Indian women & BBC

There has been a ruckus over the shooting of a film by Leslee Udwin  titled 'India's daughter' for BBC.The film was sponsored by a British NGO by name PLAN UK.The government and the social activists have taken opposing views on this issue.Before ,we get down to who is right on the , issue,lets accept & look at the facts in the eye .

There is a huge problem of women's rights,sexual exploitation, safety,opportunities in politics ,business & other domains for women in India.The Delhi rape was one of the most gruesome acts of violence in recent memory.Women are not given their due in society & the modern Indian society has a long way to go before it can truly aspire to be a super power.It's simple logic that families & countries prosper where women are cared & loved for.Its a shameful fall from the ancient spiritual richness of India where the 3 main sources of power were all assigned to women. Durga ( weapons ) , Saraswati (Knowledge) & Lakshmi (Wealth ).The nation India itself is symbolized in the form of a mother.The woman is the source from which life starts & this fact was cherished in our culture from times immemorial.However ,there is hope at the end of the tunnel where we saw the whole of India taking notice of the Delhi rape and coming out in protest.So,we Indians do realize that there is a problem and are aware of the seriousness of the situation.

Many politicians are criticizing the documentary even without watching it.Leslee Udwin herself is a victim of rape and has stayed away 2 years from her family to make this film.She should be applauded for her sincerity towards making this touching documentary.

Now,lets explore some other dimensions to this issue :

Why is BBC so interested in broadcasting this documentary in UK and around the globe?What was the motivation of the production team of the documentary in doing the psycho analysis of  a rapist in India when the volume of rape in UK and other Western countries stands at a much higher % considering the population?

The film is indeed moving and every man should watch it.Every man should feel for Nirbhaya's family and not dare to look at a woman in a disrespectful way.

Why did BBC choose to ignore the serious volume of rape in UK & choose to broadcast the documentary? Just pull up statistics on google for the highest volume of sexual harassment against women and surprisingly ,we find that the percentages are highest in countries where Western civilization is cherished..

Plan UK ,which is the NGO that sponsored #IndiasDaughter is founded by Eric Muggeridge who is related to Malcolm Muggridge who inturn was instrumental in building the cult media status of Mother Teresa .Now ,we are able to see the dots.Aren't we?We saw the huge hue and cry in the media recently when Mohan Bhagwat made a frank analysis on Mother Teresa ,saying that her work was good ,but the real intention was conversion.

The shooting of this documentary should not be seen in isolation.In this globalized world where countries like India & China are challenging the West on the economic,social & political domains, NOTHING REMAINS AS ISOLATED EVENTS.In a time when India's economy is back on the growth pedestal ,these events are designed to show India in bad light.Of course ,there are gender issues and violence in India which needs to be addressed & this has to be and will be addressed by Indians.We do not need BBC to do our psycho analysis and name the show as "INDIA'S DAUGHTER ".BBC should learn that British left India long back and colonization doesn't work anymore.

I myself was an ignoramus on these issues till a decade back when I started seeing the patterns in events.Authors like Rajiv Malhotra are doing pioneering work on showing the grand nexus among the Western civilization who are hell bent on breaking India & her rich civilization.The modern war is not fought on the frontiers but on the intellectual and economic fields.

Is the Govt right in putting an official ban on the documentary ?

The UPA government which was known for playing host to all anti nationals like Zakir Naik ,Benny Hinn had given permission for the production of the film under certain conditions.The permission granted to BBC was to shoot the documentary as a case study for psychology and not for commercial purposes.

And what does the BBC do? Put it on youtube and title it as "INDIA'S DAUGHTER " for cheap TRP grossly violating the terms of agreement.

Even though,banning a video is not a solution in this day and age, the intent of the government in sending out a notice to BBC and banning the video from youtube sends out a strong message to other film makers from around the world, who have no love for India and whose sole aim is to show India in bad light, to not take the legal system in India for a ride.No one is asking to not make films on issues in India,but don't take the legal system for a ride and hope to get away.

What should be the government's plan of action going forward to handle such scenarios?

Learn from China. Look at how China builds up her grand narrative giving a damn about Western observations about China.Reports show that the Chinese film industry has outgrown Hollywood both in terms of scale and facilities.Every time the US publishes a report on human rights violations in China,you find a strong Chinese reaction in a matter of days with a counter report on human rights violation in the West.

