Save the Turtles!!!

A coalition of Indian conservationists, comprising Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI), the Wildlife Society of Orissa (WSO) and Greenpeace India, has called on TATAs to reconsider their Dhamra Deepwater Port [1] in Orissa, citing the threat it poses to endangered sea turtles and two important Protected Areas. Construction on the Port is proceeding in the absence of a comprehensive Environment Impact Analysis and with disregard to the Precautionary Principle, which TATA Steel professes to adhere to as a member of The Global Compact [2].

Speaking to the media, Belinda Wright, Executive Director of WPSI, said “The olive ridley turtle is a species that enjoys the same legal protection as the tiger. Yet despite its ecological significance, the Dhamra area was purposely excluded from Bhitarkanika and Gahirmatha Sanctuaries to facilitate the Dhamra Port [3]. It is amazing that while trawling is rightly banned to protect the turtles, the Orissa state government is bending over backwards to assist a huge industrial project in the same area, which will probably drive away the turtles for good.”

The Dhamra Port is coming up less than 5 km from Bhitarkanika Sanctuary and less than 15 km from Gahirmatha’s beaches, one of the largest mass nesting sites for the olive ridley turtle in the world. Conservationists highlighted the Port’s potential environmental impacts when it was first proposed in the 1990s. In April 2004, the Supreme Court appointed Central Empowered Committee had recommended that the Dhamra Port be relocated.

Over 100 leading scientists from India and across the world have also called on TATA Steel, the joint promoters of the Dhamra Port, to halt the project in light of potential impacts on sea turtles and the environment, through a petition campaign [4] hosted by a coalition of conservation groups [5]. The list includes over 20 scientists from the Marine Turtle Specialist Group of the Species Survival Commission of the IUCN, besides other renowned conservationists and researchers. The petition also urges the Orissa state government to protect the Dhamra area.

Conservationists charge that in the absence of a credible Environment Impact Analysis and baseline ecological data, no mitigation plan, even if prepared by the best experts, will be an adequate safeguard. Significantly, there has been no mass nesting at Gahirmatha this season. In the past, even minor disturbances have been enough to prevent turtles nesting, so the influence of ongoing dredging for port construction cannot be ruled out

“There are alternatives to Dhamra that TATAs must explore. A study commissioned by the Government of Orissa and conducted by the Indian Institute of Technology, Chennai, has identified several potential port sites [6]” said Biswajit Mohanty, Secretary of WSO “The ongoing expansion of Paradip Port will also provides the state with sufficient cargo capacity. If TATAs are as environment friendly as they claim, they must make the effort to shift to another location further away from the turtle nesting grounds, rather than seeking to hide behind mitigation plans that can never be a proper safeguard against the impacts”, he added.

In 2007, a survey commissioned by Greenpeace and conducted by Dr. S.K. Dutta of the North Orissa University established the presence of rare species of amphibians and reptiles at the port site [7]. The study also revealed the presence of over 2,000 turtle carcasses on and near the area. TATA is yet to respond to these findings, despite earlier committing to reconsider their role in the project if evidence of ecological significance was presented.

The pressure on TATA is mounting, with Greenpeace’s cyber campaign (www.greenpeace.org/india/turtles) providing a platform for the public to voice their concerns on this issue. Over 9,000 people have already written to Ratan Tata within three days of its launch.

“The scientific community is advising against this port, fishermen have opposed it [8], science has shown the presence of rare species in the area, and now the public is adding its voice to the conservation community. What more does Mr. Ratan Tata need? As a global corporation with a growing presence overseas, TATA needs to show that its commitment to the environment goes beyond mere lip service, by halting work on the port immediately”, said Ashish Fernandes, Oceans Campaigner, Greenpeace India.

XL and IIMs???

I wont take much of your time as I myself don't have much...

Seniors here always say that there's something in XL which you wont find in any of the IIMs. They say, it is part of our culture in XL... and they've named it "XL Bonding".

Yes... they say that everyone here is linked by a bond and you strive to keep it secure, you go to various heights to make sure that not only you but your friends also make it big... I always wondered if that really is the case and then this happened...

You can argue that this is not the best indicator... but then it shows... it shows the difference. The picture below has been taken from the website of a National B-Plan competition... just see the difference between XL's and one of those IIM's votes. (The students of any college were allowed to vote for their own college)


Numbers do tell great things...dont they???

Proud to be a part of "XL culture"...

My first steps in XLRI

Prologue...
We're all waiting for 11th of June as that day I am supposed to board the train for Jamshedpur; and goshhhh the Howrah Express is late as usual.
OK... the train was late by 2 hours and I used the time to see Euro 2008. Finally boarded the train and searched for the other XL guys. But that wasn't enough; the train got late by 5 Hrs finally.

Day One(13th June)
Finally we reached here. Yes we could see the Tata Pigment company and we knew that the TataNagar station is not too far. We 5 guys hired coolie for some 300 Rs and obviously from TataNagar's standards, it indeed was a very expensive deal; but we were all fed up of the delay. The first thing in everyone's mind was to reach XL and get some food :-D. One thing which must be mentioned here is the weather. Man... what a humid whether it was and still it is... we were all sweating like we do in gyms generally.

We all found the roads to XL very good and really that created a very good impression. I had not thought that Jamshedpur would be such a tidy and clean city. We all had heard that you dont get everything u want, here; but now I doubt that as there were many showrooms of branded materials. So I think the city also rocks however we have not been to city till now.

Just 10-15 minutes and we could see... "XLRI Estd. 1949" and wow... we actually were into XLRI, GOD that was an awesome feeling...at that time I thought that I actually made it to one of the most prestigious colleges in India. One of the things that strike when u enter the college or Jamshedpur is the greenery. The lawns are lush green, well maintained, trees all around and there we see the "Father Enright Men's Residence" our Home Away from Home... ;-). The rooms are good... u dont need bigger rooms than these but there are some sour things also...the fans are too slow and such slow fans in such hot and humid weather... ohhhhh. Otherwise the cupboards, the racks, the tables(2 for each person) everything is good.

