india together digital edition 06-May-2013

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The news in proportion

06 May 2013

www.indiatogether.org

Fortnightly

Of Sports, Passion and Reality

P44

Pages 52

Diversion of forest land

denounced The grant of close to 10000 acres of forest land in Chitradurga district for non-forestry purposes threatens the ecology as well as the means of subsistence of local communities.

A different destiny in writing P2 Theyyam revived: A step backward? P5 Making good cinema P8 Kannada TV channels cross the line P13 The Sparrow Concerns and conservation P15

Professional or mercenary? P25 Is free speech an Indian value? P27 No welfare for social welfare workers P34 Lethal injuries from “non-lethal� weapons P39 Ringing the bell against VAW P41

INDIAN FEMINIST LITERATURE

A different destiny in writing Among the steadily growing voices expressing their angst against discrimination, suppression and abuse of women, those of Indian feminist writers are fast gaining in pitch and range. Abha Sharma captures some of these.

I

n all ancient Hindu texts and scriptures, girls and women have been put on the highest pedestal.

They are worshipped as ‘kanyas’ (girls), valued as ‘grih laxmis’ (wives), revered as mothers. Yet, the reality is in sharp contrast to the glorious treatment they have been accorded in theory. From the story of Lord Ram’s wife Sita’s exile to prove her ‘purity’ to Draupadi’s humiliating cheerharan (stripping) described in the epic Mahabharata to the woman of today who is bearing the burden of traditional society that does not allow her to live life on her own terms, it seems as if a woman’s destiny has remained unchanged over the ages.

The English translation of Dr Prabha Khaitan’s autobiography, ‘Anya Se

Can’t women resist, protest and assert their personalities? Do they not have a right to question the decisions that are taken on their behalf? Giving a voice to just some of these questions that have been troubling women for generations are women writers and littérateurs who, through their descriptive prose and poetry, are not afraid to speak out, question and comment on their collective fate. In fact, at this year’s Jaipur Literature Festival, considered today to be one of Asia’s most illustrious literary meets, 40 women writers had come together to share sentiments and feelings of women around the world.

While the battle for women’s 2 |www.indiatogether.org| 01 May 2013

empowerment, liberation and equality is being fought everywhere, even the most spirited and questioning new woman, at times, finds herself constrained by either social caveats or conditioning. Of course, there are certain happenings that compel people to push these constructed boundaries. For Maya Krishna Rao, visiting faculty at the National School of Drama, the horrifying December 16 gang rape incident in Delhi disturbed her so much that she had to put pen to paper and express her angst. In her evocative play, ‘Walk’, Rao has asked some fundamental questions: Why do the streets turn alien to women after dark? Can’t

INDIAN FEMINIST LITERATURE

Noted writer Ira Pande - who has translated late feminist author, Dr Prabha Khaitan’s autobiography into English.

Source: Women’s Feature Service

Ananya’ was released at the Jaipur Literature Festival this year. Source: Women’s Feature Service

a girl enjoy the simple joys of walking in a beautiful garden or enjoying nature after sun down?

Will there ever be a time when women will be safe?

For most Indian women, words like freedom and consent have no real meaning. Do they have the liberty to choose their own path? Are they ever asked for their approval on even the most fundamental decisions that affect them first and the most? The answer is NO. “Pooch to lo” (at least ask her) – even now this question remains elusive to her, whether it is related to fixing her marriage or touching her.

Yet, women do not protest.

Probably because from childhood

they are conditioned to exist just to satisfy men. “Women are not born, they are constructed and it is engraved in their bone marrow not to question anything,” feels Lata Sharma, noted Rajasthani writer.

According to her, they need to seize their rights from society, which has conditioned everyone, including them, to accept the status quo of women being inferior to men. “Rights are not given to anyone just like that.

You have to fight and snatch your rights,” believes the prolific writer, whose works have been translated into many languages.

The prevalence of such an attitude has also affected the 01 May 2013 |www.indiatogether.org| 3

way women writers express themselves. Most fail to write about their lives and end up talking more about the people in their lives. It should not happen.

But it does, as all women are hardwired not to think beyond their loved ones. For them, family comes first. There are not many who can articulate as fearlessly and frankly as the late feminist author, Dr Prabha Khaitan has done in her autobiography, ‘Anya Se Ananya’, or if we go back further in time, then Amrita Pritam’s ‘Rasidi Ticket’ fits the bill.

Noted writer Ira Pande – who has translated Khaitan’s autobiography into English, ‘A Life Apart’, which was released earlier this year – feels that the social activist and poet has revealed so much about her life “with disturbing honesty”. Ira recalls an incident from the translated version where Khaitan confides to her ‘dai maa’ (nurse) of her love for a married man, and very bravely admits that she hurt ‘dai maa’ badly...

Pande admits that not

INDIAN FEMINIST LITERATURE

All women are hardwired not to think beyond their loved ones. For them, family comes first.

There are not many who can articulate fearlessly and frankly.

many women writers could do it, including her own mother, celebrated Hindi novelist, Gaur Pant Shivani. “My mother had written her autobiography but she too did not mention some incidents of her life,” says Pande.

But both Urvarshi Butalia and Namita Gokhale, well-known writers in their own right, believe that testimonial literature has great power to break new ground and open up spaces in women’s narratives. Lakshmi Holmstrom, who has worked exclusively with Tamil women writers, too, is quite optimistic about the future of women’s writings and their commitment towards documenting the larger realities of their sex. Her latest translation is an anthology of poetry, ‘Wild Girls, Wicked Words’ by four Tamil women writers. She feels good times are ahead since the works of women authors are all set to reach a wider audience now.

So what should women do in search of a just and equitable society? While it is certain that they will need to strive hard to secure their rights, it is also quite clear that those who have influence and are successful will need to look out for the welfare of their less fortunate sisters. Holmstrom strongly feels that women should have the freedom to speak up and that it is teachers who can make the future generations capable enough to express themselves right from when they are in school.

According to Preeta Bhargava, who has the distinction of being the first woman jailor in Rajasthan and is a noted poet as well, “Women should be able to make informed choices in life. Not just when it comes to their careers but even when she has to have sex with a man. It should be her decision. She should be able to 4 |www.indiatogether.org| 01 May 2013

seek answers to her questions.”

Clearly, it’s time to stop waiting and cribbing. Be ‘swayamsiddha’ (self assertive personality). And as the women transform, the society needs to change its mindset and social customs as well. Stop ‘kanyadan’ and other rituals at the time of marriage, which are reminiscent of a feudal past. Let a woman enjoy her life and have moments to cherish; let marriage be the union of two loving hearts, not the repository of subjugation and violence.

Writer Nirupama Dutt’s Punjabi poem, ‘Buri Aurat’, based on a reunion of friends, shines a torch on the society’s perception of women as well as the courage they have to write their own destiny. She writes: Tussi mere shahar aaoge/E buraiyan auratan di pheharist wich/Mera nam darz paoge…/ Mere kol jo sab kuch hai jo ek/ Buri aurat kol hona bahut/Lajmi hai.../Munh bich baldi aag hai, dil/Dhadkata hai, hathan vich chhalkada/Jam hai, mera kheldadi hansi bada/Badnam hai…/Peran thalle sadak hain, upar khulla aasman hai/Mere kol sehen da housla hai/Mere kol kehne da saman hai...

(If you come to my city you will find my name in the list of women with vices… I have everything which a woman not considered virtuous is supposed to have…

I can fire salvos with my tongue, have a beating heart, have a brimming glass in my hands, my boisterous laughs have earned me a bad name… I have firm ground beneath my feet, the open skies above, I have the courage to bear; I have a lot to say...)(© Women's Feature Service) Abha Sharma is a freelance journalist based in Jaipur.

REVISITING RITUALs

Performance of 'Ghantakarnan' Teyyam at a sacred grove at Peravoor in Kannur district. Pic: A T Mohanraj

Theyyam revived: A step backward?

The ritualistic form of worship, once rejected as superstitious and irrational, witnesses a steady resurgence in Kerala. Is it because of a strong wave of casteism, the interpolation of Hindu Brahminical philosophy or merely a yearning to go back to the roots? Nileena M S explores.

01 May 2013 |www.indiatogether.org| 5

REVISITING RITUALs

T

heyyam, a traditional ritual which was an integral part of community life in the North Malabar region of Kerala had lost its patronage in the wave of the social reform movement of the late 19th century. This folk ritual has witnessed a resurgence in recent years with the mushrooming of cult-centres and active community participation. Folklorists and sociologists point to various cultural implications behind this ‘new-found enthusiasm’ in ancient rituals.

According to folklorists, the cult of Theyyam evolved from the fertility rites of primitive agricultural societies. It is associated with the practice of worship of the mother-goddess, goddess of diseases, villagegoddess, spirits, ancestors, local heroes, animals and trees. The roots of this folk ritual which combines dance, music and ancient rituals can be traced back to the Chalcolithic age. The myths behind Theyyam deities involve local heroes and incidents, thereby making it a kind of historical documentation of society.

The period from December to May marks ‘Theyyam season’ when festivals at various cultcentres including ‘Teyyakkavus’ (sacred groves), houses and farmlands occur. It is believed that as songs on the myth of a particular deity are enacted, the performer transforms into the deity he represents.

In the past few years, Theyyam artists in the region have found themselves busy, thanks to the increased number of cult-centres.

Many old sacred groves are being renovated while the ritual has seen a revival at already existing ones.

“In our area, three new sacred groves were renovated recently.

Theyyam performances which

Performance of mothergoddesses in front of the sanctum-sanctorum at a sacred grove in Payannur.

Pic: A.T. Mohanraj

were discontinued for years have resumed at these places,” says V. Krishnan, 60-year-old Theyyam artist from Pazhassi in Kannur.

