...because you have no rights to do so. I have been following the articles on Women and dress code in the newspapers. And, I was quite disturbed by the observations made. Now, I have my own observations. Why does everybody pose restrictions on all that is related to only women? Most of the colleges banned jeans and other western outfits on campus and moreover, a state went to the extent of banning these outfits forever just because they feel that these kind of dresses intrigue men.
Is this what you call equality and democracy, where you expect women to live their lives according to your terms? A good, old author asked women to be in the limits of decency and not dare sport jeans and other dresses. What is so indecent in wearing jeans? If that itself intrigues a man then he should be ashamed of himself and his infected mind. Violence against women has always existed. It must be taken away from roots. Why does the society blame the sufferer when you ought to punish the wrong-doer for his crime?
If a man looks at a woman it is his fault, not the woman's. Why are women made accountable for the actions of men? When men are not able to control their own actions, then they have no right to judge or dictate women and their conduct. Women have every right to do and wear what they want just like men and, men have no right to dominate them in this age of living. If there needs to be equality, let it be in every form.
We don't wait for it to be granted to us anymore, we demand it.
October 30, 2005
October 16, 2005
Just Like that
I am quite busy these days and that is the reason why I have not been blogging regularly. Just had some time off in between for Dussehra. I planned to do many things but nothing seems to work. I have Life Of Pi and had been planning to start and finish it off. But, no time even to take a look at it.
I heard that the movie Flight Plan is quite good. So, planning to watch it. Just a couple of weeks more and then we would be having our semester end exams and that would be the end of the 7th semester. It will then leave us with just another semester. These days I have started toning up my vocal cords again and have been successful at it to some extent. Also, read some very interesting articles in the past few days- INC- Pre-independence days, Mitrokhin Archives and the KGB allegations on INC. They are must read ones- highly engrossing!
I heard that the movie Flight Plan is quite good. So, planning to watch it. Just a couple of weeks more and then we would be having our semester end exams and that would be the end of the 7th semester. It will then leave us with just another semester. These days I have started toning up my vocal cords again and have been successful at it to some extent. Also, read some very interesting articles in the past few days- INC- Pre-independence days, Mitrokhin Archives and the KGB allegations on INC. They are must read ones- highly engrossing!
October 09, 2005
Why Mahatma missed the Nobel?
Why did Mahatma Gandhi never win the Noble Peace Prize?
It is a question people are again asking as the Norwegian committee has just announced the prize winner this year -the International Atomic Energy agency and its chief Mohammed ElBaradei. Gandhi's omission has been widely criticised to the extent that later members of the Nobel committee publicly regretted it.
When the Dalai Lama was awarded the prize in 1989, the chairman of the committee said that this was "in part a tribute to the memory of Mahatma Gandhi". Gandhi, revered as the Father of the nation in India, was nominated for the prize in 1937, 1938, 1939, 1947 and, finally, a few days before he was murdered in January 1948, notes Øyvind Tønnesson, a former Nobel E-Museum Peace editor. Information about the nominations, investigations and opinions concerning the coveted award is kept secret for 50 years and no records are available in public domain that could throw light on the matter.
The Nobel Foundation has recently made public some of the details surrounding Gandhi's case for a Peace Nobel. On behalf of the Friends of India Association in Norway, Ole Colbjørnsen, deputy member of the Norwegian parliament, nominated Gandhi's name thrice - 1937, 1938 and 1939. In 1937, Gandhi was duly selected as one of 13 candidates on the Norwegian committee's short list. The committee's advisor, Professor Jacob Worm-Müller, who wrote a report on Gandhi, however was very critical of the Mahatma.
"He is undoubtedly a good, noble and ascetic person - a prominent man who is deservedly honoured and loved by the masses of India...(But) sharp turns in his policies, which can hardly be satisfactorily explained by his followers. He is a freedom fighter and a dictator, an idealist and a nationalist. He is frequently a Christ, but then, suddenly, an ordinary politician," the evaluator noted, according to the documents made available on the foundation's website. The advisor pointed out that Gandhi was not consistently pacifist and that he should have known that some of his non-violent campaigns towards the British would degenerate into violence and terror.
