POTA and Sons Inc.

        It's one year since Dr.Binayak Sen was arrested, a full year during the course of which almost every wing of the Indian state combined to put a committed social worker behind bars on the basis of flawed evidence and coerced testimonials. Dr. Sen, who campaigned relentlessly against the extra-constitutional "Salwa Judm" in Chattisgarh, was/is accused of colluding with terror-the one charge that will ensure that institutions/individuals normally accustomed to voicing their opinion keep silent and entrust everything to the Government.

        The strange case of Dr.Sen slithered to the underside of public(you know what I mean) memory, kept alive by a few voices which were generally ignored. In April, The Supreme Court expressed its disapproval of the basic idea behind the
creation of an organization like the Salwa Judm, thus vindicating the stand of Dr. Sen and his comrades.

        The state government however, not only refused to relent on Dr.Sen's case, but carried out another arrest in almost similarly shocking circumstances. The arrest of T.G Ajay under the CPSA (Chattisgarh Public Security Act) on the 5th of May and the conferral of The Jonathan Mann award for Global Health and Human Rights on Dr.Sen have seemingly awakened erstwhile silent sections of civil society to this issue. The demonstrations, petitions and marches have begun and will hopefully intensify. However there is one broader trend that must be isolated and resisted, since it goes beyond these particular cases and contexts.

        I am referring of course, to the CPSA and its brother laws.

        The blog for the "Campaign for Peace and Justice in Chattisgarh" has a link to the copy of the Act as well as a review of the Act by the People's Union for Democratic Rights.

        A very cursory reading of the Act itself indicates the immense potential for the misuse of this act and the severe restrictions on review of decisions made under this Act(The Government is the only agent empowered to call for an Advisory Board). The CPSA is yet another bastard offspring of the "War on Terror" and its true significance can only been understood when studied in the global context. Of course oppressive laws abounded even before, but 9-11 and the incidents that followed proved to be a boon for those believed that tough measures like POTA or CPSA are the solutions to issues of public security. The recent bomb blasts in Jaipur saw a great deal of noise about the need to act tough on terror. There were even calls for POTA to be brought back from the place it was rightly consigned to after the NDA was thrown out in 2004.

        The most important temptation to be resisted is this-the belief that a hastily-crafted law without any of the proper safeguards necessary can, on its own, solve all those issues that give rise to terrorism. Statistical evidence aside, common sense alone is enough to tell one that centralization in law-making is not the strategy to combat terror structures that are getting increasing de-centralized. Centralized(those that effectively end up concentrating power in fewer hands), coercive laws invariably end up affecting those at the margins, alienating them further and stretching the fabric of the state to its breaking point. However this is something that happens over a longer period of time and the myopic comfort provided by harsh and effective sounding laws often trumps considerations about the society of the future.

        A cautionary note must be sounded here in the context of liberal voices associating a preference for these kinds of laws with "communal forces". While it's true that the Sangh Parivar has been in the forefront of advocating such laws, it is also to be remembered that there is as great a mass of the populace, which while distancing itself from the Parivar's agenda, firmly believes that the nation must take a "strong" stand against terror. This group is the "swing group", the one which must be engaged if we are ever to be saved from the indignity of our Democratic state transforming into a complete Police State.

"the end of a child's dream"

Allez!!
Here's to a legend beyond all the speculations and post-mortems.
For a more powerful and impassioned tribute, here's Anwesha :)

Comedy of Humours.

        In case it isn't very clear, the logos to the left are T-shirt legends too. A more comprehensive list of many more T-shirts carrying messages in the same vein
is available here. Interestingly the site gives the dictionary definition of humour as a part of its welcome message(in case anyone didn't get the point) along with a picture of the Statue of Liberty wearing one of the T-Shirts which talks about neutered cats and Liberals(ignoring, of course, the close etymological links between liberty and liberal). Fundamentalist humour of this sort is a bit of an eye-opener.
        On one hand it shows deep and pervasive the influence of such an ideology(I refer to the a fundamentalist brand of conservatism, which these shrits celebrate) and the extent of the struggle required to combat it. On the other hand, it also serves as a reminder to the fact that falling into partisan camps is too easy. It is just too easy to embrace the moral and political certainties that come with certain points of view, whether they be about the looniness of the left or the special rights that Hindus ought to have in India. It is too easy to adopt a world-view where one's opinions are as perfectly and predictably sorted out as groceries in a supermarket. This craving for convenience is no trademark of the "Right". Those who claim to be "leftists" are as guilty of these trends-the inability to question the basic foundations of a world-view being the most common of these trends. Of course I do not suggest moral or political zero-gravity. The essential idea is to ensure that one's keywords do not descend into the realm of cliches and that the supermarket attitude towards analysing issues is resisted with as much vigour as can possible.

