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Showing posts from July, 2017

EDITOR'S COLUMN

Friends, With July ushering, monsoon would have truly arrived. June that just went away, did have fair amount of rain in most parts of the country. Surely coastal region did have copious rain, though intermittently. It is true Maharashtra, Mumbai, Pune included, did not have it as yet. It is hoped clouds may go burst early July. Hope it does. Met men have been optimistic that overall it will be a normal monsoon. Month that went by saw the World Environment Day on 6th. Symbolism is the name of the game. Usual tree planting and speeches kept the print media filled with pictures, showing the apparent concern without truly understanding the significance of the day. Mumbaikar’s are privy to the scene of massive deforestation/tree cutting making way for Metro. This is how the so-called development is destroying the existing green cover. Story is same all over. Donald Trump, refusing to accept the Paris climate accord is only going to make things worse for the world. 1st July is expecte...

MONTH-IN-PERSPECTIVE

Kashmir: “Police officer beaten to death outside mosque” is to-day’s (24/6/2017) headline in most newspapers across India. It happened in the problem state of Jammu&Kashmir. Deputy Suptt of Police Mohd Ayub was reportedly stripped and stoned to death by a mob of slogan shouting group of people. The officer was reportedly clicking pictures near Srinagar’s historic Jamia Masjid, and those who attacked him were mostly worshippers who had come for the night long prayer- Shab-e-Qadr. What a thing to do in the holy month of Ramadan! He was on security brief and was only doing his duty. At the most his camera could have been snatched from his hand, which too is illegal anyway. But unfortunately crowd thought he is a non-Muslim. An eye witness reportedly had said “Everyone believed that he was a non-Muslim intelligence officer who intended to capture the faces of protesters. His clothes were ripped apart. He was beaten to death.” So, if you are non-Muslim you can be killed in Srinagar...

What They Said

I have been a subscriber of your publication “Issues & Concerns”, for the last several years. I must complement you for maintaining its standard, continuously, for the last 17 years. I have never missed your Critique “Month-in-Perspective”, Dr. Hegde’s free and frank speak-out on Medicine and medical practitioners, and Late M.V. Kamath’s tit-bits. I am enclosing herewith my Cheque for `10,000/- for your magazine “Issues&Concerns”.           – Justice Hosbet Suresh, (Retd. High Court), Mumbai We deeply appreciate the time taken to write the letter of appreciation. So also your participation as a permanent member. The receipt of `10,000/- is hereby acknowledged.                         -Editor Your magazine has highlighted some of the PUC toppers of poor family background with an appeal to its readers to help those students to continue their studies. I do appreciate I&C for its concer...

FOCUS

Hamaari “MANN KI BAATH” 3 years of Modi Govt J.Shriyan An aged political warhorse from the Congress stable fighting his political irrelevance of his twilight years had reportedly remarked, reacting to the first radio programme of PM Modi, ‘Mann ki Baath’, as ‘Monkey Baath’. It was almost 3 years ago. Now that, this octogenarian is, kind of, lost in the political wilderness and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is busy rewriting the electoral relevance by spreading his party the BJP across most parts of India. Whatever those who suffer from pathological hatred of Narendra Modi, it is a fact that this is indeed a ‘Social Revolution on Radio’. The programme has been well received by the target audience, especially the urban masses in metropolitan cities across India. Even rural folks have taken a liking to it that they can hear the Prime Minister of the country first hand on various initiatives and thoughts of the central government. This was clearly a unique way that Narendra Modi t...

FEATURE

Homo altruisticus- my anubhooti. Prof. B. M. Hegde, hegdebm@gmail.com Vernon Smith and Daniel Kahneman, of the famous Chicago University, wrote an experimental study paper on their “scientific “study at the Chicago Stock Exchange of human honesty. They demonstrated that all humans are hardwired to be altruistic and basically very good. The Nobel Committee did not waste time to give them the Nobel Prize in 2002 for economics. John Little, a young but brilliant professor  of the same University, repeated the same experiment without daily watching what people did and showed that while not being watched, everyone cheated everyone. He wrote a paper in the same journal on Homo Economicus which demonstrated that greedy people threw honesty into the thin air when monetary benefit was involved. Truth is bitter and can only influence half a score of men in a century while falsehood and mystery will drag millions by the nose. Even the Nobel committee goes by falsehood and mystery...

GLIMPSES OF PLURAL INDIA

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VISION OF PERMANENCE

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The above cheques represent the permanent subscription from 3 more of our readers. While thanking these gentlemen for the trust reposed in the integrity of Issues&Concerns, we most humbly submit that, this amount of `10,000/- is being planned as seed money for a proposed setting up of co-operative society of subscribers. So that readers become the owners of I&C in due course.  As and when it happens, within the next 2/3 years, this amount shall be taken as share capital. The proposal is open to all subscribers.            -EDITOR

SERIAL : 10

THE PERSISTENCE OF CASTE The Political Economy of Atrocities The Shaping of The Macabre Spectacle Dalit Political Dismemberment In the rallying of the Backward Classes, additional motivation was provided by resentment of the perceived rise of the rural dalit. The process of consolidation of the new agrarian social structure thus contained within it an added dynamic of oppression, resistance and violence. With the formation of anti-Congress parties built on a peasant, shudra constituency, conflicts between BCs and dalits, resulting from the practice of violent forms of untouchability, intensified in rural areas across the country. To draw on Srinivasulu again: The new dominant social classes consistently resisted, refusing to allow any change in the lives of the labouring classes. Any assertion on the latter's part was suppressed, with the resources available to these dominant agrarian classes being used to this end. This political economy of agrarian change provides a ...

FEATURE

All Women Patrol Squad  drive fear into hooligans Anita and Sushila are members of India’s first all-women patrol squad in Udaipur, Rajasthan, that is conscientiously maintaining a vigil at places frequented by women and girls – schools, colleges, malls and other public spaces – to provide them with a sense of safety and confidence. A month into service and these smart cops are already making heads turn with their smart uniforms and even smarter police moves. The patrolwomen of Udaipur are working towards transforming public opinion and they are doing it rather well. It’s a quiet morning for Anita Kumari, 30, and her partner, Sushila Jiloya, 24, till Anita’s mobile phone device crackles to life informing her of a distress call from a teenage girl. As soon as they receive the complaint – a Class 12 girl is being harassed by a boy who wants to get ‘friendly’ – the duo take down her contact particulars, hop on to their bike and set off to meet her in person. A frank talk with...