According to art critic A T Mohanraj, the reassertion of local culture is a trend observed around the globe which may be seen as an attempt to counter globalization.

The post-cold war political situation and the projection of Islamic fundamentalism as a major threat have resulted in religious revitalization. The 6 |www.indiatogether.org| 01 May 2013

invoking of ‘Hindu consciousness’ could be seen as a part of this, where traditional rites and rituals reappear in their modified forms.

The advent of modern science, rational thinking and popularisation of materialist ideology took the sheen off traditional rituals like Theyyam.

Many superstitions and traditional rituals which were considered irrational were almost wiped away during this period of enlightenment.

Folklorist

REVISITING RITUALs

Vasantha Kumari observes that the continuity of the reform movement was subsequently broken and the sense of the’ failure of materialist ideology’ created an ideological vacuum.

This is now being filled by religion and spirituality, as observed in the increasing interest in these fields and Vedic sciences like astrology.

Theyyam is associated with fertility rites and many of its myths are related to curing of diseases, and agricultural

productivity. Vasantha Kumari says that the change in the feudal system brought about by land reforms and the shift to nuclear families were some of the reasons for abandonment of many Teyyakkavus. “As life gets more and more fragmented there is an increased tendency to bond with the community. People have a nostalgic yearning to go back to the ‘goodness of the past’, she says. She observes that the ritual earlier dismissed as superstition 01 May 2013 |www.indiatogether.org| 7

by many was later elevated to the status of an art form.

Academic interest and various government projects to encourage folk art which began during the 1970s sustained the interest. There was also a change in perspective towards the concept of ‘kavus’ which were earlier thought as unused land to be cleared off, till studies brought to light their ecological importance.

Theyyam which is a ritual of the lower castes is more accommodative and allows modification and insertions unlike the rigid Brahminical system, says T.V. Chandran, author of the book ‘Ritual as Ideology: TextandContext in Theyyam.’ According to him, ‘Onnoru Nalpathu’ or the 39 theyyam deities were stylized by the Mandalam Gurikkal as per the directions of a local ruler Chirakkal Raja. The heroic deities such as Muthappan which were not included under this are celebrated or worshipped more at houses.

“The formation of new shrines and deities is not a new trend, but the increased enthusiasm being witnessed now is unprecedented,” he says.

Chandran points out that the attraction towards ‘spectacles’ and festive spirit draws the postmodern generation towards carnivals. Theyyam allows the devotee direct communication with the deity. This proximity and immediacy provides a unique experience to the audience.

Cultural programmes like music, dance and drama are organised at cult-centres adding to the aura of the spectacle. More than faith, may be it is the festive spirit that pulls crowds towards the cultcentres, he adds.

Vasantha Kumari draws >>Continued in Pg12>>

INTERVIEW

Making good cinema “The producer wanted to make a good film and we didn’t think about anything else,” says Unni Vijayan, director of the national award-winning film Lessons in Forgetting.

Padmalatha Ravi catches up with the director to know more about this film and its making.

A

shiny new team - from producer, director to scriptwriter, with a single point agenda of making good cinema; No stars to speak of and a script based on a book which talks about gender violence and male gaze. Not your usual triedand-tested recipe for successful cinema. But that is exactly what worked in favour of the people behind Lessons in Forgetting, the national award winner for 2012, in the English feature film category. The film is based on Anita Nair’s book by the same name.

English feature films made in India is not a big category, when compared to Bollywood and regional cinema. But a handful of them have made an impression. A national award for this category was introduced way back in 1964 but going by the Wiki page, only 19 films have won the award in the past 39 years.

Lessons in forgetting has already done rounds at the International Film Festivals and won awards for director Unni Vijayan, actors Adil Hussain and

Roshni Achreja and makeup artist Roshan N G. The Silver Lotus is of course a matter of pride.

Vijayan is measured in his response to the clichéd, yet timeappropriate question, ‘how does a national award feel?’ The award has got everyone talking about the film. The publicity helps, he admits. The film is scheduled for a theatrical release on 19 April, and the national award couldn’t have come at a better time.

Vijayan comes from a family of practising doctors but the film bug bit him early enough.

He hails from what he calls a small town, Ambernath near Mumbai. In 1989, Doordarshan was playing Andrei Arsenyevich Tarkovsky’s retrospective. It was Vijayan’s first glimpse of world cinema. “It was the first time I realised that cinema is actually a work of art, and not just entertainment or business,” Vijayan recollects.

After this, Vijayan decided to apply to Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune, but failed to gain admission the first three times. Meanwhile, he

8 |www.indiatogether.org| 01 May 2013

got married and had children.

The fourth time he got lucky.

This philosophy graduate then trained to be an editor and won an award for his graduating film.

He has since then worked with many directors as an editor till he got a call from Arrowana studios to make ‘good cinema.’

For a debutant team, with a sizeable budget of three crore rupees, this was a risky venture. But Vijayan was confident all along of having a superb, quality product in his hands. Padmalatha Ravi caught up with director Unni Vijayan over a cup of coffee.

INTERVIEW

Plot Synopsis

(from the film’s website) At the heart of the story is a single father, J.A. Krishnamurthy or JAK, played effectively

by Adil Hussain; the story is woven around how JAK relentlessly follows a trail left by delicate clues to find out what happened to his teenage daughter, Smriti (played by debutante, Maya Tideman) in a small coastal town in rural Tamil Nadu. Helping JAK in his chase is a single mother Meera (played

by Roshni Achreja), who is unable to make sense of her husband’s callousness; he walks out on their marriage, out of the blue, leaving her to bring up their two growing children and care for her aging mother and grandmother, all on her own. Fate brings two searching souls in JAK and Meera together.

It is JAK’s desperate attempt for closure on a gruesome incident affecting his daughter and his need for redemption that takes both Meera and him through a rocky trail that turns his life upside down. In the event, it gives JAK a peek into his daughter’s world.

01 May 2013 |www.indiatogether.org| 9

INTERVIEW

The film talks about gender violence. Why did you choose this topic?

Originally we wanted to make a film based on Anita Nair’s book, Mistress. But when we met her, she asked us to read Lessons in Forgetting. Both Prince (the producer) and I were drawn to it instantly. I could relate to JAK’s character easily. I have a teenaged daughter too. So does Prince. It was a familiar perspective. We eventually asked Anita to write the screenplay.

Not many films are based on books, why do you think that is?

I think it is the ‘auteur theory’ that holds people back. You as a director are not writing another book, it is the spirit of the book that comes across in your films.

Adoor Gopalkrishnan and Satyajit Ray have always made films based on books and made it well.

One should realise that there is no need to be insecure about basing your film on a book – it is a different work of art, it looks and feels different. This works well in western countries because of the studio system. They work objectively. Here it is not the same.

You are an editor yourself, but for this film you worked with another editor; was it not issue?

Mangal and I think alike, so it was absolutely no issue. As an editor I think in terms of cuts. But for this film we decided we will not decide any cutting patterns.

We decided to let each shot have its own life.

You mentioned meeting veteran journalist Gita Aravamudan before starting the film, what were her inputs?

It was part of our research, homework.

Her book Disappearing Daughters provided a lot of insights on gender issues for us. Although the information was not urban, while our film is largely set in urban situations, it was helpful. She has a wider understanding of the whole issue, which helped.

You don’t have any ‘stars’ in your cast. How did you choose the actors?

It was mostly naiveté on our part that led us to this cast.

The producer wanted to make a good film and we didn’t think about anything else. When we were looking for the lead actor JAK, we wanted someone with a sensuality of a lead actor and yet have that father’s charisma; Adil Hussain fit the bill. We okayed him just by looking at his pictures.

Maya Tideman, who plays the role of Smriti, has a background in theatre and she was here in India to get into films.

Vijayan’s constant reference to the intention of making good cinema, made this reporter, sidestep her questionnaire to discuss it. Isn’t ‘good’ relative?

How did the producer and the director come to terms on what is good cinema? To which Vijayan answers the producer trusted him completely. There were absolutely no constraints from the producer’s end, he says. “We got whatever we wanted. Everyone on the team 10 |www.indiatogether.org| 01 May 2013

It was not easy.

Distributors these days are mostly corporate houses with little interest in cinema as an art. We met a lot of distributors who liked the film, but didn’t want to take up distribution.

INTERVIEW

Gita Aravamudan on the project

Prince Thampi on being a first time producer and winning the national award I run a software company and I am used to taking up complex projects and successfully delivering, which helped a lot. Like any other first timer, the apprehension of successfully seeing through a venture of this kind was the biggest and only worry. Film making is an intense activity and there are a lot of high calibre skills involved, you are

trusted my instincts. The DoP (Director of Photography) was here one month ahead of the shooting schedule, just scouting for locations.”

You have shown the films at venues like IIT Kanpur, what has the reaction been like?

not alone. Apart from Unni, I had a very experienced set of technical hands around me. Raj (Executive Producer) Mangal (DoP), Ganesh and Kumaresh (Music Directors), Gissy (Sound Engineer) - all were friends I knew earlier and part of a core team. Malay Bhattacharya as the production designer was life saving. The biggest challenge was to maintain sanity in the budget without curtailing the creative needs.

I knew we were on something good while shooting for the film itself. But as it evolved, the confidence grew.

We have taken the film to places where we know the film will not be released. It usually sparks off a discussion. I let the audience tell me what JAK the father should’ve done. Sometimes they are completely bogged down by the film. Some share their personal stories of gender violence. Some say you must take a stand but should stay safe. It is interesting, these discussions. We 01 May 2013 |www.indiatogether.org| 11

Both Anita (Nair) and Unni (Vijayan) had read Disappearing Daughters thoroughly and were inspired by the book. I did not give any specific input except for the discussions I had with Vijayan.