After setting up everything, we had our first meal in the mess and yes the mess is really awesome. Just some roaming around and then followed the best thing of that day. It started with a group of just 4 people but in the end we were more than 50 people sitting in the lawn. We all had introduction sessions a lot of bakar and a lot of fun tooo. Wow... my first interaction with the XLRI students and my batchmates. The night sleep could've been a bit problematic if I had not been that much tired.

Day Two
The day started with formals... as we had to go for the registration session, we all wore formals; though it was a bit uncomfortable, but then also it was good. The best thing though was the AC of Fr. Prabhu Hall. It was followed by the lecture on the Library facilities and I must say that though the lecture was informative, our batch made it entertaining also(a lot of clapping and what not... :-D). We were given one Handbook in the registration session, one in the Library session and that wasn't enough so we got one more handbook in the next lecture which was on the Hostel and rules about the same... GOD.. so many rules.. ;-).

The day time passed nicely as we were in the AC for most of the time, but the best was yet to come. Come evening, we all were in the football ground of XLRI. Many were playing football, many basketball(including Fr. James also) and many volleyball too. Enjoyment was in the weather here.. it started raining but we all kept on playing...I'm not a great sports freak but I also played for more than 2 Hrs...that was really cool. Again dinner followed by a lengthy You Tube session in Jasmeet's room till 2 AM and we laughed our hearts out there...wonderful environment.

Day Three
The day was called "Know Your City" and we all had plans to go outside to see the Jamshedpur city. Being one of the last FREE days in XLRI, everyone was too lazy to get up early and we couldn't leave before 12:00 cause of that same thing. But then we did go to the nearby Jubilee Park. Goshhh I dont know after how many years, I was in a Zoo. But was a nice one... we did roam a lot... did a lot of bakar as usual and obviously enjoyed a lot... (yeah we saw... camel, sparrows, dogs etc etc there :-D). That was followed by a visit to "Novelty" a good restaurant in Bistpur and then to the Sakchi bazaar of Jamshedpur. Did some shopping and then we're back in the hostel, too tired to roam around anywhere else. But that also couldn't stop us... we went to Jubilee park again for the Laser show at 7:00 PM...huh...why? Dont ask me(The initial intro of Jamshedpur was awesome though)

When we came back to hostel... the stage was set in the JLT(lawn) and the meeting had already started. Seniors had arrived in the campus and now the introduction session with the seniors was going on. It was cool and light. We all had fun and it realy helped us juniors also to REremember many names(tell u in the first week this has been the toughest thing... to remember names of everyone). The meeting ended at 1:45 in morning and we could still sit for more time if he had had the content to talk over or some more queries to badger our seniors... :-D.

Day Four
We had the inauguration ceremony in the TATA auditorium and after that for the first time we entered the Class Rooms of XLRI. Wow again... it's always a nice feeling to discover a new place in XLRI.. it again makes u feel that u've reahced where u wanted to reach. The lecture was of Descriptive Statistics as a part of the "Preparatory Course" and it was not tooo rigorous, it was cool and nice. That was followed by High Tea for both the batches and then we're freeeeee.... again we got time to hang out with friends, to talk to people and to do a lot of bakar etc etc. Greattt.

Epilogue
The preparatory course is going on now... and I know that Picture abhi baaki hai...as the regular classes will start from 25th. I know that this is not even the trailor, I know that it'll be much much more rigorous than what we're facing right now but I also know that It'll shape our future, it'll be much much more interesting and engaging than this, that the life from here will only get better if we do the hardwork which we definitely gonna do.

We're finally a part of XLRI now... and we're all proud of it.

Out of the Box thinking for Terrorism/Extremism

"Ladies and Gentlemen, Kehte hain ki jab aap kisi cheez ko dil se chaaho, to poori kaaynaat use aapse milaane mein lag jaati hai" (SRK in OSO)

or

"When you truly want something, the whole world conspires to make it happen for you" (Paulo Coelho)

You would be thinking that may be after writing only 5 blogs, this person has gone mad. How can anyone start an article on terrorism with SRK??? Well, truly speaking, I dont know. I really dont know. Then what's the purpose of those lines written above??? To increase the size of this article??? Nope. To attract people??? Nope (Nope with a heavy heart).

The real reason behind using those lines is to give the reader an idea about what he shall expect from this article. As the subject suggests, we will be thinking about some really unthinkable points. Something which may sound totally illogical and something which we know is not going to happen; but we'll think what if it does happen. Just like the case of this article. When I sat down to write something on this topic, I didn't have any idea how I'll start it. But this illogical idea came into my mind and I got my start.


I) Kaam Ki baat (coming back to the main topic now!!!)

Let us first try to identify some of the threats for India specifically.

1. North: We have Jehadis (so called Pakistani and Talibani terrorists).
2. East: Naxals, United liberation Front of Assam (ULFA), National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Isak-Muivah (NSCN-IM), etc.
3. South: LTTE, Naxlas, Jeahdis
4. West: Jehadis

As we can see, no direction is perfectly safe (not even middle India if you are thinking). I can really go on and on with this blog and explain you the real reason and history behind the emergence of all these so called (reason behind this epithet "so called" will be explained later) terrorist groups. But that's not the main purpose. (If you really wish to know these things, then go to www.wikiPedia.org.)

II) Example

Take the case of Naxals. Our very own PM Dr. Manmohan Singh had said some months ago that Naxals have become one of the major threats for India. Rightly so; they have presence in around 170 out of total 602 districts and around 16 out of 35 states (including UTs) of our country.


