. An avalanche of criticism followed with every economist blaming it on policy paralysis.uge negativity has settled over the promised 7% growth in future. The lowered outlook jeopardises India's long-term rating of BBB-, which is the lowest investment grade rating.  Kiran Majumdar Shaw’s tweet- “Unfortunately FM's cajoling statement "No need to worry about S&P's downgrade" has no credibility to back it”- reflects the falling hopes of the business community.  S&P ratings for India are the lowest for any of the BRICS nations. From an august company of BRIC nations to the company of countries like Tunisia whose economy is in tatters after last year's revolution is a shame for the UPA government.  There is also the speculation of India being replaced by Indonesia in BRICS. One would believe that perhaps the Finance Ministry’s chief economic adviser Kaushik Basu saw this coming. Just last week he gave out a warning that growth will slow down further and inflation will be back if “political and economic alignments” are not in place. If these alignments work, he said, India will get back to its earlier levels of buoyant growth.

But regional satraps like Mamata Bannerji, are determined to put a spoke in the wheels of economic growth over one pretence or the other. After derailing the Railway Budget presented by the fellow Dinesh trivedi and getting a roll back in passenger fair of lower class, opposing the FDI in retail, the fiery lady is all set to oppose the proposed diesel price rise in the coming days, despite of Government’s agreement in principle to de regulate it. The opposition & Non UPA regional heads are behaving like a pack of unruly teenage kids, who are determined to shoot any proposal put forward by the center without measuring its merits in the national interest. They are more worried about their regional packages and portfolio promises even if it clashes with the larger benefit of the Nation. Unfortunately the very same congress which brought the growth to India had its hand tied by the communists in UPA1 and by its own bullish allies & corrupt partners in UPA2. It has failed in economic management and seems to be slipping even in allies’ management.

Reform is too serious an issue to be turned into a political slugfest. Instead of pointing fingers, the Centre and the opposition need to join hands at all levels to neutralise the threat of S&P’s negative outlook becoming a permanent fixture. Coming from the most conservative of the rating agencies, it’s a wakeup call for the governments to do something meaningful. The long wait for implementing reforms in retail, Insurance, and raising the fuel prices has resulted in the mobilisation of powerful opposing forces against the logic of reforms by itself.  Reforms in a democracy like ours can continue unrestricted only if the regional power heads, political beneficiaries and stakeholders are on the same page. Manmohan Singh’s administration is facing one of the most challenging periods of its second innings. Stung by corruption scandals and failed in statecraft, it is now a humungous task for him to deliver the promised economic growth and improve perceptions. It is not that the solution to the problems is not known. The point is that we just need to implement these solutions now. As the saying goes that "It is not the deficiency of knowledge but the efficiency of execution that separates achievers from the rest." 

Towards a Womenless India

The tragic end of three-month-old Neha Afreen, who was allegedly battered by her father in Karnataka, is a blot on the collective conscience of society and governments across India. If you thought Bengaluru district was any different and more progressive than districts further away, in the state's interiors, think again. The child sex ratio here too has fallen from 943 to 941 over the last decade. While the falling ratio is alarming enough, it is also lower than the average child sex ratio of 944 in the country. Karnataka High Court Chief Justice Vikramajit Sen expressed concern over the death of battered baby Neha Afreen while suo motu hearing a Public Interest Litigation on the increasing deaths of children due to malnutrition in the State. “Parents harming their own children is a matter of serious concern. Children were treated as treasure, but look at baby Neha’s plight,” the CJ observed.

Afreen’s is neither the first nor will it be the last such case. Sometime back, the death of another battered baby girl (Falak) caused a sensation but it was forgotten soon after. This is because the problem is endemic in nature and there is no region or community free from the virus of female foeticide. Many factors come into play to explain this: infanticide, abuse and neglect of girl children. The decline is largely due to the increased availability of antenatal sex screening. Use of technology like ultrasound to determine the sex of the unborn child has been banned by law but, only a few violators of the law have so far been punished. The government has been forced to admit that its strategy has failed to put an end to female foeticide.