India should take the same path.We should set up dedicated centers of study on ideas and human rights issues in the West.Indian filmmakers should travel to the West and make films on depression ,rape & marital issues in the West & show it in international forums.

In this day and age ,only strength respects strength.India is a continuing civilization of over a billion people and we don't need a British NGO to teach us what we should and shouldn't be doing.Most importantly,we should start treating our women well ,so that there are no more problems for film makers to explore and strict actions should be taken against such offenders of crime against women.

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Independence --- a quality which is overvalued in the West ?

We hear in the West , that being independent is the best quality that there should be.Kids move out of their home when they turn 16 and start working part time ,buy their own car and decide on every small detail of their life.Children are told to assert their independence even from young days at school.Parents are sued and put in prison if they scold the kids.

Independence does have its ups.It no doubt makes you self reliant and stops you being a nagger in life.However on the flip side, it makes you ruthlessly selfish and make up a mind of "My way or the highway".This ruthless pursuing of self interest is evident from small things in life to how countries like US pursue their foreign policy.Actors in Hollywood do not sign films on relationships,but through contractual agreements.The concept of true friendship based truly on trust is rarely visible.Below the hype and hoopla of laughter and glamour,we find celebrities who are insecure and depressed.The recent passing away of legendary actor Robin Williams reminds us of the same

As human beings,we all need a support system of family and friends to navigate us through life.Western thought forces you to retain your independence.A feed back system of friends and family would prevent cases of depression which is so high in the West.

With the world being globalized ,countries like India where a joint family system was prevalent till recently would do itself well if it doesn't fall into the traps& mistakes which the Western line of thought has made.

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Calculated Risk taking - the one quality we all need to learn !

From my experience on Planet earth in around 30 odd years , I realize that taking calculated risks is one quality that will help you grow more than anything.

Majority of us have standard IQ's .Some of us might have a IQ more than 100.Most of us have graduated and are well read.With the advent of internet, we all have access to the same information.

Most of us get into a pattern of thinking of living a comfortable life with a good bank deposit and then when we hit the mid 40's ,the mid life crisis hits us hard.Then we realize that yes we did travel abroad,we did make a good bank deposit, we are sending our kids to the best schools available but at the end of the day , there's a hollow in our hearts.

To avoid that dooms day ,we all need to find our inner voice & take calculated risks and move out of our comfort zones.The worst that might happen is that we fail and break our backs.But we would be richer from our experience of going through it and emerge a stronger and wiser person.

Society forces us to live within its established standards which we should break through garnering courage which is already within us.Courage is not being fearless all the time.Fear would be there ,but to transcend it in spite of the presence of it is risk taking.Taking risks ,sharpens our intelligence ,makes us more reliable and confident.It makes life worth living.Take risks ....and live courageously !!

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AIB - All India Backhod - Are Indians too easily offended ?

I happened to see a you tube video where Karan Johar along with Ranvir Singh ,Arjun Kapoor & the All India Bakchod Team takes on everything from religion to character assassination using lewdity to religious jokes.

I did find the concept immature.However ,nothing in the show made me feel offended or create a streak of violence within me.

As expected,the show created anger among the Shiv Sena & religious leaders from the Church.Lets explore the question on whether the Indian society and religious leaders are too easily offended ?

The ideal society is one where anything and everything can be ridiculed , laughed at ,mocked at ,dissected and still people can happily live with each other in peace.But I guess ,this would be an Utopian ideal.If we look at India's rich cultural past , the Natya Shastra clearly says that whatever is said & performed on the stage would not be used against the artists.

When artists were provided such freedom , we find that science ,arts,music & religion flourished.India is after all the land of the Kama-Sutra,Natya Shastra,Vedas,the Ayurveda,Yoga ,Mathematics ,Astronomy & a host of other sciences.

When most of India moved to Buddism at a point in History , Adi Shakararchary re-established Hinduism not through forceful conversion or through the power of the sword,but through the power of debate.India has one of the oldest churches & the mosques in the world.Indian culture was all absorbing.

Ridicule & debate was and should continue to be part of Indian society to retain its true essence.The fringe elements should be debarred from society.

Religious leaders are getting offended at the drop of a hat.After all this is a culture which always said that all paths lead to God and to retain that essence, the AIB should be allowed to continue their shows.

