Indian Politics

2007-05-04T22:36:00.000+01:00

हम अब हिंदी मैं लिख सकते हैं। यह बहुत मजेदार नया feature हैं। अब तो मैं होमवर्क भी यहाँ कर सकती हूँ। Ok, that's enough. I shall test this feature out now and then. This is extremely cool. I feel like a kid with a new toy.

2005-03-22T16:11:00.000Z

That's the logo of the ZCU or the Zimbabwe Cricket Union. Looks nice, bright and cheerful, doesn't it?? Apparently it is deeply subversive...so says the secret police. The stumps could be a "M", the red ball a "D" and the green boundary rope a "C"...which makes MDC...the Movement for Democratic Change, i.e. the main opposition to Mugabe. If this whole thing sounds way too far fetched for you....umm...I agree.

Some thoughts about 11/3

2004-11-14T05:18:00.000Z

Which was, despite being my birthday, a relatively sad day as GWB was elected for a second term. Given all the hand-wringing following the US presidential elections, a number of people were quick to jump on to the 'trust the American people to be dumb enough to vote for Bush' bandwagon. I will admit that I was disappointed by the election results, and appalled by the intolerance towards gay marriage. But I don't think it's good politics (no matter where u stand on the political spectrum) to denounce your opposition as 'stupid' simply because they surprised you. Dilip D'Souza, whose book The Narmada Dammed is a fantastic summary of the issues involved, and a book I used for my Oxford thesis, has this to say about the results of the elections. I couldn't agree more.

The Best Bakery case- what's the truth

2004-11-14T05:17:00.000Z

I've been following the Zaheera/Best Bakery case intermittently, and can't provide any kind of informed analysis. I'm quite clear about where my sympathies lie- both with Teesta Setalvad and with Zaheera. She's obviously really brave to have agreed to testify in the first place, and given that she's under the protection of the Gujarat police (what a joke, you assign the protection of the witness to the very same body that stood by and did nothing while the riots happened) one can only imagine the pressure she's under. What amazes me is that given that 2000 people died in Gujarat, all attention is now focussed on this one trial. What happened to the rest of the cases? What about justice for all those affected by the Gujarat riots?

Trying to get back to this blog

2004-11-14T05:15:00.000Z

I've seriously neglected this because I've realised it's really hard to follow politics from so far away. But what I'm going to do is I'll post (from my other blog) as well as some other newer posts, about things, usually political that interest me. If I do write/read anything about Indian politics that I think I need to write down, I'll also use this blog. Sorry for the absence but grad school is a killer.

9/11 documentary

2004-07-02T10:16:00.000+01:00

In my post exam lethargy I borrowed a DVD from the county library called "9/11- A filmmaker's commemorative DVD". Not really sure what to expect I sat down to watch it yesterday and was completely blown away. Let me be honest, it's not a great documentary in that it's not brilliantly made. But the sheer power of the raw footage on display is enough to overcome that. It's been a few years since 9/11, some of the goodwill generated for the US of A on that day has dissipated and many in India have argued: look, we have our own disasters and own tragedies. We don't make the fuss that you guys do. Move on with your lives.

Actually I realised yesterday why that was so wrong. In India we don't honour our dead enough. I'm not just talking about Kargil, but also about victims of say the Orissa cyclone where over 10,000 died just a few weeks before 9/11 or the earthquakes in Gujarat and Latur. There are a few human interest stories in magazines and then we forget and move on. I know we must move on, but I think sometimes it's good to sit down and remember that behind each tragedy (whether it kills 20, 200 or 20,000) is a story and much grief that we must occasionally recognise. And the documentary helped me to do that.

I remember on the second anniversary of 9/11 when they were painstakingly reading out the names of the dead, someone in the room saying to me: oh god, what a bore, are they actually going to read 3000 names? On hindsight, well, why not? Each life lost there was precious and even if I don't agree with how the Bush administration has handled things since then (or before that), what's wrong with reading out the names of the dead- it reminds you that those who died were not 3000 people unlucky to be caught in the WTC or the airplanes that day, but actually people like you or me. It is indeed a very humbling thought.

Apart from containing the only available footage of the first plane crashing into Tower 1, it also contains incredible footage of the courage and calm of the New York Fire Department. What I found most moving was the fact that hours after having escaped with their lives and a quick shower, all of them were willing to go out there and start searching for survivors. There was no bravado, no heroism, no jingoism- just shock and weariness on their faces and the knowledge that they would have to go right now and rescue those they could.

BBC report on Afghanistan

2004-07-02T10:10:00.000+01:00

The only reason I am blogging this is because of the last line. This is a very heart-rending account of a three year old kid who was systematically amputated by criminals in Afghanistan as his father was unable to pay the ransom demanded. It also raised important questions about the criminal justice system, the rise in kidnappings and so on. However, read that last bit again:

But paying more to judges and government officials won't solve the problem of lawlessness in Afghanistan.

It's too deeply entrenched in the very structure of society.

Don't know about you, but to me that's deeply racist. What Jenny Cuffe is trying to say is that look, whatever has happened in Afghanistan's past and it's present mess is not the fault of the various imperial powers colonizing it, but really fundamentally their own fault. After all, they are a bunch of lawless nomadic tribes, and surely we can't expect Western style civilization from them, can we? And seen in that context, amputating the limbs of kids makes perfect sense of course...

Some quirky shaadis

2004-07-01T18:21:00.000+01:00

Well, a number of reports covering various versions of Indian marriages (I suspect the rise in interest in Indian marriages is a consequence of the Mittal wedding..) but take a look at this article. It mentions a certain Amar Nath Verma who will get to marry two brides- Ragini and her sister Preeti. The latter is disabled and their father wants them both married off at the same time. Apart from the fact that this is completely illegal, what is more worrying is the attitude to the disabled girl. It's as if she's a piece of property to be disposed off. (On the other hand, our society is remarkably insensitive to the disabled, and so if she was an unmarried girl, I wonder what her life would have been like).

On the other hand, there are these people, who are having a 'desi wedding' because they think their marriage will last longer. a) Are they trying to say that the high rate of divorce in the West is a product of the rituals they follow? b) Are they aware of the many sexist connotations of our traditional marriages and how demeaning they can be to women? (In Bengali marriages, the mother of the groom does not attend. Instead she sits at home while the marriage ceremonies go on, and her son before leaving tells her that he has gone to get her a 'slave'). c) There's a deeper sociological point here that they are clearly missing. It's not as if Indian marriages are uniformly happy. Either most women do not or cannot express their unhappiness, divorce is hugely frowned upon and the 'death do us part' belief can be incredibly stifling- not always the ideal model to follow perhaps?

Rape, laws and the Indian state

2004-06-28T20:11:00.000+01:00

I got the idea for writing about an extended post on rape in India, not just from the Dhananjay Chatterjee incident, but from a comment on this networking site called Orkut. The Calcutta community on this site has been having a furious debate on the death penalty for Dhananjay Chatterjee and one guy, Siddhartha, has some interesting things to say. I am cutting and pasting the comment that got me thinking:

I'm not particularly fond of death as a concept. There have been many people who have been raped and have managed to reconstruct their lives (Germaine Greer?). Death is a one-way road. I personally would choose hope (however faint) over finality. If only for revenge. If only for the struggle to survive and rebuild. There's a very strong urge to hang on to life.

If I were a woman, I think I would prefer to be raped than to be murdered. Now womens' rights groups please don't attack me -- I do NOT, emphatically NOT, even faintly condone either crime. Both are abhorrent and both should be punished exemplarily.

Anyway, this got me thinking about death versus rape etc. And this is what I wrote in response to what Siddhartha had to say:

Bit ambivalent about the death versus rape thing. On the whole, as a woman, I guess, I'd reluctantly agree with Siddhartha- I'd prefer to live and rebuild my life. Although I guess that might be a function of my family, those around me, the class I belong to etc- which will allow me to rebuild my life. Can't say I speak for a majority of women....

I guess, as I said in an earlier post, rape is every woman's ultimate nightmare. So what do you do when you get raped in a country where a woman is raped every hour? Well, ideally you should not bathe, shower, or change clothes. This is important to preserve any evidence of the rape. Go to a friend, well known social worker or to a place where you know someone can help you. Report the rape to the authorities. Seek counseling; this can help you deal with the issues you might face after the attack. But all of this sounds easier said than done. Because if you do wish to seek action against the rapist, you will then come up against the rape laws of the Indian state. I found two aspects of rape laws in India very troubling (and I'm no lawyer, this is very much a layperson's perspective)- first, that your personal life is a matter of concern. As the Mathura case showed, if you are considered of 'loose moral character' that will be exploited to the hilt by the defence lawyers. However, I have a even more fundamental question: what if you are a prostitute and you are raped? Does the fact that you sell your body for money mean that your body can be violated at will?