Until 30 years ago, India's sex ratio was "reasonable". Then in 1974, Delhi's prestigious All India Institute of Medical Sciences came out with a study which said sex-determination tests were a boon for Indian women. It said they no longer needed to produce endless children to have the right number of sons, and it encouraged the determination and elimination of female foetuses as an effective tool of population control. By late 80s, every newspaper in Delhi was advertising for ultrasound sex determination. Clinics from Punjab were boasting that they had 10 years' experience in eliminating girl children and inviting parents to come to them. The results of the dangerous phenomenon are already visible in states like Punjab and Haryana, where shortage of girls compels marriageable men to look for brides elsewhere. The government woke up quite late in 1994,and came up with the Pre-Natal Determination Test (PNDT) Act which outlawed sex-selective abortion. In 2004, it was amended to include gender selection even at the pre-conception stage.

At the all-India level, there are only 914 girls for every 1,000 boys, according to the 2011 census. When Nobel-laureate Amartya Sen wrote a watershed, nay prophetic, essay in ‘The New York Review of Books’ entitled ‘More Than 100 Million Women Are Missing’ in 1990, many questioned its basis. Interestingly, he concluded the essay paying tributes to the high status women enjoyed in Kerala. However, latest census figures show that female foeticide has caught up in the southern state too. Unless society as a whole realises the dangers of a womanless world and ends the murder in the womb, there will be more Afreens.

ELUSIVE JUSTICE

ELUSIVE JUSTICE
The Gujarat communal riots of 2002, in which nearly 1500 innocent Muslims were killed by mobs across the state, has been the subject of many reports and analyses over the last 10 years. The continuous denial of justice to minorities and negligible healing measures for survivors had prompted the Supreme Court to portray Gujarat Chief minister Narendra Modi as modern ‘Nero’. “The 2002 violence against Muslims in Gujarat persists as a dark blot on India’s reputation for religious equality,” said Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “Instead of prosecuting senior state and police officials implicated in the atrocities, the Gujarat authorities have engaged in denial and obstruction of justice.”
The riots have been scrutinised continuously for the past decade by the media, courts, NGOs and the common man. This apocalyptic event have kept NGOs on their toes to undertake various activities either as an academic exercise or as a genuine attempt to understand what caused the whole tragedy. A Large number of them have come up with the answers that suggest that riots were the result of deliberate acts of omission and commission by politicians, bureaucrats and policemen. The anti-Muslim upsurge was not so much the result of failure of governance as of the wish of state's politicians to reap rich political harvest from the riots.
The tone, tenor and thrust of Modi's response to the riots have been highly questionable. Till date he refuses to apologise for the incident which has cost him an international ire and suspended US visa, but earned him local fame. He managed to install himself as the metaphor for Gujrat & Gujrati pride among the hard working and highly entrepreneurial community. He has asserted himself in the public sphere in a paradoxical manner. Not only has he personalised politics in Gujarat but he also projected himself as the spokesman of all Gujaratis. The obvious aim of this strategy was to get electoral dividends through mobilization of Hindus on communal lines which seems to have worked for him. The most striking aspect of this Modi’s “success story” lies in the marginalisation of freedom. The supporters of Modi admitted it candidly the last time they voted for him in 2007. A CSDS survey of early November 2007 showed that 34 per cent of the interviewees (and among them 37 per cent of BJP voters) considered that Modi’s style was “dictatorial”. This tells us something about the state of democracy in Gujarat, a place where the consensus of Beijing (that Modi visited recently) applies more than anywhere else in India: economic growth prevails above liberty.

But their lies a glimmer of hope. Unlike any other violent episode in India's recent history, Gujarat 2002 tested the strength and resilience of many of our democratic institutions to the fullest. The National Human Rights Commission, Supreme Court, and the National Commission for Minorities. Each came forward and acted. There were many laudable instances of police officers enforcing the law very much against the wishes of their political masters. Some of them now suspended still carry on the battle against Modi. Modi’s popular stand of development does not stand ground where many riot victims are still marganilised and ghettoed in fear. Social equality and justice evades them. The state has not given Muslim victims and their kin the compensation to which they were entitled to. The central help & scholarship for minorities has been stalled by the state government. Justice still eludes the victims of Gujarat. And without justice, we cannot move on and no amount of development or ‘sadhbhavna’ will add the much needed shine required to paint the tainted leader of Gujrat in order to occupy the center stage.