Perhaps my ground level experiences in researching Disappearing Daughters, which I shared with him, added to the overall authenticity of the film. I hope this is a trend setter and we get to see more such films based on real issues.

have even showed the film in a school in Arunachal Pradesh.

So does the film give the audience a sense of closure?

Does the father get even with the people who hurt his daughter?

No, no vendetta. It makes people comfortable but we wanted to make the audience think about it. We wanted to start a discussion, which is what happens after our screenings.

With an offbeat topic, was it easy to find distributors?

No, it was not easy. Distributors these days are mostly corporate houses with little interest in cinema as an art. We met a lot of distributors who liked the film, but didn’t want to take up distribution.

A friend of mine who works for

INTERVIEW

an NGO, asked me to screen the film for UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund) delegates. They really liked the film and asked me to screen it at their other meetings, both in India and abroad. At one such screening, the PVR people saw it and decided to take it up.

The film will be released in 45 screens, mostly in urban centres across India.

Why did you choose English as the language for the film?

We decided to make the film in English because it was largely set in an urban scenario with some rural setting. English was easier to work with. We shot the film in Bangalore and parts of Tamil Nadu.

Will your future projects be in English language too?

No, we will have to account for market demands. We want to make commercial films without giving up on good cinematic concepts. Most likely it will be a Malayalam film (majority in the crew are Malayalee).

Did the film make an impact on the cast and crew?

Yes, it did. It sensitised us to gender issues. We talked about the many layered issues when it comes to gender.

Padmalatha Ravi is an independent journalist based in Bangalore.

>>Continued from pg7 >> attention to the economic aspects of the issue. There was a time when many shrines could not be maintained due to lack of money.

Now, lakhs are being spent on organising annual festivals.

Serving free food to devotees has also become a common practice at many places. “Shrines are a source of income as well as centres of power that could influence the community around it. Many temple committees are run by the Rashtriya Swayam Sevak Sangh-Bharatiya Janata Party (RSS-BJP) combine, who use them to spread their political ideology,” she adds.

It is ironical however, that Theyyam -- a folk art which expressed the injustice and oppression faced by the lower caste people -- is now being appropriated into the Brahminical system. It was seen as a unique ritual where the higher caste people bowed before people belonging to lower castes while the latter performed the role of deities. This subverted the caste hierarchy even as it existed within the limitations of the caste system. Many of its myths spoke against the cruelty and exploitation suffered by the downtrodden.

As folklorist K.N.Panikker points out, ‘Brahminisation’ or ‘Sanskritisation’ which is the political agenda of religious fascism has interpolated itself into the myths and rites associated with Theyyam. The messages rooted in the social and political consciousness of the lower caste people who suffered the evils of the caste system are all getting submerged beneath the religious fervor of Hinduism, observes Chandran. According 12 |www.indiatogether.org| 01 May 2013

to him, even those who perform the rituals fail to understand how the nuances in the modification of myths establish the superiority of Brahmin gods. The higher mythology is projected above lower mythologies and the whole cult is being appropriated into the Tantric system. Conversion of ‘kavus’ to temples, daily offering of prayers and increasing importance of Brahmin priests in worship centres of lower castes could be seen as part of this.

According to Ashoka Mundon, Head of the Department of History, University of Calicut, rituals like Theyyam assume prominence in the postmodern context of decentralization that accommodates marginalized cultural elements. But, they reappear in modified forms and their function in society would be different. “Caste still remains a primary identity and caste-based groups and organizations are gaining momentum now. This reinforcement of caste identities might not necessarily result in hierarchisation as in the feudal era; in the changed context this might produce different results which need to be observed and studied,” he says.

The evolution of local cultural elements and their socio-cultural implication gain importance at a time when cultural resistance to globalization across the globe is being observed carefully. Such developments might have broader significance in discussions on post-postmodernism and metamodernism.

Nileena M S is a freelance journalist with a passion for cultural studies.

NEWS OR VOYEURISM?

Kannada TV channels cross the line

In a desperate bid to outdo each other in television rating points, regional news channels are increasingly resorting to celebrity coverage bordering on tabloid journalism that infringes the right to individual privacy. B S Nagaraj comments on the trend.

F

or long, Kannada television channels have made it their business to pry into the private lives of celebrities and noncelebrities alike. But one of these recent weeks has seen a new low, even by the channels’ undistinguished record. What was played out in at least two Kannada channels was outright voyeurism.

Viewers were being enlightened with minute details of a playback singer-couple’s marital differences, completely disregarding their rights to privacy.

A few weeks back, it was Kannada film star ‘Duniya’ Vijay and his wife’s marital dispute that was milked dry to boost TRPs. This time, they zeroed in on a petition filed in a family court by Ramya Vasishta, a singer and television artist, seeking annulment of her marriage to popular playback singer Rajesh Krishnan. Every word from the petition was shown and read out, and experts ranging from a psychologist to a sex specialist to a lawyer were in the studios to analyse what may have gone wrong with the marriage. The focus was on how

A still from one of the news telecasts; photo is illustrative and representative of Kannada TV channels in general. Source: YouTube

the marriage, according to the petition, was not consummated, and the fact that Rajesh Krishnan’s earlier two marriages had also ended in divorce.

In ‘Duniya’ Vijay’s case, if one channel took his side, a rival channel egged on his wife and children to bad-mouth him.

Vijay has appealed to the News 01 May 2013 |www.indiatogether.org| 13

Broadcasters’ Association and other agencies seeking action against the channel concerned for allegedly tutoring and forcing his children to speak ill of him. It is another matter though that Vijay himself is guilty of doing the same with his children – they were made to speak to the media after he submitted his complaints

NEWS OR VOYEURISM?

to the NBA and others in New Delhi.

And while I happened to watch this unsavoury contest, presumably for ratings, on a couple of channels, I have a strong intuition that the tale may not be so different in the other local channels.

Clearly, neither selfregulation of the channels concerned (if at all they have anything like that) nor that of the NBA seems to be working when it comes to Kannada television.

The selfregulation principles of the NBA on the issue of privacy states that “As a rule channels must not intrude on private lives, or personal affairs of individuals, unless there is a clearly established larger and identifiable public interest for such a broadcast. The underlying principle that news channels abide by is that the intrusion of private spaces, records, transcripts, telephone conversations and any other material will not be for salacious interest, but only when warranted in the public interest.”

By no stretch of imagination can it be assumed that that there was a “larger and identifiable public interest” in television channels laying bare the marital disputes of celebrities, and going into such intricate details over whether there was mental and physical compatibility in their marriage and even, hold your breath, the sperm count of a certain celebrity!

In fact, the NBA itself seems to be uncertain on how to deal with such transgressions. While the self-regulation principles bars channels from intruding into private lives of individuals “as a

actor, they simply cannot broadcast its contents to the whole wide world.

These channels and, in some cases newspapers (not Kannada alone) too, have been crossing the line very often.

Kannada television is willy nilly turning viewers into Peeping Toms. In their quest for eyeballs and TRPs, the local channels have been feeding viewers with a diet of gossip, crime, sleaze, stings and lowbrow humour. Tune into them in the morning, you are treated to spiritual and astrology gurus holding forth on what should be done to ward off the effects of a bad planetary alignment. The shows on crime are downright repulsive in the way the stories are told. And of course, now and then they air panel discussions on when and how the world will come to an end, providing unintended humour.

The credibility of Kannada television is seriously at stake.

Channel owners and journalists in leadership positions should bear the cross for the sorry state of affairs. At a broader level, the government deserves its share of blame as well. The Supreme Court’s directive of 1995 that an independent authority be set up to control and regulate “airwaves or frequencies” that are public property has not been acted upon till now. The self-regulation codes of the NBA, representing news and current affairs channels, and the Indian Broadcasting Federation, representing non-news channels, have remained paper tigers.

It is not uncommon for journalists to lay their hands on documents or information that relate to people’s private lives.

But just because they get access to a divorce petition by an actor, they simply cannot broadcast its contents to the whole wide world. rule,” one of the NBA’s periodic advisories (Sept. 16, 2011) seems to make an exception when it comes to persons in public life.

“It has come to the notice of the News Broadcasting Standards Authority (an arm of the NBA) that some member news channels are carrying reports on family, matrimonial and other private matters of persons not in public life (emphasis mine) and passing off such reportage as ‘news.’ The Authority is of the view that such reportage is not of ‘public interest’ to require dissemination … moreover, such reportage also intrudes into the privacy of individuals. Member broadcasters are accordingly advised to refrain from broadcasting such reports.”

By implication, wouldn’t this mean that is alright to intrude into the privacy of persons in public life?

It is not uncommon for journalists to lay their hands on documents or information that relate to people’s private lives.

But just because they get access to a divorce petition involving an

14 |www.indiatogether.org| 01 May 2013

B S Nagaraj is an independent risk management consultant and journalist.

BIODIVERSITY

The Sparrow Concerns and conservation Were mobile towers primarily responsible for the dwindling number of house sparrows across India? Deepa Mohan studies the findings of a recent survey to explore the more likely reasons behind this wane of the species.

O

ne of the famous quotations from “Hamlet” by William Shakespeare is “There is Providence in the fall of a sparrow.”

The import of which is that God has a hand in everything that goes on, even the death of a pretty little bird. No matter how small or insignificant something seems, God cares about it and has control over it.

But in recent times, one has had occasion to muse on the fall of the sparrows, or, to be specific, of the House Sparrow, whether or not there is Providence in it.

The House Sparrow (scientific name, Passer domesticus) is so

named because it has always been associated with human habitation.

