Newspaper reports with my comments:

1. Spare the rod and spoil the child

So goes the old saying. By his judgment, in essence, a judge has questioned this old adage.

A metropolitan Magistrate in Delhi acquitted 33 young people, including five girls, who were caught cheating in an exam. saying that he did not want to ruin their future. The young people were accused of receiving answers on their mobile phones, while taking an exam. All the 33 youngsters submitted identical papers and scored the same marks. CBI was called to unearth the cheating. The Magistrate in his judgment noted that all of the students were still in their early twenties when their capacity for understanding is still developing. Pointing out that they had already been debarred by Delhi University, and were enrolled in courses at other institutions, the Magistrate stated there was no point in ruining their lives by sending them to jail. Instead, he pulled the young people’s parents for failing to instill the right values in them.

The judge has gone against the perceived wisdom of the past on how justice should be administered on such matters and punishing the guilty. There are a few angles to the issue, as below:

· Many experts in the recent past have opined that physical punishment of children for errant behaviour may not dissuade the children from repeating such behaviour. On the contrary it is likely that there would be hardening of the approach of such children and they may repeat such errant behaviour with a vengeance.
· Children are products of the society. When the society itself has over a period of time veered round to being amoral, can children escape from such demoralization.
· Increasingly parents are adopting double standards in the homes, i.e., one for grown ups ( who could deviate from accepted good behaviour ) and another for children ( no such deviation is allowed ). For many a child this dichotomy is confusing.
· Increasingly youngsters observe not only the falling moral standards of society, the guilty not being punished but also the society accepting such deviant behaviour. When those who committed white collar crimes go scot free, the message that children get is that one should be careful in not getting caught rather than afraid of doing a misdeed.
· Most middle & rich class people who read the story would decry the stand taken by the judge. I for one would like to differ.


2.Latest fad in USA: Living with just 100 things

Just 100 essential items. This idea has caught the imagination of a number of Americans, particularly Hollywood stars, who live with lots and lots of things. When you have movie stars, those icons of conspicuous consumption, advocating a minimalist life style, then it becomes a fad. David Bruno, a university computer executive devised the challenge as a response to the recession and his own unease about the unwanted junk filling his home. The objective is to reduce one’s material possessions to the mandated limit. Visitors to his site complain it is easier for men than women to discard what they have, even if the same is old and hardly used. A newspaper in India had commented: “Neither is the goal the philosophy aims to achieve necessarily a good one. These bouts of self-reflection and anti-consumerism emanate from western societies at monotonously regular intervals. It is only wealthy that have the leisure to debate the necessity of wealth. The basic premise that there is something inherently wrong with consumerism is mistaken. Consumerism is the inevitable byproduct of the free market system and development”. I would say that what has been said is pure crap, echoing the Hindu philosophy of living frugally and thinking richly. This quotation we Indians use only when convenient and quite often directed to others and not self. We Indians are now running fast to emulate American system of living, with waste all around and all the time.

But the above thesis is a trap. People are lured to consumerism. Ads. Packaging. Loans for purchases. All these which boost consumerism help business and at the same time convert those who have been living in simple style to buying and accumulating style. Fashions essentially make good things obsolete. Visits to ‘ Sale’ shops start with fun of seeing and watching the goods and ends with addition to buying. The pity is that more goods do not bring happiness. It only increases the craving for still more goods. Latest is Malls, which are becoming the ultimate heaven for unwanted or unrequired purchases. And then ads. In print media. In essence it is money + lure. And now the youngsters are lured to this trap. Look at India. The dictum ‘ low living and high thinking ‘ is being replaced by ‘ high living even by borrowing and no thinking.’ Hence the counter movements as in the subject need to be applauded.

Incidentally living frugally was not merely an age old wisdom preached in the bye gone era but was practiced. Except the kings and few others, most of the well to do people in this country practiced living simply. And they were quite happy with that way of living. And they continuously advised their children to imbibe their percept and habit.

But unfortunately in this generation, that teaching is being discarded, though it still has much relevance.



