A City in Turmoil - Shivani Mohan (Reflections) / Khaleej Times 3 January 2013

Delhi is seething with anger. Up in arms against an inefficient, detached administration, the youth of Delhi is out on the streets exhibiting anguish and disillusionment.

The sad demise of the 23-year-old physiotherapy student, after she was mercilessly gang raped in a moving bus in the very heart of Delhi, has touched too many raw nerves. Delhi for long has had the ignominy of being one of India’s most unsafe cities for women. Every Delhi woman would admit to having experienced at least some sexual harassment on its streets, its public transport, its markets and malls, its corridors of power and its burgeoning corporate centres.

This rape, however, was one of those rarest of rare cases — the gory details of which have shattered the average Indian woman’s sense of wellbeing and confidence in the administration.

Moreover, it is a case that has single-handedly brought to the fore so many interlinked concerns — the quality and seriousness of policing, inadequate and unchecked public transport, ineffective picketing, drunk driving, unstructured employment of our youth, the schism between a backward, lagging behind ‘Bharat’ and an ‘India’ growing in leaps and bounds, the exodus of large swathes of poor youth from villages to urban areas, where they encounter a life of rejection and non-inclusiveness that throws them into the vicious cycle of petty crimes.

More appalling than the crime was the immediate response of the government. Here we have a case of multiple figures of authority finger-pointing at each other. The Lieutenant Governor of Delhi who was on a holiday returned only when things took a serious turn. The Chief Minister of Delhi, Sheila Dikshit has put the blame on the Police, even hinting at sacking of the Police Commissioner of Delhi, Neeraj Kumar. The Chief Secretary and the Police Commissioner in a joint press conference shocked everybody by patting each other on the back for the administration’s ‘outstanding work’. In all of this chaos, the president and the prime minister were not seen or heard for a week.

Here are some hard facts: Thirty per cent of the Delhi police is deployed for VIP security — there is one police officer for 700 persons, while there is one for every 3 politicians. Notice the glaring discrepancy? In handling the delicate case, Delhi Police used excessive force-tear gas shells, water cannons, lathi charge, instigating the silent protestors into chaos and retaliation. There was a marked shortage of women cops to manage the hordes of many a modern day Durga, Kali and Chandi out on the streets, fighting valiantly, unleashing years of indignant fury and resentment at the blind eye meted out to women’s issues in our country.

While the number of rape cases in India have continued to increase at an alarming rate, the conviction rate has dropped from 47 per cent to 26 per cent in the last few years. It has been seven years since this Govt has been trying to carve out an effective sexual assault law, despite the rampant cases all around. There have been far too many acquittals of high profile cases where the perpetrators of crime holding important posts and connections have been allowed to go scot-free, often drawing Govt pensions, given medals and promoted to better positions, setting examples and motivation for total anarchy percolating down to all sections of society.

There is talk of fast track courts, death penalty for the culprits. Somewhere the problem has to be tackled at a very holistic level, engaging with and talking to such criminals and understanding what motivates them into such heinous acts. We all have to look into the degradation of media, films, advertisements that go a long way in objectifying women.  We need to rethink running all our mediums of art, entertainment and broadcast as purely capitalist centres of revenue. We have to sensitise our sons (and daughters), students and organisations to gender issues.

The greatest reality that the Indian establishment needs to wake up to is, that a bold new generation brought up on instant messaging and real time solutions wants real time communication and real time answers. They will not be calmed and shirked away by hollow platitudes and five year plans that never see the light of day. They want pre-emptive action, effective deterrence and swift retribution.

Shivani Mohan is a Delhi based freelance journalist. She can be reached at smshivanimohan@gmail.com

Of Yatras in the Fast Lane - Shivani Mohan / Khaleej Times 26 September 2011

Indian opposition and wannabe figureheads have found their own version of America’s Republican Tea party. It is called the Fast and Yatra Repartee. It is turning out to be the year of fantastic fasts and simulated sojourns.

Fasts have long been a sign of the very Indian ethos of renunciation and moderation. The Indian holiday calendar is dotted with many days that prescribe various reasons for giving up food. Mostly fasts were perceived as a way of letting go of worldly pleasures and exercising self-control. Today they are a lethal weapon wielded by control freaks seeking whimsical demands, quick fix makeovers and political clout.

