On homosexuality

All major religions originated in Asia and the religious texts concentrated more on controlling the mind and any desire considered unnatural was taboo. People have lived in this part of the continent with contentment as the endurance limit of the family and society as a whole has no parallel. Applying the ways of life of the West, with no controls, will only lead to chaos in society.

There is always a section that does not fall in line with the majority. Society need not take cognisance of it. Counselling people is the need of the hour, not approving what is followed by a few.

No religion approves of homosexuality. The religions would not have condemned homosexuality had the sexual orientation been due to the genes. Homosexuality is more of a choice. Orientation, inclination, etc., are only hand maidens of the environment and the company the homosexuals keep. There are cases in which counsellors have succeeded in transforming homosexuals into heterosexuals. Homosexuality, therefore, is reversible.

The increasing prevalence of HIV, proctitis and anal cancer among gay groups has been well documented in medical literature. Increasing rates of suicide, alcoholism and drug abuse among them have also been adequately established. We should not studiously follow the American line which is guided by post-modernistic ideology.

Frisking episode

Continental Airlines apologised to the former President, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, for the treatment meted out to him at the Delhi airport only on seeing the groundswell of public mood against it. The incident goes beyond just a breach of protocol. It shows the West’s intolerance of others. It is a deep-rooted malaise and the paranoia following the 9/11 incident has brought it out in the open.

The frisking of Mr. Kalam is condemnable. I do not think India has given such treatment to any foreign leader. But our students are attacked in Australia and our leaders frisked at airports. Is it because of our extreme tolerance or incapability to oppose such things tooth and nail?One wonders how the United States will react if Bill Clinton is subjected to such a security procedure while on his visit to India! Do American airlines frisk their former Presidents? If the answer is no, Continental Airlines will have to answer a serious diplomatic question.

As much as we all resent what happened, filing an FIR is going too far. A show-cause notice is a must, as the country needs to be assured that the frisking was routine and not racially motivated. But for all we know, Mr. Kalam might have had no problems whatsoever.

Ajmal’s confession

The case of Ajmal is becoming curiouser and curiouser. At first, he was in the denial mode, later he prevaricated and now comes a stunning confession of the sequence of events leading to the dastardly deed. There is more to it than meets the eye. The confession appears to be not the genuine outpourings of a terrorist stricken by remorse. How can one explain his adroit avoiding of any reference to the Lashkar-e-Taiba leader?

The way in which Mohammad Ajmal Amir ‘Kasab’ has admitted to his crime should raise doubts about his intentions. However, he has shifted the responsibility to his dead colleague Abu Ismail as regards opening firing and killing people. Ajmal’s abrupt pleading gives rise to many suspicions. Further, his reference to an “Abu Jundal,” an Indian who taught them Hindi, raises more suspicion. This also seems to mislead the trail. Punishing Ajmal alone will not bring justice to the victims of the Mumbai carnage. Our investigating agencies have to go to the roots and expose the mastermind behind the terror strike and punish him.

It is not surprising that Pakistan does not take Ajmal’s confession seriously. If the proceedings in this case are further delayed, there is every possibility that Pakistan may pressure India into releasing Ajmal in exchange for Sarabjit, the Indian who has been awarded the death sentence in Pakistan for alleged bomb blasts.

It appears that belated confessions are selective in nature and will not help unravel the entire conspiracy behind the 26/11 plot. It could even be a strategy to divert attention from the identity of the real mastermind who planned the deadly attacks. The role of state actors in training terrorists is something Pakistan would not like to admit.

Ajmal is not merely an individual. He represents an ideology which does not believe in the rule of law and respect for human beings. He is indeed a test case for India which has been following the norms of justice despite grave provocation. We should not be misled by his tactics.

Ajmal should get life imprisonment. He will be more useful to India in the long run. The four and-a-half hour confession is not enough to know the whereabouts of criminals who were handlers and are protected by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence and its military.

Positive Pakistan

The admission by President Asif Ali Zardari that Pakistan trained terrorists in the past, the joint statement at Sharm-El-Sheikh and the filing of a charge sheet against five suspects in the 26/11 Mumbai attack are welcome from India’s point of view. But Pakistan still has a long way to go before its credibility is established.

Till 9/11, the U.S. was all for Pakistan. It used Pakistan to recruit, arm and finance the mujahideen to fight the Soviets and turned a blind eye to the infiltration of Pakistan-trained terrorists into Kashmir. After 9/11, it asked Pakistan to eliminate the terrorists it had created and nurtured. Islamabad agreed but has continued to train terrorists and kept its channels open with the Taliban to retain its influence in Afghanistan.

The meeting between Yosuf Raza Gilani and Manmohan Singh at Sharm-El-Sheikh, Egypt, has sent positive vibrations, notwithstanding the different interpretations of the joint statement issued by them. There is a feeling in India that it has given more by way of de-linking terrorism from the composite dialogue process.