3. Number of 100 year olds are increasing in the world

By mid century, i.e., 2050, the number of centenarians in the world is expected to reach 6 million. That will push the median age in many developed countries to 50. According to current estimate there are over 3.4 lakh centenarians in the world, with highest concentration in US and Japan. Medical advances and improved diet ( reducing heart disease and stroke ) are quoted for the increase of centenarians. Genetics and life styles also play a part in prolonging lives.

In India neither at Government level nor by think tanks, this development has been given much consideration, though this phenomenon slowly becoming evident in this country also. Considering the huge population in this country which means a large number of old people also and the number of old people increasing with improvement in medical facilities, this problem is slowly creeping in. We cannot ignore it.


4. Innovative way of cops in Mumbai to catch peddlers and consumers of dope.

‘An 18 year old college student posted a message on the Party Goers community on Facebook saying he loves trance music and wants to be at rave parties. He can afford to buy drugs, he says, and asks other members to inform him of any rave party that may be happening. It is a message rave party organizers and drug peddlers would like to respond to. But then in reality the message is from an inspector from the Anti Narcotics Cell of Mumbai Police. Cops have also roped in youngsters to help them with modern lingo and code language ( a trance music party, for instance, means one where drugs would be available ).


5. IN HARYANA BRIDE BARTER IS BECOMING COMMON AMONG SMALL FARMERS

This is because of the skewed sex ratio of 861 females to 1000 males Haryana. On the other side there is Kerala where the position is just opposite, i.e., with 1058 females against 1000 males.

So there is shortage of brides for eligible bachelors in Haryana and the reverse in Kerala. As the problem is unlikely to go away, a few societies in Haryana are trying to find innovative solutions. A few years back some of the Haryanvis started getting married to girls in Kerala where the sex ratio is skewed the other way, as indicated in the earlier para. So in Kerala for some of the communities to find husbands for their daughters had become a major problem. The exodus of many an eligible bachelor to Gulf added to the shortage of eligible males for marriage. And lastly Haryana bride grooms only ask for a brides, with no demand for dowry. Though the number of such marriages has remained static and that too in small numbers, what is interesting is the innovative solutions being found to tackle the problem facing Haryana. If the grooms can go to Kerala, a far off place, with different language, cuisine, customs, then no wonder that the lads have started looking to adjacent States for brides, i.e., Punjab and other Northern States.

Now comes a new development. A family agrees to the marriage of a girl from the family to a young man but demands that when the young man’s sister grows up she should be married to the current bride’s brother or cousin. And this demand has been made in the presence of elders from the village, thus making it a promise.

One should salute Haryanvis. If a problem is there and which is likely to continue in the future, then innovative solutions have to be found, instead of bemoaning.


6..Religious symbols ( turban worn by Sikhs and veil by Muslim ) continue to be problem areas in some countries

‘ No burqas in France’ says French President. “ It is a symbol of subjugation rather than faith. We cannot accept to have in our country women who are prisoners behind netting, cut off from all social life, deprived of identity. That is not the idea that the French republic has of women’s dignity.’ Naturally this has invited the wrath of Mullahs. France, home to an estimated five million Muslims, passed a law in 2004 banning headscarves in public places including schools.

European Union had passed a law banning the wearing of turbans ( mainly by Sikhs ) and Sikhs there are protesting.

But there is a message here to one and all of this earth. And that is that each country can within limits decide on the dress code the people living in that country would have to follow in matters, such as, propagation of different faiths, behaviour in public places, adherence to local laws, following what has been prescribed either by Government or society as decent and adhering to public decorum. It is not easy to define what the conditions or limitations are. For one thing, it may differ from country to country. And then there could be changes from time to time. Those who are going to other countries must be prepared to not merely obey the rules of law of that country but also the expected public behaviour. Local customs vary. To what extent a foreigner need not follow the local custom would depend on the local people. If the locals are taking in their stride deviant behaviour, dress, customs, ceremonies, etc., of foreigners then it is alright. But if they express reservations then the immigrant has to follow the local custom. The immigrant cannot shelter on the ground that there is no law in the host country for adhering to this or that style of behaviour. Societies can demand such adherence to local customs and behaviour. Sometime back there were protests in India against nude swimming ( and resting in beaches ) by foreigners. We would object to some of the dresses worn by women in Western countries. Man and woman kissing in public would invite the wrath of onlookers in India, whereas it is not an unusual spectacle in West. Can a white woman dress and walk the streets in Arab countries as she does in the West. No. Ultimately it is for each country to decide the dress or behaviour code acceptable to that country. Indian Government would be wise in refraining to enter in to such controversies because of appeals of Indians in other countries.