Moreover, Worm-Müller expressed doubts whether Gandhi's ideals were universal or primarily Indian: "One might say that it is significant that his well-known struggle in South Africa was on behalf of the Indians only, and not of the blacks whose living conditions were even worse." In 1947, as India won independence, Gandhi was nominated again, by several Indian leaders: B.G. Kher, Govind Ballabh Pant and G.V. Mavlankar, who later became speaker of the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Indian parliament. His name was short-listed.
The Nobel committee's advisor, historian Jens Arup Seip, wrote the evaluation report, which was not as critical as the earlier one but focused only on the Mahatma's role in India's struggle for freedom. It was not "explicitly favourable" either. The argument that went against Gandhi in 1947 was that the Nobel Peace Prize had never been awarded for any struggle for independence. "From the diary of committee chairman Gunnar Jahn, we now know that when the members were to make their decision on Oct 30, 1947, two acting committee members, the Christian conservative Herman Smitt Ingebretsen and the Christian liberal Christian Oftedal spoke in favour of Gandhi," writes Tønnesson.
"Labour politician Martin Tranmæl was very reluctant to award the Prize to Gandhi in the midst of the India-Pakistan conflict, and former foreign minister Birger Braadland agreed with Tranmæl. Gandhi was, they thought, too strongly committed to one of the belligerents." The Nobel website quotes from Jahn's diary: "While it is true that he (Gandhi) is the greatest personality among the nominees - plenty of good things could be said about him - we should remember that he is not only an apostle for peace; he is first and foremost a patriot... Moreover, we have to bear in mind that Gandhi is not naive. He is an excellent jurist and a lawyer."
The due date for nominations in 1948 was only two days after Gandhi's assassination. Six letters of nomination in his favour from the Quakers, Emily Greene Balch, former Laureates and others put his name on the short list for the third time. Committee advisor Seip commented in his very favourable report that "Gandhi can only be compared to the founders of religions." While there was no precedent of awarding the Prize posthumously, the statutes of the Nobel Foundation allowed it under certain circumstances, till 1974.
"However, Gandhi did not belong to an organisation, he left no property behind and no will; who should receive the prize money? The director of the Norwegian Nobel Institute, August Schou, asked another of the Committee's advisers, lawyer Ole Torleif Røed, to consider the practical consequences," writes Tønnesson. The opinion was negative and the committee decided to make no award that year on the grounds that "there was no suitable living candidate". The qualifying clause is the closest the committee came to honour the 'great soul'.
(Source: www.timesofindia.com)
It is a question people are again asking as the Norwegian committee has just announced the prize winner this year -the International Atomic Energy agency and its chief Mohammed ElBaradei. Gandhi's omission has been widely criticised to the extent that later members of the Nobel committee publicly regretted it.
When the Dalai Lama was awarded the prize in 1989, the chairman of the committee said that this was "in part a tribute to the memory of Mahatma Gandhi". Gandhi, revered as the Father of the nation in India, was nominated for the prize in 1937, 1938, 1939, 1947 and, finally, a few days before he was murdered in January 1948, notes Øyvind Tønnesson, a former Nobel E-Museum Peace editor. Information about the nominations, investigations and opinions concerning the coveted award is kept secret for 50 years and no records are available in public domain that could throw light on the matter.
The Nobel Foundation has recently made public some of the details surrounding Gandhi's case for a Peace Nobel. On behalf of the Friends of India Association in Norway, Ole Colbjørnsen, deputy member of the Norwegian parliament, nominated Gandhi's name thrice - 1937, 1938 and 1939. In 1937, Gandhi was duly selected as one of 13 candidates on the Norwegian committee's short list. The committee's advisor, Professor Jacob Worm-Müller, who wrote a report on Gandhi, however was very critical of the Mahatma.
"He is undoubtedly a good, noble and ascetic person - a prominent man who is deservedly honoured and loved by the masses of India...(But) sharp turns in his policies, which can hardly be satisfactorily explained by his followers. He is a freedom fighter and a dictator, an idealist and a nationalist. He is frequently a Christ, but then, suddenly, an ordinary politician," the evaluator noted, according to the documents made available on the foundation's website. The advisor pointed out that Gandhi was not consistently pacifist and that he should have known that some of his non-violent campaigns towards the British would degenerate into violence and terror.
Moreover, Worm-Müller expressed doubts whether Gandhi's ideals were universal or primarily Indian: "One might say that it is significant that his well-known struggle in South Africa was on behalf of the Indians only, and not of the blacks whose living conditions were even worse." In 1947, as India won independence, Gandhi was nominated again, by several Indian leaders: B.G. Kher, Govind Ballabh Pant and G.V. Mavlankar, who later became speaker of the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Indian parliament. His name was short-listed.
