vkUnksyu lekpkj

cgqjk"Vªh; mifuos'kokn vkSj ty ds futhdj.k ds f[kykQ flfoy ukQjekuh ds ,syku ds lkFk vktknh cpkvks vkUnksyu dk 9ok¡ jk"Vªh; lEesyu lEiUUk

        vktknh cpkvks vkUnksyu dk 9ok¡ jk’Vªh; lEesyu bUnkSj ¼e/; izns”k½ esa 03&04 uoEcj 2012 dks lEiUu gqvkA vktknh cpkvks vkUnksyu ds egkuk;d vkSj izFke jk’Vªh; la;kstd izks- cuokjh yky “kekZ ds fu/ku i”pkr~ ;g igyk jk’Vªh; lEesyu mUgha dh iq.; Le`fr dks lefiZr FkkA

        lEesyu esa eq[; rkSj ij vkUnksyu dks tkjh j[kus dk fu.kZ; fy;k x;kA blds vykok ns”k ds izkd`frd lalk/kuksa dh dkjiksjsVh ywV ds f[kykQ] ikuh ds dkjiksjsVhdj.k ds f[kykQ rFkk fjVsy lsDVj] isa”ku rFkk chek esa izR;{k fons”kh ¼,QMhvkbZ½ fuos”k ds f[kykQ flfoy ukQjekuh djus dk fu.kZ; fy;k x;kA lEesyu esa vktknh cpkvks vkUnksyu ds ns”k Hkj ds fofHkUUk izkUrkas ds izfrfufèk ekStwn Fks] ftuesa eq[; :i ls mÙkj&izns”k ls Jh eukst R;kxh] Mk- d`’.k Lo:i vkuanh] izks- Jh cYYkHk] vks-Mh- flag] e/; izns”k ls riu HkV~Vkpk;Z] MkW- jktsUnz “kekZ] jkeckcw vxzoky] >kj[k.M ls MkW- fefFkys”k nkaxh] gfj;k.kk ls Jh ;”kohj vk;Z] Jh /keZiky vk;Z] mÙkjk[k.M ls MkW- “ke”ksj flag fc’V] jktho ykspu lkg] =siu flag fnYyh ls MkW- vlhe JhokLro] izks- fo’.kq izdk”k JhokLro( NÙkhlx<+ ls Jh ,l-ds-jk;- egkjk’Vª ls Jh foosdkuUn ekFkus] xqtjkr ls Jh vfu#) tkMstk] Jh egknso fonzksgh] vksfM'kk ls fujatu gksrk vkfn mifLFkr FksA

        lEesyu dh “kq#vkr 3 uoEcj 2012 dks fnu esa 11 cts ls izks- cuokjh yky “kekZ ds izfr jk’Vªh; J)katfy l= ls gqbZA J)katfy l= dh v/;{krk LorU=rk lsukuh rFkk e/; izns”k ds iwoZ egkf/koDrk Jh vkUkUn eksgu us dhA iz[;kr lektdehZ lqJh es/kk ikVsdj] vf[ky Hkkjrh; loZ lsok la?k lfefr ds iwoZ v/;{k Jh vejukFk HkkbZ rFkk LoxhZ; izks- cuokjh yky “kekZ dh /keZiRuh Jherh lqeu “kekZ bl l= ds eq[; oDrk FksA l= dk lapkyu vktknh cpkvks vkUnksyu ds Jh eukst R;kxh us fd;kA J)katfy lHkk esa lHkh oDrkvkas us izks- “kekZ dks J)katfy nsrs gq, muds }kjk cgqjk’Vªh; mifuos”kokn ds f[kykQ pyk;s x;s fofHkUu izkUrks esa fofHkUUk vkanksyuksa dks ;kn fd;k rFkk mUgsa tkjh j[kus o rst djus dk QSlyk fd;kA