AIB should not have apologized to the Archdiocese of Bombay nor should they apologize to any Hindu or Islamic fringe groups.The Archdiocese should instead go onto youtube ,take a deep breath and view the number of videos where the Westerners make fun of religion and then laugh at this mystery called life.

Indian culture is so fundamentally strong that it has the power to absorb the good from AIB and discard the crap.Believe in that and move on Indians and stop getting offended for no reason.

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Action plan for the Modi government - after the Delhi verdict

The BJP has been swept aside by the broom of AAP in Delhi.On the upside for BJP,their vote share has remained pretty much on the same level as last year.The clinching factor is that 15% of Congress votes has gone onto AAP.

The BJP should take stock of the situation and take corrective steps immediately.The honeymoon period is clearly over & opponents across the country will soon gang up.

Corrective actions that BJP should consider :

1)Put all the focus on the development agenda 

Narendra Modi has worked hard no doubt.But all his efforts so far has been on foreign affairs & gaining FDI which undoubtedly is good.However now its time for him to spent time in India and see to it that all the projects kick started is going as per schedule.FDI in infrastructure would bring in the money and jobs.However execution is the key.The government should plan to put out statistics and status of the projects on a time bound manner.

2)Budget 2015 

The Modi govt. should bring in a bold and common man friendly budget.The NITI aayog meetings that are being held with economic advisers are definitely in the right direction.However the meetings and discussions should result in a decisive budget.Modi Sarkaar cannot allow Naxalites like Kejriwal to run away with the Aam admi image.

5)Tax reform 

For decades ,the middle class has been at the receiving end of taxation's in India.Its time for Modi Sarkaar to cut down and simplify the taxation policies which will get the middle class back on its stronghold.

6)Control the fringe 

Modi government should send out show cause notices to the fringe elements like Sakshi Maharaj.The fringe is damaging the BJP's image especially among the youth who are into social media.

7)Bring in young leaders and entreapeuners 

There is a need to bring fresh young blood to BJP. More leaders of the genre of Devendra Fadnavis should come in.Modi would be close to 70 during the next elections and will not be able to go on forever.There definitely would come a time when BJP would need to think beyond Modi.

Narendra Modi govt should try to  bring in NRI's like Pranav Mistry onboard to suggest ideas of how technology can be further used.BJP was way ahead of the other parties in 2014 for the Lok Sabha elections.However the other parties have started using the social media effectively as shown by AAP in the Delhi elections campaign 2015.

8)Agriculture

In between all the hype and hoopla,do not forget that majority of India still lives in rural India .Hence priority on agriculture would need to stay on top of the mind.There is a talk in the media that Modi govt. is more for the corporates than for the common man.The land reform bill has been discussed and shown as evidence of this.Course correction would need to be applied asap for image of a government is critical when the elections arrive.

9)Foreign policy 

Continue engaging with China ,US and Russia without showing favoritism to any of these countries.Yes, there has been an excitement in US due to the Modi governments recent foreign affairs policy.But Modi will do well to remember that these new found friends will desert him in no time when time's change.

The US policy towards India will undergo a drastic change if the next president is a Republican.We all know how Hillary Clinton had a huge role to play in keeping Modi out of US for a decade.

Continue ignoring Pakistan and DO NOT engage in any form of debate.The Pakistanis will keep crying & call for discussions on Kashmir.They will keep running to UN for forcing a debate.However after Osama was caught red handed by US, Pakistan finds itself internationally isolated.India would however need to focus on ramping up the IB.Ajit Doval is the right man for the job.

10)Anti terror stance 

Develop a network of anti terror with US & Israel.The menace of Islamic terror is here to stay and BJP would need to work together with US & Israel to counter it.Taliban & ISIS would come knocking at India's border soon and we should be prepared.

Add to it the menace of Evangelicism thru. NGO's,youth being radicalized through online platforms,militancy in the North East. and Doval has his bag full.

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Google & Technology taking charge of our life's.What does the future hold in store ?

Google has taken over our lives in every possible way.Time will tell whether its for good or bad , but the trend is unstoppable.The interface between the virtual and the real world is narrowing by the day.

Sample of a normal day in the future :

An automated system might capture your sleep patterns over the week and will set the alarm by itself.
Temperature on your bed sheet and room would be dynamically controlled depending on your snoring rate & stress levels, body hydration and a host of other factors you can think of.