Yatras too have been a mythical symbol of Godly grandeur and congregation. When rathyatras emerge from many temples on special occasions in India, taking various deities in vibrant and august processions, it is akin to a Mardi gras like festive mood. A sea of humanity-always in ample supply in India- gives momentum to these spectacles in fluid, buoyant waves of fervour and faith.

Today both these forms of devotion and consecration are being used for political upmanship and fast-tracking fledgling careers and ambitions into the public spotlight. What is perplexing is that the opposition in India seems more interested in outfasting and ‘out-yatra-ing’ each other instead of highlighting pertinent issues and creating a mandate predicated on ideology.

It was Mahatma Gandhi who first used fast as an effective form of protest. In a similar spirit recently Anna Hazare captured the fancy of many and succeeded in shaking up the Indian parliament to work pro-actively towards an effectual graft bill. Such has been the popularity of his fast that even representatives from across the border in Pakistan have come to meet him and urge him to replicate a similar and much needed fast there. But as they say too much of a good thing is bad.

Now these shenanigans require just the right amount of theatrics and drama to unfold before they truly become people’s movements. Baba Ramdev who had earlier embarked on a similar fast ended up as a bit of a damp squib, what with a midnight lathi charge on his followers and a narrow escape for him, dressed in drag.

Narendra Modi, the Chief Minister of Gujarat fasted for three days for peace and amity in an extravagant pandal where he was crowned on a stately golden chair, triggering speculation about an obtuse symbolism about his Prime Ministerial aspirations. His political opponent Shankar Singh Waghela went on a competitive fast, his USP being that his was the more austere and therefore more sincere fast.

Advani who for long has battled a lot of ups and downs in his career waiting for the elusive chair, watching media catapult Modi into national fame has also decided to give it one last push. He plans to undertake yet another yatra as a final vehicle to remind everyone of “Hey what about me? (Mera number kab ayega?)” But such is BJP’s mysterious, unwritten dalliance with the RSS that he was quick to deny claims to the Prime Ministerial candidature on a recent visit to Nagpur. That Advani’s age is against him in this chariot race to the PM’s chair was further damaged by the now lurking doubt that he could also turn out to be a puppet PM of a different kind. And India has known the hazards of such a situation only too well in recent times. 

Just when you wanted to dismiss Modi as a publicity monger as compared to the performer Nitish Kumar, well he too announces a yatra. What is meritorious service to the nation after all if you haven’t had a fast or yatra? And the complexity of the matter is that now Advani wants to start his yatra from Bihar and the plausible question is could Nitish Kumar being the chief minister be privy to it and displease certain sections who once saw Lalu stall Advani’s Ramrath yatras that preceded the Babri Masjid demolition? This yatra and fasting business is getting murkier than ever although purely from a fitness and health perspective one would like to see the kinds of Renuka Chaudhury, Venkaiyya Naidu, Jayalalitha and Gadkari go on a fast or two.

But jokes apart, the political jamboree in India is alive and revving.

Fasten your seat belts, brethren. It is going to be 
a grumpy, bumpy, ideologically-hungry ride to the 
next elections!  

Shivani Mohan is an India-based writer. She can be reached at smshivanimohan@gmail.com

Original link: http://khaleejtimes.com/kt-article-display-1.asp?section=opinion&xfile=data/opinion/2011/september/opinion_september125.xml