        4 uoEcj dks igys l= esa ns”k ds izkd`frd lalkèku tSls ty] taxy] tehu dh uaxh dkjiksjsVh ywV ij rFkk lalkèkuksa ij tu leqnk; dh ekyfd;r LFkkfir djus ds vfHk;ku ij ppkZ gqbZ rFkk bl ij flfoy ukQjekuh djus dk fu.kZ; fd;k x;kA bl l= dk lapkyu >kj[k.M ds lkFkh Mk- fefFkys”k nkaxh us fd;kA Mk- nkaxh us foLrkjiwoZd viuh ckrks dks j[krs gq, dgk fd 1992 ds ckn tc izkd`frd lalk/kuksa dk futhdj.k fd;k x;k] mlds ckn dkjiksjsV {ks= dh fx) n`f’V bl rjQ yxhA fofHkUUk rFkkdfFkr fodkl vkèkkfjr izkstsDV ds fy, dkjiksjsV {ks= dks tks tehu eqgS;k djkbZ x;h mlls cM+h la[;k esa foLFkkiu dks c<+kok feykA >kj[k.M {ks= esa fdlkuksa ds ikl 50 izfr'kr ls T;knk tehu ljdkj us fdlkuksa dks iV~Vs ij nh Fkh] ml tehu dks iqu% fdlkuksa ls Nhu dj dEifu;ksa dks nsus dh rS;kjh dh tk jgh gSA blds vykok i;kZoj.kh; n`f’Vdks.k ls Hkh {ks= dks tcnZLr gkfu mBkuh iM+ jgh gSA ;gka vktknh cpkvks vkUnksyu ds lkFkh nks lkS ik¡p xkaoksa dks mtM+us ls cpkus ,oa dks;ys ij LFkkuh; yksxksa ds vf/kdkj dk;e djus dh yM+kbZ yM+us esa yxs gaSA       ogka ds yksxksa us ;g r; fd;k fd os fctyh Lo;a cuk;sxs ,oa dks;yk [kuu Lo;a djsxsA fdlh ckgjh dEiuh dks ogka ugha jgus nsaxsA

        blh l= esa mÙkjk[k.M ds lkfFk;ksa us crk;k fd muds izns'k esa cgqjk’Vªh; dEifu;ksa dh iufctyh ifj;kstuk,¡ cukbZ tkrh gS] muls Hkh foLFkkiu vkSj i;kZoj.kh; leL;k tcZnLr rjhds ls mRiUu gqbZA lu~ 2000 ds ckn vc rd rdjhcu 12 yk[k yksx foLFkkfir gq, gSaA vc mÙkjk[k.M ds vkUnksyudkjh Lo;a ls fctyh cukus dk iz;kl dj jgs gSa ftlls unh ty ij mudk vf/kdkj gksA bl l= esa ;g Hkh fu.kZ; fy;k x;k fd ns”k Hkj esa tgka&tgka ns”kh&fons”kh dEiuh }kjk tks izkd`frd lalkèkuks dh ywV gks jgh gS mlds f[kykQ flfoy ukQjekuh dh tk; rkfd lalk/kuks ij tu leqnk; dh ekyfd;r LFkkfir dh tk;A

        vxys l= esa f”k{kk O;oLFkk ij uomnkjoknh geys ds ckjs esa cksyrs gq, iz[;kr f”k{kkfon izks0 vfuy ln~xksiky us foLrkjiwoZd crk;k dksBkjh f”k{kk vk;ksx ds vuqlkj f”k{kk dk eryc csgrj ukxfjd cukuk gS] ysfdu vkt fo”o cSd iksf’kr tks f”k{kk nh tk jgh gS] ml f”k{kk dk vf/kdkj ^^ftldh ftruh gSfl;r mldks mruh f”k{kk** okyh gSA mUgksaus crk;k fd Hkkjr esa vkt Hkh izfr lkSa esa 16&17 izfr”kr ¼Qhlnh½ cPPks gh ckjgoh ds ckn f”k{kk xzg.k dj ikrs gSA 20-25 Qhlnh cPps Ldwy esa nkf[ky gh ugha gks ikrs gS] ftudh la[;k rdjhcu 5 djksM+ gSA 1985 esa f”k{kk ea=ky; dks ekuo lalk/ku fodkl ea=ky; cuk fn;k x;k ftlds mn~ns”; cgqjk’Vªh; daiuh;ksa esa dke djus vkSj muds ykHk dks c<+kus ds fy, ,d vfrf”kf{kr ;qok oxZ rS;kj djuk FkkA mnkjhdj.k ds ckn LokLF; ds lkFk f”k{kk ds ctV dks yxkrkj de dj fn;k x;kA bl f”k{kk i)fr }kjk ;qokvksa esa lkspus dh {kerk [kRe dh tk jgh gSA mUgksaus vkxs dgk fd 1995 ds ckn ftl rjg e/;izns”k esa ,d Hkh LFkkbZ f”k{kd dh fu;qfDr ugha gqbZ ogh izfØ;k iwjs ns”k esa viukbZ tk jgh gSA f”k{kk dks bruk egaxk fd;k tk jgk gS] fd vke vkneh ds igqap ls ;g ckgj gSA f”k{kk ij vf/kd lfClMh okyk yksu nsdj fo|kFkhZ ds ekè;e ls izkbosV laLFkkuks dks fcuk C;kt dk eqDr /ku eqgS;k djk;k tk jgk gSA

