Sacrificing children for freedom

In ancient times sacrificing children was a common practice among many civilizations; sometime back I was watching a program in TV about children sacrifice by Incas (referred to as Capacocha. Aztecs and Mayans are also documented). They explained the process in detail, since the victims were taken to top of mountain they suffered from high altitude sickness, followed by hallucinations and so on. Later the bodies were mummified. In short it was miserable, quite horrifying. Even now some cults indulge in child sacrifice in India too, to propitiate. Greed is the main driving force. I gather these have reached to an alarming level in some part of Africa; children are kidnapped for sacrifice associated with black magic. Indeed the detail shown in one of the TV program on this was shocking.  

We can dismiss these as primitive but when a society proud itself as land of free, and values its liberty so much that it doesn’t stop to gloat over its way of life, we know the problem is within. Ideals are undoubtedly good and provide a basis for just, but stretching it to an absurdity is where it becomes tool in the hand of vested interests.  Freedom is sacrosanct so is respecting life. Gun culture breaches both. It is a threat to freedom and life. The oft quoted argument that it is not the gun that kills but the person is rather stupid. A person cannot simply cause grievous injury to so many people in such short time without a gun. It becomes a massacre because it doesn’t give victims a chance to escape, it finishes in few minutes if not seconds. Individuals become numbers in an instance. That makes it horrific. Further a person needn’t be psychotic. After such major incidents the media goes overdrive on analyzing psychology of perpetrator, and ends up finding that he is just another human being!! It is normal for people to have ups and downs. But when one is down, the culture of violence providing plausible option is a concern of society. What makes it grievous in USA is availability of gun as instant retribution therefore completing the cycle of madness.  A madness that may have subsided if was given some time, a space for better thoughts and judgment. In this world of instants guns have made it dangerous, it has perpetuated the culture of violence. 

What is ridiculous about Americans is that they are making guns as symbol of freedom. Possessing guns is equated to sovereign right. Clearly for equality to flourish, in such a society, everybody should have guns!! It goes by the notion of right for self protection. Amazing is it not the way you can stretch arguments. I shudder to even be part of such a society. Then there is argument on tradition. It doesn’t need a genius to understand that tradition that harms a section of society or goes against just is generally supported by powerful few. When scrutinized, one finds that these traditions have history of oppression and misery. Guns (and hunting, pro life!) are traditions of white Americans specifically from south where slave trade was common practice. It was meant to control black slaves. Animals came low in that order. Now that they have understood that blacks too are humans, and so cannot be killed so randomly, they are taken of the list. Hapless animals are still a ‘game’ (I take strong exception to the use of wildlife sanctuary as game park and animals as games. A naturalist in Taj safari mentioned they use words like ‘game drive’. Amazing colonial left overs. TATA too!!), a stricter view on animal rights will see hunting as heinous. In the meantime trigger crazy Americans can fight for justice in Afghanistan. 

So again there is a sacrifice in the altar of high freedom. Little children are offered to propitiate gods of guns. We are seeing people hugging each other and sobbing, distraught people trying to fathom the loss. For the people around the world this American culture of sacrificing children for higher ideals of possessing guns seems appalling but for Americans (and too many parts across the world where lawlessness has increased, including Delhi) these are part of esteemed culture, hugging each other is post sacrificial ritual. 

Everything said and done these societies are so polarized (thanks to two party system) that you will never have a meeting point. Again it will be rigid posturing, grand standing, insinuations…while innocent people get killed. Thank god we are not like Americans. Gun culture breeds violence and is an uncivilized way of dealing with situation. Guns are not symbol of freedom for sane people. It is a reflection of sick society cannibalizing itself. God please bless America!      

Its déjà vu in horrible Delhi

Delhi doesn’t change. It might have got a veneer of sophistication. Things have become so costly, that one wonders is it all meant to keep the outsiders out? The gap between the rich and poor has grown astoundingly in last decade or so.  And the rich mostly are not really because of any talent, it is placement and connection, indeed if you have a property in Delhi you can easily be a millionaire, without having moved your ass a centimeter in last many decades. If you have more property then you go to the next level of building clout. With some manipulation you could be ridiculously rich. Then you are Ponty Chadda!!...and then kill your brother and get killed!!  

