We Do Not Need GUJCOC!

Although I witness these issues closely around us, in my state Gujarat, in India, I closely relate this to each country, each society and community. The increased violence through out the world is the biggest concern.

Could any law or could any police stop a person who decides to kill himself to kill other people? No. Gujarat government is insisting on implementing GUJCOC, a proposition of an anti-terrorism law. Mr. Modi did not have time to educate people about GUJCOC because he has been very busy in preaching for writing post cards to the Prime Minister to advocate GUJCOC. It seems, only one person would decide what “sada 5 karod ni janta” should do.

I call this person as a man with the metal chest; Lawyer Anand Yagnik has shown the excellent example how to be in complete senses regarding political happenings and policy making from which normal people are alienated. (Ahmedabad Mirror, 26 September 2008 | “Do we need GUJCOC or a collective will to respond?”) He has tried to bring in this issue in the best possible way that people can understand GUJCOC and decide themselves that is it really needed? In further, it also doesn’t seem to be a law to control terrorists as the definition of organized crime (for which GUJCOC is proposed) is quite contradictory from what terrorists do. As per the Statement of Object given by Gujarat Government, “The organized crime has been for quite some years now come up as a very serious threat boundaries and is fuelled by illegal wealth generation by contract killing, extortion, smuggling in contrabands, illegal trade in narcotics, kidnappings for ransom, collection of protection money and money laundering etc.” Give it a thought; do terrorists want to do these killings for wealth generation? Do they place bombs for extortion or is this contract killing? Poor reasons!

Now let us put some light on provisions of GUJCOC (As Anand Yagnik brought them for us):

·         Every offence punishable under GUJCOC is cognizable

·         No Anticipatory Bail

·         Provision of bail is excessively stringent so as to keep accused behind the bars for a substantial period of time without trial

·         Confession made before Superintendent of Police is admissible evidence irrespective of how much an accused is tortured

·         Valid intercepted communication is also admissible evidence

·         An accused can be kept in the police custody for up to 60 days

·         The failure of police to charge sheet an accused does not create a technical ground for bail

·         Special courts permitted to have summary trials

·         Protection for witnesses

·         Property of the accused on a reasonable ground liable to be forfeited

There are two affecting factors of GUJCOC. First is the Statement of Object from state government. The definition of organized crime and actual terrorist activities are quite different. Let us come back to that core issue after we get to know powers and authorities requested in GUJCOC for the police.

Each of the provisions can easily be abused by the authority and we know how much we can rely on government and police authorities!!! Keeping an accused in custody for uncertain time up to 60 days, no bail, no trial and tortured confession is evidence; it is questionable if these clauses are not violating the human rights. Apparently, they are insisting on more power over society by proposing this law. The initial picture suggests that GUJCOC is needed to target some particular people and community and making them easy targets with the name of law. Well Done! Even if it is not so, then it is an apparent threat to each citizen. Who knows if your son, your brother would be taken to custody without any reason, just on the basis of suspicion!? We may not feel secure in our home, in our own city.

Now go back to the long term concern, as a few brutal minds are spreading terror and targeting innocent lives, anytime anywhere without any glitch. Again, can hard laws stop these people? I don’t think so. This is no more a matter of crime, violence and police. It has gone far out of the reach of law and order. Have we ever realized and related these incidents with naxalism? Although unpopular, it is a modern way to fight for existence and self-respect. The actors of recent incidents claim this as a revenge of Gujarat riots of 2002. Yes, revenge itself is immoral. But how long and how much one can tolerate? Terrorism is not a monopoly of Laden anymore. This is the age of home grown groups who drive these bomb campaigns from one city to other, another characteristic of naxalism! We may not be aware of the complete truth, but we can see what is clearly apparent. We have chosen not to see and not to consider some aspects of it, but in this case ignorance is sinful. We cannot undo what has happen; we also can’t keep blaming and keep moaning about the injustice prevailed and also that how legal authorities applied its stamp on it recently. Let us forget and forgive all those people who wore knives and swords as ornaments and danced over blood of thousands.

