Kerala heading for complete prohibition of alcohol - Is the total ban on booze a short-sighted view?

Kerala government has recently announced prohibition of alcohol in the state in a phased manner. 

It appears that the pseudo-Gandhians in the ruling government have not taken into account the consequences of this ban. Apparently it goes without saying that this unprecedented policy in Kerala is brought in to appease certain communities in the state and to keep the coalition government from falling apart. The motive for this drastic decision appears to be political rather than ideological.

Granted,  alcohol abuse is a menace in the society. As Kerala reels under alcoholism, domestic violence is on the rise and families are being torn apart. Bread winner’s hard earned money instead of being spent on worth while purposes is being immersed in liquor.

Is a total ban the solution? Perhaps not.

Tipplers are of 3 types. Those who enjoy an occasional drink to keep their spirits high after a long day of toil, those who drink on social occasions and the third category being the alcohol addicts. The ban is obviously targeted at this third category.

Total prohibition has not been really successful in states such as Gujarat. Alcohol is smuggled into Gujarat from its neighboring states -– Rajasthan to the north, Madhya Pradesh to the east, and Maharashtra to the south, and also from the small union territories of Daman, located in south Gujarat near Surat, and Diu, an island that lies off the Kathiawad peninsula.

Total prohibition mean ushering in a new underground industry – bootlegging – and a new source of income for the players in the establishment – enforcers, their political superintendents from it. Losses to the exchequer would mean gains to the private pockets.

Andhra Pradesh tried Prohibition between 1958 and 1969 and again from 1994 to 1997, but abandoned because of leakages and flows from across its borders.

Haryana’s flirtation with a dry policy lasted only two years from 1996 and was abandoned on grounds of loss of jobs in the liquor industry. Tamil Nadu’s affair with dry laws in place since 1952 lasted two decades. The later revenue gains by these states indicate the infatuation with liquor as a resource.

Kerala has always enjoyed the dubious distinction of being the highest per capita consumer of alcohol in the country.  The state monopoly over liquor sale became the prime reason for the popularity of bars.  Besides losing crores of rupees to the exchequer by the sale of liquor, the decision to ban liquor will have adverse effect on tourism although the primary reason to visit Kerala is not to drink.

Prohibition as a policy is high-minded idiocy. It promotes organised crime, illicit, unsafe hooch and corruption of the police. Having learnt this lesson, prohibition was withdrawn in the US in early 20th century.

With such short sighted view of our political leaders, let us welcome the era of spurious liquor to Kerala and let the Gujaratis (where total liquor ban is in place) show us the way to bootleg.

At this juncture it will be more suitable to call the UDF , “United Retarded front” instead of United Democratic Front.

The enlightened people of Kerala should rise up against the government's hypocrisy and demand a rational liquor policy that both encourages moderation and respects individual liberties. To drink or not should be a personal choice, provided it entails no public disorder.

Disclaimer: The author does not advocate consumption of alcohol but merely expressing the democratic right of individuals in a democratic country.

Malaysian Airlines MH17 crash - Gone too soon

It was a twelve hour flight from Amsterdam to Kuala lumpur. But it was cut short way too soon. Almost three hours into the flight, the ill fated flight MH17 disintegrated in mid air. Debris from the plane along with scores of bodies strewn all over the crash site. 298 precious lives were taken away. These innocent victims bore the brunt of a political conflict in Ukraine. 

As for Malaysian airlines, it was another shot in the arm.

MH17 has followed the highly controversial disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 back in March. Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 was said to have disappeared from the sky in the early hours of Saturday, March 8th, 2014, subsequently over at 35,000 feet heading in a flight bound for Beijing. 

The tragic end to MH17, has had a fiery backdrop provided by other regions of the world as well, as Israel has engaged in a ground assault of Gaza, while Iraq has been wrought with manufactured terror for months, both of which are undoubtedly political factors contributing to the polarization of the MH17 incident.

As they say, “One man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter”. This saying goes true for pro-Russian rebels in Ukraine, who is believed to have shot down MH17, Hamas in Palestine whom Israel is fighting against and ISIS in Iraq. It is sad indeed to notice that innocent men, women and children are being killed as a result of several such political conflicts.