Here's another article about the unfairness of rape laws in India. What really disturbed me about this article, was the bit about 'Other Unjust Judgements' and that takes me to the second aspect of rape laws in India- that of consent. If you are raped, to secure conviction you must show that you resisted. So how do you show that? As the Mohammad Habib case showed, if you're a 7 year old girl, and were unable to inflict damage on the rapist's penis, he might go scot free. This whole consent thing is very disturbing because if you are say, being gangraped, by say five men, and you are a 16 year old, struggle becomes almost futile. You might be beaten up, you might become senseless.

One of my friends in Delhi told me something interesting once. She said that she was once fighting physically with her kid brother almost five years younger, who was about 15 at this time and she said, he's become so so strong. He can hold my wrists in an iron grip and I can't get out. (She's 5' 10" and a big girl to boot). It got us talking about resisting men and she rightly pointed out, "how on earth do I resist successfully against someone who rapes me if my 15 year old brother while playfully fighting can pin me down and overpower me?" This is a very critical point, simply because as the Sakina case showed, a 16 year old girl, sold into prostitution, and forced into having sex, couldn't plead rape, because it was assumed that she was having sex willingly. And of course, the entire Mathura case revolved around the concept of consent as well.

So, how much should I resist, and how should I resist someone bigger and stronger, or instead some people, if I have to prove that I was raped against my consent?

I think there are some important questions here that deserve to be answered before rape laws can truly become gender sensitive.

More on the death penalty...

2004-06-28T19:57:00.000+01:00

Here's a Hindu article on the death penalty in the Dhananjay Chatterjee case. Slightly disappointing article because it doesn't give you any extra stats or information. However, it does make the interesting point that the death penalty allows no room for restitution, which after should be one of the aims of the justice system. But then again, as a number of readers have pointed out on Jivha's blog that Chatterjee is not just being punished for rape, but for murder as well...and that too for a 14 year old girl. This is a girl whose life is gone forever, and whose family's silence says a lot about what they feel.

I'm not sure about the legal point it makes about Chatterjee's guilt. Even his family so far hasn't really denied that he guilty, or could have raped and killed the schoolgirl. Nor has Chatterjee himself vigorously protested his innocence. So really in this the argument about his guilt isn't valid. However, it could be applied more widely when guilt is not conclusive.
Jivha has an interesting post on why the death penalty should not be applicable for rape. All I will add to this is my earlier point about a) convictions becoming harder to secure, thereby making life even harder for rape victims b) the general bias in the judicial system.

But then again, you read about cases like this and you really wish the persons responsible to be wiped off the face of the earth.

P.S. I thought I'd add a link to this article about the hangman Nata Mullick. There have been a number of articles on him but this is ironically very tragic indeed. Somehow the elaborate ritualistic preparation to "murder" a human being sickens me a bit.

Doping and Indian Sports

2004-06-28T14:03:00.000+01:00

Having just spent a glorious People's Sunday at Wimbledon watching Roger Federer play some sublime tennis (and Tim Henman some pretty sub standard stuff), I felt the need to blog this:

There's this article in the Telegraph today that has been making less waves than it has. But I was looking up some old articles about doping in Indian sports, particularly following the Sunita Rani controversy and came up with this astonishing article. If this stuff is true, then our entire sports structure is not that different from the erstwhile East Germany. It would also explain really poor performances at the Olympics and so on. All this is very mystifying for another reason as well. If you do take banned stimulants, and this is an 'official programme' then the least one ought to aim for is international glory. But assuming that this true, this systematic doping doesn't seem to have improved our performances at the international level at all.

Weightlifting, of course has been in the spotlight before. Further, India is hardly alone in this whole doping controversy thing. With the noose tightening around Marion Jones and Tim Montgomery, clearly there's a lot we ordinary sports fan don't know about.

(On a personal note, I must say all this is hugely disappointing. Growing up, I've always hugely admired those with sporting talent, and I'm sure many of us revere those with extraordinary sporting abilities. The truth is that most of these athletes- dope tainted or not, would be pretty special anyway- I don't think only steroids could have made Marion Jones who she is- she's clearly hugely talented anyway. But it means that come August, when I switch on the TV to follow the Olympics, the niggling doubt that pretty much every single athlete or maybe even swimmer, was possibly on performace enhancing steroids will seriously rob me of the joy of watching them perform).

Some links- and a controversy

2004-06-25T11:48:00.000+01:00

I promised to blog some of the more interesting links I found, but let me begin by mentioning this excellent blog by Amardeep Singh.
I came across it, because he has covered in fair depth, the controversy surrounding Hinduism Studies. (Go to June 22 post for a further update, I can't seem to be able to link to it). Now, I will admit that Hinduism Studies per se is fine, honestly it is. I think there is a problem with left wing secularists in India who think that anyone who believes in God is a potential Modi. No they aren't. And you alienate them by believing thus. I know plenty of my own relatives who are fairly devout but would never ever vote for the BJP or fall for their anti Muslim rhetoric and are appalled by it. So let's not dismiss everyone who believes.

Next, I will admit that I am worried by the way South Asian courses are designed in Western universities. There is an emphasis on 'what is wrong' with India, rather than 'what is right'- and for god's sake, we are country with over 20 distinct languages, 6 major religions and so on, and we've remained relatively united. Give us some credit please.

At the same time, the Hinduism Studies crowd often worries me, because some of them, and I do insist on the word 'some', have links with more dubious organizations. But while there is a lot of misinformation about Hinduism in the West (and what about Islam eh?), I am not sure these guys are tackling it the right way. (No pun intended!!)

Ok, so here are some of the other links I promised:
SACW is obviously the best resource for any South Asian scholar. But it has a special section on the textbook controversy and on history writing in India. There is this other site called Akhbar which has a great set of essays on a wide variety of subjects, including the curricula in Pakistan.

On Pakistani textbooks, here is Rosser's article. But there is also this report, which you can find on the SDPI site- the A.H. Nayyar report on the curricula.

Finally the Feb 2003 issue of Seminar, has an excellent collection of articles on 'ways of representing our shared past'. They are a must read.

History textbooks to be revised

2004-06-25T11:29:00.000+01:00

The NCERT has decided to 're-write' history again and revise the textbooks that Murali Manohar Joshi wanted to introduce. All very well, and from my ideological point of view, an excellent move. However, as I will blog in the next few days and argue, this whole business of 'rewriting' history that is problematic. In fact the earlier textbooks (the original ones of Thapar, Bipan Chandra et al), through their omissions and silences actually gave the space for these 'alternate' histories to be written. This is not to say that all alternate histories are equally legitimate. There is after all, 'good' history and 'bad' history, to be judged on the basis on how accurately one can draw reasonable conclusions from the evidence placed before oneself. And no one is arguing that Joshi is a 'reasonable' person! But what is heartening about the NCERT's move is that it seeks not to introduce a standardised book for each Class, but a series of books or reading materials, that children can draw upon. This means that you will have one or two core textbooks, but for those further interested in the subject, the NCERT will provide some guidelines on what else they could read. Considering how boring and appalling the CBSE history exams are, this could only be a Good Thing.

Hanging on the edge- the death penalty in India

2004-06-25T11:07:00.000+01:00

This news report, sums up what happened yesterday. Dhananjay Chatterjee who was supposed to have been hanged for the rape and murder of Hetal Parekh lives for another day. As I read that article a number of thoughts flashed through my mind. First, while we don't use it on the same scale as the United States, India does execute people now and then. The most famous case is that of the assassins of Indira Gandhi but as this article, which explains in detail the nuances of the issue (it IS however anti death penalty), it is meant to be used in the 'rarest of rare' cases. Now this for me raises two questions.

First, is Dhananjay's case one of the 'rarest of rare' cases. On first glance it would seem not. After all, horrible as it may sound, rape and murder of teenage girls is not that uncommon. The fear of rape after all is the single biggest fear, perennially unspoken that a woman carries with her. If you ask a roomful of women, what their greatest fear is, you'll probably hear banal answers like: flying, cockroaches or spiders! So while no one will ever articulate it, most will admit when pressed by other women (I tried this once...), that rape is their ultimate fear and the ultimate form of degradation. What Hetal Parekh suffered was agony of the worst kind and what her parents continue to suffer today must be unbearable. And even if this is not one of the 'rarest of rare' cases, it could be argued that instituting the death penalty for rapists might act as a deterrent.