Society starts from home and the strongest instincts get developed in a child from its own family. Family is the most important and primary institution of a person in his social life. Parents do have to pour in right values in children from the beginning. Not only skills of singing, dancing and drawing are the parameters of a better person. We have to develop better citizen because after being a student for a few years, a person lives rest of her/his life as a citizen in the social context. How strong and how determined is this citizen who would never involve in such activities? How could a bunch of people preach us and overshadow our learning of life, which we received from our parents, schools and colleges? This is what we need to learn and teach. If they preach for revenge and killings, why can’t we teach to forget and forgive? Why can’t we teach to accept others? There are endless conflicts in diverse communities, from among the countries to families. But we have to live with it, as we live in our own families.

Let us start afresh. Let us concentrate on our own selves and find out, do we contain any bit of such poison within us? If yes, you really need a treatment. Open eyes and open arms, a lot would get better. If we see it real, it is real. We have to support and be with those people and communities who are suffering the most. To blame is easier, to give a hand of courage is what does matter!

We do not implement rule of stick if our child, our brother or sister is being stubborn, violent and out of control. We always keep patience and try to nurture them.

I would like to present this as a petition and want to know and show that we really don’t need GUJCOC! Please leave your name, email address and also your comments in order to sign this petition. Also forward this if you feel it is worth preventing our state from ghost of GUJCOC.

The Much Needed, Real Effort!

It is an effort of its kind, which also has been made by honorable Gujarat Vidhyapith last year. The second ‘Gandhi Jayanti Gramjivan Padyatra’ organized from 28th September to 2nd October this year. 700 villages were covered, where students, teachers, volunteers from NGOs and so many other people talked with villagers about Gandhian values and ideas of life and to make the people aware.
Along with connecting rural and urban, it will allow the rural population to really understand their own situation, applying ideas with which they can improve their own lives by staying only in villages. Migration from villages to cities is taking toll on the balance of the population and economy that is where this kind of event can help villagers to know their own capabilities, strength of their own villages and a better life there. There were four basic issues – literacy, cleanliness, panchayat rights and de-addiction to be addressed. Also, it would help to come over rigid rituals, traditions and will encourage women empowerment in each corner of Gujarat. It is known that most of the villages did welcome ‘padyatris’ last year and they appreciated the motive of this ‘padyatra’.
There is a lot of buzz about technical happenings around the city from the Media, addressing issues like what you can do with your mobile Bluetooth, how harmful the mobile towers are, an author caught a guy for not respecting our national anthem. I really appreciate everything coming to the platform in such a new tabloid. But, should we miss such core news? I believe, we must give full coverage to such an event, with photographs, stories and testimonials by media people, going in villages with these teams and participating in this evolutionary event. Only these things will bring the core values and humanity back to the urban and rural people. Roots are being detached, and we must prevent. All the newspapers of different languages should remark and encourage this as a significant event and display that it is not that difficult to spread a message if we really want. “Hats Off!” to the efforts of Gujarat Vidhyapith and the team. Even a few percents of success would turn into gold and nothing else.

Heartily wishes and gratitude for all the ‘padyatris’!

Gujarat – Liquor’s Flooding and Water’s Drying!

A few days back, journalist of Ahmedabad Mirror, Mr. Tapan Joshi presented his views on prohibition policy in Gujarat. He is concerned with international delegations and domestic cricket leagues. His article left me surprised as the arguments were not even mature to vote for relief in policy. A few very simple and disastrous consequences can be understood by a common man as well, where a responsible entity like a journalist is leaving me dismayed.