Are the general public safe anywhere in the world? Far from it. An otherwise enjoyable bus ride, a train journey or a peaceful walk in the park could turn into a tragic end if terrorists plant a bomb in the vicinity. Why do they want to take the lives of innocent people? Is it a political revenge against a country of target? Or is it a tiny representation of an impending mayhem they can inflict into a civilized society?

As hatred brews, countries divide, innocent civilians are unnecessarily drawn into these conflicts, often used as human shields or their lives being taken away.

The 9/11 attack in the US killing several thousands of people still haunts us. Similarly several conflicts across the world continues to cause turmoil through out the world, be it in Syria, Egypt, Iraq or Afghanistan.

No part of the world is safe as terrorism spreads across the world in a manner one could never have imagined. Global population is directly or indirectly impacted. One could be hit by a truck loaded with bombs, be hit by an airplane loaded with fuel, be blown apart mid air on board an airplane or simply be shot at point blank range.

A weapon in the hands of a wrong person is a sure recipe for disaster. So does the manipulative actions of some individuals who wants to push an agenda and turn them against the world.They have done it in the past and will continue to do so in the future.  One can watch it only helplessly, that is only if you are lucky enough to be alive.

The outgoing prime minister Dr. Manmohan Singh's farewell letter to the world leaders

As he prepares to demit office,  prime minister  Manmohan Singh wrote farewell letters to leaders of various countries including US president Barrack Obama, former Chinese premier Wen Jiabao, and Russian Prime minister Vladimir Putin.

Here is a hilarious look at what he might have written to them.

Dear fellow leaders,

It is with mixed feelings  I am writing this letter to you as May 16^th 2014 marks my last day in the prime minister’s office of the largest democracy in the world, India.

I had  never aspired to be a prime minister. My strength always lies in economics. In 1991 Narasimha Raoji inducted me in the cabinet as finance minister to rescue India from a severe economic crisis. I was quite contented with my role then. In 2004 Soniaji unexpectedly relinquished the prime ministership, I became an accidental prime minister. Sanjay Baru even wrote a book by this title. Then everything went south. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Little did I realize that I was a cover for the dramas about to unfold.

I have always been regarded as a man of clean background. Moreover I have been lauded “as a man of few words” . I took these as compliments. Then came the greatest shock in 2012, when Time magazine’s Asian edition cover remarked me as an “underachiever”. I have been accused as  a person “unwilling to stick his neck out”. Those remarks hurt to me to the core. My public image has been tarnished with my government having been accused of various corruption scandals for which I was a silent witness. I have been termed as a puppet of a powerful political family.

Friends,  my silences and unwillingness to project myself became more manifest in my second tenure and I would like you to know that I kept a low profile only because I didn’t want to rise above Soniaji.  

Looking back, I regret that I didn’t stand firm enough to fight corruption, didn’t stand opposed to micromanagement of Gandhi family for leadership was never my forte. I am extremely worried about the future course of my party which especially lacks leadership and a front runner for the prime ministership.

Finally, I can say this with confidence that there will never be a prime minister in India with such an elaborate list of paper qualifications that I possess.

I wish you all good luck.

Singh is King.

Is the upcoming Indian parliament election a game changer or a mockery of the democratic process?

The stage is set for the biggest democratic electoral process in the world where approximately 814.5 million Indians out of a population of over a billion people will exercise their democratic right in the coming months. According to the center for media studies the political parties are expected to spend 30,500 crores ($ 5 billion) in this election.  In addition this election will also cost the exchequer 3500 crores ($573 million). As you can see the cost of democracy is enormous.

While the political bigwigs Congress and BJP are in the lead, neither of them appear to achieve the majority to form the goverment. Which means that a coalition government will take oath once again with the support of regional parties. In return the plum offers these regional parties are likely to receive is another matter for debate.

It happens only in India. Little seems to have changed with major political parties continuing to partronize candidates with criminal records. Both Congress and BJP continue to give tickets to candidates with serious criminal records including murder.