The Wiki entry for the bird says, “it occurs naturally in most of Europe, the Mediterranean region, and much of Asia. Its intentional or accidentalintroductions to many regions, including parts of Australia, Africa, and the Americas, make it the most widely distributed wild bird.” The IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) list has the bird’s conservation status at “least concern”. However, the scenario in India belies this rating.

In the fifties and sixties, urban Indians grew up in a world where 01 May 2013 |www.indiatogether.org| 15

these perky birds were abundant in the cities. I remember that my mother used to put out rice and grains along the edge of our apartment balcony; it had railings that prevented bigger birds from coming in, and a House Sparrow mother, who’d built her nest in the ventilator of our neighbour’s home, would come regularly to peck at the grains and regurgitate them to her nestlings. She often brought along the refuse-sac of the nestlings, and my mother would joke that she was getting paid for setting out the rice!

From this comfortable scene, to today....the House Sparrow’s

BIODIVERSITY

populations in India seem to be in decline. From being a very commonly seen bird a few decades ago, amateur bird watchers as well as learned ornithologists have found the species getting rarer, and various theories have been advanced to explain this decline in the House Sparrow numbers.

One theory, of course, was the loss of habitat for the birds. Older houses had ventilators, lofts, holes between the walls, spaces in the eaves of the roof, and between roof tiles, for these little birds to nest and breed, free from disturbance.

The winnowing of grain resulted in the free availability of food for the birds, from the grains, as well as from various small insects found along with them. With the changing of urban lifestyles, lower ceilings and apartments meant no nooks and corners for the birds to nest.

Non-availability of plentiful grain, with the old custom of winnowing grain in the open courtyards of houses disappearing with the new styles of architecture, and the decrease of such food processing in people’s homes also contributed to their gradual fall in numbers...

Another theory advanced to explain their decline was that of predatory attacks by the Eurasian Sparrowhawk, a raptor that often swoops down on unwary sparrows and kills and eats them. The construction of mobile phone towers, as also the electromagnetic radiation from mobile phones, was also thought to be a factor in the decline in the bird’s numbers in both rural and urban areas in India. Disease, too, has been cited as a factor, even though it has generally been held that the House Sparrow is a robust, hardy bird.

Karthik K, who spearheaded the Citizen Sparrow survey, making it part of his Master’s degree thesis, responds to questions regarding the House Sparrow.

If you feel that there has been a serious fall in the number of House Sparrows (in the past or even to date), what are the factors you would ascribe to such a decline?

The Citizen Sparrow results suggest a clear trend of decline in House sparrows in India. House sparrows as the name suggests have evolved along with the humans. The basic requirements for House sparrows (or any bird) are food and nesting place. The House sparrow chicks/nestlings require insects for their diet. Any use of pesticides would result in less insect availability for House sparrow nestlings. House sparrows nests are found in wall crevasses/ small holes etc in people’s houses. Lack of suitable nesting space near human habitations can also cause a decline in House sparrows. In the current scenario, it appears as if there is a problem in both food and nest requirements of House Sparrows.

How much weightage would you give to the “mobile towers” theory, given that sparrows are still found in areas like K R Market or Russell Market, at the heart of a city like Bangalore?

KR Market and Russell Market are some of the oldest markets of Bangalore. There are a lot of vegetable, fruit, flower, and provision shops in these markets. Naturally, there are a lot of dumping yards of bio-waste in these areas. As a result, there is availability of insects, which is very important for House sparrow nestlings. I have also keenly observed the presence of old buildings in these areas which have breaks/ holes in the walls of these buildings where there are active House sparrow nests. As the nesting space and food resources are available in these old markets, House sparrows are found in good numbers in these areas.

There are a few studies in the European countries which have tried to evaluate the effect of Mobile Towers on House Sparrow population. But the results are not convincing enough to jump to conclusions that Mobile Towers are responsible for House Sparrow decline. In India, there is no scientific proof to believe that Mobile Towers are a factor in the decline of House Sparrows.

What steps would each of you suggest to further augment the House Sparrow population, whether rural or urban?

It is necessary to provide good food and nesting habitat for House Sparrows. There have been good initiatives all over the country to provide nest boxes for House sparrows to improve the nesting space for House Sparrows. Initiatives like these need to continue, but more attention should be given to avoid pesticide usage both in urban and rural areas.

Is there any special insight that you would like to add?

As I have already mentioned, there have been House Sparrow nest box campaigns and thousands of nest boxes have been distributed.

Conservation efforts should not end by just providing nest boxes, but importance should be given to evaluate the effectiveness of such nest-boxes so that we can get better insights about House Sparrows.

16 |www.indiatogether.org| 01 May 2013

Conservation efforts should not end by just providing nest boxes, but importance should be given to evaluate the effectiveness of such nest-boxes so that we can get better insights about House Sparrows.

Tracking the fall

How is the fate of the House Sparrow being tracked? There are, of course, the expert ornithologists’ observations and reports, in journals such as Indian Birds and also the website ofCommon Bird Monitoring of India (CBMI), a Citizen Science Programme of Nature Forever Society. Many organisations and individuals are part of the programme. The aim of the programme is to collect data on common Indian birds. It is a pioneer project, certainly a first of its kind in the country to monitor the common birds, and it depends on the participation of as many laypersons and interested birdwatchers to be successful.

CBMI includes the House Sparrow in its list of common birds.

Though not as long-standing a monitoring exercise as that of CBMI, a recent survey done between April and July, 2012,

by Citizen Sparrow has been an intense exercise in monitoring the species, with 10,666 records, from 5655 pariticipants across 8425 locations in India. This was a big initiative involving every citizen possible; the oldest participant was 91, and the youngest, 7. The findings do indicate a fall in the numbers of House Sparrows. Data continues to come in, and is still being logged.

A world without sparrows?

However, there is a lesser-liked side to the House Sparrow, too.

It’s commonly regarded as a pest, since it consumes agricultural products and spreads disease to humans and their domestic animals.

Even birdwatchers sometimes hold it in little regard because of its molestation of other birds; it is a very aggressive bird.

In most of the world, the House Sparrow is not protected by law.

Attempts to control House Sparrows include the trapping, poisoning, or shooting of adults; the destruction of their nests and eggs; or less directly, blocking nest holes and scaring off sparrows with noise, glue, or porcupine wire.

However, attempts at the largescale control of the House Sparrow have failed. The most notorious campaign against sparrows was in China, where under the perceived notion that Eurasian Tree Sparrows were eating too much grain, hundreds of millions of sparrows were killed in 1958. By 1960, the catastrophe happened...without the sparrows to keep it in check, the insect population exploded, and this contributed to the Great Chinese Famine between 1958 and 1961, where three million people died of starvation due to 01 May 2013 |www.indiatogether.org| 17

BIODIVERSITY

Summary of findings of Citizen Sparrow Survey

1. T here has been a definite decline in House Sparrow numbers.

2. The absence of Sparrows is the least in Central and North-east India.

3. Sparrows are likely to be found in large numbers, in Central and North-west India.

4. Sparrow nests were seen more frequently in the past, as compared to now.

5.

62.3% of respondents were from cities, and 27.7% were from towns and villages.

6. Setting up of nest-boxes and providing food and grain will form part of the key to increasing sparrow numbers. lack of foodgrain, especially rice. I have personally seen a sign in the city of St.Louis, asking everyone to kill House Sparrows, and destroy their nests, as they are an “invasive species”.

To many people across the world, however, the House Sparrow is the most familiar wild bird, and because of its association with humans and familiarity, it is quite popular. But for most of us, the value of the House Sparrow is only apparent when its numbers start falling, and we are no longer able to see the feisty, perky little birds that hop around so cheerfully around human habitation.

Let’s hope that this little bird, which has been immortalized in song and verse in many cultures, holds its own in our country in the years to come.

Deepa Mohan is a freelance writer and avid naturalist.

FIGHT FOR AMRUT MAHAL KAVAL

The Indian peacock struts about the rocky ecosystem. (Photo credit: Malini Shankar)

Diversion of

denou

The grant of close to 10000 acres of forest land in Chitra ecology as well as the means of subsistence of local com impending State Assembly elec 18 |www.indiatogether.org| 01 May 2013

FIGHT FOR AMRUT MAHAL KAVAL

f forest land

unced

adurga district for non-forestry purposes threatens the mmunities, leading irate villagers to decide to boycott the ctions. Malini Shankar reports.

01 May 2013 |www.indiatogether.org| 19

FIGHT FOR AMRUT MAHAL KAVAL

T

he conflict of interest between conservation and development manifests itself yet again in the National Green Tribunal instituting a fact finding committee “to determine ecological and environmental consequences of massive diversion of ‘Amrut Mahal Kaval’ (grasslands) to Defence, Nuclear and Industrial Projects in Chitradurga, Karnataka”.

A Bangalore-based NGO – the Environment Support Group (ESG) petitioned the National Green Tribunal’s south zone in Chennai objecting to the diversion of nearly 6000 hectares of forest ecosystem to non forestry purposes. If this is actually forest land has become the bone of contention.

ESG submitted documentary evidence to the Green Tribunal stating that 9323 acres of forest lands in Survey numbers 1, 47 and 347 in Challakere Taluq of Chitradurga district in Karnataka are being diverted for non-forestry purposes: These non- forestry purposes or projects include:

An advanced R&D complex, a 3.5 km runway and test centre for long-endurance ( 48-72 hours) UAVs and UCAVs (to Defence Research Development Organisation Synchrotron Energy Research Centre and Advanced Aerospace Research Centre (to Indian Institute of Science)

Special Material Enrichment Facility (Uranium) (to Bhabha Atomic Research Centre) Spacecraft Technologies (to Indian Space Research Organisation)

Various industrial ancillary units (to Karnataka Small Scale Industries Development Corporation)

Integrated Solar Park Development along with Grid Connected 25 MW Solar PV

More than a lakh people from around 80 villages are set to lose one or more of their main livelihood sources (grazing, weaving, firewood collection etc) due to this diversion of land.