From the day AM has started, it is the first time when I have come to read something very political and far away from truth. Tapan Joshi is having his perspective for the liquor prohibition policy in Gujarat. But apparently, it is a very naive representation from a journalist. It would need a lot of understanding to state anything about the policy and the policymakers. The reason he has mentioned is futile and has no substance. For a few commercially glittered cricket matches, for a few neo-rich foreign delegations, should we change our identity? Should we change are moral values? The long lived recognized policy from Mahatma Gandhi is being abused with the excuses of loosing revenues. Today’s journalism, youths and even leaders seem very short sighted and have least vision for a healthy society. The revenue itself is immoral if it is generated by selling liquor. If you see it with a basic example, if a middle class family is struggling to survive, would we allow any of the family members to earn bread by selling any kind of alcohol? Even in this metro culture, we have an evil eye for such businesses. This is exactly the same situation. We may not be a rich, developed (!) and advanced state, but we have enough to live a basic life. And in anyway, bringing these international traders to Gujarat would benefit the least to the majority. Main interests pushing the policy back are political and influenced by those ‘panch karodpatio’ and their material ambitions.

Mr Joshi also criticizes CM for not relieving the policy, which is again contradictory. It is a political game, ‘Act Accordingly’! And recently, much more relief is given to the businesses and in SEZs, and by our “honorable” Government.

We know the fact that how it is being consumed in majority of the youths and also families. Women are also taking a big part in this growing metro culture. We already had a few incidents recently at a beach Mumbai and on the roads of Punjab. Where to go and what to stop! Giving liberties will make the situation worse only. Today liquor and tomorrow we’ll have bars! “Stopping at the bar for a pint of beer”, Come on! Wake up! At least Gujarat is not the place. There is the whole world to roam around and have a pint.

Where to Look? Inside Us!

Where to Look? Inside Us!
July 25, 2008
(in continuation to ‘Guns & Roses Part 2: Roses – Immobilized Khaki’)
Mr Pravin Sheth, the eminent political analyst says, (Ahmedabad Mirror, 24 July 2008 ) nowadays people are much candid about their conduct and do not care about the behavioural ethics in public. Because of his deep insights in social issues, Mr Sheth relates two recent outrageous incidents, first is the violent consequences after protest against the death of two kids and the second is the display of currency bundles in the Lok Sabha. We know the roots and the extent of corruption and conspiracies are not easy to find. But the contemporary methods of ill-behaviour are ingenuous. So called ‘sadhaks’ of Asaram came out with weapons, got violent openly on roads and vandalized residents’ belongings. In Delhi, some MPs displayed bundles of currency notes in Lok Sabha during trust vote, not giving a single thought for dignity of the Parliament, dignity of the democracy! They colored India’s face black to the whole world and wrote a black day in Indian history. As I just previously mentioned, that I doubt if there’s any line to be crossed as I cannot even dream about worse things. But as the fact, we can see unimaginable things keep happening every other day.

More or less, we all behave analogously, be it in private or public. At times, we do not care the expressions we send across are very harmful and unfavorable to many. If we look at the example of the cyclist (Part 2: Roses – Immobilized Khaki) who did not hang back before insulting the traffic officer, did not think whether he’s in fault or not and rashly started abusing and threatening in public. Being candid would also involve that one wouldn’t even be bothered for his own decorum being grounded. Swearing, shouting, making filthy comments and gestures to women, offending others in public, bullying the weak – all these are everyday and everywhere. The vision has to be changed from eyes and to be reached to the mind. We must start looking inside ourselves. We have to start seeing others equally and understand the importance of their existence too. I am resisting the notion of ‘Kaliyug’ as I didn’t much believed in. We don’t have to act accordingly either to prove the commencement of ‘Kaliyug’. Let us preserve ourselves as humans (‘Manav’) and re-establish an undivided and complete ‘Manav Yug’.

 

Related Articles:
Guns & Roses – Part 1: Guns – Memo No. 1!
Guns & Roses – Part 2: Roses for Immobilized Khaki

Global Warming – A simple note…

Could the destruction of southern states of USA be linked with collapsing ice rocks in Greenland? Could the millions of dead fishes in Amazon linked with deforestation in Australia? Are these disasters are also related in any way with Europe’s recent ever hottest summer, which left 27,000 people dead!!?