        mUgksaus vkxs dgk tc rd cktkjhdj.k lekIr ugha gksxk] f”k{kk }kjk csgrj ukxfjd ugha cfYd dkexkj rS;kj gksrs jgsaxsA fcuk laln vkSj fo/kkulHkkvks esa cgl djk, fons”kh laLFkkuks dks ns”k esa izos”k fnykus okys f”k{kk fo/ks;d dks laln ds iVy ij j[k fn;k x;k] ftls vkxkeh laln ds l= esa ikl gkssus dh iw.kZ laHkkouk gSA

        lEesyu ds vxys l= esa ikuh ds futhdj.k ds f[kykQ ppkZ gqbZA l= dk lapkyu Jh foosdkUkUn ekFkus us fd;kA mUgksaus ikuh ds O;kikj ij cksyrs gq, dgk fd ns”k esa ikuh ds fy, 5 yk[k djksM+ dh ywV dh tk jgh gSA ljdkjs vkt tks dkuwu cuk jgh gS] mlds eqrkfcd ikuh ij vc tuleqnk; dk gd ugha jgsxk cfYd fcØh dh oLrq gks tk;sxh] blls dkjiksjsV ?kjkus tcnZLr equkQk dek jgs gSA bl rjg ty] taxy] tehu cgqjk’Vªh; dEiuh ds gokys dj fn;k x;k gS] mlh rjg ikuh dks ljdkjsa cgqjk’Vªh; dEifu;ksa ds ncko esa muds gokys djus ij rqyh gqbZ gSaA mUgksaus vkxs dgk fd ikuh gj vkneh rd igqapkuk gSA gj xkao] “kgj esa ge ;g tkdj ?kks’k.kk djsxs fd ikuh gekjk gS] vkSj ge bls fcdzh dh oLrq ugha cuus nsxsA blds fy, ugha yM+kbZ NsM+dj ds ikuh ij tu leqnk; dh ekyfd;r LFkkfir djuk gksxkA

        ikuh ds futhdj.k ds f[kykQ flfoy ukQjekuh ij cksyrs gq, Mk- d`’.k Lo#i vkuanh us dgk fd vkt dEifu;k¡ cksry can ikuh dk izpkj dj jgh gSa] vkSj ;g Hkze QSyk jgh gaS] fd cksry ds vykok ikuh v”kq) gksrk gSA dkuwu cuk fn;s x;s gS] fd ikuh igys m|ksx dks feysxk] fQj [ksrh dks feysxkA mUgksaus dgk fd blh rjg ls cksyhfo;k esa dkspkckEck uxj esa ikuh O;oLFkk vesfjdh dEiuh cSdVsy dks ns nhA mlus ikuh eagxs nke ij cspuk “kq: dj fn;k] yksxks dks cnkZ”r u gqvk vkSj ogka ds yksxksa us bl dEiuh dks ckgj [knsM+ fn;kA ;w:Xos ns”k us vius lafo/kku esa la”kks/ku dj fn;k fd ikuh dk fuftdj.k dHkh ugh gksxkA mUgksaus blds fy, nks dke lq>k,aA ,d la?k’kkZRed dk;Z ftlds varxZr lkeqfgd lfou; voKk dh tk; rFkk dkuwu dh gksyh tyk;h tk;A nwljk jpukRed dke ftlds varxZr txg txg yksxksa dks ikuh miyC/k djk;k tk;] ftlds fy, I;kÅ] uydq,a] rkykc dh O;oLFkk dh tk, vkSj fo”ks’k :Ik ls [ksrh ds fy, ikuh miyC/k djk;k tk;A