So what's the Govt. doing to solve the problem?

-> Some states come together in every 3-4 months or so and launch an eradication movement or mission against these Naxals. They dredge and then kill them.
-> In some parts like Chhatisgarh, the Govt. itself has equipped some people with arms to fight against these Naxals. They call these groups Salwa Judum.

Quite nice approach yeahhh!!!


And What're the consequences of Govt.'s actions?

-> Naxals hate the government.
-> They hate democracy.
-> They target innocent people and also police officials.
-> They leave our country.... is it really so??? They are afraid of us... is it really so??? Well Nope. Their hatred is increasing everyday just like their numbers.

Quite clearly, Govt's actions are not showing any improvement. Govt. is killing them and they are killing others (May be that's the strategy of Govt. to bring down the population rate).


Why? Why is it not working? What's the problem?

1. The reason why this thing is not working is not new to us. Many years ago, someone from us had given this mantra of Ahinsa from Mind & body, heart & soul but we have forgotten that now. Anyway, the point is, you sow hatred, you reap the same.
2. Second reason should have come first but then it needs a bit of history knowledge.

Who are they? Who are these Naxalites? Why and how did they become such a force? Are they Chinese? Bangladeshi? Burmese? Sri Lankans?

NO!!!

They are Indians. Just like I am just like many of you reading this, are.

The whole movement started when 3 sharecroppers lifter 300 mounds of paddy from the granary of a jotedar with support of some CPI(M) workers. The name Naxalism as this all happened in a small village named NaxalBari in Darjeeling. In the starting, it was a peasant uprising and still it is the same.

These are one of those people who have been deprived of all the basic amenities that we all enjoy because of this Oh so wonderful 9% growth rate. They had struggled to get everything and as we all can see, the struggle is still on. They have been neglected for many decades and they want their rights, now; With hook or Crook.

We have seen that the Govt. has tried the violent way to curb these people and their activities but nothing happened. Clearly, this is not the way to go. But then the Govt has also tried the peaceful way. Why didn't that work??? That didn't work because of several reasons...

1. Who's talking to them??? Some committee formed by the government. The committees which have always been regarded as the means to SHOW that some work is being done rather that doing the actual work.

2. The agenda of those meetings. The committee members talk to these people with hatred. They dont treat them as destitute people, they want them to put their arms down and then face the music of court cases for all the atrocities they had committed or had to commit. The main agenda is not to make these people see a bright future but to make them accept their faults . The agenda is not to make them good citizens but to punish them.

3. Lack of faith. Who can trust these ministers and their commitments??? After all, the fight of naxalites has always been against this very system of ministers who talk hollow words and do nothing about it later on. How can these people trust the words of the ministers??? Who will save these people if the minister/committee members do some promises inside some thick walls but turn their face once their turn comes for fulfilling those promises in public?


So What can be the solution???

Actually the basic principle or the guiding force behind these solutions is also the same old one --- make them not to hate us, make them not to hate this country, it's democracy, it's other constituent parts which make this country complete.

But as it is the case with many projects, the whole difference lies in the execution of the things, the way these things are handled and implemented.

The whole point here is that whatever solution we chose to solve this problem, it must...

1. be from a person who has shown his integrity and who commands respect not only as a human being but also as a politician or a person of high powers.

2. be a solution which takes into account the current and past conditions of these people.

3. be a solution which tries not to punish them but to convert them into a good citizen.

4. be a solution which can show to these people that the country and it's principals of democracy are not a farce but a reality and things will definitely get better one day. A solution which can regenerate that lost faith and which can make them leave the violent way once and forever.

NOW...

Imagine one day you are having dinner with your family and suddenly the news channels announce something. Something which is really worth of the label BREAKING NEWS.

Well you really cant believe your eyes as this thing is really exceptional, nothing like this has happened before in your country and you are amazed as well as skeptical about whatever you are watching on television.

What you actually are watching is a LIVE talk happening between the Prime Minister of our country and the Naxalite chief and that too from PM's own office. No one else but these two people actually and formally talking to solve this problem.

Now may be just on reading these words you can not actually imagine the need, the great impact and the consequences of such a thing. So let me explain...

1. Why PM only??? -> Not necessary. It could also be the President. But no one apart from these two. In current case, PM (Dr. Manmohan Singh) will be the best option as he is the person who commands a lot of respect from the people not only as a person but also as the leader of this country. His integrity as the opposition also says is unquestionable.

2. Why LIVE??? -> To make everyone (public as well as the naxalites) feel that whatever happening inside there is not important for those two people only but also for us. To make them feel that the government is trying to make them a part of the whole talks and process. To make them feel that finally here's a government which is not afraid of making public promises. To make everyone listen to the reasons because of which things are what they are. To make them feel that yes... Change is Here. To keep everything as transparent as it can be.

3. How's it possible??? Shall we not arrest the chief as and when he lands in there??? NO. In these type of situations, credibility is the most important thing. You arrest one such chief and you'll never be able to invite any other chief to solve the things.

Results of such a thing???

1. Absolute clarity. The public will also know that these people really have some bigger purpose or they are just some terrorists. The public will know that these people ... what they want, why do they kill others and many other things which will come up only when such an activity is actually carried out.

2. Clearcut targets. Public will know what promises both the parties have made to each other and what are the target time to achieve these goals. Both the parties can not deny anything after this activity. So no confusion.

In some cases even public opinion and participation can be sought. Let the public also feel that this is a real democracy... Rule of the People.


III) What Else???

Where else can these type of solutions or thinkings be used???