But it won't. And here's the counter argument. First, the problem with rape cases in India is that women are afraid to come forward, that the judiciary and the police are insensitive and the laws are often skewed. Merely threatening to kill rapists will achieve very little. Since most rapists know they will go scot free, I don't think this will unduly bother them.

So that takes us to the next question, that of the concept of the death penalty itself. As one of the above articles that I've linked to points out, 114 countries have abolished the death penalty and India is one of the few last remaining countries. While I sympathise greatly with the Parekhs and I cannot even begin to comprehend the horror that Hetal went through, I must say that I don't support the death penalty. Not for the usual 'it won't bring the girl back' kind of logic, but because the death penalty achieves very little and is so open to misuse in this day and age of TADA and POTA. Further, as someone who believes that counter terrorism by the state is no answer to terrorism, I can't quite see how I can stand up for the death penalty. However, one other thought: Dhanajay Chatterjee through all of this is becoming quite a celebrity. Let's not make him into a martyr (and hanging him might just do that), he's a killer and rapist. Let him languish in prison forever. Let him spend the rest of the 30 or so years that he will live, regretting what he did. A rape is a not a 'mistake', it's a deliberate and diabolical act and let's not be moved by his family members claiming that 'he's suffered enough'. Rubbish.

There is also the act of death by hanging which our Supreme Court has declared is not derogatory, humiliating, aking to torture and so on. Again, I am not sure I agree. Death by hanging is both barbaric and anachronistic. I oppose the death penalty per se, and would prefer to have life sentences instead, but at least if you have to kill, do so humanely. On the other hand, in America, where they do kill humanely, they telecast the killing of people like Timothy McVeigh which people watch with some absurd kind of voyeuristic 'pleasure'. Let's not go down that road, please!

General news roundup

2004-06-24T18:19:00.000+01:00

Manmohan Singh today spoke about something that is a matter of great concern for us- the fact that our Parliament frequently fails to function- his speech to the nation asked for co-operation that Parliament could conduct it's business- that of debate and legislation. I couldn't agree more.

I assume most people would have read and re-read this news item, and talked it to death, but just my two cents- if this is his idea of a joke, sadly Mr Vajpayee is in real need of a sense of humour? On a more worrying note, as many of us had predicted, the BJP is seeking to turn rightward in order to re-orient itself.

I didn't blog about this movie when it came out, but I think it's time I did. Jivha sums up cogently all that really needs to be said. Although despite his complaints against the TOI, it says pretty much what he has to say. If any of you have watched the movie, and want to write a review for it, let me know and I'll put it up on this blog. I'm afraid, Odeon Oxford isn't exactly queueing up to show Girlfriend, but if you have seen it, and have something to say, do go ahead!

Jemima, Imran and the British media

2004-06-24T18:10:00.000+01:00

No excuse really for not blogging for so long...unless you count Court 1 at Wimbledon as a genuine excuse! I've spent the whole day trying to construct a reading list for my next thesis- a starting point, rather than a reading list would perhaps be a better term. Anyway, this exercise actually revealed a number of excellent sources on South Asian history, along with a number of other disturbing ones. I won't catalogue these now, but shall go on to say something about this news item that has been bothering me for a while. On the face of it, Jemima and Imran's divorce is a matter fit for tabloids. However, read that article carefully and you will see all the racist bias of the British media being revealed. The stereotype of Islam, and by extension Pakistan being an oppressor is being bandied about. From what little I know of the country, Jemima would hardly have lived without an air conditioner (!) unless Imran is peculiarly miserly. High society in the subcontinent lives in lavish luxury that most people in the developing world will only be able to dream of. So my guess is that Jemima probably lived in a huge house, with servants at her disposal, every amenity she wanted, and simply got bored because she missed her London life. Fair enough, marriages have broken up for lesser reasons, but to villify an entire country, it's culture and by implication it's religion because this marriage didn't last, is utter rubbish. Somehow the whole notion that Jemima has been 'released' (as if it is not marriage that is a bondage, but marrying into a Muslim family that is), is quite repugnant. All thoughts on the matter would be very welcome.

Back from Chicago...and a thesis proposal

2004-06-16T02:24:00.000+01:00

Yup, that's right. I'm back (again!). The Chicago trip was great and I loved the city, especially its skyline. I was a delegate at the 43rd International Achievement Summit, and I met a whole range of people. I will blog a bit about the political aspects of the trip at some point, including a bit about this fascinating debate between Wes Clark, Shimon Peres and the President of Latvia, and later Bill Clinton.

Back to the world of Indian politics. I'd promised at some earlier point in time to write a bit about my thesis proposal. I will admit at the outset, that the proposal I sent Harvard was rubbish and I'm glad they didn't think so. But having thought a bit about my proposal, this is what I'd like to work on: Textbooks in South Asia have for a while been a perennial source of controversy particularly in India and Pakistan. Take a look at this article if you want a cogent summary of what's been happening. I'd ideally like to look at the NDA government's 'tampering' with textbooks and compare it with similar developments in Pakistan in Zia's time. My Pakistani friends tell me that textbooks in Pakistan remain a source of huge controversy and it would be interesting to compare how history textbooks seek to inculcate a sense of nation and nationality as well as deal with issues as ethnic minorities, divisive movements, and the question of 'identity' in modern South Asia. Ideally, if I can gather enough data, I'd like to expand my study to cover not just India and Pakistan, but Bangladesh as well (partly because I speak, read and write the language..and hence won't be at a disadvantage).

There's been some work done on this, particularly by Yvette Roser, and I hope someday to be able to meet her. She suffered a serious accident in 2003, but it's worrying that she has links to the VHP. In fact, I've just realised that she's worked on exactly what I want to work on, which might mean that I might have to modify at least parts of my thesis proposal. Considering that she's worked on exactly the same three countries that I want to work on, I would need to find something pretty novel to say to avoid duplicating her work. One of my other ideas was to examine at greater length the use of textbooks to reconstruct particular versions of history elsewhere in the world. And the two examples that come to mind are South Africa and the Balkans. If anyone has any information on this, or could suggest readings, I'd be very glad.

Here's another interesting article on the kinds of 'mistakes' that abound in Pakistani textbooks. If you read that article, you'll find a number of pointers that I hope to pick up on when looking at the issue of textbooks. In particular, when dealing with the question of 'identities', I will look at the Hindu/Muslim identity in both India and Pakistan, and hopefully Bangladesh as well.

This incidentally is an excellent article by Rosser. If you scroll to the bottom of the page you'll find a whole series of links to more articles on the history curricula in Pakistan.

The man who's done a lot of work on the subject, is the father of a close friend, Krishna Kumar. His book Prejudice and Pride looks at how modern Indian/Pakistani history leading up to Partition is presented in the history textbooks of both countries. As Shahid Amin, aptly puts it, in this review, history textbooks become morality tales for children that try to create a national pantheon of heroes and myths.

On a more worrying note, I've been reading up about Yvette Rosser and I have to say I find some aspects of what there is on the net disturbing. I don't want to pass any judgement before I meet her and talk to her, but both this and this disturbs me. Actually I'd really like to read her thesis, because having read this much about her I've now come to the conclusion that I don't think we'll say very similar stuff in our theses!!

I billion.....and no gold?

2004-06-08T10:04:00.000+01:00

I promise that this shall be the last post for the day! I really need to start packing. Anyway, I noticed this really good article by Rojit Brijnath and I couldn't help but blog it. Rohit Brijnath, many years ago used to write for that now defunct magazine Sportsworld. As a dedicated Sportstar fan, and it is the best sports magazine I have ever read, I looked upon SW as just another sports gossip rag, which is what it really was! But anyway, this is an excellent article on why we've never produced an individual gold medallist at the Olympics and what the prospects of doing so in the future are.

As an ardent sports enthusiast, who has Court No 1 tickets for the first Monday at Wimbledon in her right hand drawer at the present moment (and yes, I am showing off..couldn't help it!!), I thought a word or two about Indian sport would be worthwhile. To be honest, I cannot completely understand why we have never won an Olympic gold, apart from the obvious fact that the one sport we're reasonable at- cricket, was played only once at the Olympics as an exhibition event, where France won the gold. Enough said. So let's look at the major Olympic disciplines- let's not even consider swimming, gymastics, the other water sports, or even equestrian sports. All of these require a fair investment of funds, and most golds in these events go to the bigger, richer events.