        lekiu l= esa eukst R;kxh us vkUnksyu dh ^bUnkSj ?kks"k.kk* dk Mªk¶V ppkZ ds fy;s j[kkA mifLFkr izfrfuf/k;ksas dh ppkZ vkSj lq>koksa ds ckn ^bUnkSj ?kks"k.kk* dks ikfjr dj fn;k x;kA

        l= ds var esa e-iz- ds tq>k: fdlku usrk Mk- lquhye ds vkthou dkjkokl ds fojks/k esa ,d izLrko ikfjr fd;k x;kA lEesyu dh lekfIr ij fjVsy esa F.D.I ds f[kykQ ,d jSyh bUnkSj 'kgj esa fudkyh x;hA

lEesyu esa dqN egRoiw.kZ dk;ZØe r; gq,&

1- 23 vizSy dks mÙkjk[k.M esa ikuh ds loky ij cM+k lEesyuA bldh iwoZ rS;kjh ds fy;s iwjs mÙkjk[k.M esa tu tkxj.k ;k=kA

2- [kqnjk cktkj esa ,QMhvkbZ ds f[kykQ ns'kO;kih vkUnksyuA

3- ikuh ds futhdj.k ¼dkjiksjsVhdj.k½ ds f[kykQ ns'kO;kih flfoy ukQjekuh] iwjh rS;kjh djus ds ckn ;g vkUnksyu NsM+k tk;sxkA bldh rkjh[k vHkh r; ugh gqbZ gSA

4- laxBu dks etcwr djus ds fy;s tgka&tgka lfØ; lkFkh ekStwn gS ogka bdkbZ;ksa dk fof/kor xBuA

5- ubZ vktknh mn~?kks"k ekfld if=dk dh lnL; la[;k c<+kus dk vfHk;kuA

6- vktknh cpkvks vkUnksyu dh jk"Vªh; la;kstu lfefr] ftlesa jktho ykspu lkg ¼mÙkjk[k.M½] Mk- fefFkys'k Mkaxh ¼>kj[k.M½] foosdkuUn ekFkus ¼egkjk"Vª½] izks- foey HkuksV ¼jktLFkku½] izks- fo".kq izdk'k JhokLro ¼fnYyh½] ,l-ds-jk; ¼NÙkhlx<+½] Mk- jktsUnz 'kekZ ¼e/; izns'k½] izks- fouksn uUnk ¼p.Mhx<+½] Mk- d`".k Lo:i vkuUnh] Mk- LofIuy JhokLro vkSj eukst R;kxh ¼bykgkckn m-iz-½ 'kkfey gaS] vkUnksyu dk lapkyu djrh jgsxhA

¼ih,u,u½

bUnkSj esa lkfFk;ksa dk lkewfgd ladYi

vkUnksyu tkjh jgsxk vkSj vkxs c<+sxk !

? MkW- d`’.kLo:i vkuanh

        bUnkSj esa 3&4 uoEcj] 2012 dks lEiUUk ukSok¡ jk’Vªh; lEesyu vktknh cpkvks vkUnksyu ds thou esa ,d ,slk iM+ko gS tgk¡ mlus vius laLFkkid vkSj lapkyd izks- cuokjh yky “kekZ dks ;kn djrs gq, ,d u;h gqadkj HkjhA vkUnksyu ls tqM+s ns”k&Hkj ds tq>k: lektdfeZ;ksa] Nk=ksa&;qotuksa vkSj cqf)thfo;ksa us bUnkSj esa ,d Loj ls ;g ladYi O;Dr fd;k fd vkUnksyu tkjh jgsxk vkSj vkxs c<+sxkA la?k’kZ ds lHkh ekspksZa vkSj vfHk;kuksa esa rsth yk;h tk;sxhA cgqjk’Vªh; dkWjikssjsV mifuos”kokn dks iq[rk djus ds fygkt ls cuk;s tk jgs tu fojks/kh dkuwuksa ds f[kykQ “kkafriw.kZ

