Freedom of Expression!

"Take again section 124A of Indian Penal Code" Jawahar Lal Nehru said. "Now as far as I am concerned that particular section is highly objectionable and obnoxious and it should have no place in an body of law that we might pass" Unfortunately it remains in the statute book and is used time and again by those who are  powerful and wealthy. Article 124a of the Indian Penal code states that whoever  by words either spoken or written or by sign or visible representation or otherwise brings or attempts to bring into hatred or contempt or excites or attempts to excite disaffection towards the government established by law shall be punished with imprisonment to which fine may be added.

The million dollar question here is that how does one define sedition ? Prior to independence Mahatama Gandhi was arrested on charges of sedition by the British Government. He even said"Affectation cannot be created or regulated". The Indian Constitution believes that people in India have the right to express their concern and protest against what they find unacceptable. If the protestors are slapped with the charges of sedition for expressing their concern or rejecting a belief it defeats the purpose of democracy outrightly.

In the present scenario the charges of sedition are being slapped on cartoonist and individuals who voiced their opinion on internet.The incarceration of cartoonist Aseem Trivedi for incitiing disaffectation is bizzare. Some of his cartoons might have been of bad taste but nowhere they incite disaffectation.The arrest of cartoonist Binayak Sen affirms that our politicians need to learn how to take humour in good taste. The businees of the cartoonist is to use an established image and add his personal opinion to it.

The misuse of the law does not limit itself to journalist or cartoonist . Even the bourgeois has not been spared.The incarceration of two women from Mumbai for their comment on Bal Thakery is latest in the incidents.The comment did not criticize Mr. Thakrey or his supporters .It just expressed it's displeasure over the fact that a bandh had been observed on he death of Mr Thakrey.This remark was neither derogatory nor seditious but the complaint filed against the girl said that the remark had hurt religious sentiment. Well if this is the case then any remark made by anyone could hurt anybody's feeling .Then it all boils down to one simple thing that we are not allowed to comment or express our disapproval of  anything related to an iconic figure.
The updated rules for the cyber cafe make it difficult for them to operate as they have to see that it is not used for illegal activities.Certain abstract terms such as "obscene " are left to the interpretation of the user .The internet companies are being asked to screen the material being posted by the users.Considering the number of users of internet in India this seems to be an impossible task.The companies have been asked to shift their servers to India so that they can be effectively monitored.Such efforts try to control and restrict the innovation in internet . It controls the growth of internet.India is one of the biggest democracy in the world and in a few years the number of internet users would surpass those of USA hence we must be a model for others to follow. If we continue to restrict freedom of speech other countries would see it as a precedent to carry out their actions.

RIGHT TO OPPORTUNITY!

   

India has entered to make education a constitutional right .The act cam to force on 1 April 2010

The RTE act looks forward to:

1)Provide elementary education to all children between the age of 6 to 14.

2)It confers the responsibility of providing free education upon local authorities and government.

3)It lays down norms ding pupil teacher ratio, infrastructure,teacher working hours .

4)It prohibits a) physical punishment b) mental harassment c)screening procedures for admission d)capitation fee e) private tuition by teacher e) running schools without recognition.

Pitfalls in the act:

1) The act provides free education up to the age of 14 but it is oblivious of the predicament   that a disadvantaged child will suffer after he/she has studies in an elite school. How will he/she will be able to cope up with a school below par .They would feel dismayed, crestfallen and beguiled.Moreover the act does not talk about the education of the child before six.

2)It confers the responsibility of imparting free education on local authorities which might pave way for corruption .The schools which ought to be recognized by these local authorities might have to grease their palms failing which they might lose their licence

3) The prerequisites for a school to get recognized are not pragmatic  Schools sans playground cannot be recognized .At present time when land prices have shot up this is like asking for moon. There are thousands of unrecognized schools running in the country.They provide education to poor children who cannot afford an elite school.The stringent rules place good and bad unrecognized schools under the same radar.A large number of schools will  get closed due to this which will be a huge setback for the implementation of the act.

4)The act does not define the teaching standard which is a huge blow to the act itself.Talking about infrastructure and playground but not about teaching standard is like a movie with huge sets but no screenplay.

A dream of educated India cannot be fulfilled just by providing 25 percent reservation in elite schools.It needs something more than that.Government should try to incorporate private schools which are not able to fulfill the prerequisites help them raise  their standard and incorporate them into the formal system..Moreover the upper limit of the age should be up to eighteen.The  Government should be far sighted when it comes to such issues.

HOW MANY GIRLS DID WE KILL TODAY??

tA lot has been said and written about female infanticide but being a girl provokes me to write and express my concern about it.Some things that I am going to say have already been said but it need to be reiterated time and again as those words fell on deaf ears.

The horrendous crime was initially committed in the form of female infanticide when science was innocuous and ultrasound had not made its way into the infirmary.But when laws  made it arduous and technology coupled with acrimony made it cinch for the perpetrators to  fulfill their desires it was then when some from the medical fraternity decided to cash the occassion .This was in 1980s. Sonography had made its way in the hospitals and  "culprits" received salvation in pathology. 

The reasons for this are  cited below:

1)Dowry: The insurance paid by the parents to the groom's family to secure a haven for their daughter have  culminated into a practice of ending this liability before it could afflict their financial status. After all "Prevention is better than cure".