Racquet sports- well, we've never been able to match the Chinese and the Swedes at TT, but then who has. It's the same story in badminton, although it would be great if Aparna Popat won a round or two at Athens. I remember Dipankar Bhattacharjee coming from nowhere to reach the pre-quarters in Barcelona '92...that I think is the best we can hope for from Aparna. I am big fan of Aparna's game, but I just don't think she has the power, skill, speed and even the hunger that you need to be in the top 10. I'd be glad if she could prove me wrong, but at 26 I am not sure she's going to get us that elusive Olympic gold.

I think it boils down to that one big question: why have we never won even a medal in athletics...and will Anju Bobby George get us our first medal? I think Brijnath ignores a very critical aspect of Indian athletics- doping. After the performance at the Sydney Olympics it became more than obvious that a lot of our athletes were taking performance enhancing drugs, which they had to stop taking in the run up to the Olympics and which accounted for their poor performance. When Sunita Rani was first caught for a doping offence, she did say that there were others who took drugs as well, but subsequently that part of her story was conveniently forgotten. There was also this hilarious case of a javelin thrower banned by the AAFI who then competed at the next nationals, with a different hairstyle and a different name. And the AAFI didn't even notice it, till journalists pointed this out to them. So Anju Bobby George is really our best hope and I am a huge admirer of how composed and calm she is, even under pressure. Here's an update on how Anju and Anjali Bhagwat's preparations are coming along. All the very best!

P.S. This is entirely unrelated: thanks a ton Patrick! And a very belated happy birthday as well.

A forgotten anniversary

2004-06-08T09:54:00.000+01:00

In the midst of all this D-Day celebration and continuous coverage of that on TV (note the bitterness- they cut me off in the middle of the French Open men's final...and I thought only DD went off for the news at matchpoint!), few people remember that it was around this time, two decades ago that Operation Bluestar took place. An event that was to shake India to the very core of its secular foundations. My own personal memories of that day are very limited. I was not yet four, and a trifle excited by the police presence in the city, all this talk of curfew and so on. It would take another eight years, and the events of 6 December, 1992, for me to experience that again.

The BBC has been trying to recapture the events of Operation Bluestar, through a series of columns and articles that are well worth reading. What is particularly telling are the comments in the 'Have Your Say' section. So many people want to forget, often I suspect for reasons of conscience. Just as many ordinary Delhiites showed incredible courage in saving their Sikh neighbours, an equal number stood by and watched in silence. A friend of mine told me yesterday that she wanted to work on rape as an instrument of power during the Gujarat riots, and it occurred to me that the story of how women were treated during the 1984 riots is very poorly documented indeed. Urvashi Butalia has done some excellent work on women and Partition, I'm not sure if she's written anything about the '84 riots. As most of those women are still alive, I suspect that bringing up '84, in an era when Jagdish Tytler gets re-elected and when we have a Sikh PM, is almost poor ettiquette. But these stories must be told, and if you know of a book that does look at this aspect, do contact me.

I don't know whether the mere presence of a Sikh PM will heal the wounds of what happened all those years ago. I would argue that it wouldn't..and that the Congress will remain forever tainted by that one action, that finally brought the carefully constructed Nehruvian secular consensus, however flawed, crashing down.

My dear beloved city..

2004-06-08T09:34:00.000+01:00

Two news items that just caught my eye. Not really political, but I felt I ought to blog them all the same. First is this news report. Why would this Swiss man want to buy airtickets from the manager's office? I assume that since he's travelled all the way from Switzerland to India, that he's fairly well versed in how international air travel works. I sincerely wonder if in any other airport of the world he's ever bought tickets from the airport manager's room. Failing that, I also wonder if say, at Heathrow, he would have dared to break down the manager's door. I have two grouses against foreigners who come to India. First, please behave here as you would in your own country. Just because we are a poorer Third World nation does not mean that normal rules, laws and procedures don't apply here.

I remember reading this blatantly biased BBC newsreport some months ago about this man, caught for stealing drugs who was then released from an Indian prison. And the news report made him out to be some kind of martyr. What about the fact that the guy was a drugs dealer in the first place? I could think of a few places where he would have been beheaded by now. Next, the article seems to suggest that he was denied the right of appeal in India because he was a foreigner. What rubbish. The entire appeals process happens almost automatically. I cannot see a High Court, or a District Court having the jurisdiction to deny you the right to appeal. Patently absurd stuff, and clearly for whatever reason the BBC had bought it. I wish I could find the link to that article now.

Anyway, to return to what I was saying about our Swiss gentleman above. Clearly he thought that if he smashed down the manager's door at Calcutta (I'm sorry...I like Calcutta to Kolkata...I'm willing to say the latter in Bangla, and I always have, but not in English. Too bad!) that it would help him establish his authority in some way. Weird...I just don't get it.

What I also don't get it is when foreigners roam around the city wearing, what constitutes underwear. Like a vest and a lungi. No one in Britain walks around in a vest and pair of boxers down the main road. These are of course perfectly normal people, but they think that sensible dress codes don't apply when you're in an 'exotic' country. Apart from being hilarious this is also quite offensive. No one's asking you to wear a full sleeved shirt and trousers...you can wear your ubiquitous jeans and T-shirt if you want. But to wear a vest and lungi in public, when very few Calcuttans or even Indians do it (the South Indian mundu or veshti is completely different from the lungis that these people wear..), is quite ridiculous and a fashion statement that hardly constitutes fashion.

Ok, rant over. Let's look at the other issue I was talking about. It's the question of attendance in universities. Take a look at this article from the Telegraph. Now for those attending Western universities, this whole attendance business would be baffling. But there is I think a valid point here. Since our system is so heavily structured around classroom teaching, and since there's a heavy demand for places at universities, if you don't attend classes and merely turn up for exams, that's probably a good indicator that you are taking tuitions. Which is another menace altogether. I'm not one for draconian laws, but in a country where college seats are so limited, and the competition so fierce, I think it's fair that you attend a minimum number of classes throughout the year (also we don't have a process of continuous assessment). Given all of this, it's absurd to raise a hue and cry before exams when you fall short of the requisite attendance. After all, you knew all along what the required percentage was. In my college in Delhi, they were incredibly strict about this and put up lists with names of those who'd fallen short of the attendance criteria every term. Which was a good way of knowing how far behind you actually were. It's stupid to say, as some of the students in the article do: look I attended 65% of the classes last year, so I shouldn't have to attend so many this year. How hard is it to go to 6/10 classes every week? And if you were aware of the rules, why whine when they are imposed? Students in Calcutta are incredibly pampered.....I think a good dose of St. Stephen's discipline will remind them how privileged they really are!

Finally...I'm back

2004-06-08T08:56:00.000+01:00

Indeed. It's been a very long time, and unfortunately I might have to go on sabbatical again as I leave for Chicago early tomorrow morning. Clearly much has happened in my absence so it would be sort of futile to do a summary of all that. The UPA released its new manifesto and brought with it many grumbles. Again, I wouldn't read too much into it. But what is indeed worrying has been Natwar Singh as Foreign Minister constantly shooting his mouth off! I will be the first to admit that one of the few achievements of the NDA government was the bonhomie with Pakistan. And perhaps some of that could be attributed to the personal chemistry between Musharraf and Vajpayee. Either way, our good frient Natwar Singh seems hell bent on destroying that.

The Cauvery dispute seems to have been raked up again. To be honest, I'd forgotten all about it! It also reminds me that I must blog at least a short summary of my thesis at somepoint. I'm also hoping that over this summer I'd probably convert a part of the thesis into an article, particularly the bit linking the politics over the dam to Hindutva philosophy and the politics of the BJP.

This is great news. NGOs in Calcutta (Kolkata?) have done a good job in Sonagachi, the city's main red light area with their AIDS awareness campaign. What has been admirable about the Sonagachi campaign is that there's never been a moral stand taken on the issue. Rather the aim is to teach them about condoms, educate their children, and to teach the women how to retain control over their own bodies.

The question of reservations in the private sector will require an entire post devoted to it. Incidentally you can find the complete text of Kalam's speech to Parliament here. I know this will be somewhat controversial, but I do support reservations for the public sector. I agree wholeheartedly that they have been ill conceived and badly implemented but there's a lot going for them as well. Further, if you do remember that approximately 20% of our population is Dalit, and are denied opportunities, perhaps we ought to do something about it. The fact is that opponents of reservations never have an alternative solution except for saying: we need economic growth and we need to uplift them. Ummm...how? Anyway I'll deal with this at some later point. And I'll try to keep blogging while I'm there, although I can't promise that!

Hiatus

2004-05-23T11:25:00.000+01:00

I'm going to take a short break till 2nd June, when my finals shall be over..these are the last ever exams I take, so don't want to mess them up too much. Perhaps on the 30/31, as I revise South Asia, I might blog a bit, for revision purposes, but on the whole, expect to hear from me on the 4th- I'm off to London on the 3rd and the boy wants some attention, post exam!