I'd say almost in all the cases... Why not in case of Kashmir??? Do we all know what do these so called terrorists mean by Azaadi of Kashmir (Freedom of Kashmir). Do we all exactly know what they want??? Do they want to rule over it??? Or they want it to be under Pakistan's control??? If yes then why do they think that Kashmir is part of Pakistan instead of Hindustan???

There are many such things that can be solved using this transparent method. But you really need to be fully prepared as well as dedicated towards it. When you are in the public domain, your credibility will be under scrutiny at each and every step. But a solution and that too a mutually beneficial one would be highly probable and even if that is not the case... the government as well as the public will be able to know the real reasons behind everything.

So... what are we waiting for??? May be for a right kind of Government which can use these type of things or a reading of this article by a person in this government only who can really bring this change.

Hoping for one day when I can see our Honorable Prime Minister talking sense with who else but Mr Laden.

;-)
Manan Shamihoke

Mobocracy

Definition

Lets us define the topic first. Before mobocracy, I'd like to define the term which is more commonly heard, which many of us have taken for granted and which means Rule of People. Yes the term I just defined is Democracy. Etymologically speaking, the term is made of two roots -> Demos which means People, public and Kratos which means rule, strength. Thus, Rule of People.

This leads us to the word Mobocracy which ironically, in a way, also means the Rule of People but with an additional flavor. Basically, these are the same people, which are supposed to make the common society or the public in any country. But due to the additional flavor, they are inherently belligerent. Thus, etymologically speaking, Mobocracy means Rule of Mob or Rule of an unruly crowd. This is probably the best example of the importance letters/alphabets hold in our life. Just a change of four alphabets, changes the meaning of a word from probably the best form of governance(ideally the best at least), to the worse.

Examples

Now as we are clear about the definition of the topic, let us first understand the reasons which incited me to write something about it. As usual, I'd love to provide these reasons with the help of some real life unfortunate examples. Here they are:-

1. In Bihar, three men steal 3 bicycles. Public catches them and with no regard to any law and order, they pierce the eyes of thieves with a screw driver and gouge them out. ( Feeling a Deja Vu? Remember GangaJal movie?)

2. "We liked it, we have no regrets". This is a statement from one of the persons who killed 10 young guys in one night. The village where this incident occurred(again in Bihar) was marred by a history of thefts. This group of around 12 guys was coming from a party. They were all drunk and had a skirmish with the local rickshaw driver. The driver started screaming. Soon, the villagers arrived at the point, misunderstood the boys as a gang of thieves and killed all of them but one. And as they said, they don't have any regret that they killed 11 innocent boys because they were a lot frustrated by those thefts and inaction from the police's side.(Do you think you have a better reason for killing 11 innocent guys?)

3. (This one I found most disturbing.) A pregnant woman (7 month pregnant) and her 16 year old girl were beaten outrageously by the public just on a mere assumption that they had stolen something from the nearby grocery store. Until the police intervened and "caught the thieves" the public had already taken its revenge. No wonder, police didn't find any single stolen thing from the mother-daughter duo. (Now what can one do so that others don't suspect him of any theft? Shall we stop walking near the stores because of the fear that someone someday might steal something from this store and someone somewhere can suspect us of that theft and beat us?) And this one didn't happen in Bihar. It happened in our country's very own capital, DELHI.

There are numerous such examples. Obviously, if we look deep into history, we'll find many such examples. But I'm not talking of the era when we were ruled by the Britishers. I'm talking about last 1-2 years only. The intensity and the frequency of these mob ruled refractory incidents have risen; in fact multiplied.

Every month we can hear in the news channels that public in this part of country has torched several vehicles (remember recent Shab-e-barat incident when 4 Muslim youth coming back after offering prayers were run over by a truck? Result was riots in Agra. Take a look -> . Similarly, in many other cases, the public has created such unwanted conditions.

Now as, with the help of SOME examples, we have seen the reasons behind publishing this article, we shall now move towards the analysis of various factors which contribute to this behavior or we can say that they directly or indirectly create a conducive environment for mobs to disrupt normal life.

Reasons

Following are some of these reasons. (These reasons are not according to any priority/importance. I also accept that there may be many more reasons which are still elusive to me. I request the reader to think and let me know such points.)

1. Political Influences: Now this is a point which doesn't even need a mention; because everything wrong which happens today can be in someway related to politics/politicians, their divisive acts and what not. I don't even need to describe the various ways by which politicians incite the public/specific community against others. One best(or worst I shall say) example of politically incited riots was Gujarat Riots.

2. Lack of faith in the system: Now here the "system" term comprises Judiciary, Police and other administrative bodies whose basic task is to govern at the root level. We shall see how each one of the is responsible for mobocratic behaviors, one by one.

a) Judiciary: According to latest statistics, Indian courts have a backlog of around 2.59 crore cases. If you still don't get it, them let me tell you that this is a humongous value. To this value, you add the acute shortage of around 3000 judges and the two stats together can make anyone pessimistic about future. In some of the states like U.P., average time taken for verdict to come out of a lower court is 8-10 years. So, who will be afraid of committing crimes when you know that you have a timeout of at least 4-5 years(a very optimistic value)? So, when the public starts believing that there's no chance of getting justice through the legal route, they take the matter in their own hand and result is Instant Justice (or Injustice as we saw in the examples presented before.)

b) Police: The most common complains?
-> Police doesn't register a case/FIR.
-> They don't take instant action.
-> They are venal and hence don't pay much attention to complaints of those who ,they think, could not pay them bribe.
-> Police acts according to the ruling politicians and for them.
Here I am not justifying the actions of any mob, but if we just think for a minute, then fitful thefts in any locality will definitely enervate the people. Combine this ire with everyday struggles that the poor have to face and you can really have an emotionally charged, agitated public. What this public can do to save its life/property/money, that is inexplicable.
So, here the role of police becomes important. They shall understand that they are there, not to save and protect the politicians/cricketers/film stars/IT professionals/businessmen only, but to save and protect even a beggar.

c) Other administrative bodies: Their responsibility is to serve the entire region which falls under their ambit, equally. Any disparity in the form of cleanliness, power distribution, water distribution or other requisite services becomes a major factor in agitating the affected.