Power Project (to Sagitaur Ventures India Pvt. Ltd.), and

Developing Housing Layout and sale of constructed villas (to Karnataka Housing Board).

Officials contest this and claim that these grazing pastures are not reserved forests, nor do they belong to the forest department; 20 |www.indiatogether.org| 01 May 2013

the pastures were granted as grazing lands to herders by the Maharajas of Mysore. The British government had used these grazing lands only for the bullocks in the Army. After Independence, the lands were administered by the Animal Husbandry Department.

Citing a 1971 letter, vesting the

FIGHT FOR AMRUT MAHAL KAVAL The Great Indian Bustard is a typically arid zone bird and is so endangered because there are only about 250 left in the wild in all of Asia. (Photo credit: Vivek Sinha)

governance of the grazing lands exclusively for animal husbandry, the department disallowed any human usage. But after a recent cabinet clearance, the district administration has diverted lands for non-forestry utilisation, as evident from documentation that this magazine is privy to.

The documentation obtained

by India Together, nevertheless, clearly states “Pending further examination, the three Kavals of Halkurke, Chikkasandra and Ramaradevarahalla (which have already been notified as Reserve Forest) are deleted from the list of lands proposed for surrender�.

01 May 2013 |www.indiatogether.org| 21

This means that these lands, which were notified as reserved forests, have to be excluded and cannot be surrendered for development of the scientific / research complex. Copies of these documents pertaining to land tenure and ownership have been obtained by India Together.

FIGHT FOR AMRUT MAHAL KAVAL

Whose land is it anyway?

These grasslands were earmarked for grazing of the Amrut Mahal cattle – a drought resistant variety of cattle. The grazing lands with degenerate shrub forests “belong to the Animal Husbandry Department, so the question of de-notifying forest land does not arise” district administration officials told India Together. Some pockets of these grazing lands are used for social forestry plantations of Hardwickia binata, Deputy Conservator of Forests (DCF) Kumaraswamy clarified in Chitradurga. Besides, social forestry plantations are used for fodder and fuelwood usage of rural populations.

About 1000 hectares are demarcated as sheep-breeding farm, and also belongs to the Animal Husbandry Department.

‘The Kaval comprises of many pastures that host fodder-yielding varieties of trees, ideal for cattle grazing and hence, has been administered by the Animal Husbandry Department,’ officials from the district administration in Chitradurga told India Together.

Attempts to seek clarification from the Principal Secretary of the Department of Forests, Ecology and Environment proved futile, despite repeated attempts by e-mail and telephone to seek a personal meeting for clarification and to secure copies of documentation.

Citing a 2002 Karnataka High Court Order, ESG’s Leo Saldanha told India Together “A 2002 decision of the Karnataka High Court affirmed that these lands could not be diverted for any other purpose. Pursuant to this, the Government of Karnataka passed a circular confirming that this decision applies to all Amrut Mahal Kaval (lands), and thus

could not be diverted, at least not without the permission of the High Court.”

ESG draws attention to the judgment in the case of Godavarman versus Union of India (302 / 95) in which the Supreme Court ordered that any habitat supporting biodiversity including flora and fauna must be construed within the dictionary meaning of forests, regardless of the legal status of the ecosystem, in order to protect endangered species. It implies that any land with endangered floral and faunal diversity should be considered forests and conserved as such, notwithstanding any legal nomenclature of forests.

“Post Godavarman ruling, the diversion of forest land for non-forest purposes requires the approval of the CEC (Central Empowered Committee), in addition to compliance with the procedure under the Forest Conservation Act,” Saldanha insists.

Therefore, the Karnataka government’s lack of transparent governance comes into sharp focus yet again, as it is unable to clarify if the notified forest lands – according to the Environment Support Group Trust - remain notified forest lands and on what grounds the government might seek exemption from a Supreme Court Order to divert biodiverse lands to non-forestry purposes?

If this cannot be justified, the Government of Karnataka can be accused of contempt of court or violation of stringent court orders in the landmark Godavarman case.

Threat to the ecology Presence of wild boar and Kondukuri - a local and a rare breed of deer - has been documented in the arid ecosystem of the region.

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Scavenger Vulture is typically found in semi arid areas and grassland ecosystems. (Photo credit: Malini Shankar)

FIGHT FOR AMRUT MAHAL KAVAL

Adjacent to the grazing lands of the animal husbandry department, there is a patch of dense scrub jungle or dry deciduous forests, senior government officials this correspondent spoke to confirmed.

The degraded forests today nurture the Savannah ecosystem with thriving faunal diversity, despite disappearance of the once stately forests. Kenneth Anderson - South India’s hunter of maneating felines in British India, once hunted a man-eating tiger in the belt between Chitradurga and Channagiri to Bhadravathi. What were once high forests with stately trees like Sandalwood, Rosewood, Pongamia, Peepal tree and other fruit bearing Ficus trees eventually degraded to become a grassland ecosystem, possibly because of anthropogenic conflict.

The grassland ecosystem nevertheless offers habitat to a whole diversity of faunal wealth including the Great Indian Bustard (only 250 are remaining in the wild in entire Asia today), jackals, bears, deer, black buck, leopards, peacocks, scavenger vultures, protected snakes like Indian Python, Indian Cobra, vipers monitor lizards etc.

The Environment Support Group spearheaded the legal defence for the mute wildlife, some of which – like the Great Indian Bustard - are so threatened only because they are found exclusively in this latitude.

But what worries conservationists today is that if it is developed further to boost the human development quotient, it can possibly traumatise resident wildlife and lead to human animal conflict even in adjoining areas.

Given that the grassland ecosystem in dry arid shrub forests in Chitradurga forms an 01 May 2013 |www.indiatogether.org| 23

ideal habitat for the Great Indian Bustard, jackals, wild boars, bears, black buck, leopards, peacocks, protected snakes like Indian Python, Indian Cobra, vipers monitor lizards etc habitat loss can lead to increase in human animal conflict like crop raiding, wildlife attacks on human habitation.

Worse still, habitat loss can lead to isolation of herds and cause genetic isolation of endangered species. In this day and age of climate change, genetic mutation can lead to potentially unknown manifestations of human animal conflict.

“Wildlife cannot differentiate between legal governance and nomenclature of lands, it is a habitat for wildlife,” says DCF Kumaraswamy. What if a leopard is hunting a blackbuck or a deer and in the ensuing chase, the leopard or the blackbuck inadvertently stumbles over a piece of broken glass in private property or is caught in the fence? The carnivore will turn a man eater. The herbivore would die an agonising death followed by gangrene. Neither the forest nor district administration officials in Animal Husbandry, district collectorate, nor any other official will remain accountable.

Human encroachment of forests has robbed endangered wildlife of their home and hearth everywhere. Bellary’s infamous mine pits were home to leopards, jackals, hyenas, bears, mongoose, civets, caracals, foxes, vultures, snakes, monitor lizards, etc, all of which are threatened by mining.

Dams, mines, highways, housing, schools, hospitals, offices now even scientific research labs and missile launch pads find real estate only in forests.

If humans encroach even on degraded forests, where does wildlife have to go?

FIGHT FOR AMRUT MAHAL KAVAL

Threat to livelihoods

A less emphasized, yet equally significant fall-out of this land alienation is the potential impact on local livelihoods and the environment. More than a lakh people from around 80 villages are set to lose one or more of their main livelihood sources (grazing, weaving, firewood collection etc) due to this diversion of land. Dodda Ullarthi is one such village in the Challakere Taluq of Chitradurga district, with an approximate population of around 5000.

Karianna, the Gram Panchayat member of Dodda Ullarthi told India Together “We are anxious because this is a drought prone district and we are dependent on cattle for livelihoods. We cannot depend on agriculture in this arid ecosystem; so we rear livestock to earn our livelihoods. There are in all about 150000 animals / livestock in these 70 – 80 villages of the Taluqs. We use about 11000 acres in Varavu Kaval and Khudapura Kaval and in Ullarthi AM Kaval 2143 acres are utilised for grazing cattle. We don’t need compensation, we want to graze cattle and sustain our livelihoods.”

According to Karianna, the ecosystem also sustains medicinal plants. People weave rugs, and make products of wool from sheep; they also depend on usufruct and fodder-yielding species of trees in these lands. The community does not support educated people in white-collared occupations, and the economy here revolves around cattle grazing and agriculture.

Residents, naturally, are very concerned about their future in view of the diversion of land.

State high-handedness in the matter has now given the entire episode a political hue as well; on 15 April, residents

Sunrise over Jyotir Mutt in Chitradurga’s hills... the Eastern Ghats spreads to the eastern frontiers of Karnataka. (Photo credit: Malini Shankar)

of the affected villages had organised a peaceful walk after obtaining necessary permissions and acknowledgements from the election office and police authorities. But on the night of 14 April, police informed the organisers they would not be allowed to go ahead with it as the Election Code of Conduct was in place. The organisers were threatened that if such an event took place, participants would be arrested and a case would be registered against them. This clamp-down on the right to peaceful protest for a legitimate cause led voters of Dodda Ullarthi Village to unanimously decide to boycott the upcoming Vidhana Sabha elections.

“All our livelihoods are at stake.

We at least need an assurance from the authorities and politicians that our needs will be looked into for us to exercise our franchise in the coming elections,” says Karianna when asked why they want to risk boycotting elections and losing political representation altogether. Whether such a 24 |www.indiatogether.org| 01 May 2013

stance by one village in isolation will actually move authorities to take a serious look at the issue and reconsider the land grants, however, remains suspect.