There is this interesting article, by Nilanjana Roy on how Sonia has been constructed by the Indian media and public. Also looks at Sushma Swaraj's 'I will shave my head' threats in an interesting light- suggesting that it was an oblique slight at the fact that Sonia was a widow.

In other news, there is this article on how since both Kalam and Manmohan are teachers, the teaching profession is now ruling the country. From my own personal experience, as the daughter of two teachers, that's hardly the case. Teachers are paid a pittance, are blamed for everything- from difficult question papers, to poor marks. There is huge political interference especially in West Bengal. This is not to say that our teachers are all uniformly good. But our system is such that innovative teachers are rarely given any credit- only those who fetch high marks are. Further, the 'publish or perish' dictum seems to have hit Indian academia as well. As my father, who has spent 10 years writing a solitary book, argued with me, it is possible (and maybe even desirable) to spend more time on your teaching duties, rather than rushing off to conferences and presenting papers just to boost your CV. In fact, some of my favourite teachers, may not have been big names in academia, but were hugely inspiring in class. And if I was to ever teach, if a student told me that she was inspired to take up a subject/topic because of the way I taught it, that would be a greater compliment to me than a million good reviews of something I'd published.

Post exams, I'll take a look at cabinet portfolios and all that. Till then Tom Paine awaits me.

Feminism and Hindu nationalism

2004-05-20T16:42:00.000+01:00

This is part III of my writeups on gender and hindu nationalism. By no means is this comprehensive. But I think I've covered the major issues at stake. Comments, additions and ideas are most welcome. As I keep warning you, I might go off blogging for a while, especially once my exams begin next Tuesday..so do be patient. I've also realised that even if I do enable comments for everyone on blogspot, it only allows to comment anonymously (and you must ignore the 'This blog does not allow anonymous comments' line). So please add your name at the bottom when you do comment. Thanks!

The feminist movement first clashed with the Hindu nationalists in the aftermath of the Roop Kanwar incident. As Amrita Chhachhi says, a number of feminists were horrified by the women marching against them claiming that it was their 'right' to commit sati. Feminists were accused of being deracinated, Western educated middle class women, completely divorced from the reality of most Indians' lives.

The next clash that came was related to the Shah Bano case. I've argued in an earlier post that all that Rajiv did was to empower the more fundamentalist elements through the Muslim Women's Bill, in a piece of legislation that was blatantly against the interests of Muslim women. Now in the recent past the BJP/NDA has demanded that Shah Bano was an 'appeasement' of the minorities (never mind the fact that it pandered to the most fundamentalist of Muslim sentiment, and inconvenienced more Muslims than it helped) and that India needs a Uniform Civil Code. Actually, the idea in itself was not new. Many feminist organizations had been demanding a Uniform Civil Code (India has a uniform criminal code, but religion based civil codes apply for issues such as property disputes, marriage/divorce, inheritance and adoption) which would remove various inequities against women that almost all the current civil codes contain. But the BJP has hijacked the agenda and argued for a Uniform Civil Code, that would then, presumably include, a pro-Hindu tilt. This put many feminists in a quandary, and many withdrew their support to the Uniform Civil Code.

Personally, I think the UCC is a fantastic idea. Laws in India are very anti-women in indeed. And please ignore those men who say that rape laws can be used to victimize men...how many Indian women would actually stand up and say that she's been raped only for vengeance. If you merely compare numbers- you'll probably find that there are far more cases of rape being unreported, because we don't have the structure to deal with it, rather than women misusing rape law. And even the judiciary is complicit in this. In the famous Mathura case, a 16 year old tribal girl, who was raped by policemen saw her rapists go scott free because the judges felt that since she had a 'boyfriend' and therefore had 'habitual sexual intercourse', she was probably lying about being raped. When Mathura argued that the policemen had frightened her into almost passive submission, the judges ruled that this constituted willing sexual intercourse.

Anyway, rape laws fall within the sphere of criminal, not civil law. But even her, as Mary Roy's lifelong crusade has shown, there are gross inequalities. And these will only be removed if women's organizations can re-hijack the UCC agenda from fundamentalist forces, create their own agenda and space and fight for a uniform code that is fair to women, rather than being biased towards any religion. But since almost no women's organization that I know of, is willing to take up this fight, I fear this might either remain a pipe dream, or if ever enforced will have a communal tinge to it.

A small change..and a request...

2004-05-20T11:44:00.000+01:00

I was wondering why many more of you didn't leave comments, when I realised that the formatting was such that it would only allow comments by 'registered users'. Incredibly sorry about that!
So please do go ahead and leave your comments behind. Obviously try not to be abusive, although if you are, I shall be inclined to leave them there to show you up!

One other thing, I am woefully ignorant of the intricacies of state politics in India. In particular, I know very little about politics in the North East. So if you are from the North East, or you are familiar with the region, please message me with a summary of what the election results mean for the region. Also it would be good if you could talk about whether Manmohan as PM would make a difference to Assam.

Manmohan as PM and his Stephanian links!

2004-05-20T06:24:00.000+01:00

A very quick roundup of the day's headlines, as colonial American history awaits me rather ominously!

The President of India has invited Manmohan Singh to be the new Prime Minister, and he will be sworn in on Saturday if he can prove that he has enough support. In the meanwhile, the BJP is licking its wounds and planning to review what went wrong in these elections. Some are already criticising Sushma Swaraj and Uma Bharati for their rather theatrical campaign against Sonia. The BJP will now probably focus on assembly elections in Maharashtra later this year, where, if the Lok Sabha poll was any indication, they should give the Congress a run for their money. It might also be a mini referendum for the way Manmohan Singh has run the country till then.

Manmohan Singh will be the first Sikh PM of the country. I am not sure that's hugely important though. After all, the Hindu nationalists believe that Sikhism is an outgrowth of Hinduism. (Nothing could be further from the truth, Sikhism, developed as a response to certain doctrinaire, ritualistic aspects of Hinduism- as did Buddhism and Jainism). So now we have a Sikh PM and a Muslim President. I am going to take just a moment off, and rejoice in our secularism, no matter how tarnished...just a moment.

Anyway, that apart, there is this slightly amusing article in today's Telegraph about how Manmohan's family has reacted referring to his grandson Raghav. I must admit here that Manmohan Singh's daughter Dr Upinder Singh was my professor in college in Delhi, and my favourite professor at that. She taught us Ancient Indian History and a part of the Medieval India course and as generations of Stephanians will testify, she's fantastic! I have therefore, also been on the receiving end of her kids' brattiness....so I think the Telegraph has got it all wrong...I think they mean Madhav when they say Raghav in the article above!! It's a small error, but if I know fierce little Raghav Tankha, he will not be pleased at all. (Also, they don't live in Safdarjung, do they? I thought they lived on-campus in North Delhi...)

Some more shameless plugging for my college- a number of India's new parliamentarians studied history at St. Stephens (ahem..so did I!), and there is this article in the Indian Express where they try to find out about Rahul Gandhi as a student, and guess who they get in touch with....Dr. U. Singh! Incidentally, who the hell is the Mr Neeru in this story?? On a more serious note, some would argue that this is actually not a good thing- that deracinated Stephanians like us should be in charge of the nation's future. And much as I love my college, I will admit that it did encourage a certain distance from reality and everyday Indian life. We lived in this slightly elitist cocoon and even student politics were heavily circumscribed. We were not affiliated to the Delhi University Students' Union, we did not vote in their elections, and even our teachers were quite apathetic. It had its merits- it prevented the college from descending into the kind of dangerous political quagmires that some other colleges did, but it also meant that we insulated ourselves from much of what was going around us...and if we are to be the 'future leaders' of the nation, as many Stephanians are touted to be, surely that's not very healthy?

The op-ed in today's Telegraph has a sensible take on economic reform arguing that the Sensex should not be the sole guardian of our prosperity and it is time we sat down and absorbed the lessons of our election.

Finally, a moment of silence for two people who passed away yesterday- former Kerala Chief Minister and CPI(M) leader E.K.Nayanar and NSG Commando Surjan Singh Bhandari who was injured in the Akshardham attack.

Women and Hindu nationalism (contd..)

2004-05-19T18:30:00.000+01:00

Women were particularly prominent during the Ayodhya campaign and the 'credit' for this ought to be given to the Sangh Parivar propaganda machinery. Advani's rath yatra was accompanied by the voice of a woman, Sadhvi Rithambra, shrill and shrieking, urging Hindu men, almost shaming them to rise to the defence of their religion. The use of posters with pictures of a smiling baby Ram, and accompanying words suggesting that he had been snatched away from his rightful birthplace, were designed to appeal to the maternal instinct within women.