Delhi remains disgustingly crude place. People use abusive words so commonly and blatantly that it takes few weeks to not get affected by it. I get to hear it every few minutes, I am trying to get used to it. The attitude of richer section is one of the worst, who seem to exist with a single aim to accrue. And then there are these bleeding hearts with mouth open for big licks. It is very difficult to trust people here.

The latest in Delhi is the gang rape of a girl in a bus. It couldn’t be horrific. She was severely mutilated, the depravity is astounding. It’s a déjà vu for me since when I landed in Delhi about 15 odd years back, it had similar instance of a girl being attacked in an empty DTC bus. She fought back and broke her leg in the process. She I guess was appointed into Delhi police. I was listening to some discussion in TV (it is a travesty to call it a discussion) wherein a woman –south Delhi posh colony types –was saying that she has all the right to walk in the streets of Delhi in the midnight wearing spaghetti (?!!). And yes I too have all the right to stick thousand rupee currency notes on my face and walk around mean streets of karol bagh in the dead of the night and expect scoundrels to admire my dressing sense. Get real. These are the people who trivialize the issue. They like to instigate and then play victim. While common people struggle and are exploited. The elite section in India, in particular in Delhi, will never have to face these harassments or god forbid heinous crimes. They only play surrogate for own benefit. The chatter boxes will chatter, for they are working on their little life. They will show their face for the camera and move on. It is the common people who will have to face the harsh realities. And I guess each one should know where to draw a line, and realize where the danger is. Authorities are severely stretched, and cannot be present in every nook and corner. We have to go by our instinct. And yes sometimes we get it wrong, and in case of females they sometimes pay heavy price. Some people are unfortunate to slip in the cracks of society into crevice. Some may be brave to fight back and survive, some just vanish. There are so many people vanishing everyday from streets of Delhi. Maybe that is why Indians are such fatalists. I guess the elite section has never been responsible (ever wonder why they don’t initiate police reforms?). There has never been egalitarian framework for mobility. It is the neo brahminical context; the aspiration model itself is flawed. It is based on wiliness that is steeped in the garb of tradition. Everything seems to be working for exploitation and squeeze, capitalism seem to have given legitimacy to wantonness. There really is not much culture here. For majority this is the harsh reality. If you are weak then you had it. If you are vulnerable you will be exploited. Expect no mercy. People like crude woman will do cameo act in TV channels but you really are doomed, there aren’t any support system. There are too many entrenched people who will not allow the system to change. Rape victims, like victims of major crimes, really are doomed. With low conviction rate and delayed judicial system (where lawyers are experts in the art of delaying) India really is horrible place for common people.    

condolence

How are Indians cheap labours?

I happen to listen to Kapil Sibal in the Parliament during the FDI debate. He says the advantage India has is “its cheap labour”. Therefore more people will be employed, so wherein –we are told- in Switzerland a Company will be able to afford to employ only few people, the same Company is expected to employ more in India. The reason being we are having ‘cheap labour’. This will increase employment opportunities. Indeed we are incessantly fed by all kinds of ‘experts’ and economists that ‘cheap labour’ is India’s major advantage for attracting investment.

What makes Indian labour cheap? Concurrently I am also forced to think what makes a labour in Switzerland or Denmark expensive? The work they perform are same, the duration is also same. Apparently the competence and qualification are same. There doesn’t seem to be any difference. So why are we cheap? It’s quite clear that difference is matter of geography. How this then globalization? We are being fed (quite vociferously bordering belligerence) that we cannot live in isolation in a globalised world. We have to integrate with the world. It is getting clear that this integration is for the benefit of the few. As Corporate finds it increasingly easy to hop from one nation to another recruiting cheap labour, therefore maximizing profit, a citizen (from poorer countries) find it increasingly difficult to migrate. Visa restrictions have increased. It is also wishful thinking that Corporate would recruit more, they aren’t bound to.

In a more civilized understanding (which some economist may miss) these kind of classification of people as cheap labour is exploitation. Indeed it is a grievous matter and violation of right of equality in the globalised world. It is violation on basic rights of dignity and equal compensation for equal work. It is startling that countries like Denmark find themselves on the top of corruption free world, wherein people earn with minimal of effort while across the world people struggle to earn miniscule for the same effort.  This is discrimination and surely that is a form of corruption. 