Malini Shankar is a Bangalore-based wildlife photojournalist, radio and TV producer and runs the Weltanschauung Worldview Media Centre (www.wwmcindia. com).

Opinion

Professional or mercenary?

The relationship between professionals such as doctors, lawyers and teachers and the society they serve is increasingly and radically changing. The reasons behind the same, however, may go deeper than the obvious mercenary tendencies of the former. Shankar Jaganathan ruminates.

Y

esterday on my morning walk I met a doctor. As our strides matched and we moved in tandem, our conversation turned to the decline of general medical practitioners in the city. My visit to a doctor is infrequent and limited only to neighbourhood clinics and hence, I feel their absence the most.

I recalled with a smile my first visit to the old general medical practitioner, located 500 meters from my house. After he conducted a detailed check-up and wrote out the prescription, I gently asked him, ‘Doctor, how much do I owe you?’ A true professional, in a soft tone he replied, ‘You don’t owe me anything. But twenty rupees will do.’ As I dug back into my memory, in a few relationships, as with the doctor, teacher, lawyer and auditors, money was never openly discussed. Only after the problem was resolved, reverently and in a hushed tone the question would be asked and the professional would indicate his fee.

Mastery of an intellectual skill, adherence to a common code of values and conduct, acceptance of a duty to the society as a whole in return for the use of a title

is the hallmark of a profession, as defined by the International Federation of Accountants, the latest entrant to the professional class. This definition neither mentions a fee nor compensation.

Looking at our tradition, this does not seem to be an omission, but a conscious decision. Fee or compensation was an essential part of the profession but not their primary motive.

My walking companion, also an old timer, explained to me the economics of the current medical 01 May 2013 |www.indiatogether.org| 25

practice. Most new doctors he told me now pursue post-graduation.

After their post-graduation, doctors find employment in a multi-specialty hospital more fruitful. I asked him how working for another person could be more fruitful compared to being a self-employed professional. The doctor elaborated, in the past for a medical practitioner, starting a clinic required only a 10-by-15 room, a table, chairs, stethoscope, few minimal equipments, a cupboard for stocking essential

opinion

medicines and a few old magazines. With a few thousand rupees, any doctor could start his practice. However this was not the case today as practicing medicine required large investments.

The advent of corporate hospitals with multi-storeyed nursing homes changed the scenario. A larger premise and wider range of expensive equipments meant that the investment required multiplied from a few thousands to a few crores. With increased investment came the accountant and the accounting software. Now patients were no longer patients, they were the customers who generated revenue. Doctors became cost centres. The software helped hospitals analyze the income generated by the doctor – not just from their own consultation, but also their referrals to diagnostic labs like X-rays, MRI and CTscans. Doctors now had to earn a return on investment made in expensive equipments.

Thus the service economy expanded rapidly driven by the new professional.

True economics was practiced in the growing service economy. Menu cards for the new professional appeared. Patients, clients and students were replaced by customers. A need just remained a need. Unless backed by purchasing power, a human being did not become a patient, client or a student. Doctors, lawyers and teachers in their institutional garb became new professionals. Fees are first discussed, services follow later. In their corporate form the distinction between professionals and mercenaries blurred. All

this in a land where, a hundred years ago, running restaurants was considered an immoral way to earn a livelihood, as feeding hungry travelers for money was frowned upon by society.

Why go back centuries, even a decade or two ago, not sharing drinking water with a hiccupping stranger was considered uncouth behaviour!

Those were the days when professionals were revered. On a hot afternoon, along with a few colleagues we visited a retired judge at his residence. We were welcomed with a glass of cold water. Soon thereafter, the judge came into the room and all of us stood up save one. After the visit, when we were returning, my professional senior rebuked the sole sitting member and spoke of the need to respect professionals.

He said professionals like teachers, doctors, lawyers and judges should be honoured. He added a

In a few relationships, as with the doctor, teacher, lawyer and auditors, money was never openly discussed. Only after the problem was resolved, reverently and in a hushed tone the question would be asked and the professional would indicate his fee.

26 |www.indiatogether.org| 01 May 2013

professional stood by his ethics and shunned material gains to serve the society. The least we as members of the society can do is to honour them in little ways, by standing up when they enter and giving them the right of way when our paths intersect. My ‘sitting’ friend disagreed, murmuring under his breath the practice of meaningless rituals.

Later my ‘sitting’ friend argued, we have professional sportsmen, actors and politicians. How are the earlier professionals like doctors, lawyers, judges, journalists, teachers and auditors different?

A professional in his view is a specialist, a person paid to do their job. Instead of the link between ethics and service, he only saw the bond of money, thus highlighting a serious perception gap. For those devoted to the question of what came first, the chicken or the egg, a more immediate problem needs their attention - Did the lack of respect for professionals from the society lead to mercenary behaviour or did mercenary behaviour lead to lack of respect from the society for professionals?

PS: In this article, the doctor is mentioned in order to illustrate a prevailing practice. A similar situation holds true in many other ‘professions’.

Shankar Jaganathan is passionate about corporate governance, sustainability practices and economic history. He divides his time between consulting engagements, teaching and writing. He is the author of the book 'Corporate Disclosures 1553-2007, The Origin of Financial and Business Reports', and the recently published 'The Wisdom of Ants, A Short History of Economics'.

RISING INTOLERANCE

Is free speech an Indian value?

Is freedom of speech and expression deeply accepted in Indian society? Or is it merely a European cultural import that made its way along with the English language and appeared in the Constitution because of the founding fathers’ genius? Satarupa Sen Bhattacharya reviews Freedom Song, a film and connects the dots.

01 May 2013 |www.indiatogether.org| 27

RISING INTOLERANCE

D

ebates on freedom of speech can be traced back to the earliest evolutions of human society, but if there is a time which could be considered most apposite for this debate to come to the fore and dominate public thought and discourse, this surely would be it for Indian society.

From the banishment of literary icons such as Salman Rushdie to repeated assaults on artists and cartoonists seeking to express their viewpoints through their art, and even the gag on the common man’s voice in traditional and new media, freedom of speech and expression has found itself under fire increasingly and in the most alarming of ways.

Is India as a nation becoming more intolerant of contrarian perspectives, or is it merely that voices seeking to stifle dissent are now amplified, thanks to a greater number, as well as newer forms, of media covering this debate?

Can India really achieve free speech in the way that its founding fathers conceived of and constitutionalized it?

These are the questions probed in Freedom Song – a 52-minute documentary from the Public Services Broadcasting Trust, co-directed by veteran journalist, author and academic Paranjoy Guha Thakurta and Professor Subi Chaturvedi.

Freedom Song, the film Interestingly, since the time Freedom Song was conceived of and filmed, the clamp-down or attacks on free speech in India have only become more frequent and flagrant. This was made much before the time that Salman Rushdie, in almost a repeat of the 2010 Jaipur Lit-fest incident, was stopped by the state from attending the screening of Midnight’s Children in Kolkata; or when two young girls from Palghar in Maharashtra were arrested by the police merely because one of them had questioned on Facebook the derailment of normal life in Mumbai following Balasaheb Thackeray’s death and the other had ‘liked’ it; or even before the long-awaited Kamal Hassan film Vishwaroopam was banned for purportedly offending the sensibilities of a religious community in a few scenes, which the director eventually had to agree to censor in order to ensure that his creation could reach the audience.

Freedom Song, the documentary, chronologically precedes all of these as well as the debate and outrage over sociologist Ashish Nandy’s remarks on corruption and backward castes; yet, when one sees it now, recalls the numerous incidents highlighted in the film, and hears the debates that rage on, the

larger context and culture that has facilitated the perpetuation of suppression become clearer. It also drives home, disturbingly, the alarming regularity with which speech and expression have been muffled. It can thus be seen as a commentary on the gradual but consistent build-up to the current climate where there is an almost systematic and continuous crackdown on free speech whenever it inconveniences the powers-that-be.

Gags on expression - recent incidents In July 2010, when T.J. Joseph, a professor of Malayalam at the Newman College in Thodupuzha (Ernakulam district) in Kerala was arrested by police following a controversial examination question set by him, allegedly containing disparaging remarks about the Prophet Mohammad. He was released on bail but suspended from his post following protests

by Islamic organizations. But suspension wasn’t the last of Joseph’s tribulations: he was brutally attacked by a gang of men who chopped off his hand at the wrist with an axe. He was also stabbed in the arms and legs. While Joseph’s hand was stitched back in a 16-hour-long operation, even as he was recuperating, his college terminated his services on grounds that he had offended the religious sentiments of students.

He was also stripped of all benefits and pension.

Curiously, Joseph himself distances the entire incident from the issue of freedom of expression. In his conversation with the film-makers he says that whatever happened could be interpreted as attempts to meddle with and dilute academic independence in the state. “The incident is not related to the issue of freedom of expression...external attempts to break down communication between students and their teacher was at the core of the entire episode,” says Joseph. Even Union Minister for Human Resource Development Shashi Tharoor, who hails from the state himself, attributes this incident to the act of some anti-social fringe elements who masquerade as representatives of a particular community. But these arguments from the victim himself, and an eminent authority, cannot resolve the question of his expulsion from service. Nor can they address the fact that the atmosphere of tolerance in the country is such that anti-socials can hijack as simple an academic exercise as question-setting to their advantage and perpetrate such atrocities.

A more recent incident highlighted in the documentary is the arrest and detention of Ambikesh Mahapatra, a professor of Chemistry in Jadavpur University of West Bengal for forwarding a

28 |www.indiatogether.org| 01 May 2013

set of cartoons that allegedly defamed Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Shortly after the dismissal of Union Railway Minister, Trinamool’s Dinesh Trivedi, and his replacement

by Mukul Roy, the widelycirculated cartoon showed Roy and the CM having a conversation along the lines of one in a very popular SatyajitRay film, conspiring to get rid of Trivedi.