A surprise entry in the upcoming parliament election is the AAP (Aam Atmi Party)  projected as the common man’s party.  Holding a broom which symbolizes a promise to clean up corruption deeply rooted in Indian politics, AAP appears to make their presence felt in the Indian politics under the leadership of Mr. Arvind Kejriwal.  A number of eminent people who have been fed up with the existing political parties now have a choice and a good reason to enter politics and make an impact.

While Narendra Modi of BJP is potentially the next Prime minister if BJP takes center stage with the support of National democratic alliance, it is debatable as to whether Modi can replicate across India the success he made in his home state Gujarat given the fact that a prime minister has limitation especially under a coalition government. In a coalition goverment it is hard to always please the allies as they remain a permanent pain in the neck. Being a hardliner, whether Modi will be able to please the allies through out his 5 years term is another matter of concern.

The curse of India is the countless regional parties who are opportunistic and tend to change their position in a split second if their demands are not met.  The writings are on the wall. The deep divide between regions inherent in our political system is clearly evident thanks to the various political parties. Whoever takes on the power to steer India has a huge challenge ahead.

What does it all mean to a billion population?  There are many questions to be answered. Will the new government be able to provide sustainable and inclusive (benefiting everyone across India without discrimination) growth? Will they be able to put control on inflation? Etc etc..

The biggest democratic electoral system has its own flaws.  People have very limited choice in terms of who they want to handover the power to. No matter which party comes to power, a corruption free India is a distant dream or will remain a mirage.

Well, don’t lose heart. If you are not happy with any of the projected candidates, the election commission has bestowed you with an unprecedented option to vote NOTA (None of the above).  Meaning that no candidate deserves my vote and in all likely hood many who are fed up with the existing political system will choose to go for that option. Post election, the upcoming parties like the AAP may very well capitalize the statistics of the NOTAs so that they can position themselves better to exploit the gaps going forward.  Is the option NOTA going to change anything for the winning candidate? Probably very little. The candidate who gets the highest vote still wins despite the significant drop in the candidate’s vote banks.

The fate of India and its biggest population are sealed even before the election. With no credible political parties in the race, you and I can do very little about it by the voting process. Isn't that frustrating? Well as depressing as it may sound, that doesn’t give much hope for the progress of India. Does it? God bless the Indians.

Why is it that road to spirituality leads nowhere?

“Let me tell you why you’re here. You’re here because you know something. What you know you can’t explain, but you feel it. You’ve felt it your entire life, that there’s something wrong with the world. You don’t know what it is, but it’s there, like a splinter in your mind …”

~ Morpheus, in ‘The Matrix’

Seeking spirituality is a fruitless effort these days. With a spate of reports of fake spiritual leaders emerging regularly, spirituality seekers are very confused and are left with little options.

There is a old saying that ‘take control of your life or someone else will’.  Following blindly any form of movements, be it spiritual or political or any other groups for that matter is a sure recipe for disaster. For ages people have blindly followed spiritual gurus seeking content and liberation. Scores of people have relinquished everything they had and joined spiritual movements many of those later turned out to be fakes. Yet people have not learned any lessons and end up like flies being attracted by bright lights and being torched by the heat emitting from the lights. I have never been able to figure out the complexities of people’s minds which lead them to choose those paths.

By and large, no holy person sets out to become a fake guru. All those self professed spiritual leaders possess some form of skills such as mastery in religious books from their very young ages which will enable them to spread the knowledge they have gained. Coupled with their uncanny ability to convince people with their tender love and care converting the ordinary men/women to become their disciples is not an easy task. The question is how many of the gurus can handle their newly found fame and wealth and use them for humanitarian causes. Do they practice what they preach? In spite of the claim of celibacy and abstinent living, there are wide spread reports of sexual abuse, orgies, prostitution, drug abuse and money laundering. To many disciples, these very people are the closest they can ever get to god’s presence. How ironic can it be?

Digging a bit deeper into wikipedia, Hinduism identifies four ways of spiritual practice. First is the way of knowledge, second is the way of devotion, third is the way of works and fourth is the way of contemplation and meditation.