Participation by women was prevalent even during the pre-Ayodhya phase. In 1989, a huge procession of Hindu women, brandishing trishuls marched through the streets of Bijnor shouting inflammatory slogans. In the ensuing riots, almost 400 were killed. Many of the women who were later interviewed expressed satisfaction at the role they had played. In the post Ayodhya riots, women of fidderent classes- from rural women in Bhagalpur, to Maruti driving ones in Ahmedabad took active part in the riots.

So this raises the interesting question of why women are attracted to Hindu nationalists? First, a vast majority of these women come from the upper middle classes of north India. Many of them were of the age when they were stepping outside the boundaries of their home for the first time. Here they were encountering sexual harassment and opposition. Hence, the RSS emphasis on physical training would appeal to such women. But as Flavia Agnes has argued, these women would be repelled by traditional feminist doctrines. This would encourage them to reject all that they had taken for granted for so long, and would probably have brought upon them oppobrium and ostracism from their family. On the other hand, Hindu nationalists provided a means of making a painless transition from the private to the public sphere. As many of the women interviewed by Sarkar pointed out, they had suffered atrocities within the home, and public political participation was an exhilarating process. At the same time, they were hesitant to repudiate their traditional roles as wives and mothers. Hindu nationalists were providing them with a cocoon within which they could engage only with selective aspects of politics. It shielded them from various harsh truths and would be met with family approval.

Amrita Basu argues that part of the successful strategy for the BJP has involved making a fine distinction between being 'communal' and being 'fundamentalist' on women's issues. So there is no obsession with Hindu women's sexuality or fertility, but the Muslim woman's child rearing abilities are sneered upon or treated with apprehension on the grounds that they will outbreed the Hindus. The BJP has never offered any opposition to issues such as abortion or contraception. Hence, she argues that they are communal rather than fundamentalist. However, these two strands do occasionally come together, revealing the even uglier side of the BJP- as was witnessed during the Roop Kanwar incident in Rajasthan, when many BJP leaders of the state took up a pro-Sati stance.

This raises the next question: why would I argue that Hindu nationalism would not benefit women? This is because they have never really fought for any women's issues. Their obsession with the 'female Hindu body' as a contested terrain over which questions of nationalism are decided is worrying. The equation of the mother(land) with the nation, and the gendered imagery that the RSS wishes to convey through these tactics, again worries me. The women who have been mobilized by Hindu nationalist, have not been mobilized in a cause that uplifts them, they have no been mobilized for any issue that directly concerns their lives, and I suspect when they do mobilize, will be pushed right back to Golwalkar's lakshmangandi. And it is herein that my doubts about the empowering aspects of Hindu nationalism lies.

In my final post on this, I'll refer to Shah Bano, the Uniform Civil Code and the feminist movement in India.

I've just found this excellent archive of material on Hindu nationalism. Take a look!

Women and Hindu Nationalism- revision part II

2004-05-19T17:25:00.000+01:00

As I promised, I'll blog some of the stuff I hope to impress my examiners with! So this post is about the gendered aspect of Hindu Nationalism. The next two incidentally, shall be about democratization and Islamicization (is it Islamization?) in Pakistan. Also, I've changed the template of this blog, to make it more readable. Hope this helps...I've changed the name too...it's a bit boring, but I'm not a terribly imaginative person. I'll keep searching for an appropriate name till I find one. All suggestions are welcome!

Let's begin with a quick survey of some of the sources I've used for this: the Bulletin of Concerned South Asian Scholars had an interesting compilation of articles, as does Urvashi Butalia and Tanika Sarkar's book, Women and the Hindu Right. There are also plenty of excellent articles by Amrita Basu and Amrita Chhachhi. Basu's two books, mentioned on her webpage are also extremely useful. I'm not a huge fan of Gail Omvedt, but you could read this article by her. A few other articles that you might want to browse through are:
1. Mother India by Urvashi Butalia
2. Hindu Nationalism and Women in Orissa by Angana Chatterji.
3. Journal of Women's History (Winter 1998)- Women's Activism and the Vicissitudes of Hindu Nationalism,"
Amrita Basu
4. Khaki Shorts and Saffron Flags by Tapan Basu, Tanika Sarkar et al (relevant pages- 72-94)

That I think is a reasonable coverage of some of the important reading material out there. It's not exhaustive but it ought to be useful, in case you're interested. If you want more stuff, do email me.

Hindu nationalism and its gendered aspects has belied certain long held beliefs about the links between women and pacifism. We've seen in the course of riots in Surat, Bijnor and so on, active participation by women, that has stunned many activists. So this then raises the question: why do women join Hindu nationalists? Are they empowered by this? My argument would be two fold- a) they join because this allows them the freedom to move from the private to the public sphere without forcing them to confront some of the contradictions of their existence and hence is a 'safe option' b) yes, they are empowered, albeit in a way that will ultimately conspire to subjugate them.

The first Hindu nationalist women's organization was the Rashtriyasevika Samiti, the women's wing of the RSS. Note that it's not called the Rashtriya Swayamsevika Samiti. The term itself puts women within the RSS at a lower hierarchical level and robs them of the autonomy and self control that the word 'volunteer' implies. The women's wing was formed after opposition from Golwalkar who felt that women should not be allowed to step outside the lakshmangandi. Anyway, the women's wing has not seen the spectacular growth rate that other Sangh Parivar organizations have. Their recruitment methods are modest- each new recruit is made to feel comfortable through certain family based gatherings and is seen as channel to her neighbours and kin. Women are encouraged to pass on what they learn to their children, and are hence equipped with basic pedagogical tools. They are provided with some training in basic Hindu texts, but encouraged not to criticise. The aggressive, supremacist aspects of these texts are emphasised. Further, women are encouraged to have careers but with parental approval. Parental approval also plays a key role in marriages. The idea is simple- it helps reinforce familial and caste bonds without explicit references to caste. Women are not encouraged to divorce and are told that if their husbands are unhappy with them it is their fault. Those whose husbands are unfaithful are told that infidelity in men is a biological fact and they must put up with it.

I will stop here because I need to get back to work! In the next post I'll tackle Women in the Ayodhya movement, and why the feminist movement has found the gendered aspect of Hindu nationalism so hard to deal with.

Rise of Hindutva, the BJP and some exam revision

2004-05-19T13:27:00.000+01:00

I am not sure how much I will be able to blog till 2nd June as my finals are looming. Since this is the last ever exam I shall take, I'm hoping not to screw up. I've done a course on South Asian politics, for which I have an exam on the 1st. So for the next few days, I might use this blog to revise some stuff for my exam, but also hopefully, jot down some fairly interesting stuff. I'll also start posting some photos on this blog. I can't access the required programs from my college ethernet, so once again you'll have to be patient till the 2nd!

Today I'm going to blog a bit about Hindutva, BJP and the Congress. If you've read an earlier post of mine, you'll know that I hold the Congress equally culpable for the rise of Hindu nationalism. Now there are various issues to be tackled here. First, what is Hindu nationalism? It is important to remember that many 'nationalists' feel that Hindu nationalism (which we shall now for convenience called Hindutva) has hijacked the nationalist agenda for anti-national purposes. In fact as John Zavos has shown, communalism is not a post independence phenomenon. At the same time in the 1920s when Nehru was enunciating his vision of a 'pure' nationalism, unsullied by the primordial pulls of caste, religion and politics, the communal riot as a staple feature of north Indian politics was becoming prominent. So throughout the national movement and nationalist historiography we see a constant collision and coalescing of these two phenomenon- nationalism and communalism. For the purpose of this post, I'm going to define Hindu nationalism as a)an attempt to create a monolithic version of Hinduism that is intrinsically linked to a 'Hindu' nation as an alternative to a secular and diverse India b)this 'nationalism' then seeks to define itself in terms of the 'Other', ie.e the Indian Muslim.

Now in this context, perhaps it is also wise to point out that the rise of Hindutva and the rise to political power of the BJP are not the same. The former, I would argue is a far more dangerous phenomenon, as it means that parties like the Congress have to toe a 'soft Hindutva' line in order not to marginalize their key vote bank. The rise of the BJP then, could be linked to the creation of political spaces by this ideological shift from the Congress which was effectively harnessed by the Sangh Parivar.