The Anna-fication of India - Shivani Mohan / Khaleej Times 19 August 2011

India is bubbling over with excitement of a different kind. Suddenly Tihar jail is the happening address to be seen at, getting arrested the coolest thing to do, Gandhi caps the hottest accessory going around. All because of the will and resolve of a seemingly diminutive man, Anna Hazare. But the fact is that the issue he has raised is close to the heart of every Indian and thus the unequivocal support to his fast of dissidence. It was this Independence Day a few days ago, that I sat watching the classic Richard Attenborough movie ‘Gandhi’ for the umpteenth time. We needed more patriotic movies! And then as if almost on auto pilot I dismissed the thought. I reasoned that in a nation of millions of young Indians below the age of 35, who would want to see movies today about freedom fighters and Independence? Most of our youngsters today grow up on a steady diet of Dexter and twilight series. It was almost fashionable to make fun of the Manoj ‘Bharat’ Kumar kind of heavy patriotic spoon-feeding. Till a little while ago if you even happened to discuss basic politics with a middle class youngster or layman, they would draw a blank. They were just not interested. It was a mixture of total disillusionment with our politicians or a sad even though grudging acceptance of the corrupt ways of our politicians, newspaper headlines being internalised only when the next big scam broke out. And here there was this talk of Anna Hazare going on yet another fast against corruption. The last time Swami Ramdev had undertaken such a fast, the whole charade had ended rather unceremoniously. But the current UPA Government grossly miscalculating the reach and appeal of this issue, asked for trouble and is now caught between the devil and the deep sea. That the government has displayed ineptitude in handling the situation it reveals sheer bankruptcy of ideas and leadership in the Congress. India is at the crossroads of change and awaits inspired leadership that does not seem to be coming forth from the UPA. Perhaps the best outcome of all this is that the youth and the great middle class too is energised and captivated with this stir. Taking to the streets in thousands are the very voters who will tomorrow decide the destiny of this country. Suddenly there is renewed interest in the politics of this country. Sane and educated voices from the burgeoning middle class are promising to take a day off the next election day and be there as informed voters and give their mandate, as opposed to the vast majority of strategically targeted vote banks that have time and again brought these corrupt governments to power in India. No matter what version of the Lokpal bill it finally accepts, the people of India have found the voice to collectively question the means and methods of this government. Corruption is  a different matter altogether. It is a malaise that runs so deep in this country that removing it totally would require another bill to tackle it in every walk of life and not just amongst government servants. What is the way out of this imbroglio? The bigger question however is that can these hoarding masses and squabbling leaders come up with one viable solution to remove the stench of corruption that emanates from all over this huge and vast country? Many of these enthused followers indulge in some form of corruption or the other everyday. And I am not just talking about paying bribes. Isn’t selling milk made out of detergent corrupt? Aren’t misleading ads corrupt? Aren’t sensational and cheap programmes to raise TRPs corrupt? Isn’t producing substandard goods being corrupt? Where does one begin and where does one end? Even if we reach a consensus on which version of the Lokpal bill we want, can we erase corruption from our mindsets? I guess we will have to wait and watch and chances are it is going to be a long wait. But for now we do not need any new age patriotic movies. Shaken out of their comfort zones, India’s masses are out on streets asking for change. Patriotism is the latest commodity selling like hot cakes in every household, every street corner, every forum of India! Shivani Mohan is an India- based writer.

Mr Obama, sell us something other than weapons and wafers - Shivani Mohan (Issues) / Khaleej Times 6 November 2010