It is the most serious issue that the World has ever faced, GLOBAL WARMING. The World scientists are collaborating to study Global Warming and its effect in forth coming decades. The most unprecedented changes in the climate have been observed after mid 20th century. Rising temperatures have been measured by a number of space stations.

The Sun is the source of warmth and light to us, but the intensity of the heat is different to the different parts of the Earth. Over the years, the earth has kept changing its orbit and moving pattern around the sun, and because of this the World has seen the significant changes in the climate during the last few centuries.

Let’s have a look at this…

Ideally, the rise in temperature over the years would have not been so momentous, but if we consider the greenhouse effects and the Earth’s orbital movements we can accept some changes or rise in temperature. Although at present, the actual situation of climate change is far more terrible; and human beings are responsible for this. Me, you and all of us.

As we study the numbers, it is only 0.6 degree of rise in planet’s average temperature. But this has already created so much havoc with the climate of the planet. Arctic is warmed by 3 degrees in last few centuries and the ice is melting unbelievably faster. Although, dirty snow has also played the part in this increase. The existing wild life on these continents is under threat. We might think that what if those animals die there in Arctic that is not going to affect us!!! But the whole Food chain would be disturbed by extinction of these animals. Of course, it is the later issue in this case but it is. In addition, rapidly melting ice is the biggest threat for the whole world not just north and south poles. Katrina, Hurricanes, Tsunami – most of the people was not aware of these words before a few decades. The rise in sea temperatures is the reason behind these destructive winds and storms. The rise has caused the average sea temperature to reach up to 26 degrees. In August 2005, Katrina struck New Orleans, Mississippi and parts of Mexico and we have also observed many destructive winds in last decade. It was the worst season of climate disasters in 2005 and it was also the alarm for the World to wake up and take significant action against this Global Warming and Climate change. Researchers say, “They can be more destructive and frequent in next few years!”

Before 160,000 years ago, the World’s average temperature was just 3 degrees less than it is now. But we human beings will make it rise (!) by 2-3 degrees higher within next 30,000 years and many cities near coasts will be flooded.

The choice is yours!

Sneh Bhavsar
London, 23 June 2007

Your Development Is Futile!

This take on recent polls, is my take on you and all the Gujaratis. Gujaratis are far far behind from the thought of nationalism where the nationalism is the principal and has to prevail in every member of the democracy. We are very much at the individual level; you ought to rip off that cover. Gujarat is still more of a shame to India than a proud of India in all over the world. Do not ask those money minded gujjus in London or New Jersey how they feel about the Gujarat and Modi, but asks the world. Even you can ask the other states of India. It is not the benchmark to believe that you are the best person if papa, mama and didi believe so, you should ask neighbors, friends, colleagues and even the society. Put the self on the surface – let it be commented it self. People want to look Modi, people want to dance Modi. I am heart-ripped because of this selfish, stiff and soulless mindset of Gujjus. Modi is a good leader and knows the ways to win the elections. Getting the top rank in the school examination and being a scholar are completely diverse. Being an ideal leader and winning the election to become chief minister are also completely different.  

The definition of the development is completely diverse for India in every manner. Centralization does not work for us; Distribution is the must for us. We don’t need to raise 5 malls in every area; we need to raise 5 farmers in every village. There are lots of things that I am and you are (not personally you) not enough sensible to say, but we can at least comprehend the things and not just follow the mass. Also the so called development and economic growth are coming down to Gujarat because of the individual business endeavors, outsourcing and over all India’s product dominance in the market. India is having intelligence overflow (Giddens: International social science author) and that has resulted in an economic growth and we have gone through this process over more than 40 years not just last 10 years. And the ‘malai‘ we professionals and executives are eating now, is the outcome of this stirring process of the Indian global injections. I will say hundred times – it does not coexist with development to filter the growth areas and the growing mass. If you don’t get it, I reiterate in simple words, “It is not possible to talk about hindutva & development together. Any development is futile without the intact harmony and rational environment.” It is not the development of Gujarat what you see. It will not be the Gujarat you may be wanting.   

Sneh Bhavsar

Ahmedabad, 27 December 2007