As Sumantra Bose (in a fantastic article in Ayesha Jalal, Sugata Bose (ed): Nationalism, Democracy and Development) has argued, the secular state has misinterpreted its mandate. Either it has supported majoritarian tendencies, or it has provided more overt support to communal forces. He then points to the reign of Indira Gandhi when riots swept Moradabad, Ahmedabad and Godhra. IG went so far as to say that minorities must 'adjust' in India- not very far from RSS-speak, I'd say. All of this meant that in this period, the RSS actually asked its supporters to vote for the Congress rather than the BJP.

But there were other subtle ways in which the Congress opened up spaces for Hindu nationalism to emerge. The over centralization of political power under Indira Gandhi allowed fissiparous tendencies in Kashmir and Punjab to develop. This could then be given a communal overtone by arguing that the Kashmiri Muslims and Punjabi Sikhs were 'disloyal opponents' of the Congress, seeking to tear apart the integrity of the nation.

Next, as liberlization proceeded, the middle class in India found itself in a unique position of being able to completely dominate the political agenda. As Thomas Hansen (again, in a few fantastic studies of Hindutva) has argued: ritual congregational activities, provided a sense of community and belonging helping to bridge the gap between economic and social status for the newly economically enfranchised classes. He argues that in a globalized world, the Indian middle class was suddenly made painfully aware of its own marginalization. Here, the BJP's doctrine of an 'Akhand Bharat' (and note that this again plays well with the rise of separatism in this period) and the return to a 'glorious Hindu past' would have obvious appeal. But there is a dichotomy in this. Just as Hindutva derides Western philosophy for producing disharmonious societies, its new proponents were avid consumers of this same Western global culture. Perhaps this consumption made them even more acutely conscious of their marginality, and Hindutva was then seen as the perfect bridge between reality, and the promised glories of a 'Hindu' future, where India would regain her rightful place on the world stage.

The last aspect I wish to touch upon is caste. The V.P. Singh government's proposition that it would implement Mandal Commission recommendations set off upper caste/middle class fury in North India. Worried that patronage dispensing mechanisms in states like U.P and Bihar, would be severely dented by this, many of the upper castes shifted their allegiance to the BJP. But for the BJP this was a difficult time as well. At the grassroots level, the organization is largely upper caste. So while it publicly endorsed Mandal, its grassroots organizations actively undermined it. More importantly, the BJP replied to the caste issue by shifting the agenda- the response to Mandal was mandir. This is evident in what happens in U.P. subsequently. The BJP was able to come to power because of caste issues, but then under Kalyan Singh, it raises the question of a ram mandir, effectively moves attention away from caste politics, and creates a new, incredibly divisive issue which is sure to touch a chord in many of the middle class Indians I've referred to above.

This I hope is a relatively nuanced perspective of how the rise of Hindutva and the rise of the BJP are related but separate phenomenon. Some time later, I will blog about Gender and Hindu Nationalism- and the implications of Hindutva for the feminist movement in India. Incidentally, Sugata Bose, whom I mention earlier on the piece is to be my PhD supervisor! I'll also blog a synopsis of what I'm hoping to work on at some point.

Manmohan looks set to be PM

2004-05-19T09:02:00.000+01:00

With the backing of Sonia Gandhi, it seems as if Manmohan Singh will be the next Prime Minister of India. How do I feel about this? Well, slightly ambivalent. Obviously his selection has done wonders for the stock market, which, as I said in my last post, confuses me. But that apart, he has no popular base of any sort. I suspect he will be another Gujral kind of Prime Minister. Also, am not sure what his views on most issues- e.g. Pakistan, allying (or not) with US, and so on are. I guess only time will tell. Take a look at this article, for a good summary of events yesterday- it also contains a potted bio of Manmohan at the end.

In a related development, the DMK has decided to join the government, while the Left still resolutely stays away. This could really be the biggest blunder the Left has made in many years. If they wish to extend their sphere of influence outside West Bengal and Kerala, this was the prime opportunity to do so. I am not sure what calculations the high command has made- perhaps they think keeping out of power will save them from anti incumbency? But the truth is that if you see the last election as a series of smaller local elections, then this argument would fall through. Also, for two states that need development badly, the Left could have pushed some of its agenda through if it had more clout.

In Tamil Nadu, where Jayalalitha is probably still reeling from the election results, she has decided to give a number of sops to placate the people. Although the Hindu has praised her for listening to the voice of the people, I am not so sure. She is obviously doing whatever it takes to cling on to power, she hasn't grown democratic tentacles over night. And her withdrawal of cases against the media on charges of defamation proves that- it's not a 'democratic' move, it's just a desperate attemtp to silence her critics.

Finally, what are the implications of what Sonia has done, her stunning political sacrifice?? The Telegraph today suggests that there is a groundswell of opinion from the stock market supporting her decision. She's probably come off better in this exchange with the BJP. It makes her look as if she's not hungry for power, it removes the last real 'issue' that the BJP could have raised and ensures that even her detractors have nothing to say. George Fernandes' comment last night about her 'changing her mind' sounds like sour grapes now- after all she changed her mind, because parts of the NDA threatened to agitate and bring the country to a halt. Further, the NDA decision to attend the swearing in ceremony too looks rather stupid in the light of Sonia's fairly dignified statement. I suspect that underneath her political inexperience, lies a very very shrewd politician.

Sonia declines PM's post

2004-05-18T15:34:00.000+01:00

In a development that has taken both the Congress and the BJP by utter surprise, Sonia Gandhi today said that she was going to listen to her 'inner voice' and withdraw herself from the Primeministerial race. This, frankly, like the Left Front staying out of government is quite a joke. I am no Sonia supporter- she has zero political experience. But what the BJP has resorted to through both Uma Bharati and Sushma Swaraj is pure political blackmail. When the BJP after all, threatens 'a countrywide agitation' we know exactly what that means...

This means that in all probability, Manmohan Singh, whose candidature Sonia has endorsed, will be the next PM.

What baffles me in all of this is the fact that those opposed to Sonia think that she will endanger the security of our country. Umm..when did Italy become such a prime opponent of the nation? What good would this do. Also she became an Indian citizen in 1983, well before her husband even became PM...you mean the Italian Mafia has been plotting this all along??

In other news, the Sensex seems to have recovered some ground. Again, I'm a bit mystified. I would assume that with Sonia as PM, she would have Manmohan as Finance Minister. So how would that be less reformist than having Manmohan as Prime Minister? All very confusing...

Sensex update and more election news

2004-05-17T12:29:00.000+01:00

The Sensex has ended the day after shedding 565 points, which is the biggest intra day fall since 1992. The bloodbath on Dalal Street was only halted when Manmohan Singh said that the government would not backtrack on privatisation. Surely, this panic is unwarranted. The Congress government looks fairly stable and has the numbers. Is there more to it than meets the eye?

Two other pieces of election related news- the BJP and its allies barring Vajpayee will not attend Sonia's swearing-in. Come on guys, don't be such poor losers. Amusingly enough, they are staying away to express 'people's sentiments. I thought in a democracy, that was expressed through elections..clearly I am wrong! Even more amusing is the RSS condemnation of her election as CPP leader and Prime Minister- this from a political group that has never ever faced an election. What's that word....legitimacy?

Somnath Chatterjee will be the new pro-term Speaker of the Lok Sabha, at least temporarily. The man, despite how boring he is, has won 10 times!

It also seems like we are now moving from the NDA to the UPA- the United Progressive Alliance that is to govern the country now. One hopes that they remain both united and progressive.

Stock market crash

2004-05-17T10:07:00.000+01:00

Trading has been stopped twice on the Bombay Stock market as stock prices have crashed by over 700 points. It's an ominous start of the Congress government. Although news is just filtering in, that the stocks have recovered about 300 points. Interesting to note that the brokers are now blaming the media for the mayhem! I think that's a bit rich, considering how many of them have been lamenting the fall of the BJP government and saying in public that reforms will stop. Honestly, the media is such a convenient scapegoat...

Some more on Arundhati Roy, who predicts that the attacks on Sonia Gandhi will continue. Again, some hyperbole from her, but I thoroughly agree with her on one point. If we welcome with open arms, those Indians who have given up their nationality, and make life so much easier for them, why do we find it so hard to accept someone who has willingly taken on the citizenship of our country? Look at the newsreports in the aftermath of the death of Kalpana Chawla- the government was quick to jump on the bandwagon and celebrate her 'Indianness'. I am a huge admirer of Chawla for many many reasons, but I am also conscious that she choose to give up her Indian citizenship, and if she hadn't I am not sure if she would have found a place on that NASA crew. So, when we are willing to claim as our own, those who have voluntarily renounced the country, why all this hostility to Sonia..is it because she is white?