Dear Prez Obama ji, So you’re gonna come calling and we in India are damn excited about it. After all every time an American President decides to step on our humble shores, we make a practice of cart-wheeling in glee and going all gungho with our colours-culture-and-curry brand of hospitality. Of course, we collectively fell in love with your effusive charm two years ago. Today as you battle greater challenges at home, the sentiment is more ‘Oh Baba!’ than ‘Oh Mama!’ But the Taj, our very own ground zero is dressed up fortress-like to welcome you. You will surely do the rounds of our corridors of power, meet the A listers- perhaps a designer village with the resplendent flavours of incredible India and some impromptu dancing for florescent photo-ops. We are excited that you are coming in your first term itself unlike Bush ji and Clinton ji before you. We’ve heard that you bring the largest ever corporate delegation, representing 250 companies along with you that have GDPs more than those of many countries. Now isn’t that great news? Okay so here’s the thing. Other than the power of brilliant oratory and your 1000 Watt smile-who is your dentist by the way? Is he an Indian? -- we wonder what kind of carrots you bring along this time? And they’re all good, yeah. Carrots are full of anti oxidants and anti-ageing. Just what we need for some longevity of purpose in great Indo-US relations. Ahem, so do we get the dual technology transfers and support for a permanent seat in the UN Security Council in return for FDIs and the challenge of keeping China in check? There will be multi-billion dollar defence deals and I am sure India—and taking cue from that, Pakistan—will end up buying many more weapons of mass destruction like two kids trying to outdo each other to appease an indulgent Uncle Sam. But may I tell you that we don’t need the weapons. A long series of your predecessors have done the same over the years with the sole aim of keeping this region polarised and uneasy, with daggers drawn all the time so that you remain a super power. Let me remind you that you and your country have influenced popular culture in India across the board. Spurred on by the soft power of all things American, we all began dreaming of going to America to live the American dream. We gave up our lassis for Coke, our samosas for McDonalds, we made Reebok and IBM our very own. We cherished the ‘Wonder Years’ and wondered why our schools didn’t have less rules, less uniforms and more proms. Seems those hours we spent slogging through boring-looking, sedate classrooms kept us in good stead in the long run. I believe today all Techie companies in US swarm with Indians. A friend who works for Cisco told me on gtalk last evening that their office in California feels more Desi than Dilli ever could! From Oprah and Elen Degeneres we learnt that those hush hush issues we were always taught to keep quiet about, didn’t always have to be swept under the carpet. We found our voices and the courage to let it all hang out and you’ve got to see our reality shows today to believe how uninhibited and open we have become. Some of our ‘it’ gals can put your Paris Hiltons to shame. As young Indian women stormed male bastions and put marriage on the back burner, in their newly found independence and insouciance, it was those spunky women in ‘Sex and the City’ and the Ally McBeals who were more our soul allies than the zombies belted out by Ekta Kapoor and Co. If we did even manage to reach the altar, our woes were more in tune with ‘Everybody Loves Raymond’ and ‘Desperate Housewives’. You know, today we cannot imagine life without our Levis and our Gap T-shirts and our Facebook, Twitter and gmail accounts, our Apples, our iPods and iPads. And thanks to these symbols of American enterprise, we’re all friends out here. Yes, ex- husbands, ex boyfriends, bosses, children, parents, drivers, Indians, Pakistanis-we’re friends like even ‘Friends’ could never be. The lines are blurring. And what we have learnt from this friendship is that people anywhere in the world want just peace, means of livelihood and stability. We have become so American that we do not even need to go to America to live the American dream. Strangely, believe it or not, from Bhatinda to Bangalore we are living the American dream right here in our own country. In fact, it is time America comes calling to try and figure out how we made  the American dream our own. Hush Hush, don’t we have an inkling that  this visit is being seen as a ray of hope more for America Inc than it is for India Inc? A friend just tweeted- “We have 80m wired+40m mob net users using 1m+ sites, IMRB tracks 5k users on 800 sites, call it WHAM. I call it WANK.” Such is the power of peaceful coexistence and non-aggression today. So stuff happens, right? You had a 9/11 and your predecessor went into a frenzy declaring a war on an indefinite target that has gone on way too long that even you haven’t been able to put an end to. We had a 26/11 but contained ourselves to wait and watch and get on with life, channelising our anger and frustration in constructive activities. My sincere advice to you? Choose commerce over combat, trade over tirades, and weapons of mass communication over weapons of mass destruction, and you’ll be just fine. We were already sold over to the contagious appeal of your ideas and way of life. Let that appeal abound. So you could omit offering lollies of ever mounting defence deals to us and more defence aids to Pakistan (wonder how these things go hand in hand?) to further destabilise the region. You could omit the endless wars to smoke out suspected terror threats who are today actually being cloned to make rapturous comedies. Basically, let’s bridge the gap. Yours truly, Shivani Mohan is an India- based writer. For comments, write to  opinion@khaleejtimes.com Original Link: http://khaleejtimes.com/kt-article-display-1.asp?section=opinion&xfile=data/opinion/2010/november/opinion_november27.xml