Ambikesh was not the creator of this cartoon – as he himself says, he received it on a forwarded email. Amused by it, he wanted to share it with his friends. Thus he forwarded it again to over 60 members of his housing co-operative society, some of whom happened to have affiliations to the party in power. This action led to the professor being arrested and charged under IPC Sections 509 (insulting the modesty of a woman), Section 500 (defamation) and Section 66 A of the IT Act (causing offence using a computer). He had to spend a night in jail before he was released on bail the following afternoon.

However, charges against the professor have since been dropped and the West Bengal Human Rights Commission (WBHRC) ruled that the state police were indeed guilty of harassing the professor (and one of his colleagues, who had also been arrested).

RISING INTOLERANCE

being restrained or gagged.

One of the darkest chapters of suppression of artistic expression in India relates to the forced exile of iconic painter M F Hussain during the last days of his life, after being targeted for his nudist depictions of Hindu Gods and Goddesses. Sadly, as artist Arpana Caur points out, such waves of intolerance or fanaticism fail to factor in either subjective value judgments (how deeply Hussain must have loved Hindu culture and mythology to actually apply his creative instincts to bring it alive) or objective facts (that the nudist paintings were actually done in the ancient Khajuraho tradition of figurative depiction, it was not something Hussain had developed).

Often, the gag on works by artists and writers has transcended to direct discrimination against the person himself. The state of West Bengal banned exiled Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen’s book “Dwikhandito” in 2003 on fears that it would stoke communal disharmony.

When human rights activists challenged the decision in Court and managed to win rulings on her behalf, the writer herself was banished from public life in the state. She was unceremoniously asked to leave the state in 2007, after violent protests against her by fundamentalists. Much later in 2012, even after the political reins in the state had changed hands, the launch of her book at the Kolkata Book Fair was cancelled upon threats of protest.

One of the most heart-rending is the story of Pakistani singer Ali Haidar, who confesses to being almost brainwashed, in one of his weakest moments, by radical elements into believing that the loss of his

Despite the continuous infringements on artistic and even individual expression, what emerges from the film is not a blanket wave of intolerance that is engulfing society but rather certain powerful groups with vested interests who are driven either by fanaticism for their ideologies or by the lure of political mileage to raise voices against freedom.

Muffling creativity One thing that stands out pretty sharply in Freedom Song is the deep angst shared by the creative fraternity in the country over the assault on free speech. Perhaps, by dint of being that section of society which is most inclined to spontaneous and non-conformist expression, they also constitute one of the most vulnerable groups when it comes to

01 May 2013 |www.indiatogether.org| 29

RISING INTOLERANCE

child was in fact a retribution for him having taken up music as a profession.

The feeling of anger, frustration and even a sense of bewilderment among the artists, writers and performers interviewed in the documentary is almost palpable. As Rajiv Lochan, Director of the National Gallery of Modern Art, says, “Freedom of expression, creative freedom…in simple words, that is the only freedom you are born with...” The unuttered question of how anyone can take that away from you hangs heavy in the silence.

If artists are the most vulnerable, they are also perhaps the most resilient. In the context of the various cartoon controversies that this nation has seen and the proscriptions of cartoonists from Shankar to Aseem Trivedi, eminent political cartoonist Sudhir Tailang says, “We cartoonists know only one way of protest, which is the most peaceful, Gandhian way… you do what you want, we’ll draw a cartoon…and more cartoons… we’ll flood you with cartoons.”

The defiance and rejection of censorship is also strongly voiced by noted danseuse Mallika Sarabhai, who talks of the various forms of attack and insult that she has been subjected to for her unconventional presentations and activism, but asserts that despite all of it, she feels it is her “dharma to go on.”

The language barrier Perhaps unwittingly, Freedom Song tends to favour the premise that freedom of speech as a principle in India is largely a preoccupation among the English-educated, intellectual and creative segments of the populace. Even the musical score that has played such a dominant part in invoking the spirit of freedom throughout the film seems to underline that - from the refrains of Bob Marley’s ‘Won't you help to sing these songs of freedom,’ to the remixed pop version of ‘Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram’ that one hears in parties and joints in India’s westernized urban landscape.

How attuned to the issue of free speech is the wide majority of India, the section that still follows vernacular media and are relatively distanced from the constructs of Anglo-Saxon influence? The verdict on the linguistic divide does not emerge with clear certainty when we talk to intellectuals or thought leaders from various parts of the country.

In the words of academic Subhoranjan Dasgupta, a professor at the Kolkata-based Institute of Development Studies, mainstream Bengali media has played a big role in highlighting transgressions of freedom of speech and expression every time it has

occurred, irrespective of the political regime in power at the time.

"Whether in the case of the ban on Taslima Nasreen or the arrest of Professor Mahapatra, local media - and especially two widely-followed dailies, the Anandabazar Patrika and Ei Shomoy - have been audibly vocal and consistent in their coverage of these incidents," says Dasgupta. "Irrespective of political ideologies, the common man in Bengal knows that Taslima Nasreen got a raw deal or that what happened to the professor was not acceptable," he adds. Ostensibly, the role of local media in such

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RISING INTOLERANCE

public consciousness cannot be written off. In a way, it might not be an exaggeration to say that the voices of these publications have been instrumental, to a large extent, in ensuring that these issues grab the eyeballs of the largest number possible, and hence gain traction.

And yet, a completely different picture emerges as one reaches out to another part of the country. Badri Seshadri, Publisher, New Horizon Media - a Chennaibased company that publishes books in Tamil, and an active blogger, feels that notions of freedom, or free speech, are essentially offshoots of the modern

era which have found a voice in our country primarily through English media.

Seshadri goes back to the freedom struggle in India when many among the noted thought leaders and freedom exponents wrote both in English and the local language. In those days, the discourse on freedom of thought and expression were perhaps more at par across spheres. But with the dying trend of bilingual writing, intellectual writing increasingly gravitated towards English. Today, the gulf between English writers and regional writers has become so huge in his state that even the most fundamental

01 May 2013 |www.indiatogether.org| 31

RISING INTOLERANCE

of issues are discussed in vocabularies that cannot bridge the schism. Issues pertaining to secularism and democracy are viewed with a completely different lens in vernacular media, and those pertaining to liberalism, not at all.

"Take the case of the most recent ban on Kamal Hassan's Vishwaroopam," points out Seshadri; "this was not a film made in Hindi or English that you could assume to be emotively disconnected from the Tamil mindspace. It was a film that had been made by one of the cult film personalities of the region, and yet even as the national English media followed this issue and consistently questioned the violation of an individual's right to creative freedom, deliberations in local channels and publications were strangely muted and focused only on whether or not the disputed scenes in the film could be considered to be offensive to the Islamic community. The larger debate on whether one has the right to offend, in an impersonal way, was completely missing." Those who want to toe the line of liberalism either through their writing or new media are dismissed as harbouring "fancy" ideals or pandering to Western sensibilities.

Guhathakurta, himself, disagrees with the claim that free expression is essentially a Western construct or that debates around it are restricted to the chattering classes in plush drawing rooms. “It is something that concerns every common man,” he says, referring to the case of Laxmi Oraon, the teenaged tribal girl who was stripped, beaten and molested in the streets of Guwahati, where she had been part of a peaceful protest rally, seeking the inclusion of 80 lakh Adivasis living in Assam in the ST category. Traumatised and deeply angered by the brutal injustice meted out to her and the lack of legal redress, Laxmi eventually even contested the Lok Sabha elections, points out the director in order to elucidate the struggle that even the most marginalized take part in to press for their fundamental rights.

“Reasonable” restrictions Despite the continuous infringements on artistic and even individual expression, what emerges from the film is not a blanket wave of intolerance that is engulfing society but rather certain powerful groups with vested interests who are driven either by fanaticism for their ideologies or by the lure of political mileage to raise voices against freedom. In the age of 24x7 channels, their voices gain in both volume and pitch and new media enables greater visibility and debate around it.

As Tharoor says, “The government has the lowest

level of tolerance possible because it cannot be seen as offending anybody who is held precious by any segments of Indian society.”

Veteran journalist Saeed Naqvi points out, “You have a whole link between the politician, the vote bank and the proprietor. Therefore, the freedom of the press, while this trio exists, is under threat.”

But having said all of the above, it is also clear that defining freedom, especially in an absolute sense, is in itself a huge challenge that most of society acknowledges. More so, in the context of Article 19 (2) of the Constitution which itself allows the state to impose “reasonable restrictions on the exercise of the right...in the interests of the sovereignty and integrity of India, the security of the State, friendly relations with foreign States, public order, decency or morality or in relation to contempt of court, defamation or incitement to an offence.”

Senior journalists such as Rajdeep Sardesai are quoted in the documentary, expressing their support for such ‘reasonable restrictions’ to combat the spread of expression or opinion that fuels divisiveness or hatred in society. But the fact remains that such restrictions not only add a qualifier to freedom as enshrined in the founding principles, but also create the larger question of ‘who decides?’

Young India however would prefer to see Article 19 (2) as an enabler rather than as a veto. As Apar Gupta, an advocate of the Supreme Court says in the film, he would like to believe that the incorporation of “reasonable restrictions” was done with a view to ensuring that the Constitution does not remain a static document and does not apply only to fixed definitions of facts and circumstances. Certainly not with the objective of curbing any form of dissent or deviation from convention.

Fali S. Nariman, senior advocate to the Supreme Court and a constitutional jurist, also points out very pertinently that the range of restrictions in 19(2) does not include public interest.