3. Education: Like many people, I also used to believe that once everyone gets educated, such incidents wont occur. But let me tell you that this is a myth. The reason is that the level and quality of education in India is not such as can educate people against this. In the name of civics, we're taught how the president is elected, how loksabha/RajyaSabha work etc etc. I know that these things are also important; they do add something to the GK of a person and besides that, you shall also know these things especially those which are related to your country. But more importantly, we shall try to make better humans than imparting some good GK in them.

Yesterday only(Date-01/11/07) I saw a news that some lawyers beat the magistrate. Now, what can we say? Can we say that an educated society will eradicate this mobocratic behavior? NO. We'll have to change something which is the core of this behavior. ATTITUDE; that's what we need to develop.

4. Unemployment and Economic disparity: Today I came across an article which was about the need to change the urban planning in our country's capital : Delhi. The article startled me with the facts. It said that bungalows alloted to some of the ministers from the government are situated on plots which are as big as 8 Acres. Now if you dont have info about the land rates in Delhi then let me tell you. Average meter square rate in Delhi is 100000 Rs. or more (in good localities). So, for 1 Acre, it makes it 1Crore Rs and 8 Acre means 8 Crore. If still it doesn't excite you, then let me tell you that this is only plot cost and doesn't include construction costs.
When the public knows such kinds of things, do you think that they will respect the politicians? Public is dying to get one roof over their head, and these people are sleeping on Acres of lands.

"Unemployment". I've included this term just because of some personal observations. Whatever videos of Mob violence I've seen till date, there was one thing common. In each and every video, I could see young people(say youth who are of age in which they shall be working) with an embellished smile/laughter on their face. They face the camera, do something for the camera; in fact,sometimes because of media presence, they go over the top and show some extra fortitude. This youth could be of two types... 1 Rented, 2 Free. Both the types include those who are unemployed. Why would an employed person take part in Mob violence just because someone is paying him for doing so?
Believe me, if all these kids, that we see on TV channels, pelting stones on police, had been employed, they wouldn't have taken part in such violence for fun. It is only because they dont have anything to, they indulge in these types of things(may be to vomit out their own life's frustrations.)


Probable Solutions

1. Acceptance of Malimath Panel Recommendations: The panel had suggested that:

a) The confessions taken by the police officers of the rank of SP and above shall be taken as true.
b) Video recordings of the confessions of the witness shall be taken as a proof so that the witnesses doesn't retract from their statements later on.
etc.
The recommendations are self explanatory and do hold the probability of being highly effective.

2. Constitutional Changes: This is something that we must do in order to reduce the rule of politicians in our country. The idea behind this change is that the politicians nowadays change the constitution according to their needs and that can be very very detrimental to the country. My suggestion is that every change in constitution shall be appropriately supported and scrutinized by the Judiciary. This is a change which will have long term effects rather than the short term ones. (In reference to Pt. 1 in REASONS)

3. Special courts: Some special courts shall be developed just to solve cases related to politicians and police individually. Just like the normal public, politicians and police also enjoy the ineffectiveness of our normal courts. But the effects of their acts are much more heinous and pernicious for the society. If some special courts can be made to solve cases related to these 'special' people, rapidly, then this step will definitely act as a deterrent. (In reference to Pt. 2 in REASONS)

4. Education Changes: Though I hold a view that education alone can not eradicate the scourge named Mobocracy, but, it can nevertheless play a very important role in debilitating it. The reason is that education brings a lot of benefits with itself. It develops character, knowledge and also provides a myriad of opportunities to a person.

But the term education in itself is not sufficient. the actual term shall be Quality Education. Education shall be a process that:
a) Gives you knowledge -> Our current system does provide knowledge.
b) Builds attitude -> Lacking.
c) Foments Social Responsibility -> Absent.

I think that a subject named "Social responsibility" or "Civic Sense" is a must. But there shall not be any written test for this subject. This subject shall not be taught from text books. This should be an attitude/character building subject which teaches students about their responsibility towards other people and how they shall behave in the society.

One good question sprouts up here. the constitution of India is build for people of India. How many of us do know the preamble even? (In reference to Pt. 3 in REASONS)

5. Public Politician: This point as well as the next point is something which can be done in the future and is somewhat hypothetical but I feel that both these points hold a lot of potential.

Just imagine that we get a Prime Minister (PM) who is really active with people. One who really wants the PEOPLE to rule this county rather than a bunch of 'super intelligent' politicians. Suppose that this PM appears once on the national television (either government's channel or a private channel; doesn't matter) every month and

-> Tell people the work done by his government in that month and something which he plans to do in the next month. Something that every company does every quarter.
-> Also, he himself tries to give some really good knowledge about the contitutional rights, constitutional duties etc to the people.
-> He himself tries to give people some insight about the good/bad elements present in the system at that time and also shows them some ways of improving/eradicating those elements.

Don't you think that the public will listen to him? Don't you think that if the PM himself will do these, he will only gain some respect from the public? Don't you think that you yourself will feel "aha he's trying to improve something... at least something"?

Now I am not presenting a situation which is not possible in today's times. But really it is not possible today. The current politicians lack only one thing, WILL. (In reference to Pts. 1 and 3 in REASONS)

6. Use of Technology: The last point (no. 5) also could be covered in this topic as that also used some technology. But here I am talking about some high end technology. Television programs are easier to do than the dream which I am about to present now.