Trouble in Paradise - Shivani Mohan (India) / Khaleej Times 10 January 2010

Often called the 'City Beautiful’ and ‘Pensioner’s Paradise’, Chandigarh, a capital of two states- Punjab and Haryana — is a city that is relaxed, easy paced and idyllic to the core. With the satellite townships of Panchkula in Haryana and Mohali in Punjab, the tricity’s neatly laid out roads, moderate traffic and fairy tale like houses with their trim lawns and welcoming patios, when compared to other cities in India give an impression of orderliness that is almost unreal. The first Prime Minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru, who personally commissioned it to reflect the new nation’s modern, progressive outlook, decreed it to be ‘unfettered by the traditions of the past, a symbol of the nation’s faith in the future.’  The city has been much in news lately, thanks to a sordid tale of horror, depravity and absolute misuse of power of such humungous proportions that it leaves one shocked and angry. This is the perfect example of the unfortunate instance when the upholders and custodians of law and order become its most dangerous defaulters. The Ruchika Girhotra case reads like one of those dark, creepy, spine chilling novels by John Grisham where an unseen force takes on a character’s life and ruthlessly, systematically destroys it step by step. To know this entire drama has unfolded a few blocks away from where I live in peaceful oblivion today is an unnerving experience. Here was a girl all of fourteen, an upcoming Tennis player who along with her friend Aradhana eulogised Steffi Graff and Monica Seles and wanted to make a mark in the sport. Her life took a sharp turn when she was molested by the president of Haryana Lawn Tennis Association, a cop  named S P S Rathore. When Ruchika’s family lodged a complaint to the police, Rathore went on to threaten, terrorise and subjugate the family, asking them to take back the charge. He would send goons to sling abuses outside Ruchika’s house, charged her brother in bogus cases of thefts, sent inflated bills in cognisance with state electricity departments, and even got her expelled from a reputed school, the Sacred Heart Convent where Ruchika had studied since  nursery class. The turn of events was traumatic enough for Ruchika to commit suicide at the young age of seventeen, as she considered herself responsible for the troubles she had caused her family. That this cop went on to become a DGP and was honoured with the President’s medal for meritorious service goes on to show the strange ministrations of the Indian republic. I love Chandigarh for many reasons. Yet there was an unwritten rule that all of us learnt by default. Don’t mess with the civil servants in the city. If anyone managed to pick up a row with a politician, IAS officers, IPS officials or any of their wayward sons, he had had it. With three governments having their base here, a significant percentage of Chandigarh’s population consists of people who are either working for one of these governments or have retired from government service. With not much history to speak of, the people who ruled it since its inception, the IAS officers and IPS officials turned out to be the biggest elite of the city and along with the politicians of the area, formed a dangerous coterie. Punjab saw a violent militancy of massive proportions for most of the eighties that was finally quashed by ‘super cop’ KPS Gill, further propelling the power and clout of the Police department in the region. The economic milieu of a place largely defines its cultural ethos. It is a well known fact that government departments in India are often built on strict hierarchal structures, sycophancy and a culture of  ‘towing the line.’ Important appointments including those of governors are made on the basis of loyalty and compliance rather than competence. It is a perfect symbiosis, a give and take. With so many heavy weight officials in one city, isn’t it an irony that true justice gets boomeranged in different directions and is lost in the meshes of bureaucracy before it can reach the common man. An upright and accomplished police officer such as  Dr. Kiran Bedi had no option but to leave the city within 44 days of getting posted to Chandigarh in 1999 due to the interference of her superior. When asked about her feelings after the episode, Dr Bedi had commented, “I think it is going to be difficult for straightforward police functioning and deliverance of justice to the  common people.” Rupan Deol Bajaj, an ex-IAS officer had to wait for 18 years for a verdict against a charge of sexual harassment she had made against super cop K P S Gill, a time during which she says she faced a lot of coercive pressure to take back her charges in honour of the nation as opposed to her own. K P S Gill was later awarded the Padma Shree. Manu Sharma, the main accused in the Jessica Lall case is the son of a Haryana politician Venod Sharma. R K Sharma another former I P S Officer is facing life sentence for the Shivani Bhatnagar murder case. Even the Chand-Fiza controversy that grew into a public comedy, is an example of how powerful people perceive themselves as above any law and order. No doubt Fiza was partially at fault, but the reason Chander Mohan alias Chand Mohammed could walk in and out of her life feigning selective amnesia as and when he pleased, and get away with it is because he is a former Deputy Chief Minister and the son of another Haryana bigwig Bhajan Lal. I speak of Chandigarh for it is a city I live in and feel deeply about. But I am sure Chandigarh is a microcosm of India and more or less reflects what happens all over India at some level  or the other. Not just the judiciary but the entire power composition in India rests on hollow hypocrisy. And those at the top never practise what they preach. What we urgently need are sweeping police, judicial and administrative reforms that will minimise political interference in the smooth delivery of justice. India has plenty of laws, but many of these laws are outdated and lack  strong enforcers. Thanks to active media intervention, heads have begun to roll on the Ruchika case. But even today hundreds of women are molested everyday on the roads, in local buses, in educational institutions, in hospitals. Foreign female tourists are routinely molested, raped and killed in our tourism hotspots. What do we talk of safety if our children cannot go out and pursue a healthy sport? What governance do we have when its own representatives tamper with sound hearing of justice? What kind of a society are we if it is ingrained in women that if you get into trouble, the last place you should ask for help is in a police station? When will our cities become totally safe for women? Some uneasy questions for all Indians  to answer. But we have to find the answers, and find them fast. Remember Ruchika was just fourteen and at the threshold of a promising life. It could have been anybody’s daughter. Shivani Mohan is an India-based  writer. For comments, write to opinion@khaleejtimes.com Original link: http://khaleejtimes.com/kt-article-display-1.asp?section=opinion&xfile=data/opinion/2010/january/opinion_january60.xml