On a completely unrelated note, this is a gruesome story. It's not wonder that we've begun to lost faith in our medical profession. I would argue that doctors in India, in many areas, do an admirable job under much stress. But what is lacking completely are ethics. Especially in rural areas, where the doctor is akin to god, the powers that can be abused are enourmous. I will never forget the letters that poured into the Anandabazar following the Kunal Saha decision, that has since been tragically reversed. So many poor people from the villages had tales to tell about their apathy at the hands of doctors- the callousness is mind numbing. And doctors will always stand up for their own ilk, even if they are wrong. You could perhaps argue that there is no ethical training imparted to doctors in India- they are taught their medicine well, but they are not taught to be good doctors, or how to deal with patients humanely. This case however, has nothing to do with that. Dr Ravi Kumar is a criminal, and deserves to be treated as such.

The Politics of Arundhati Roy

2004-05-17T06:30:00.000+01:00

There is a less than balanced article by Arundhati Roy on the Indian elections Written in that hyperbolic style of her, that I now find grating, she is right in pointing out that we should be glad at the BJP's demise. But then she takes off on an entirely different tangent. Exploring similar territory as her last article, How Deep Shall We Dig, she argues that tens of thousands of people have disappeared under BJP rule. And then cites Kashmir as the classic example. This is a bit odd, considering that the worst army excesses in Kashmir and rigging of elections took place under Congress rule. Although she does admit early on, that the policies of the BJP and the Congress may not be all that different. I am not sure about her rantings against the failings of the Indian state- as I see it, there is much that we have done right, and much that we have done wrong. And there is hardly ever any attempt on her part to focus on the former. Since I did my thesis on the Narmada issue, I had an opportunity to read Roy on Narmada quite closely. She begins quite well, and is factually correct, and for the most part I agree with her. But then she tends to leave out facts, e.g. not focussing on the reform packages of the Gujarat government that are best ever in India, at least in theory, (this despite the fact that they simply have no land to accommodate everyone from MP and Maharashtra). In fact, as ARCH-Vahini points out, the NBA has often refused surveys in those areas where it has a stronghold, nor has it always told villagers the entire truth about the reform packages, afraid that they will accept it.

She refers to the Narmada Dam as a 'State Secret' saying it's time to reveal some of these. But the unfortunate truth is that these have never been state secrets, and as the length of the bibliography to my thesis will testify, there has been plenty of work done on this. If middle class people like her, were unaware of the problem, don't blame the entire nation! For both the thirsting millions in Kutch and Saurashtra and for the displaced in MP and Maharashtra- whether adivasi or the rich farmers of Nimad, this has been a live burning issue. Also she begins her second article on the Maheshwar Dam, The Reincarnation of Rumpelstiltskin, referring to Cochacomba in Boliva...it's Cochabamba!!

As I argue in my thesis, and I think this is indeed a valid argument, the debate about the Narmada has been misled by the NBA to focus entirely on Big Dams. After all, like it or not, they are here to stay, and in post independence India, they have done some good. (look at Punjab after all). So what does that leave us with? It leaves us with the task of satisfying the people of Kutch and Saurashtra and ensuring that the oustees get a fair deal. For that I think the Joy-Paranjype proposals are excellent. The problem is that the NBA will consider no option where the dam is built. It's no dam or nothing, quite a risky strategy, even from a political perspective. While I think the Supreme Court judgement of 2000 is ludicrous, I can see why the NBA has lost support over the years. A blanket anti-development agenda, as some in the NBA have come to symbolize will do no one any good. In order to educate the public, and to revive support for the Narmada, I think it's time to point out how the project has been bureaucratically messed up for years- figures have been obfuscated, people have been lied to. If there's a real reason to take a second look at the project, that's where it lies. Also, you could take a look at the Verghese's response to Roy and then her counter response.

I will also admit that a lot of the vitriol against her has been personal and if you read the following articles, you'll see what I mean. Not many have a critique of the content of her work, but are more critical of the 'Booker prize winning author' taking up social causes and suggesting that she hijacks them for herself. I am not sure that's true. I don't think, unlike Ramchandra Guha, that she did the Narmada cause a disservice by writing about it. And I don't see why her getting a Booker should disqualify her from writing about political issues?

As a last word, Dilip D'Souza has an excellent book called The Narmada Dammed, which far more eloquently argues what I've said in this post. It's a great book, and I would urge you to read it. And here's an interesting review of the book.

How secular is the Congress?

2004-05-16T22:00:00.000+01:00

If you read my Oxblog post, you'll notice that I display no fondness for the secular credentials for the Congress. Some of the worst riots in Indian history, took place during Indira Gandhi's reign and her son Rajiv allowed the ram shila puja to be held at Ayodhya and was responsible for pandering to obscurantist sentiment through the Shah Bano case. But I would still argue that the BJP was much worse- this is particularly true in light of Gujarat and their more explicitly majoritarian philosophy. What is more worrying of course, is the news that the RSS believes that dilution of its ideology caused the loss in these elections, which might mean a return to more hardcore ideological politics.

Further, I think a number of commentators seem to conflate the rise of the BJP with the rise of Hindu nationalism. The two are related but separate phenomenon, and I would argue that the latter is far more dangerous than the former. It's worrying to see that the Congress too feels the need to adopt 'soft Hindutva' tactics in state elections, something that has even the RSS worried. Although perhaps it doesn't always pay off- as in Kerala. For a more detailed argument on the Congress, BJP and secularism, read this.

A short quick post- the Janata Dal (S) and the Congress seem ready for a tie up in Karnataka.

A good editorial in the Hindustan Times about Sonia's foreign origins.

Znet has three articles on India's elections. The one by P.Sainath is particularly good as it focusses on the disconsonance between 'mass reality' and the 'mass media'. It also helps to counter some of Drezner's argument about economic reforms in the country. The truth being that yes, while most of us, the English speaking middle class, are indeed better off, that can't be said for a vast majority. Naidu may convert Hyderabad into cyber city, but he will also remain culpable for the highest ever suicide rate among Andhra farmers.
response. They make good reading.

Quick election update

2004-05-16T20:18:00.000+01:00

This is going to be a very quick post on the elections. Post 2nd June, I will blog more extensively. Till then, here are some of the major headlines.

Sonia Gandhi has been elected as leader of a Congress led alliance and now looks all set to be the next Prime Minister of India. A number of BJP leaders have made comments criticising her choice as PM citing her 'foreign' origins. My views on this are quite clear- as long as she's a good PM (and her lack of political experience suggests she might not be), I don't care. The people of the country have rejected the BJP's xenophobic campaign and the party should now have the grace to admit this. Although I have to admit that in the past few days, I've met a number of Indians, who while pleased that the BJP has lost, are not pleased to have an Italian born PM. You can read the rest of my comments on what I think of the BJP's victory here (check the post for the 15th of May) and here. Read this if you're still not convinced.

The CPI(M) and the DMK have decided against joining the government, which I think is a serious mistake. This seems like historic Blunder II.With a mandate of this size, there is no reason to stay out of government. Also I would argue that Dan Drezner's fears about the Communists changing the tone of economic policy is not entirely justified. Look at how much the Communists in West Bengal have been wooing foreign investment..even IBM is setting up shop there.

What do our friends from across the border have to say about the elections? The NYT and the Dawn both have interesting pieces, contrasting the process of democratization that seems to have proceeded relatively smoothly in India to its absence in Pakistan. Sometime later I shall post a longer thing on why I think democratization has failed in Pakistan.

In neighbouring Pakistan, Musharraf has called for a review of Islamic Hudood laws introduced under General Zia. While some authors, like Charles Kennedy have argued in the past that the laws are not as damaging to women as they might seem, and that, they were used against political dissidents, this is certainly a brave stance. Musharraf has tried in the past to abolish the blasphemy laws, but failed to stand up to the Jamaat-i Islami. Let's see if he succeeds this time.

That's all for today. I might not be blogging for the next few days, but the topics that I hope to cover in the future include: the Sri Lankan peace process, caste politics in UP and what this election means for the SP and BSP, a look back the BJP government in power, and the role of Islamization in Pakistan. If you have any expertise on any of the above, feel free to get in touch.

Welcome to my world...

2004-05-15T20:18:00.000+01:00

I'll try and spend an hour everyday blogging about the most important political developments from India. Having looked at the dearth of websites on Indian politics, I think this is necessary. There's a selfish reason as well- as someone who wishes to specialize in South Asian politics in the future, this will be an extremely useful exercise. I invite all forms of constructive comment, so please feel free, as this blog develops, to express your views.