The Nobel committee's advisor, historian Jens Arup Seip, wrote the evaluation report, which was not as critical as the earlier one but focused only on the Mahatma's role in India's struggle for freedom. It was not "explicitly favourable" either. The argument that went against Gandhi in 1947 was that the Nobel Peace Prize had never been awarded for any struggle for independence. "From the diary of committee chairman Gunnar Jahn, we now know that when the members were to make their decision on Oct 30, 1947, two acting committee members, the Christian conservative Herman Smitt Ingebretsen and the Christian liberal Christian Oftedal spoke in favour of Gandhi," writes Tønnesson.
"Labour politician Martin Tranmæl was very reluctant to award the Prize to Gandhi in the midst of the India-Pakistan conflict, and former foreign minister Birger Braadland agreed with Tranmæl. Gandhi was, they thought, too strongly committed to one of the belligerents." The Nobel website quotes from Jahn's diary: "While it is true that he (Gandhi) is the greatest personality among the nominees - plenty of good things could be said about him - we should remember that he is not only an apostle for peace; he is first and foremost a patriot... Moreover, we have to bear in mind that Gandhi is not naive. He is an excellent jurist and a lawyer."
The due date for nominations in 1948 was only two days after Gandhi's assassination. Six letters of nomination in his favour from the Quakers, Emily Greene Balch, former Laureates and others put his name on the short list for the third time. Committee advisor Seip commented in his very favourable report that "Gandhi can only be compared to the founders of religions." While there was no precedent of awarding the Prize posthumously, the statutes of the Nobel Foundation allowed it under certain circumstances, till 1974.
"However, Gandhi did not belong to an organisation, he left no property behind and no will; who should receive the prize money? The director of the Norwegian Nobel Institute, August Schou, asked another of the Committee's advisers, lawyer Ole Torleif Røed, to consider the practical consequences," writes Tønnesson. The opinion was negative and the committee decided to make no award that year on the grounds that "there was no suitable living candidate". The qualifying clause is the closest the committee came to honour the 'great soul'.
(Source: www.timesofindia.com)
October 05, 2005
Steve Jobs knows his job well!
This is a shrewd article on iPod phones and the way Steve Jobs of Apple, hit the bull's eye gaining on Motorola and Cingular companies.
http://www.ipodgarage.com/article.php?id=386
http://www.ipodgarage.com/article.php?id=386
Revealed
What Iran did for India and why it is hurt?
Read this article. This gives a clear perception of the strategic moves made by Iran in 1994 and a detailed view of how India avenged at the IAEA meeting in Vienna last week.
http://in.rediff.com/news/2005/oct/03spec1.htm
Read this article. This gives a clear perception of the strategic moves made by Iran in 1994 and a detailed view of how India avenged at the IAEA meeting in Vienna last week.
http://in.rediff.com/news/2005/oct/03spec1.htm
September 29, 2005
Mobility with my new mobile
I got a new mobile for myself. Had one for seven months- my first mobile, Nokia. Now I have switched to Samsung. Not because of any deficiency in the first one, but because I had to get a new one on account of a proposal that if I lend mine to my grandmother, I would get a new one. So, I got one. I'm really in love with he new mobile. It has great features as compared to the previous one- colour, EMS, MMS, double the memory, awesome pixels and what not! Now, let me see how long it will keep me engaged.
September 24, 2005
360 degrees a day!
I have created a profile on Yahoo 360, the newest service being rendered by Yahoo . Another page devoted wholly to myself. It's a good way to keep in touch with one's friends through Yahoo. It will add all your friends from the friend's list on your messenger and also from your address book. And, you can always add people who are not added to your messenger.
But, one thing I feel is that nothing can beat Hi5. It's the foremost be-in-touch service offered by anyone. Rest followed. By the way, it's quite difficult and also time consuming to manage so many pages and contacts. But, I'll try and do that. After all, I started the entire thing to be in touch with friends 360 degrees a day!
But, one thing I feel is that nothing can beat Hi5. It's the foremost be-in-touch service offered by anyone. Rest followed. By the way, it's quite difficult and also time consuming to manage so many pages and contacts. But, I'll try and do that. After all, I started the entire thing to be in touch with friends 360 degrees a day!