Ps. The lady who expresses those most admirable sentiments in the logo at the top-left is Ann Coulter, one of the most venomous voices in American MSM(also author of some seemingly Shiv Khera-like books like "If Democrats had any Brains, they'd be Republicans). For more gems of this sort, do frequent her website. I go there pretty often, just to gain a sense of perspective!!

Ps. 2 Not that Che needed these T-Shirts. The first blow was struck when leftists started wearing similar ones.

Ps.3 In case there are any misunderstandings, "zero gravity" is used here in its "zingy but physically nonsensical" sense and does not in any way literally mean the absence of gravity.

Two tips from Sullivan

The first presidential(US of course) interview to an online audience. Memorable for more reasons than one(golf!!!!)

And something that is more to my taste:

A Slate special on procrastination! A dream come true. So many stories to read later.

"Stop resisting and embrace your procrastination. Don't agonize in front of a blank computer screen. Don't sit around for hours—intending to start your work any moment now—only to find that in the end you've accomplished zilch, save for ruining your own day."

Bal Leela!

The Shiv Sena and Bal Thackeray are at it again.

The Hindu on "Shiv Vada Pao"

The Telegraph on the Vada Pao initiative and the perpetual irony that is so symptomatic of many of the Sena's activities

Now that Thackeray and Son have appropriated vada pao, the next steps are relatively easy
1) Bal Nariyal(to be drunk before bullying missionaries)
2) Udhav Hockey Stick(to be used to beat up foreigners from the sovereign states of Bihar and UP.)
3) Joshi Spades(to be used to dig up hockey grounds where Pakistan might play since cricket is out of bounds)
4) SS(Special Sena) Long Knives( to be used to kill people whose religion is spelt with the letter M)
Jai Maharashtra!!

PS. A story about the first vada-pav dealer

More on Ramadoss

Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Dr.Anbumani Ramadoss(recently awarded the prestigious Katrina Award;) replies to the avalanche of criticism he has been receiving recently.

        A very forceful reply indeed to what has been some very fierce criticism(some of which was uncalled for perhaps). I agree with quite a bit of what the minister says, including his analysis of the problems caused by alcohol, tobacco and junk food(henceforth ATJF). My problem is with the approach. Mr.Ramadoss is endorsing the "ATJF as social evil" concept and hence suggesting ideas of ban and boycott. On the other hand, the prime issue is that these 'social evils' are not evil any longer. An emerging group(don't know if it can be called class) of people see many of these 'evils' as common day-to-day utilities. Simple put ATJF has shed much of the taboo once associated with it. Along with seeing their glorification in movies as the reason for the popularity of AJTF, it is also necessary to see such depictions as effects of a particular trend in society, something that cannot be reversed by actors stopping smoking alone. Such bans and boycotts might have a very small impact but focusing on them often blinds one to the larger issue--that of the emergence of a life-style which Mr.Ramadoss's own government promotes and celebrates at every possible opportunity. It is also true that targeting that life-style and its symbols is something few governments can/will do. So much for the moral indignation in the Minister's reply.

        At a practical level, the Ministry recently banned public smoking and sales of cigarettes on the HCU campus(my alma matter). This step did(based on observation) cause a decline in the number of cigarettes smoked on campus. The reason for that--lack of availability and nothing else. It is fair enough to believe that many of those who have reduced smoking will resume it full-fledgedly once they are in a location where cigarettes are readily available. There is no long-term policy where addiction itself would be targeted instead of merely cutting down on the supply. Granted it is easier said than done, but steps like courting controversy by clashing with movie stars and then assuming a crusading guise are definitely more credible when they are part of a larger policy initiative rather than being seemingly stray, off-hand remarks.

The Katrina Awards

The citation

We are proud to present the Katrina Award to:
There might be disagreements on this, but Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss reminds me of Don Quixote. At a time when serious questions are being posed about the ability of existing institutions to face the challenges of the coming years, the doyen of our health policy is busy advising Shah Rukh Khan on why he should not smoke on screen, attacking the movie industry for lionizing alcohol and trying every trick in the book to unseat the Director of AIIMS. I personally, have already started preparing for the day when the HN-51 combines with some human virus strain and bird-flu morphs into the next big epidemic because I sure, when that happens, Mr.Ramadoss will be endorsing Guru Sri Sri Sidhanda Shankar Ganesh Maharaj and his naturopathic treatment.