Democracies in Peril

Double Trouble in the neighbourhood.

The burning Political crisis in the two neighboring states of Maldives and Pakistan has created an unstable situation in the region. The MEA corridors are busy analyzing both the situation. It is believed that a political chaos in the Maldives, could open the way for a resurgent Islamist movement. Whereas in Pakistan, the tussle between the military, Judiciary & the Government could either bring in dictatorship or early elections.

After Gilani’s indictment by the Supreme Court of Pakistan, the country has been thrown in a highly chaotic & confusing situation. The present stand-off is a direct result of the divergence of views of the military and the civilian government on the memo issue. The Supreme Court appears to have thrown its weight behind the military. It wants corruption cases against hundreds of politicians, including the president, reopened. Despite the history of coups, another one is unlikely at the moment, as the military this time prefers to let the Supreme Court use "constitutional" methods to go after the government. The government's choices appear clear. If it allows itself to be booted out and its leaders thrown in jail, it will wash off the stigma of bad governance, corruption and economic mismanagement for which it has been criticised throughout its tenure. But if it survives the crisis, it will emerge as the first ever civilian government to have established the supremacy of parliament over other state institutions. This ominous turf war between the top state institutions is taking place at a time when numerous opposition groups are shuffling to gain a foothold in the run-up to general elections, due in early 2013 but likely to be held earlier. Among them is the cricketing legend Imran Khan and the former dictator Pervez Musharraf. With all this happening, Pakistan appears to be heading into a period of massive confusion which many believe could translate it either into a stronger parliamentary democracy or a total collapse of the system.

New Delhi has continuously turned a blind eye to a developing tsunami in the Maldives, the nation of islands. Ever since September 2007, when a bomb targeting Chinese, Japanese and British tourists went off in Malé's Sultan Park, security experts have feared a paradise for jihadists instead of tourists. Its 1,200-plus islands are near-impossible to police, which means terrorists could use them as bases to target India's western seaboard and even Europe. Hence within a day of Nasheed’s resignation, Indian Prime minister spoke to the new President Waheed and assured him of India's cooperation in all matters. As delegations from the U.S., the Commonwealth and the European Union set up camp in Male to figure a way out of the crisis, the world is looking towards India to lead. Will India grasp the immensely fragile moment at hand and ensure that peace and stability returns to the Maldives and that fresh elections are held, sooner than later? By doing so , it will be setting an example to the regime not only in Male and elsewhere in South Asia which is littered with authoritarian rulers.

Whats in a date?

WHAT'S IN A DATE

The final Say in the Age Row of General V K Singh would be decided by the Supreme Court on 3rd February. Last week the Indian Army was dominating the media discussions not because of the republic day but due to the age row of the General V K Singh of the Indian army. Our neighboring Army was not far behind and was trending the media chatter albeit for a completely different reason. An interesting SMS doing the round summed up the whole scenario in a light hearted but truthful manner. It said that “In Pakistan, the Army chief decides the government's age. In India, the government decides the Army chief's age!''

This Light hearted Joke aptly sums up the civil military interplay on either side of the border. In Pakistan, the generals rule the roost, and have screwed up elected government throughout its independent history. But, the apolitical, secular and uncontroversial Indian generals have always remained much disciplined under the grip of the neta-babu combine. Some charismatic army chief like Sam Maneckshaw or K Sundarji managed to get some wiggle room and had their way once in a while.The armed forces have always felt slighted by the civilian bureaucracy, resenting as they do the "interference'' in their Service matters as well as operational tasks in the name of "civilian control''.Hence the Indian military chiefs hardly ever, "rocked the boat''. So, when Army chief general Vijay Kumar Singh took his prolonged age battle with the government to the Supreme Court, it was bound to unleash a tsunami across the sprawling South Block and beyond. Gen. Singh may claim it's a "personal'' battle to "protect'' his "honour and integrity'' but the repercussions for the politico-bureaucratic versus military equation are huge. This episode may change the equation forever.