2)Hum do Hamare do:Since  the management decided to curb the population growth in India  the notion changed from "HUM DO HAMARE DO" to "HUM DO HAMARE DO LADKE".After all the society desirous of male child would not let a notion mitigate their intent.Hence their discretion was that if their could be just "do" it should be "do ladke" .

Old Age Security: The institution of marriage in countries like India states that the post marriage the better halves should be punctilious towards their in-laws . Such customs imbue people with a desire of male child who could be their support in their last days on earth.

 Needless to say  this praxis spread like fire in woods.It went unheeded till Maharashtra government took cognizance of the fact and enacted a law the Regulation of the Use of  Prenatal Diagnostics Act. Following this, the governments of Punjab, Gujrat and Haryana passed similar laws.Similar efforts at the national level resulted in the enactment of the Central pre-natal diagnostic technique (Regulation and the prevention of misuse) Act 1994.The object of the Act is to prevent the misuse of such techniques for the purpose of pre-natal sex determination leading to female feoticide.In 2001 , a PIL was filed with the Supreme Court.The Supreme Court directed the states to enforce the PNDT Act. It also directed nine companies to provide the details of the ultrasound machines sold to clinics in last five years.It also asked medical associations sich as the Indian Medical Association to furnish the details.

Only in 2002 , eight years after the PNDT act was passed that the Medical Council of India authorised under section 23(2) of the Act to take action against any erring medical practitioner - recognized undertaking sex-determination test with the intent to kill the foetus.Manufacturers of ultrasound machines are now required to sell their products only to registered clinics. 

The question is how do you comprehend the intent of the medical practitioners and the  perpetrators involved . The medical practitioners are to be penalized for such heinous offences. But to my knowledge there are hardly (or rather no) any cases of de-registration and criminal prosecution. This is being done in packages:ultrasound followed by abortion .It is being done in broad daylight in states like Punjab ,Haryana and Maharashtra.

IIt is not the legislature but the executive that needs to pull its socks up.The quintessence of this is South Korea. Few years back it was in the same social predicament but stricter enforcement of laws , where in 1991 eight physians in Seoul had their liscences suspended ,had a deterrent affect on other physicians. .In the following year the sex ratio fell from 117 to 113 suggesting that punitive measures are effective.
The fallout of this practice are conspicuous in the society in which we subsist:

PROSTITUTION: It will result in the intensification of prostitution. A colossal number of males have reached their reproductive age.The unbalanced sex ratio does not let them do away with their single tag. These  legion then embrace this path culminating in expansion of this industry . The after effects are increased women trafficking and coercion. 

POLYGAMY:Reduction in the number of females is resulting in the practice of polygamy.States like Haryana where men are in their 30's prefer such practice. Girls from outside the state are purchased and they are forcefully married to male members of the family.They are physically abused by all of them .If their are five male members in the family the girl is assaulted at the hands of all the five members.She commands no respect and she can be abandoned at their will.

Crime against women:The girls that survive have to face challanges throughout their life.They live under  the impression that they are weak and they should be obliged to their parents for the life given to them. Even if parents are supportive they have to face the society oustide home.They are an eye-candy for big boys .Eve teasing has become the norm of the day. It has become part and parcel of the society.Passing nasty comments is considered to be a birth right by boys. Rape ,Gang rape, women trafficking are increasing at an alarming rate and surprisingly instead of blaming the customs of the society or the etiquette of the boys  we suggest girls to behave like a demure.We live in a society where we teach girls not to get raped instead of teaching boys not to rape . We are slaves of the age old thinking that boys are bound to misbehave which we cannot change.
We are a part of the male dominated society and we cannot expect justice from males . If we want justice and respect we have to bring ourselves in a position that we can demand justice . Respect is to be earned not begged.We talk of women empowerment but time has come when we need to act upon the belief of which we have so strongly spoken .  
SOLUTION:

EDUCATION:Education is to women what moksha is to seer.Just like a seer that spends his life looking for a window that will take him to the divine world where there is no fear women of this generation need that window of education which will take them in a world where there is no humiliation.This grave step will release all the female souls that are yet to arrive in this temporal world of the derogatory position they hold now.

SELF DEFENCE: An aphorism that we read as toddlers says"God love those who love themselves".But as it is said that all that is achieved easily is taken for granted so is the quote.In Mahabharata when Draupadi stressed her vocal chords and echoed "Krishna" God himself came as a savior but this strategy will not work now.We cannot depend on omnipotent omnipresent almighty to save us from the perils of the society.We need to stand up for our own rights . Enough has been said about the physical power of the girls.We might not be as strong as boys but we can make ourselves capable  by learning sum martial arts. This will boost our confidence.
There is no sure shot method but there is definitely a hope that someday this will change.

Lets not this praxis tarnish our culture which always respected women revered them worshiped them not only as deities but also in the form of a mother .Lets not put a full stop to a mother in making by ending her life in the womb .Lets give her a chance to be someone's sister someone's better half someone's friend . Can you imagine a world without women??? How it would be ? How would a painting look like it it is filled with just one colour ?Let all the colours mix, that gives them a purpose ,that gives the painting a meaning .