Related to the subject is what happened in Australia recently. On this incident a perceptive observer had this to say:

“Indian students in Australia represent as good a microcosm of the nouveau riche Indian abroad as in any other country. Visible traits imported from home include a sullen unsmiling visage; disdain towards serving staff in restaurants ( viewed as servants ); lewdly ogling women; playing raucous Indian music in public transport; cooking pungent food without regard for neighbour’s sensitivities; littering, spitting, etc “


7..Wither BJP? And wither a credible opposition party to Congress.

Newspapers with their penchant for preposterous headlines, giving final verdict on a happening or development, after the last Parliament election, had screamed that the BJP has been decimated. Nothing of that kind has happened. The vote share of BJP and allied parties were only less than 3% its earlier vote share. Congress improved its vote share by 2% only. Then both parties cobbled up their allied. Congress was able to do a better job As democracy functions in India, that edge was enough for Congress to be called to form the Government, which it did. But the morale of members of BJP has been worst hit because of shattering of their hope to form Government.

Is there a lesson in this election result. In the post electoral analysis, some pundits had come to the conclusion that the voter is no more interested in the three main planks of BJP, i.e., building of temple for Ram at Ayodhya, Uniform Civil Code(thereby bringing Muslims under that Code rather than what that religion had set out as the conditions of marriage and related issues ) and abrogation of article 370 in the Constitution giving special status to Kashmir ( and make Kashmir just yet another State of Indian Union ).

Is the assessment correct. Maybe partly true. One should not forget that BJP and its allies had got a decent percentage of vote share. Could it be that the voter has found some of the development programmes initiated by Congress, such as, NAREGA, Mid Day Meal Scheme, etc., touching his life more profoundly than the main planks of BJP, as mentioned above, which do not directly bring any benefit to him.

Some pundits have opined that it is in the interest of democracy that there is credible and strong opposition. They have missed the point. Even after elections, in BJP there is such an opposition party.

But the real issue or problem is that BJP is in disarray. There is squabble at the top. It is all the time reacting to what Congress is doing, rather than coming up with its own agenda. To their chagrin, the Congress has virtually cornered all those issues which touch the common man. Hence BJP had to fall back on issues, such as, Indo-Pak conflict, unearthing black money hoarded abroad, etc., lively subjects for the city folks but not very intensive issues so far as most voters are concerned.

Comparison with USA and UK, the pet hobby of fourth estate, has been attempted. It is off the mark. BJP, though labeled as the right wing party, its ideology or approach is not right wing. The fact is that in India there is hardly any space for a right wing party.

So, the million dollar question is wither to BJP? They can wait for an opportune moment to wean away some of the allies of Congress, topple government and try to form a Government. Apart from such a strategy, there is precious little that BJP can do. They cannot take credit for various development schemes. Their own planks are not strong anymore. A right wing approach also would not bring large scale votes. That is the dilemma of BJP. And then BJP has to fall in line with the philosophy and edicts of RSS, irrespective of the fact whether the same would affect their popular support. They can gamble on one thing. Make the States where BJP alone or with other parties, to take firm and long strides on economic development and social change which would be lauded by the common man. Then the same would take shape of votes.


8. India should become a major world power – so said Mrs. Hillary Clinton

Since any utterance of an American VIP, is sacrosanct for the English print and visual media, this off the cuff remark has been played up. But should India aim to become a super power. No. India should aim to become an egalitarian society. India should focus on removing hunger and disease. Good school education for all children should be priority agenda for Indian government. The target should be two meals for all. GDP growth cannot be the be all. We have now to vigorously follow Gandhiji’s teachings. If at all this country has to emulate a model then it has to be that of Scandinavian countries. The tax rates in that country are high. Yet these countries can be considered as the most egalitarian. They are true welfare states where all, particularly the old are looked well. The goal has to be welfare state and not high GDP country.