        lEesyu esa ;g ladYi vkSj vf/kd etcwr gqvk fd ns”k ds izkd`frd lalk/ku tu leqnk;ksa ds gSa] ljdkjksa vkSj dEifu;ksa ds gfxZt ughaA yksx viuh HkykbZ vkSj csgrjh ds fy, vius vklikl ds izkd`frd lalk/kuksa dk ;qfDrlaxr kj[k.M ds xzkeh.k ;k ns”kt tuleqnk;ksa us nqfu;k dks ;g fn[kkus dh fn”kk esa vius dne rsth ls vkxs c<+k fn;s gSa fd dks;yk gekjk gS] ge vius dks;ys ls Lo;a fctyh cuk;saxs] dEiuh gekjh [kqn dh gksxh] ,d Hkh ?kj&ifjokj foLFkkfir ugha gksxk ;kuh muds bykdksa esa LokoyEcu] iw.kZ jkstxkj] bZeku dh jksVh vkSj bTtr dh ftUnxh dk fcxqy ctsxkA dkWjiksjsV&eqDr LojkT; dh Hkkouk ogka tksj idM+ jgh gSA ge vius izkd`frd lalk/kuksa ds ekfyd gSa vkSj ekfyd cus jgdj ge vius fy, mRiknu deZ djsaxsA yksx viuh lEizHkqrk vkSj ekyfd;r dk btgkj djus ds fy, ns”kh&fons”kh cgqjk’Vªh; dEifu;ksa ls yM+ jgs gSaA >kj[k.M dh yksd&izfØ;k NÙkhlx<+ esa nLrd ns pqdh gSA ogka Hkh yksx lalk/ku&LojkT; ds fy, dej dl pqds gSa vkSj cgqjk’Vªh; dEifu;ksa dks pqukSrh ns jgs gSaA blh rjg mÙkjk[k.M esa yksx viuh thounkf;uh vkSj lnkuhjk ufn;ksa dks cpkus ds fy, cM+s xkaoksa ds f[kykQ dkWjiksjsV lRRkk vkSj jkT; ljdkj ls yM+ jgs gSaA yksxksa dh eqfge py jgh gS fd os viuh dEifu;ka xfBr djds LFkkuh; ty&lalk/ku leqfpr bLrseky djrs gq, i;kZoj.k dks uqdlku igqapk;s fcuk fctyh cuk;saA

        lEesyu esa ,d Loj ls ;g ckr mBh fd ikuh dk futhdj.k dkWjiksjsV lewgksa ds Qk;ns ds fy, fd;k tk jgk gSA ikuh ds dkjksckj esa cM+h&cM+h ns”kh&fons”kh cgqjk’Vªh; dEifu;ksa dk izos”k gks pqdk gS ftlls yksxksa dks ihus dk ikuh ugha fey ik;sxkA flapkbZ vkSj is;ty ds fufeÙk cus cM+s ck¡/kksa vkSj tyk”k;ksa dk ikuh ljdkj dkWjiksjsV lewgksa }kjk [kM+s fd;s tk jgs cM+s&cM+s la;U=ksa dks nsus tk jgh gSA fo”o cSad ds gqDeukes ij vey djrs gq, ljdkj ,slh ty uhfr cukus dh fn”kk esa dne c<+k jgh gS ftlls ikuh dk dkWjiksjsVhdj.k gksxk] [ksrhckM+h dh flapkbZ ij cqjk vlj iM+sxk vkSj ihus ds ikuh dk ladV mB [kM+k gksxkA vktknh cpkvks vkanksyu ds bUnkSj lEesyu esa ;g ladYi O;Dr fd;k x;k fd ty ds futhdj.k ds f[kykQ ns”kO;kih flfoy ukQjekuh ds fy, yksxksa dks rS;kj fd;k tk;A