There are a many documents , including a birth certificate and a school-leaving certificate, that prove beyond the shadow of a doubt that General Singh, whose father as well as grandfather were Army officers, was born on May 10, 1951. Due to clerical errors there is a mismatch in the date kept in the records of two branch of the army. General Singh has been at pains to explain for years getting this corrected. A highly decorated officer like General Singh, who is recognised as a brilliant strategist and tough on corruption, would never lie about his date of birth. Any misgivings portraying him as a power and privilege hungry officer must be rejected with contempt. Instead of fighting the case in the Apex court the Government should immediately come with a constructive solution and restore General Singh’s Honour

The Year Of Protest 2011

The Year of Protest- 2011
At the risk of writing history too early, 2011 may well be remembered as a year in which demands for honesty in public life popped up around the world like desert flowers after a rain.
2011 can easily be called the year of protest. The world saw many uprising and changes. The political landscape around the world has shifted and people across the globe are taking a stand, being influential in their nation's affairs, in all aspects and even overpowering dictatorship empires. The world has never seen revolution and protesting on a scale as high as it has in 2011.
We saw folks from all walks of life demonstrating and marching and occupying, all to challenge the broken governments that have ignored or oppressed them. This year, protesters, against seemingly impossible odds, managed to speak truth to power and, at times, got that power to listen. Whether it is Tahrir Square in downtown Cairo or Zuccotti Park in New York, the defining images of 2011 will be those of thousands of ordinary folks gathering to make their voices heard. From Athens to Madrid, from New Delhi to Moscow, people have been on the march and protests became the expression of choice against injustices, real or perceived.
Granted, causes haven`t been the same everywhere. The Arab world has seen an explosion of protests against autocratic rule. Breathtakingly, leaders in four major Arab nations were toppled this year – Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Yemen. Movements to curb official corruption also shot up in Brazil, Russia, India and China – the BRIC countries. Occupation as a form of protest has become increasingly popular. Starting from the Occupy Wall street protest it spread to many towns and countries against inequality. These marches and occupations are clashes between individual freedoms and centralised control, either in the form of the military or perceived inhuman capitalism.
Protests in western democracies, by contrast, have not been so much about the absence of civil and political rights but rather than against economic mismanagement and deteriorating material conditions. India, too, presents different political conditions from the Arab world. In India, civil society protests have focused not so much on the absence of democracy but rather on the limited choice made available by political parties within the democratic space. With scam after scam unearthed this year, most parties, regardless of ideological inclination, looked indulgent on corrupt practices when it suited them. Matters are made worse by the fundamentally statist terms of economic policymaking, with no party offering any real alternative. The result is that the political class as a whole looks clueless in tackling the economic distress that the average Indian - squeezed between slowing growth and rising inflation - had to contend with this year.
The lack of political choice and frequent disruptions, few substantive debates taking place in Parliament - reinforces the notion that all parties, rather than coming to grips with the problems of 21st century governance, merely offer variations around a sub-theme in identity politics. Civil society protests against this political order have a radical and amorphous quality, as represented by the Anna Hazare-led anti-corruption movement. Running through it all is policy paralysis, a leadership deficit, and geriatric leadership, which remains out of touch with the needs of an emerging, aspirational, predominantly young India. As long as this fundamental disconnect continues, protests are unlikely to subside.
It’s been quite a year, a messy and confusing year, a year of a lot of false starts and inspiring firsts, lingering injustices but also bursts of heroism and beauty. I don't know what the future holds, but you can't say that we are in the same place at the end of 2011 as we were at its start. So it strikes me that another slogan from the light projection is a fitting epitaph for the year that was: “This is the Beginning of the Beginning.” .