Learning the way of knowledge is often assisted by a guru. Way of devotion is a path of faith and devotion to deities; the spiritual path  includes chanting, singing and music. The way of work is the path of one’s work, where diligent practical work becomes in itself a spiritual practice, and work in daily life is perfected as a form of spiritual liberation and not for its material rewards. Lastly, way of contemplation and meditation is the path of cultivating necessary virtues, self-discipline, meditation, contemplation and self-reflection sometimes with isolation and renunciation of the world, to a pinnacle state called samadhi. This state of samādhi has been compared to peak experience.

Indeed the guidance of a spiritual leader is paramount to learning the ways to these spiritual practices.

Every religion preaches that spirituality is the constant search for the sacred. It is a pity that the spiritual leaders who are supposed to teach their disciples attain peak mental health instead manipulate and deceive.  

We have to keep in mind that all truth passes through three different stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second it is violently opposed and third it is accepted as being self evident.

Did I say tolerance is another virtue of human beings?

Arvind Kejriwal - Indian of the year 2013

Times of India has just announced Arvind Kejriwal Indian of the year 2013. NDTV had done so back in 2011 along with his mentor Anna Hazare. According to Times of India, in a country of 1.2 billion people choosing person of the year can be as tough as getting Manmohan Singh to smile. With his a year old Aam Aatmi Party (Common Man's party) who would have thought that he will dethrone Delhi's longest serving Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit. Well,  India do not have to worry about countries like Australia making fun of her unusual surname anymore.

Kejriwal's victory is an endorsement of the people to root out corruption at all levels. True democracy is about making right choices and elect the right person to take power. The common man wants change and the wind of change will sweep into other states as well if not immediately but over a period time. The wind of change is evident from the fact that a number of ex-BJP and ex-Congress politicians joining the aam aatmi party. Truly sticking to what he preaches Kejriwal has refused red beacons and Z-Security which is considered as a status symbol by many politicians.

Kejriwal is a risk taker. Risk taking seems part of his DNA. The story goes that when his father advised him to apply to all engineering colleges, he took the gamble of applying only to the prestigious IIT and he did get in. Similarly when he contested election he decided to face off with none other than Sheila Dikshit herself in the polls and the rest is history.

Aam Aatmi party has no legacy and no baggage of caste, religion and region. Hence fresh ideas and changes can be brought in with the same spirit as their fight against anti corruption. Some critics point out that while Kejriwal is good at motivating party workers, he isn't adept at working with other social groups and being part of a larger team. That he has firm belief in his own methods and style and sticks to them. That it is either his way or highway kind of approach. Only time will tell whether these traits are blockages to his' and his parties rise.

It is a long road for AAP to spread its wings towards other states and it is unlikely that AAP will make much impact in the next parliament election due in 2014. But the political flame AAP has lit in Delhi will have far reaching consequences in Indian politics and the future of India. Kejriwal  believes "change begins with small things". He has inspired many with his unrelenting approach of humbleness, firmness and his clean politics. Let us welcome the new revolution of change and hope that other political parties align their ways of working if not exactly the way AAP works, but very similar to its ways. If Kejriwal has been able to accomplish that much, then we can truly say that he has made an impact across all political parties. In the mean time for AAP, it is still a work in progress. Kejriwal and his party have a long way to go.

The voice of women - Ignore it at your own peril

As we approach one year this Dec 16 into the ghastly gangrape of a young paramedic in Delhi, the public outrage that had erupted in its wake didn’t fade away just as quickly as it had built up. The perpetrators did not get away, the case did not drag on for years. Exactly a year after the barbaric rape, the discourse on women’s rights has not only persisted, it has acquired new vigor, more nuance and a stronger, more assertive tone. Suzette Jordan, a single mother of two who was gangraped in Calcutta, refused to be referred to as the ‘Park Street rape victim’ and demanded she be identified by her real name, even though the law prohibits anyone from naming a rape victim; of the law intern who plucked up the courage to blog about retired Supreme Court judge A.K. Ganguly as the man who harassed her in a Delhi hotel; of the young journalist from Tehelka who spoke up against her powerful editor Tarun Tejpal and subsequently quit; of the women who exposed godman Asaram Bapu and his son Narayan Sai, landing both in jail on rape charges.