        cgqjk’Vªh; dEifu;ksa us ,Q-Mh-vkbZ ¼fons”kh izR;{k fuos”k½ ds tfj;s ns”k ij geyk cksy fn;k gSA vHkh rd ftu {ks=ksa esa ,Q-Mh-vkbZ dh vuqefr gS] ogka mls 51 ls c<+kdj 74 ;k 100 Qhlnh fd;k tk jgk gSA tks {ks= vHkh ,Q-Mh-vkbZ ds geys ls cps gSa] mUgsa ljdkj fons”kh dEifu;ksa ds gokys djus tk jgh gSA [kqnjk dkjksckj dks ,Q-Mh-vkbZ ds fy, [kksyuk bldk ToyUr mnkgj.k gSA d`f’k ds ckn lcls T;knk jkstxkj nsus okys bl {ks= dks fons”kh dEifu;ksa ds lqiqnZ djus ls 25&30 djksM+ yksxksa dh jksth&jksVh [krjs esa iM+ tk;sxhA ,Q-Mh-vkbZ ds geys dks ukdke djus ds fy, vktknh dh u;h yM+kbZ dks tkjh j[kus] rst djus vkSj vkxs c<+kus dk ladYi bUnkSj lEesyu esa O;Dr fd;k x;kA

Tribute to Prof Banwarilal Sharma

Gandhian activist Prof Banwarilal Sharma passes away

ALLAHABAD: Eminent Gandhian activist and mathematician Prof Banwarilal Sharma passed away in Chandigarh on Wednesday after a brief illness. Prof Sharma was the convenor of Azadi Bachao Andolan, former HOD, Mathematics Department at Allahabad University, and the chairperson of the International Council of Mathematicians in developing countries from 1986 to 1992.
Prof Sharma was deeply involved with the movement against nuclear energy, and with peoples' movements in several parts of the country-including Hazaribagh, Uttarakhand, and Rewa, where Azadi Bachao Andolan worked to return the control of resources and the environment to the local people. He was also active in the movement against Posco steel plant in Orissa, and the movement resisting the spread of soft drink multinationals in the country.
Prof Sharma was instrumental in the establishment of National Alliance for Peoples Movements and founded the Swaraj Vidyapeeth in Allahabad, which promoted a new and independent pedagogy. The Vidyapeeth also served as a focus for the Jagrit Samaj.
Prof Sharma trained at the University of Paris, where he obtained his DSc degree under Prof Henri Cartan. He returned to teach at Allahabad University where he made important contributions to differential topology. Remarkably, at the same time as he did this important research, he was involved with the anti-emergency movement and was jailed for 19 months.
At the time of his death, Prof Sharma he was in Chandigarh for a political programme, having just completed a series of events in other parts of the country.

August Kranti 2012

Science in search of truth or profits?

Long back in 1950s, the British scientist turned Indian national, Dr. J.B.S. Haldara, a renowned statistician wrote about intellectuals (including scientists) of developing countries. He stated that they were worse than the business man so far as the exploitation was concerned. The validity of it is verified time and again. The latest case is that of Bt-Brinjal controversy. After a month's exercise of assessing public opinion on the desirability of introducing US Company Monsanto's Bt-Brinjal in India, Minister of State for Environment and Forest, Jai Ram Ramesh declared, on February 9, a moratorium on the introduction of Bt-Brinjal for commercial use in the country. The very next day, articles by scientists highlighting the benefits of Bt_Brijnal were published on the first pages of some news papers. No doubt, they were paid articles sponsored by the company. This process of scientific propagenda will be continued during the whole moratorium period to build the public opinion in support of Monsanto's Bt-Brinjal. This is not the new development. Four year back, Monsanto had applied for license for its Bt-Cotton to Environment Approval Committee (EAC) though the company had already distributed its Bt-Cotton seeds illegally to farmers who had grown its crop and the crop was in the flowering stage. Just a day before the EAC meeting, Monsanto got a scientific article written by two scientists published in a Delhi news paper which started with these sentences: 'when your daughter has become pregnant, you have no choice but to get her married.' The message was clear and the EAC gave its approval to BT-Cotton. In fact, the Gujarat farmers, who had sown BT-Cotton were on the agitation path on hearing the news that if the Monsanto's application for seeking Bt-Cotton approval was rejected, their cotton crop would be burnt down. Another field where science is blatantly used for profit making at the cost of human health and well-being of the society is the pharmaceuticals field. It is well known that multinational drug companies increase exhorbitantly the price of their drugs justifying it by saying that they have to spend a lot of money on the research. But the fact is that the major part of their research budget is spent not on the scientific research but on the market research. Just to cite one example, the US drug multinational Merck spent millions and millions of dollars in its propaganda for its medicine Vioxx to treat knees pain and earned billions of dollars, but it turned out that Vioxx killed 60,000 people due to heart attack caused by this drug. Paying huge bribes to doctors and spending huge amount of money on media publicity, drug companies are playing with the health of people Why is it that science, whose sole aim is to search the truth, is being used on a very large scale for profit making ignoring social responsibility? The main reason is that funding of scientific research is shifted from public to private sector. Giant multinationals are funding science projects and one who pays, play the pipe.