Sub-Continent’s Berlin Wall - Shivani Mohan / Khaleej Times 19 November 2009

This fortnight saw the 20th anniversary celebration of the fall of the Berlin Wall. So liberating and decisive, when a vast multitude of people chose to see sense and forget trifles that generally incense mankind, when the similarities between two peoples became more important than the differences; when cultural affinity conquered meaningless rivalry. So it was at the recently concluded SAARC Folklore Festival. Writers, scholars and folklore artistes from eight SAARC countries — Afghanistan, India, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Pakistan- converged to Chandigarh for four days full of rapturous singing and dancing and  discussing folklore. The shared histories and sensibilities of the region bring a legacy of similar customs, mental orientation and social attitudes. These countries share languages, religions, lifestyles, costumes, cuisines, worldviews, customs  and traditions. The cultural roots of the SAARC region date back to the Indus Valley Civilisation. Of all the emotional linkages between the countries of this region, the folklore traditions comprising folk songs, fables, myths, rituals, dances and crafts have a marked affinity and homogeneity of themes and ethos. Yet each country brings to the melange a distinct identity of its own, a certain flavour and style, and just the right amount of exotica. Folklore comprises indigenous songs and dances created by people over a period of time to teach its sacred legends to the next generation; to preach devotion and surrender to the almighty; and to love and celebrate. There are even songs of mourning, for our beautiful cultures have even celebrated death. Created by common folk and fakirs, Sufi saints and mystics, poets and artistes, or people belonging to nomadic tribes and clans, these song and dance rituals may not have acquired the status of classics or high literature, but they served a purpose in ancient societies. They borrowed from the holy Quran, ancient texts and epics such as  Ramayana and Mahabharata, but they also influenced classical literature.  They often displayed a holistic approach to life and the universe. Organised by FOSWAL (Foundation Of SAARC Writers and Literature), an Apex body of SAARC, the festival is one of the many initiatives towards celebrating the rich plurality, diversity and the creative fortitude of artistes and writers from the region. Over the years, SAARC’s role in South Asia’s political kerfuffle has diminished. But the cultural initiatives and accomplishments cannot be denied. It was through the efforts of FOSWAL that writers from Pakistan set foot on Indian soil for the first time after Independence in 1987, and writers from India visited Pakistan in 2001. In 2000, two poets from Afghanistan participated in the SAARC writers Conference and sang their lyrical poems in Pushto and Dari. This participation culminated in Afghanistan becoming the eighth member of SAARC in 2007. The SAARC Folklore Festival 2009 brought many hues of the region into one glittering chimera. When Mir Makhtoon, a singer from Afghanistan sings in Pushto, a language not understood in India, it takes not more than 30 seconds for the audience to connect. The song that he has especially written for the occasion has some references to how, as a singer he is honoured to be in the land of Lata, Rafi and Madan Mohan, showing the all encompassing quality of music and folklore. When a Baul singer Puran Das from West Bengal sings a devotional chant, delegates from Bangladesh go into a state of gratification and spiritual upliftment. When an Indian Punjabi folk singer Dolly Guleria belts out the ballad of ‘Sassi Punnu’ and’ Heer Ranjha’, Punjabis from across the border can’t help getting goose pimples. During the academic seminar on ‘Intangible Heritage of the Region’, writer and editor from Pakistan, Dr Raza Rumi, points out that Sufis often made references to these romances in their writing to popularise the name of Allah amongst the masses. Another scholar talks of how in parts of Sindh there exists the practice of wrapping the holy Quran in colourful cloth and cradling it, the way Hindus worship the birth of Lord Krishna. Our primitive societies had their own mores of synthesising proactive synergies between cultures. There are concerns that the way the present generation of school kids in Pakistan learn about their history starting primarily from the Mughal period, perhaps in an effort to sever any links with Indian history, whereas their history is much more ancient and rich. Culture after all, is like a river that flows and takes on new forms and endures the ravages of geography. But the ancient cultural knowledge of a people remains intact in the sub conscience of the mind and propagates through the socialisation units of family, neighbourhood gossip points, village and city  through folklore. Many of these folklore traditions are dying today. Rampant urbanisation, development and westernisation have ensured there are fewer takers for this hearsay no matter how authentic the stuff. There is also the burden of making both ends meet. Gulzar Ahmed, from Kashmir is an artiste who performs the Hafiz Nagma playing the female lead, dressed in colourful attire. His delicate features and creamy complexion could give any woman a run for her money. There was a time when women performed this dance in Kashmir. But now, the closed oppressive atmosphere forbids women from performing. The money he earns from his craft is not enough. So he does hard physical labour for the greater part of the day only to practise the dance at night. When asked if he would teach his children this dance, he has not a moment’s hesitation. “Of course, it is something my forefathers have done for centuries. I don’t care if the money is less. My children will take on the tradition.” His sentiments are echoed by the dancers of Sherdukpen tribe from Arunachal Pradesh who perform the breathtaking Yak Dance. They do farming for their livelihood, the dance providing a break from the monotony of their lives. The Malangs or whirling dervishes from Shah Hussain’s Mazar in Pakistan literally hypnotise the audience with their stamina and vigour. In the end one just comes away realising that all these countries have the same issues facing them. Most of them fight a relentless war against a culture of guns and gore, a culture of secessionism and terrorism, infused initially by Western interests and now amply corroborated by local vested interests. There is a serious problem of lack of funds being allotted towards rehabilitating these artistes. On the last day of the academic seminar, a speaker urged that taking the theme of the SAARC Journa, which is called Beyond Borders a step further, it is time the region thought beyond borders and beyond guns. Someone came up with a smart one, “How about working beyond borders and beyond funds?” Now if only we spent a little less on guns and weapons of mass destruction and more on these meaningful exchanges, a lot of the region’s and the world’s troubles would be a thing  of history. Shivani Mohan is an India-based writer. She can be reached at  smshivanimohan@gmail.com Original link: http://khaleejtimes.com/kt-article-display-1.asp?section=opinion&xfile=data/opinion/2009/november/opinion_november108.xml