Given that the two countries have been arch rivals, there is a deficit of trust between them. The need of the hour, therefore, is patience. Continuing to engage in talks is the only way forward for both countries.

The joint statement did give rise to the fear that India has compromised its stand that it would not engage Pakistan unless the latter brought those behind the Mumbai terrorist attack to justice. But Dr. Singh has clarified that the statement did not amount to diluting New Delhi’s stand on terrorism.

While terrorism is a major agenda, let us not sideline all the other important bilateral issues. We would do well to remember that Pakistan too has had its share of terror attacks from home-grown terrorist outfits.

India needs to demonstrate its resolve to go it alone in its fight against terrorism and not feel obliged to please the U.S. Pakistan knows how to get the maximum out of the U.S. without conceding much.

After Slumdog

As for the children who acted in Slumdog Millionaire, life has done a double flip for little Rubina Ali, 9, and Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail, 10, who captured American hearts as they were trotted to the Oscar Awards ceremony in February. According to media reports, Rubina’s house has been fitted with hi-tech gadgets, including a 32-inch LCD screen. In an official statement, the movie’s producers said they are looking to buy both children apartments near their old slum, whose ownership will rest in a trust until they complete their education and turn 18. The clause was included to prevent the adults from selling their flats. The producers have also arranged for a rickshaw to take the children to a non profit English medium school.

The Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority has gifted two apartments for the children to felicitate their achievements. The producers say they are working with local social workers to ensure that the children get a decent education and a better life.

However, soon after the kids come into money, relatives and publicity hounds began crawling out of the woodwork. Rubina’s biological mother Khurshid Begum surfaced to claim the child (and her fame and money) she had abandoned. She is now fighting a custody battle with Rubina’s stepmother who brought her up. Indian police are currently investigating a report in a British tabloid News of the World accusing her father Rafiq Qureshi of offering to sell her for $260,000 to a fake sheik.

Sanjoy Roy, founder of the Salaam Baalak Trust, says: “The most important thing is that there needs to be a comprehensive plan for their long term rehabilitation. Such a plan might include provisions for career choices, a mentor for guiding them through the ups and downs of life and even counseling to cope with sudden fame and then maybe anonymity. It is also important that the money that is being raised in the name of the children be put in a fixed deposit for them so that they don’t need to be dependant on any trust or any individual.”

That is an issue also confronting the star of another movie that created waves with Slumdog Millionaire at this year’s Oscars, Smile Pinki, the story of a young girl Pinki whose life was transformed by cleft surgery, which won the Oscar in the short documentary feature category. Satish Kalra, regional director for South

Asia for Smile Train, the international charity which offers free cleft surgery to children such as Pinki, said: “Smile Pinki will hopefully raise awareness on the global problem of cleft lip and cleft palate. We cannot support her education as Smile Train only provides a level playing field to these children. We hope somebody comes forward and supports Pinki’s education.”

Pinki has found a mentor in Dr. Subodh Kumar Singh, the doctor who performed the surgery on her and accompanied her to the Oscars. He complains that often people promise support to Pinki just for the publicity. He cited media reports that Pinki would be getting education free for life, but Singh says, he isn’t aware of any such commitments. The Indore Medical School has promised free medical education for Pinki, but Singh says: “She is only in the second standard. The most important thing for her now is to complete her primary and secondary education. Only then we can think of her further education. As of now I am bearing the cost of her education and I will continue to do so.”

Since her surgery, Pinki is happy and engaged at her school, where earlier she was ostracized. An intelligent girl, she is especially proud of her books, which have been gifted to her by the scores. She has turned her collection of fiction and non-fiction books into a library in her village, issuing them out to people who want to borrow them. Singh says: “Education is the only way forward. Given a level playing field, Pinki will go far in life.”

Pinki’s exposure to the world has also proved beneficial for her village, Rampur Dhavaia in Uttar Pradesh. The U.P. government has gifted her a new house and announced plans to develop her village as a “model village.”

The success of Slumdog Millionaire propelled the problem of slum and street children in India to international attention. The Indian government is proposing the establishment of a National Commission for Children to promote the welfare and rights of children.

The young stars of Slumdog Millionaire feted at Universal Studios Hollywood in February.

However, Roy says, it will take time for major changes to take effect. “In villages in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and the South there is a huge improvement in rolling out education where the Panchayats have been made responsible for the local school system, appointing teachers, and so on. Sure some schools are still rudimentary, but in states with bad governance like Bihar, UP, Bengal, etc., this has yet to set in.”