-> Just imagine a 24x7 call center in Delhi acting as a CENTRAL call center. It has a particular phone number... say (011)999.
-> Also imagine a similar call center in every state acting as a NODAL call center. Each of them having a particular phone number for every state. Lets say the format is (STD code of the capital of that state)999.
-> Just imagine that now we have a video camera in every police station in the country. Tough thing but not impossible by any means.
-> Just imagine that these video cameras are accessible through satellite to each of the call centers. Accessible means that they can be operated from those call centers.

-> The idea behind having a combination of 'Call Centers' + 'Video camera access offices' at the same point is this ~~~~ A person1 (Say a very poor farmer of Mumbai) wants to file an FIR against a well known Person2 (having some really good contacts). This P1 calls the number 022999 and asks the operator to switch ON the camera of some police station at place X. The operator does that without the knowledge of the police inspector sitting in the station (No sound shall be made while switching camera ON/OFF). P1 tries to file the FIR but the police inspector doesn't listen to him. CAUGHT!!! We would be having a live footage of the this thing and the police inspector can be punished. If the police officer lodges an FIR but doesn't take action, then also, P1 will be having some proof that the FIR was actually lodged.

-> This idea can be later implemented in all those offices which promulgate corruption and venality.
-> You might say that anyone can turn this OFF or destroy it. Yes they can. But then also, a signal will be sent through satellite to the respective call center and it can be repaired.
-> One important thing is that no sound shall be made while switching the camera ON/OFF. Why do we need to switch it OFF? It eats bandwidth. So, we can not keep them ON forever. We will have to switch them OFF. But the officer shall not be able to know when it is ON or OFF (No red light too on camera PLEASEEEE). He shall always work as if the camera is ON.
-> The idea behind having a CENTRAL Call Center is that in case of overload of a particular NODAL Call Center, the CENTRAL one can be used. Also, in case of doubt on an employee of NODAL Call Center, the CENTRAL one can be used by anyone. (In reference to Pt. 2 in REASONS)

Such solutions will definitely increase the faith of the people in the government and it's actions. At least the public will feel that the government is trying to do something good. This will alleviate some, at least some anger and make them believe that may be the correct path is the path of law.


Conclusion

A simple conclusion is that we have we know the reasons behind Mobocracy and we are capable of eradicating it. All we need is WILL -> WILL to do the change from people and WILL to do the change from government.


Manan Shamihoke

Need for Witness Protection Laws

The topic on which I'm gonna write today, needs the utmost attention if we want to uphold the principles of Equal Social Justice to all.

First of all let me tell you the preface. The incident which incited me to think, feel and write these things.

Yesterday, in the nearby road to our society, a 6 year kid was crushed by a car.
The driver of this car was a 16 year (minor) boy. The car was running
above 80Kmph and the boy couldn't control it. The car rotated (upside
down rotations) in a filmy style and killed that hapless kid. I heard
later in the evening that no case was registered in the police station
against the driver. Reason? He's the son of a Police Inspector. Some
said that he bribed some higher officials so that he could get his son
out of this charge.

Now I dont really know whether the speculation that he's the son of a police inspector is true or not. But that's not the point here. The point is, in incidents where such is the case(the accused is a relative of high profile person or a Police personnel) , then what happens?

In this particular case, if some people get their acts together and then try to report a complaint, they may still succeed in getting the FIR reported. But, then the police will make sure that it makes rest of the life of these people, a hell. We all know how the system works.

This is the reason that we need to introduce something like Witness Protection Laws in our system. While documenting the laws, we had assumed that if a normal person would commit a crime, the police would handle the case adroitly. But what if the police itself is involved in any of the crimes and further, the crime is not such a high profile crime which could be covered by the news channels? We can easily bespeak what the
result would be.

Because of absence of such laws, every witness is fearful of the accused. They think that if a murderer can kill one person, then he can kill two also(which includes the witness). Or worse, they are fearful of the police itself if they think that police might be involved in some of the cases. This prevents the idea of equal justice for all to spread to all the parts of our country. Only if a witness feel that a testimony in the court will not harm him in any case, will he be
ready to be a witness.

I dont know how this article will help in furthering the purpose to get this law documented. But I desire that someday someone read this and get enlightened by the content or leave the content, I want them to see the feelings above the content.

To SRK

Hi SRK,

So, finally the release date of Om Shanti Om is coming near and frankly speaking, the tension is building. Yeah... all types of thoughts moving through mind. How great the film would be? Or will it really be great or just another PBDHH (I wish not). What would be the response of audiences and whether I'll really like it when I'll see it on 9th November (Yeah First day first show in a Multiplex. Ya if the deal doesn't go through, I'll see it even in a single screen theater).

I've been feeling the same tension from past many many years. Every time, one of your movie is up for release, I become tensed. I still remember how many times I prayed to god before reading the reviews of CDI or before even watching that film. Well, it sounds rather unusual, but frankly, I consider all of your films to be my Home Production(weird I know because I dont even have any far relative in the film industry).

But that's the truth. I always want the music and the film to do better than the best and always take care that I contribute to the success. I buy original music of your films even though I have the songs in my iPod(songs downloaded from net). I make sure that for every film of "ours", I BUY at least one ticket, doesn't matter if I see the film or not(this happened for Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. I was in school and exams were coming. So I couldn't see that movie in theater but I bought the ticket :-D). I'd say that even Hey Baby got benefited because of your presence in it.

To say the truth, I dont know why such a fervent Idolatrous behavior. Like with many SRK fans, it isn't the case with me that I dont like other actors' acting. I like Hrithik's, Amir's acting. But when it comes to the favorite actor, No one has ever replaced you and No one can do that also. My feelings for you in the acting department are exactly the same as my feelings in the singing department for Sonu ji (Sonu Nigam ji). There are many many good singers but no one can ever replace him. I personally want to thank you for giving him the Main Agar Kahoon song. After soo soo soo many days I could hear his exceptional voice in such a romantic song.