Statistics are shocking. Every 22 minutes a woman is raped in India. Abuses occur both within and out of the circle of trust. With the rates of crime against women escalating at an alarming level, a group of activists has come to the forefront and championing the cause of womens’ rights.  Some of these groups are very inventive in their tactics. Mind the Gap, stages anti eve-teasing flash mobs on the Delhi Metro wearing T-shirts reading ‘Main cheez nahin hun mast mast’ or ‘I am not an Item’.  

Blank Noise Project, a campaigning community art group that put a lie to the tired argument about eve-teasing victims ‘asking for it’ by wearing western outfits when they staged an exhibition of garments Indian women were wearing when they were sexually molested—most, of course, turned out to be in saris and salwar kameezes.” More than ever, we are just about coming to terms with both an increase in violent crimes and an understanding of the inequalities women face every day but have learnt to brush under the carpet over the decades.

While various groups are doing all sort of campaigns, here is a very interesting video satire by Kalki Koechlin.

It is heartening to know that more are now coming out to speak about the harrassments as did the young Tehelka journalist.

Here is what the young Tehelka journalist had to say about the recent sexual advance by her former employer.

I am heartened by the broad support I have received over the past fortnight. However, I am deeply concerned and very disturbed by insinuations that my complaint is part of a pre-election political conspiracy.

I categorically refute such insinuations and put forward the following arguments:

The struggle for women to assert control over their lives and their bodies is most certainly a political one, but feminist politics and its concerns are wider than the narrow universe of our political parties. Thus, I call upon our political parties to resist the temptation to turn a very important discussion about gender, power and violence into a conversation about themselves.

Suggestions that I am acting on someone else’s behest are only the latest depressing indications that sections of our public discourse are unwilling to acknowledge that women are capable to making decisions about themselves for themselves.

In this past week, television commentators who should know better, have questioned my motivations and my actions during and after Mr. Tejpal molested me. Some have questioned the time it took for me to file my complaint, more inquisitive commentators have questioned the use of the word “sexual molestation” versus words like “rape.”

Perhaps the hardest part of this unrelentingly painful experience has been my struggle with taxonomy. I don’t know if I am ready to see myself as a “rape victim”, or for my colleagues, friends, supporters and critics to see me thus. It is not the victim that categorizes crimes: it is the law. And in this case, the law is clear: what Mr. Tejpal did to me falls within the legal definition of rape.

Now that we have a new law that broadens the definition of rape, we should stand by what we fought for. We have spoken, time and again, about how rape is not about lust or sex, but about power, privilege and entitlement. Thus this new law should be applicable to everybody – the wealthy, the powerful, and the well connected – and not just to faceless strangers.

As seen by some of the responses to this case, instances of familial and custodial rape present doughty challenges to even the most adamantine feminists.

Unlike Mr. Tejpal, I am not a person of immense means. I have been raised singlehandedly by my mother’s single income. My father’s health has been very fragile for many years now.

Unlike Mr. Tejpal, who is fighting to protect his wealth, his influence and his privilege, I am fighting to preserve nothing except for my integrity and my right to assert that my body is my own and not the plaything of my employer. By filing my complaint, I have lost not just a job that I loved, but much-needed financial security and the independence of my salary. I have also opened myself to personal and slanderous attack. This will not be an easy battle.

In my life, and my writings, I have always urged women to speak out and break the collusive silence that surrounds sexual crime. This crisis has only confirmed the myriad difficulties faced by survivors. First, our utterances are questioned, then our motivations, and finally our strength is turned against us: a politician will issue a statement claiming that speaking out against sexual violence will hurt our professional prospects; an application filed in the Delhi High Court will question why the victim remained “normal”.

Had I chosen silence in this instance, I would not have been able to face either myself or the feminist movement that is forged and renewed afresh by generations of strong women.

Finally, an array of men of privilege have expressed sorrow that Tehelka, the institution, has suffered in this crisis. I remind them that this crisis was caused by the abusive violence of the magazine’s Editor-in-Chief, and not by an employee who chose to speak out.

Thank you everyone for your support.

The words of the journalist just about sums up the entire point. Let us hope that more and more victims will come foreward and more will be done on the prevention for crime against women.