For children thrust into the public vortex through movies, the psychological effects of their 15 minutes of fame can be both uplifting and devastating. Sissel recalls it took years for Bernard to recognize that survival was no longer his problem. “He was, oh, so brave to take such a big step with a Western woman. He is still saving himself.”

Children rights activists say that the money showered on the children is inevitably frittered away. Long term rehabilitation alone can ensure that the children do not slip back into their old lives. They say the children require counseling to come to terms with their sudden fame and equally sudden ignominy; that the money they earn should be put in a trust for their education and career goals and most importantly they should be taken out of the slum environment so they grow up with regular kids.

Geeta Venkadakrishnan, director of the Kolkata chapter of Hope Foundation says, “I am sure very soon the little girl from Slumdog Millionaire will be offered endorsements or a role in some movie or serial. However, that is not the solution. We need to first take care of their education and then other things. Without education it will not be long before she (Rubina) sinks back to the drudgery she came from.”

Slumdog Millionaire’s story about slum kids touched the hearts of cinemagoers worldwide. It propelled its child stars to instant stardom. The Mumbai slum children Rubina, in a gown, and Azhar, dapper in a tuxedo, walked the Red Carpet and were feted in five star hotels in the United States at this year’s Oscars.

On their return to India, both the children complained of the heat and mosquitoes. Those will be the least of their problems in the roller coaster life ahead.

coalition politics

The vote in the recently concluded elections for stability is more of a negative vote for politicians who exhibited their arrogance during poll campaigning. The Left, which enjoyed power without responsibility, received a drubbing. The Lalus and the Mulayams suddenly discovered that they were the dispensers of people’s choice and wanted to treat the Congress as their poor cousin. Mr. Paswan went a step further to declare that the Congress cannot survive without his support.

In Kerala, a septuagenarian leader wanted his son to don the mantle at the cost of the party and was willing to break the party to show his superiority. Another leader presumed that her new-found love for Eelam would make the people to forget her earlier stand and that she would be given votes unequivocally. Yet another leader presumed that he could make his side the winner and put a premium on his association, not to speak of the one who shouted from the rooftop that he was the sole custodian of the Dravidian spirit.

Senior Congress leaders are meeting with key pre-poll partners, the Trinamool Congress and the DMK, on distribution of Cabinet berths.Both parties are reportedly eying plum portfolios and more ministries. The market of bargain has started.

The Congress is under pressure from its ally DMK which is seeking several ministerial berths and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee reportedly insisting on getting one more ministerial portfolio than what the DMK gets. While the DMK has won 18 Lok Sabha seats, TMC has got 19.

A tussle is reportedly on wresting the Railway Ministry, held by RJD chief Lalu Prasad who is unlikely to find a berth in Manmohan Singh's second innings. Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee is eyeing the Railway portfolio as also the DMK.

Singh was appointed Prime Minister on Wednesday for a second consecutive term after the UPA coalition staked its claim to form the government with the backing of 322 MPs. Swearing-in is to take place on May 22.

In view of the comfortable numbers the coalition has in the 543-member Lok Sabha, the President has not asked the Prime Minister to prove his strength in the House. Parliament is likely to be convened on June two.

Post-election, the Samajwadi Party, the RJD, the BSP and other parties are only too eager to give unconditional support to the UPA government. A lion’s share of the media space and time are taken up by the allies and supporting parties seeking cabinet berths.

With the Prime Minister due to be sworn in on Friday, all sides are working overtime to first finalise the share of parties in the Council of Ministers and then decide on the portfolios. In all likelihood, the Prime Minister will be sworn in with only a few Cabinet-level Ministers representing the key allies, and the full Council of Ministers will be in place later.

Is it not time to enact the right to recall to pull back candidates for non-performance and those who switch alliances post-election. Only then will our political parties learn to respect the people’s mandate.

Prabhakaran's body found

http://www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20090519_03
http://www.dailymirror.lk/DM_BLOG/Sections/frmNewsDetailView.aspx?ARTID=49380
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Prabhakarans-body-found-Lanka-army-chief/articleshow/4551107.cms

COLOMBO: Sri Lankan troops recovered the body of slain rebel leader Velupillai Prabhakaran on Tuesday, a day after he was killed in the Tamil Tigers' last stand against government forces in the north, the military said.

The government had announced Prabhakaran's killing on Monday, but later said they had not yet found his body. A rebel official abroad denied Prabhakaran was killed and said he was in a safe place.

As speculation grew about Prabhakaran's fate, army chief Gen. Sarath Fonseka announced that his body had been recovered.

"A few hours ago, the body of terrorist leader Prabhakaran, who ruined this country, was found in the battleground," he told state television. "I take responsibility for this statement."

Fonseka's announcement came hours after President Mahinda Rajapaksa delivered a victory address to parliament, declaring that his country had been "liberated" from terrorism after defeating the Tamil Tiger rebels on the battlefield.