This post would be a sort of a tribute to the two editorials I came across in two newspapers. One in Times Of India (yes, surprisingly!!) and the other in Hindustan Times.
One about a woman who has been on a hunger strike for six years fighting for respect, dignity and a life worthy of a citizen of India and another concerning the judiciary system of India and how it is unfortuantely playing into the hands of mass appeasement of the publich thirst for vengeance.
In this post I will talk about the former.
Irom Sharmilla is a woman from Manipur - a state torn apart by continuous conflict which has led the Indian government to impose the ASPA, which basically gives the Army a freehand to monitor every aspect of life at Manipur.
While almost invariably in cases of human rights the armyman is at the receiving end of the pseudo humanist, who ridiculously voice their support for the same set of people who aid, abett terrorism both directly and indirectly - in this specific instance it can be said and not without reason that they have erred. Had it been a case of an ambush of a group of people for security reasons or even for that matter carrying out an operation against seemingly innocent people,however irrational it may sound, it would still be acceptable.
What is not acceptable is the violation of women, sexual exploitation, and total disregard for the very citizens and the structure of the society which they are sent to uphold.
I, for one, believe that the degree of civility or the moral advancement of a society is indicated by the position of women in that society. Whether the right of a woman is perceived as equal to that of a man, whether a woman is looked upon as an object of sexual merriment or just another citizen and whether she is not been discriminated against just because she is a woman - all of these are vital parameters for any civilized nation to judge itself. In spite of India's resurgence in areas of trade and commerce and a continuously expanding high-disposable-income Indian middle class, as a country we are probably taking two steps back for every forward step taken.
Irom Sharmilla has fought for the last six years. If she lives for the next six, she is going to die anyways. But she has shown what it takes to take on an establishment which enjoys a hallowed position in our minds and 543 parlamentarians without resorting to any kind of violence and only with the faith, that some day, we might, just might uphold the basic right of civilization - freedom.
One about a woman who has been on a hunger strike for six years fighting for respect, dignity and a life worthy of a citizen of India and another concerning the judiciary system of India and how it is unfortuantely playing into the hands of mass appeasement of the publich thirst for vengeance.
In this post I will talk about the former.
Irom Sharmilla is a woman from Manipur - a state torn apart by continuous conflict which has led the Indian government to impose the ASPA, which basically gives the Army a freehand to monitor every aspect of life at Manipur.
While almost invariably in cases of human rights the armyman is at the receiving end of the pseudo humanist, who ridiculously voice their support for the same set of people who aid, abett terrorism both directly and indirectly - in this specific instance it can be said and not without reason that they have erred. Had it been a case of an ambush of a group of people for security reasons or even for that matter carrying out an operation against seemingly innocent people,however irrational it may sound, it would still be acceptable.
What is not acceptable is the violation of women, sexual exploitation, and total disregard for the very citizens and the structure of the society which they are sent to uphold.
I, for one, believe that the degree of civility or the moral advancement of a society is indicated by the position of women in that society. Whether the right of a woman is perceived as equal to that of a man, whether a woman is looked upon as an object of sexual merriment or just another citizen and whether she is not been discriminated against just because she is a woman - all of these are vital parameters for any civilized nation to judge itself. In spite of India's resurgence in areas of trade and commerce and a continuously expanding high-disposable-income Indian middle class, as a country we are probably taking two steps back for every forward step taken.
Irom Sharmilla has fought for the last six years. If she lives for the next six, she is going to die anyways. But she has shown what it takes to take on an establishment which enjoys a hallowed position in our minds and 543 parlamentarians without resorting to any kind of violence and only with the faith, that some day, we might, just might uphold the basic right of civilization - freedom.
2 comments:
hmm... serious post this one... i wud also add another thought... a civilised society shud also be judged by the way it treats ppl from the lower socio-economic class...
does the sweeper/watchman/server/driver get the same rights and respect tht u and i do???
srk:
for once...i COMPLETELY agree...they do not...and thats a reflection of the quality of people that we have out here...
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