September 14, 2005
T-Shirt T.V
This is marketing strategy at its best!
This video gives the taste of a quirky brand promotion. This time it's for a TV on a T-Shirt.
Click on the link below.
http://www.brandmarketers.com/v3/ttvideowmv.htm
This video gives the taste of a quirky brand promotion. This time it's for a TV on a T-Shirt.
Click on the link below.
http://www.brandmarketers.com/v3/ttvideowmv.htm
September 12, 2005
Uncivilized act
My friend’s sister got married recently. We all attended the reception the night before the wedding day. I was told by one of our common friends that the dowry given to the groom was around ten lakhs and she felt that it was very less when compared to that given (taken) in her family. I was quite taken aback at the sudden remark. I have always been against this act of dowry-taking (giving). I consider it as an offence done behind the veil of a societal ritual called marriage. I chastise not only the act of taking dowry but also the act of giving it. It really surprises me when people talk about those lengthy figures that they boast of having given as dowry in their daughter’s marriage. What kind of fun is this? This is really serious and people ought to think about it now.
In olden days, brides used to get dowry from the grooms, which was called kanyasulkam. But, now the whole scenario is reversed- women have to buy (?) men. This act was made illegal by the government long back but it is still prevalent in India. Be it a Hindu, a Muslim, Christian, Sikh, one thing can be found common in their marriage- Dowry.
Why should a woman give money to a man to get married? Do her parents feel insecure and believe that their daughter would be happy if she gets into a new relationship and a new household along with money? Or do the groom’s parents feel that their son is incapable of running a household on his own? Why should one be so greedy and insecure that they want their son to be bought by someone? Is this any bidding sale of things where whoever bids the highest amount wins the bid? And you call this a society- A civilized society where people sell themselves or their children just for the sake of money. I often hear many parents saying that they are afraid of high dowries and fear whether their daughter would get married or not. Better you don’t get your daughter married than sending her to live in an uncivilized household!
In olden days, brides used to get dowry from the grooms, which was called kanyasulkam. But, now the whole scenario is reversed- women have to buy (?) men. This act was made illegal by the government long back but it is still prevalent in India. Be it a Hindu, a Muslim, Christian, Sikh, one thing can be found common in their marriage- Dowry.
Why should a woman give money to a man to get married? Do her parents feel insecure and believe that their daughter would be happy if she gets into a new relationship and a new household along with money? Or do the groom’s parents feel that their son is incapable of running a household on his own? Why should one be so greedy and insecure that they want their son to be bought by someone? Is this any bidding sale of things where whoever bids the highest amount wins the bid? And you call this a society- A civilized society where people sell themselves or their children just for the sake of money. I often hear many parents saying that they are afraid of high dowries and fear whether their daughter would get married or not. Better you don’t get your daughter married than sending her to live in an uncivilized household!
September 01, 2005
58 years of freedom
“Long years ago we made a tryst with destiny, and now the time comes when we shall redeem our pledge, not wholly or in full measure, but very substantially. At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom. A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the W to the new, when an age ends, and when the soul of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance…”
- Historic speech by Jawaharlal Nehru at midnight on August 15, 1947.
(Note- Why did he say, "not wholly or in full measure"? What did he mean by that?)
I found the August 22nd issue of OUTLOOK very interesting. It has some brainy articles set in the pre-1947 and post 1947 period. I always wanted to know in detail about the 1984 Sikh riots. This issue will give you indispensable information on it and on many other historical events that marked the origin of an Independent India and its diversity. The cover story Heroes and Villains of 1947 will give you many insights about the motives of Nehru, Jinnah and other prominent leaders behind the partition. If you are someone interested in knowing our history- its strength and loop holes then this is something you should definitely go for.
- Historic speech by Jawaharlal Nehru at midnight on August 15, 1947.
(Note- Why did he say, "not wholly or in full measure"? What did he mean by that?)
I found the August 22nd issue of OUTLOOK very interesting. It has some brainy articles set in the pre-1947 and post 1947 period. I always wanted to know in detail about the 1984 Sikh riots. This issue will give you indispensable information on it and on many other historical events that marked the origin of an Independent India and its diversity. The cover story Heroes and Villains of 1947 will give you many insights about the motives of Nehru, Jinnah and other prominent leaders behind the partition. If you are someone interested in knowing our history- its strength and loop holes then this is something you should definitely go for.
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