The argument here is that since we are cheap therefore corporate will move here and so the pricy westerners will have to reduce their value or suffer. But that doesn’t seem to be the case as governments in US and Europe are actively pursuing to stop this slide. Indeed if people don’t earn they will not spend therefore the system will collapse. Sounds logical but it still doesn’t explain why people in poor societies are cheap despite being qualified and talented. So are we to assume that if you belong to poorer society then you are to be cheap. While a person in Denmark serving in a hotel will earn much more than most software engineers in India.    

In a globalised world capitalism need to refine itself, and not become tool of exploitation by few in the name of investment and employment. People in poorer societies are desperate, the reason why it is important that their rights need be protected. The monetary system seems to be carrying the legacy of colonialism. Capitalism seems to be having some structural issue that is fueling discrimination. The whole concept of cheap labour reeks of feudalism. Wonder what ILO has to say about ‘cheap labour’. 

Pro-life is about celebrating life

It is shocking the way some societies are polarized. It needs a tragedy to make us aware how primitive some societies are. We thought they are ‘developed’ countries.    It also brings into focus how literacy may not be about education. How democracy may not be about real choices of liberty and freedom but about market and products. What is true about Ireland is also very much a reality in US. It is shocking some retrograde thoughts even find mention (like the one on rape, to think that someone will even entertain such thoughts itself is amazing, that he is a senator makes it incredible, what’s more the party leadership found it difficult to distance!), there is something really wrong with Republican Party. The run up to recent elections in US has shown what is grievously wrong with two party system and what is debated may not be about finding solution or understanding but about deep rooted prejudices that get further consolidated. At least that way India is better off, there are fringe elements alright but overall the mainstream majority isn’t that polarized.  It is in nature of societies (even each human) to be multilayered rather than This Vs That.  Life generally isn’t about choices that are extremes; it is much subtle -that indeed is determined by various factors, circumstances and choices. 

Consensual sex between two adults is a private matter that shouldn’t be anybody’s business. Not in US of A, they have to resign from their job!! It is a sin of order one. The delicate family values seem to be hinged on it. Family also seems to be an important reference in election speeches. They hug each other, they kiss and pat on the back. This is democracy in action.  Such amazing hypocrites. Sometime back Tiger Wood was seen begging for forgiveness. It seems these are moral issues and person’s character is hinged to these. What kind of people are these? The more you know the so called developed countries the more you realize there is something seriously wrong.

When a woman begs for her life and the reply she gets is: it isn’t in our religion (though they have all the modern technology to save a life) it isn’t our law. What we see is sediments of barbarism these societies were known for. And the audacity to call themselves pro-life! Prolife is about choices. Prolife is about loving life in its entirety. It is not about creating misery for others. It is also about showing concern for future, of humankind and the action we take. Prolife is necessarily about compassion and interpreting religious texts in that light. Yes an unborn baby also has rights but that right is in context of the body of the woman/mother. A woman has the final right/say to decide on her body, anything otherwise is imposition. It seems for long woman’s body is the battleground for moral values (and virtue, of course). It is amazing that these primitive world views still exist that too in so called developed world. What kind of world is this? I am finding it difficult to comprehend.

European Union needs to explain why Ireland is a member or whether it is worthy enough to continue as a member. In this context Nobel committee need also explain what criteria they keep when deciding awards. A member country of an organization that is awarded Nobel peace prize has such primitive world view is matter of grievous concern. We protest.

From my scribble pad 

The other side of life

is where the star shines the brightest

it needs darkness to light

it needs pain to joy.

Death’s little steps

is in life’s daily bloom.    

In Delhi

City never invites or say hello

It just sucks you in

Tossed, shed into corner

Probably that is life

It really cannot be different

Troubled breaths can narrate

Another tale.

That’s the way city is

There aren’t listeners

only onlookers.    

Welcome...

UN has declared today as world Malala day!!!

let the flowers bloom....

good for Americans, good for America, and good for the world

.....is it really good for the world, when the invocation is 'God bless America'?!

Post script: Could you believe Obama getting re-elected has led to increase in gold price in Kerala !!!. This society is incorrigibly sick, and they are spreading its sickness to other part of the country too through gold showrooms. Feels like puking. The worst study case is rich people wedding, it has everything that is shocking.

Earlier last month I happen to attend the Biodiversity meet at Hyderabad, and came across this precocious kid –who happens to be a Malayalee. He has painted many breeds of Indian cattle in an effort to make people aware of the diversity and need for conservation. Children like these gives us hope for future. Bravo to that!!