Finally, I wanna wish you a very very Best of Luck for Om Shanti Om. May god make it the best film of this decade (I won't say best film of your career because practically, it is impossible for any film to surpass DDLJ's records now).

I'm excited, happy because OSO is just 2 weeks away now. But I am sad because OSO is just 2 weeks away now. Yeah... because I read that you are unemployed for next 8 months and so that means that I'll have to wait for long long time to see you again after OSO. I beg you to do some ADs, may be do some The Incredibles type of projects... but please be in touch... FOREVER!!!

Regards,
Manan Shamihoke

Causes of Problems in india

(Please refer to my previous post Problems in India before reading this one.)

As promised...I am back here for the discussion on the ways by which hopefully we can improve our country's condition...

But before that, let us analyze various reasons/causes of this dilapidated condition.

I would request all the readers to add points to these causes if they have and also try to act on removing them (the most necessary thing).

Let me start this case with continuation of the "Problems In India" case...
a) In 2003, the percentage of women of age less than 18Yrs, in all the rape victims of India was a meager 5%. Now, it has increased to 33%.
b) Around 95% of rape victims in India are Illiterate and further... 83% of the total are poor.

These figures clearly point out the most basic cause:1. POVERTY

Many of us may think that how is poverty related to all these things??? lemme explain...Poverty leads(not always, but mostly) to...
1) Unawareness: Those who cant study, how can we expect them to be aware of their basic rights, their power? In many of the cases, police officials are also involved and they protect the culprit by threatening the victim (who's not aware of his/her powers) and thus, the whole matter settles down.
2) Lower Self Image/Belief: This case arrives when the victim is aware but doesn't think that he can make any difference to the system. They themselves think that they wont be able to win the battle against the powerful culprits. No wonder what would be the result of the case if Jessica Lal's sister wouldn't have had the grit and determination which she showed.
3) Stolid Behavior: This case generally comes when the above two cases don't exist. When the poor person is aware of his/her rights and also believes that he can get justice. But then, their voices sometimes fall in deaf ears. We cant deny this as this has happened in the Nithari case.
4) Examples and Expectations: This is the point which deals with the core thing. Why mostly, the poor are the victim? Why does the culprit not attack the literate,wealthy and average guy? I agree that it's because of mentality of the culprit that the poor are less armed than an average guy. But then the other thing could be the Example set by many poor people. There have been cases of parents selling their infant child just for money and many such cases. The culprit thinks that poor people need money and they can do anything for it. This is so only because some poor people have set the example and now it has generated the expectations.

This blog till now was focussed only on the atyachaar on women and SOME causes of it...But that's not the only problem our country faces. There are many...Like these issues which are so quotidian yet so important but we all neglect them as if they don't exist.

a) Why don't we follow any rule??? Why do we cross the red light when it is still red? Why do we not wear helmet when it is mandatory?
b) Why do we still employ under age children to do our household works even when it is not allowed??? Why don't we ourself ask them to study???
c) Why do we, instead of reporting against that person, give him money when he asks for it? Be it the Traffic Police, TTE or anyone. Why don't we raise our voice though we know that it can make an impact???
d) Why the Police personnel have assumed complete power and we also have assumed the same for them?
e) Why have we forgotten that a person is there because of the efforts he has made in his childhood years??? If u didn't do hard work in those years and because of which u r getting less salary afterwards, then whose fault is it? And who shall pay for that fault??? The person responsible for it or the common person?
f) Why does many people divide our country into religions? Are we really a believer of anekta mein ekta??? How many of North Indians are ready to marry their daughter in a South Indian home? Or will any of us happily allow our children to marry a Muslim??? I guess, in most of the cases, the answer is NO. So where's the "unity in diversity"? Many south Indians don't wanna talk Hindi(Our national language) and that's the case with North, West and East too. If we leave that apart, even Tamils and Kannadas are fighting with each other over water. The condition is so horrible that today we can not say that one Indian can definitely understand what the other Indian will say and vice versa. Does this show the image of a healthy nation? Don't you all think that some drastic measures shall or rather must be taken to rectify this??? PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE say YES

There are many more issues as it is said in one of my fav. films "Koi desh Perfect nahin hota, Par use behtar banaya ja sakta hai - Rang De Basanti".


Not everything can be blamed on Poverty only. There are many more causes...

2. Education: Though low/no education is a byproduct of poverty but then it is another concern that those who are educated, are they concerned enough? Is our educational structure good enough?? Does the educated person care for the poor, the society, the country??? Does the education we take from school/colleges really help us? Does it make us all a good citizen? Does it develop that social awareness in us? Again the answer, quite rightly and terribly, is No.

3. Passive Work: Don't you think that mere providing someone with excess money will spoil him if he is not inclined to hard work? That's what's happening here. Quota's are being provided to SCs/STs/OBCs and don't know whom. Will this really help them? No, this will allow them to get used to of no competition and give them easy access to everything and will ultimately spoil them. We're providing the crutches to healthy people and this will definitely not help them. The intention may be good- to help the poor, but the path chosen is not. Similarly, just allocating enough money for education will not do any good if some steps are not taken to restructure the education field because of the cons discussed before. This is the passiveness I am talking about. We all shall be actively involved in everything we do, or else, it will not work and will lead to wastage of money,resources and time.