In the Name of Honour - Shivani Mohan (ISSUES) / Khaleej Times 10 September 2009

Reading the local newspaper these days is nothing short of a chilling suspension of disbelief where I live.

Last month has thrown up at least 7-8 cases of honour killings in various forms just a few hundred kilometres away from a modern and civilised city like Chandigarh. The capital of two states-Punjab and Haryana, Chandigarh is the embodiment of the dream of Pt Jawaharlal Nehru of creating a truly modern, post independence city, conceptualised and designed by noted French architect 
Le Corbusier. 

Driving down from the national capital New Delhi, one cannot help appreciate the glitzy highway with stopovers in various towns in Haryana that shine with dazzling food courts, squeaky clean washrooms and shops selling branded goods. Gurgaon, once a nondescript Haryana hamlet and a sleepy suburb of Delhi, is today the face of corporate India. Both Haryana and Punjab boast of an enviable farm sector that kept them leading in per capita incomes for years, only recently overtaken by the IT rich southern states. The bounty is there to see—malls, luxury cars, multiplexes, fast foods and outer symbols and edifices of progress. Yet with a startling regularity, incidents of honour killings in Haryana are reported, ruminated and put on the back burner.

While we all like to believe we live in a civilized world in India and that honour killings are something that savage Taleban do somewhere far away in the back of beyond, maybe Swat or Afghanistan or Timbuktu, we take account of these spine chilling incidents in our own backyard with surprising equanimity.