Are we living in a barbarian age?

A news published from Bhopal reads as follows : A minor dalit girl has been burnt alive by two boys in Kodari village of Burhanpur district of Madhya Pradesh. The boys allegedly entered the girl’s house in the afternoon when she was alone and attempted to rape her. The victim was a student of class VIII. When she resisted, the boys poured kerocene over her and burnt her. The girls’ mother rushed the badly-burnt girl to hospital where she succumbed to her injuries.

This was the third case of the same kind on the same day in the same state. A college student shot dead his girlfriend and an M.Phil girl student was gang-raped in Bhopal Memorial Hospital.

These are not the stray cases. This is a common daily diary of almost all newspapers in the country and it covers a very wide range. In it the attackers are not only village boys and street goondas but also college students, teachers, doctors, business managers, politicians, police officers from police constable to DGP rank. The victims are not only dalit girls (though they are the easiest prey) but also students, teachers, working girls, starting from domestic servants to highly placed government officials. There is no age bar : right-from minor girls of 5 years to senior women of 60 years. Likewise social and economic status is no bar, but members of the poor families, especially dalit poor families are easy victims.

As the government repeatedly says, the country is fast moving ahead on the path of development heading to achieve 9 to 10 percent growth rate and to become a world power, women of the country are finding themselves less safe. It is not safe to travel alone in trains, it is not safe to return home from office after night duty, it is not even safe to live alone. The other day, a girl travelling alone in a day train was attacked and molested by a group of eight students and male copassengers had to hide her beneath the berth to save her. A lady government official in an AC Coach had difficult time to protect her from a molestation attempt from a co-passenger. Suicide cases among girls after molestation incidents are becoming very common.

Aberrations in human behaviour are understandable. But this spate of abnormal demeanour cannot be regarded something natural. Before 30-40 years, such horrible incidents were rare.

What are the causes of this moral decline on such a large scale? One reason is historic. The caste system has been acting as leprosy on the Indian society. Even after so many reform movements, especially Dalit movements and the legal prohibition, this cancerous element still persists in the subconscious mind of many upper caste hindus that the lower caste people are meant for serving and consequently can be exploited, even sexually also. Most of the Dalit-girls and women in villagers are molested by upper caste people. This social evil was to some extent under control due to the restraints which the society used to exercise.

This social restraint is now almost disappeared. Why this is so, leads us to the second dominant reason of women’s’ insecurity and molestation. This is consumerism, marketism and corporatization thrown upon the society, economy and polity by the multinational corporations. To create their business empire, aggressive publicity using modern information technology is undertaken by these companies to create desire for their products. Their target is to liberate mind from all moral compulsions and for this the most powerful strategy is to arouse the lower human instincts especially sex and violence. Naturally woman is used for this. Consequently the vision to look at a woman is distorted. A woman is now looked, not as a mother, sister or daughter, not as a source of creation and power (shakti), but as a configuration of flesh with measurements at different levels, as is done in beauty contests. Most of the serials, on TV, ads and e-mail messages constantly contribute to excite the minds especially of the youth. The result is what we are witnessing all around.

What to do? Perhaps we have to adopt a two-pronged attack on the problem. Firstly we have to target the multinational corporations, the root cause of moral decline and secondly we have to form village/mohalla level watch groups to bring deviated persons/youths on the path of sanity. —BLS