4. Let Go Attitude: I asked her mom, her and my aunt also, but to my dismay, no one was interested in getting the daughter of my Aunt's servant educated. For all of them it doesn't matter if she studies or not. How many times have we seen this? A guy staring at a gal with salacious eyes, but it doesn't bother the person standing besides her. It's not his job to do something in his regard. A traffic policeman taking bribe in front of thousands, and no one's objecting because it's not his money that is going. A Jessica Lal being killed in front of many people, but suddenly at that very moment, for around 2 min, everyone there became blind and couldn't see the shooter. May be the terrorists also know about this very attitude of us and that's why they were able to successfully bomb 7 trains in a single day and then again one train some months later. They knew that no one is really concerned what the other person is doing here. They knew that everyone will let them go...

The list doesn't end here and I doubt it may never end if I try to write down very cause. But I'd like to see it all vanish in some years. In fact, I would love to see that. I believe that it is possible. We surely have the man power to do every impossible thing in this world. All we need is a proper direction. Proper channelization of the resources is what we need and that's where the young generation can play a big role. They are going for MBA like fanatics. We need some really good management right here. This is the biggest challenge in front of them (and us). The field can never be bigger than this, and WE have to make it better tooooooo.

So friends, that was it from me as far as the Causes of Problems in India is concerned. I know that I might have missed more points than I have mentioned and so I again request the readers to contribute with as much zeal as they put into their own life. After all, this is OUR COUNTRY.

I don't know whether you all want it or not, But I'll be back with the Solutions of Problems in India. That'll take some time.

But do give me some greatttt inputs...

Thanks...
Manan Shamihoke

Problems In India???

"Aandhiyon se jhagad rahi hai Lau meri...
Ab Mashalon Si Badh rahi hai lau Meri..."

We all have enjoyed that... Enjoyed the movie we call RDB (Rang De Basanti). Some were even stirred and moved by the shear idea presented so beautifully and efficaciously in the movie.

How many actually acted?

How many even thought of doing something?

"Yeh Jo Des Hai Tera...
Swades hai tera...
Tujhe Hai Pukaara...

We all felt motivated. Again partly stirred by the idea that a normal person too can contribute to the society and stii do wonders. Many resolved that they'll rather "Light their own house than the neighbour's house".

How many people have you seen coming back to their own country not because they themselves were fed up of the life in the foreign coutry but because they wanted INDIA to prosper, they wanted to render their services to their Matru Bhumi?

I know it is discouraging but I think that the answer to all questions belonging to this gamut is NONE.

Since the Independence Era has ended, our country has seen only promises,resolutions and talks and more talks and still more talks...

Only a few examples are avaliable whose prime focus was not a political party, a particular religion or a particular constituency, but, INDIA.

And still the most unfortunate thing is that these examples are not contemporaneous. Many of them are from the time when India broke off its umbilical cord and emerged as an indipendent nation trying to stand on its own amnong many other countries.

Today, this very India of ours is just not what someone like Bapu or Bhagatya (Bhagat Singh) or many other freedom fighters wanted it to be. No doubt that the nation ,the economy, the GDP and many other things are booming. But the moral soundness, the integrity , the feelings and the emotional soundness in people is depleting day after day. To support this allegation of mine I'm ashamed to mention a few examples. (In order to maintain the severity of the situation, I had to write these experiences of others without any modification. Please bear with me if you find some words obscene.)

- A young girl travelling by the local train can't even have a quite ride. And it is so because of other
people surrounding her. The person sitting next to her, a not too old fellow (aging somewhere between 40 and 50), but certainly old enough to match the age of the girl's father starts talking to her. He presents himself in such a manner that he's like a fatherly body to this gal.

After some introduction, comes the real intention. He asks the gal to "come over to his house for lunch". The girl couldn't believe her ears but had to contend with the daunting situation. She couldn't stand and chide that person in front of everyone ( You know Indian gals... they just dont want to create a scene many a times). All she could manage was a NO.

I know the girl is at fault here. Just imagine if she had scolded the person in front of everyone, I bet he wouldn't have dared to do this to any other gal in future. But that would have created a scene. And so the
gal didn't do anything. But the more important thing is that noone else who was there in the bus objected to this type of salacious behaviour of that person. Just because she wasn't their child, it didn't affect them. It shows the depth up to which our hearts have become hollow.

Nothing and absolutely nothing can move us to take charge and handle or at least try to improve the situation.

- In another such incident, another gal travelling by the state transport bus couldn't have a quite ride. No!!! This is not because of the dilapidated condition of the ST bus as you could've thought She also had to face a similar situation (may be even worse). Because of the huge space available in the buses, comparatively more people travel standing than sitting. The lack of space along with the deteriorated condition of the bus were given as "reasons" behind his act by the person doing it.

The girl, tired from her work was sitting calmly. Her fault this time was that she couldn't get the window seat and had to manage with the seat beside the common path. Feeling extremely hazy, she finally dozed off just to find herself awake after some time by an extremely lascivious act from the person standing besides her in the common path.Because this blog is not meant to be an erotica, I'd use plain and direct language.)

That grubby person was actually rubbing his penis lightly on her shoulders from outside but a slightly major push made her awake. The reasons as I stated before also were "Lack of space and vibrations produced by the wrecked bus".

Do you really think that was the case? And do you really think that, that person really didn't intend to do what he was doing but the matter was out of his hands? Well I think no matter how many reasons he gave; they were all bull's shit.

Now, after reading these real life examples, do you really think that the Indian Society is heading towards a better future? Don't you think that such persons shall be chastised publicaly? (All guys, PLEASE say YES).

Don't you think that the time to come will be gloomy for Indian ethics, society and culture?

Be them the girls, who didn't want to create the scene or the rest of the people who had nothing to do with those ignominious incidents, we all are becoming more and more impassive to everything. But we surely can raise the standars of our society. We surely can prove that we are really active citizens rather than the passive ones.

But where the problem is? And what are the solutions of these problems?

That I will try to cover in the next blog...I know I cant solve this situation right on but at least I can try

So Stay Tuned...

Manan Shamihoke