Just a few weeks ago a couple was found hanging from a single rope from a tree in a nearby district. The couple had eloped from the village on 31^st of July, leaving the rural civic body called the khap panchayat busy with deciding the right punishment for the offence. But before anything conclusive came out, the couple was found dead in mysterious circumstances. They had bruises on their knees. Marks of a truck and a motorcycle were also found nearby. This incident came days after another truant couple was found dead after they were spotted together in Rohtak district. A few days prior another couple was beaten to death by the girl’s family in a village in Rohtak district on Aug 6. In July, a 21 year old man was lynched for marrying against the wishes of his community in Haryana’s Jind district.

For the uninitiated, khap panchayat was a system of social administration and organization in the North-Western states of India such as Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan since ancient times. Over the years these Khaps created complex dictats for socio-cultural conduct, defining the dos and don’ts of living in a society. One such feature that we are concerned about here is the gotra system found in Hindus where the gotra determines the particular family or clan a person has descended from. It is the lineage assigned to Hindus at birth. In most cases the system is patrilineal. People with the same gotra were once considered to be blood relatives or siblings. Marriages within the gotra are banned in Hindus under the rule of exogamy or outbreeding in the traditional matrimonial system. From a genetic point of view, aversion to breeding with close relatives results in fewer
congenital diseases.

However sociologists believe that this may have been valid centuries ago but now all these gotras or clans have expanded so much that the chances of two people with the same gotra turning out to be directly related or being siblings is as remote as two people with the same name or surname. So while the effects of the gotra doctrine have diluted in other areas, the Jats of Haryana, a hardy, sturdy and clannish community, take it rather seriously.

Today these khap panchayats with their newly revoked social power thrive on making gullible people, especially the weaker sections of society kowtow to their traditional code of morality. In the recent past many of their judgements have declared many marriages null and void because the husband and wife belonged to the same gotra. One cannot imagine the extent of agony and uncertainty inflicted on these couples who have taken such a step knowingly or unknowingly. On one hand the Government of India is giving a status equivalent to a wife, to the female partner in a live-in relationship keeping in mind the trends unfolding in urban areas; and here a legal sacrosanct marriage is announced invalid at the behest of a bunch of so-called wise cronies of the village. Particularly traumatic have been some of the repercussions 
of this practice.

There have been instances where a married couple with a child was declared brother and sister by khap panchayats, and ordered to stay separately. The couple fled to Gujarat, but the police tracked them down and brought them back. The wife and their child were sent to Nari Niketan, a State-run women’s welfare home in Karnal district. The husband found himself behind bars with the girl’s family charging a case of kidnapping against him. It is estimated that almost 100 marriages are declared null and void every year by the khap panchayats. The case of Sonia and Rampal from Asanda village in Jhajjar district has been widely reported. They were married for more than a year when they were told that their marriage was not valid. Sonia could continue to live in the village only if she aborted her unborn child and accepted her husband as a “brother,” the local khap panchayat said. At times even the parents of such ‘errant’ couples are extradited from the village, away from their land and house, forced to live in impoverished rented accommodation elsewhere and treated like criminals. What kind of civil society allows such a thing to happen to its innocent citizens?

In spite of persistent reports by the media and public outrage, the Govt of Haryana refuses to criticise this menace due to the ugly vote bank politics that is the hallmark of Indian elections. Often the police are aware of these incidents and turn a blind eye. Haryana Chief Minister, Bhupinder Singh Hooda who is from the ruling Congress party has been evasive on this issue. When recently asked on khap panchayats, he simply said, “Let the law and order take its own course. People have to follow their traditions.” Such is the apathy that his opposition leader from BJP also gave a non-committal reply, so as not to displease the huge segments of rural Haryana mandate, what with the ensuing assembly elections. It is a pity that in a state that boasts of one of the highest per capita incomes in the country, true development and progress remains a far reality. And centuries old dictates rule the lives of innocent people.

Shivani Mohan is an India-based writer. She can be reached at 
smshivanimohan@gmail.com

Original link: http://khaleejtimes.com/kt-article-display-1.asp?section=opinion&xfile=data/opinion/2009/september/opinion_september48.xml