Once you are awake , a virtual screen shows up on the wall showing your schedule for the day.If there are any cancelled appointments and you would want a change ,you can use your hand using a digital pen to write onto the wall.Such an action would dynamically update the information back onto the database.

Once you walk onto the bathroom the mirror would capture your mood looking at your facial expressions and muscle tension.A robotic voice might say out loud " Hey xxxx , you look shabby today , didn't you have a good nights sleep last night? Would you like a hot shower bath or a cold one "?You can keep up the discussion going with the automated voice during your shower.

Walk onto the kitchen table and you get a digital menu of the items in the fridge and the cupboards.You select bread & butter. A robotic arm pops up ,takes the bread and butter and spreads it out for as per your need.Once you have it , the display tells you that you had XX amount of calories.The data gets stored onto the database.

As you walk down the stairs, press the key to the garage ,the garage door would open and the car would come right where you want it to be waiting for you.Step onto the car ,and you can sit at the back seat.You feed in the destination to which you want to head and the car is on its way.You would have an option to strike up a conversation with the system as if a  chauffeur is in control.If the car is going too fast , you can say " Go slow buddy " and the car would reduce the speed to your comfort level.

Step onto the office and you find yet another display with all the tasks pending , calls to attend , people to meet.Step onto a coffee shop with google glass and you can browse using your eyes.Profiles of people that you meet would show up on google glass in front of your eyes.So , even before you say Hi to a stranger ,the complete profile of the person would be right in front of you.Phew !

Digital world has already conquered the 2 senses of sight and sound.Once the digital world can simulate the sense of touch ,smell and taste, we would be in a whole new universe.Sample this , you walk into your room and connects to your loved one over a call like Skype.A digital version of the person on the other end gets created right in front of you and you can touch that person.The day is not far when this would happen.

Technology might even replace judges in courts.The facts of the case would be put on the device and the system would scan onto all previous cases with similar judgments, evaluate the law and clauses and pronounce judgments. A country like India where there is severe shortage of judges and cases run for lifetimes would benefit immensely.Corruption can be brought down close to 0 by using technology in all the right fashion.

A digital version of a negotiator might even help husbands & wives , parents and children ,businessmen resolve differences !

On the flip side, such technology could be used for all the wrong reasons by terrorists and extremists.

So where would human relationships fit in with this?Let the grandest robots come up ,let technology spiral onto new heights ,but there would never be a substitute for feelings of love , gratitude ,hatred and all other complex emotions which are generated in a human mind.Finding a right blend between the digital and real world would be the key for the generations to come.

The possibilities are endless ....The future looks exciting & intimidating at the same time.

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Extend your support to Raif Bidwai - a young blogger in Saudi Arabia

Raif Badawi is an independent young thinker in Saudi Arabia.Latest reports show that Badawi was sentenced to receive 1,000 lashes and has received 50 lashes so far for blogging against the Saudi regime.

Badawi ran a website called Free Saudi Liberals which questioned the regime & called for secularism.The website did not call for violence by any stretch of imagination.

How long will Saudi Arabia continue with these barbaric practices? We hear crazy news emanating from Saudi every other day.Read an article where a cleric was saying that women move around freely in the West as they don't mind getting raped.Another cleric issued a fatwa against building Snowmen as its against Islam.We can repeatedly see the gross mentality of the men in Saudi where the only objective is for them to eat and procreate.Women are treated as sex slaves.

Every lash that the Saudi regime puts on Raif's body is a lash against humane Muslims and sane people around the world who cherish independent thinking.Atheism is equated to terrorism in Saudi.Badawi inspite of being a practising Muslim is subjugated to this barbarianism.If I had written these words in Saudi Arabia, I would have been killed for apostasy along with thousands of lashes for free.Wahabi money is instilled all over the world with the sole objective of imposing a fundamental form of Islam which is proving to be a curse on humanity.

Countries like Brazil,Japan and India are fast working towards developing alternate sources of fuel to run automobiles.Hydrogen cells might just be the answer.Lets hope and pray that the world comes up with an alternate source of energy and the clerics and the Saudi regime might as well go back to their camels and tents.

Obama did a damn good job at being a hypocrite by coming over to India and preaching India on secularism and then keeping mum on the Saudi visit.Such double tactics will backfire on the West.After all he should not forget that most of the terrorists on the 9/11 attack were from Saudi.

Let us hope the times would change & young men like Badawi get to enjoy their day out in the sun.

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