Reality does not bear that out though; especially when one looks at the many recent instances of arbitrary impositions of Sec 66A of the IT Act in booking individuals for expression of their opinion and stances through channels offered by new media and Internet. The documentary in itself does not delve deep into the challenges and threats to freedom of expression that have emerged in the FB/Twitter era, perhaps because many of the most volatile and controversial cases surrounding freedom of speech on the Internet occurred after the film was made.

But a new debate is brewing in India, especially after

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the Palghar incident or the arrest of a Puducherry businessman for allegedly posting 'offensive' text on the micro-blogging site Twitter about the son of an Union Minister.

Snehashish Ghosh, a lawyer and Policy Associate at the Centre for Internet and Society, Bangalore, says, “Essentially, there are eight restrictions on freedom of speech and expression as enumerated in Article 19(2) of the Constitution. The Supreme Court in many cases has held that these reasonable restrictions should be construed narrowly and with due regards to the value of freedom of speech in a democratic society.

Section 66A in its current form goes well beyond the restrictions laid down under Article 19(2). Therefore, it is liable to be struck down for being in violation of Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution.”

Snehashish also feels that technologically, in the present time, it would be near-impossible to 'monitor' the Internet. As far as regulations are concerned, there are laws already in place which ensure the implementation of reasonable restrictions. For example, the Indian Penal Code, 1860 already covers offenses such as incitement of violence, obscenity, criminal intimidation and outraging religious sentiments. The laws which are being applied offline are well equipped to deal with offenses committed online. There is no need to have extraordinary laws where ordinary laws suffice.

But in a country that appears to grow increasingly thin-skinned with time, the import of such logic could well be lost.

RISING INTOLERANCE

of life is a necessary condition for freedom of expression is driven home by social activist Ram Bhat in the documentary, who says that despite the technologies aiding free expression, and the profusion of players in this debate, talk of freedom of speech will be pointless unless the problem of access is solved. In its absence, such freedom will remain the privilege of a few.

On balance, in all the voices that emerge from our conversations, and the many more episodes that Freedom Song, the documentary narrates, the only thing that can be concluded without doubt is the challenge of establishing freedom as a perennial or permanent concept in a country as complex and diverse as India. A truly effective and desirable state of free speech and expression can only evolve out of a continuous, fearless, rational dialogue between society and its stakeholders, in which all voices are expressed and heard.

Whether India, as a whole, can facilitate such a dialogue is going to be the moot question in the times to come.

Satarupa Sen Bhattacharya is Associate Editor at India Together.

Access and freedom Interestingly, Freedom Song begins with a series of frames capturing the widely different and divergent faces of Indian society, fast moving scenes juxtaposing the educated, affluent sections of urban India against the child who performs on sidewalks to earn his bread or the old emaciated man getting his night’s sleep on the pavement. The clear correlation between access – to basic needs, education and media – and the very consciousness of freedom is hard to ignore.

“Freedom to me is the ability to do what I want, where no one tells me to do anything” says one child on screen, evidently from an English-speaking, relatively privileged background; but one cannot help feeling that his coherence and articulation on freedom would be hard to come across in the children on the streets who are filmed in some of the previous shots.

The point that access to the very basic necessities 01 May 2013 |www.indiatogether.org| 33

THE ASHA EXPERIENCE

Despite the fact that ASHAs are supposed to be the first port of call for any health related demands at the village level, these women are among the most overworked and underpaid of government workers.

(Credit: Sarada Lahangir/ WFS)

Abysmal pay, low dignity and zero benefits and security unite governmentappointed social health activists from Punjab and UP at a protest meet in the capital. Amrita Nandy reveals some of their shocking tales of exploitation and deprivation.

No welfare social welfa 34 |www.indiatogether.org| 01 May 2013

THE ASHA EXPERIENCE

A

e for India’s are workers 01 May 2013 |www.indiatogether.org| 35

midst the high footfall at Jantar Mantar, Delhi’s protest hub, and the thousands of cracked feet, dusty slippers and grimy shoes it sees every day, the tiny, bare and soft feet of a ten-monthold baby stood out. On her fours, she looked for space to crawl but was jailed by the legs that surrounded her. In an intriguing way, her baffled expression reflected the helplessness of the women who were ringed around her.

Who were these hundreds of women? Why did they come all the way to the country’s Capital from distant hamlets?

Meet the ASHAs (Accredited Social Health Activist) and midday meal workers – among the largest and fastest growing groups of working women in the country. Their repeated protests signify the ruthless attitude of the government towards lakhs of underpaid, overworked contractual workers.

One of the batches that demonstrated at Jantar Mantar was from Punjab – belonging to places like Bhatinda, Moga, Muktsar, Barnala, Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Taran Taran, Ropar and Mohali. Each woman had a story of her own, and it was striking how similar their stories were. As Paramjit Kaur Mann, 33, General Secretary of the ASHA Workers and Facilitators Union of Punjab, put it, “An ASHA worker in Punjab earns up to Rs 700 to 800 a month.

This is neither the statutory minimum wage of Punjab - which is Rs 5,200 - nor a fixed amount, but a performance-based compensation. Now imagine how much they make her work for this measly sum. Each ASHA is supposed to attend to the needs of 1,000 people.”

A long, long list of tasks has

THE ASHA EXPERIENCE

been assigned to an ASHA. She is supposed to create awareness about health; maintain the village health register, health cards, immunisation cards; counsel people on healthy practices; coordinate with various village and block level authorities on health and sanitation issues; escort pregnant women to health centres for pre-natal and postnatal check-ups and deliveries; provide medical care for minor ailments; interact with self-help groups and attend community meetings, to name a few.

A few feet away, in a large tent that seemed small because of the hundreds seeking shade under it, were ASHA workers from Baghpat, Bulandshahar, Amroha, Ghaziabad and other parts of Uttar Pradesh.

One of the protestors, Lakshmi, 31, a resident of Hapur, expressed her anger about the working conditions she has to put up with, “I have been an ASHA for the last seven years but I regret choosing this work. We are paid less than unskilled labourers but it is not just about the money. We have to accompany women in labour to hospitals at odd hours without any transport or allowance and we get screamed at by doctors and nurses who do not even give us a place to sit or a bathroom to use. There is no dignity, no system in place. Payments get delayed by months. Sometimes if the child is stillborn, they even deny us payment! Is the government helping us or exploiting us?”

Observed another worker from Punjab, “The work is disproportionate to our mandate and payment. We were even asked to handle the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (National Health Insurance Scheme) cards and promised an incentive of two rupees per card. Those

At Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) and mid-day meal workers fro recently against low payments and benefits. (Credit: Amrita Nandy/WFS)

payments were never made. Then, we were asked to conduct a 1.5 month long survey on cancer’s prevalence in the state. It was an intensive survey - one needed to record the medical history of all members of a family. We resisted it but doctors and others in the medical community threatened us into silence by saying that they would have us fired.”

Anecdote after anecdote revealed the difficulties and oppression the ASHA experiences unlike the claims of being the ‘first port-of-call’ that she was envisioned to be as part of the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) in 2005. During their Delhi protest, the ASHAs from 36 |www.indiatogether.org| 01 May 2013

two different states – overcoming language barriers – could piece together the realities of their working lives and agree on the need to fight for a better deal.

Mid-day meal workers fare no better. Hiring lakhs of contractual labourers implies little obligation for the government and a denial of statutory benefits to the worker, such as job security, an eight-hour work day, paid leave, travel and dearness allowance, bonuses, and so on. Employed as cooks for the mid-day meal scheme of the Sarva Sikhsha Abhiyan, run by the Ministry of Human Resource Development, it is thanks to the efforts of these women that the government can now claim

THE ASHA EXPERIENCE

om Punjab and Uttar Pradesh sat in protest

there has been a 96 per cent hike in school enrolment in the age group 6-14 (Annual Status of Education Report Rural 2012). Yet, Lakhwinder Kaur, President, Midday Meal Workers Union of Punjab, an affiliate of the New Trade Union Initiative, described them as “grain that is pounded mercilessly”.

Explained Lakhwinder, “In Punjab, a mid-day meal worker is paid Rs 1,200 for cooking and cleaning seven days a week, whereas in Chandigarh they get Rs 1,900 for the same job. Both rates are less than the state’s minimum wage.”

The experiences related told a story of great exploitation. If there is no water in the school for cooking, these workers are made

“I have been an ASHA for the last seven years but I regret choosing this work. We are paid less than unskilled labourers but it is not just about the money" to lug it from their own homes! In Muktsar, a young cook was fired from her job because she had taken leave to deliver a child. A woman in Faridkot suffered 90 per cent burns while cooking at the school, but the government did not pay a paisa towards her treatment which cost nearly Rs 60,000. Years after the accident, she is still not totally cured. To cover accidents of this kind, Lakhwinder and her colleagues are demanding an insurance cover of Rs 2 lakh per worker, among other benefits.

It is a truism that globalisation has pushed a large number of women into the unorganised sector where there is no social 01 May 2013 |www.indiatogether.org| 37

security to speak of, nor fair working conditions. It is also wellknown that the government is the largest employer of female contractual workers who are paid modest honorariums dependent on the various “flagship” schemes promoted as social welfare initiatives. But surely there is an irony here when interventions meant to lift people out of poverty end up impoverishing the very workforce that keeps them going?

Can there be a more glaring example of the government’s apathy towards these poor“project workers” than to know that they have even been left out of the ambit of the Protection of Women against Sexual Harassment Bill 2010? The vulnerability to sexual assaults and violence faced by such women workers is only too obvious.

Having protested yet again in Delhi and submitted yet another memorandum demanding regularisation of work, dignity and labour benefits, the women from Punjab ask for directions to a gurudwara nearby. Prayers, it seemed, were their last hope, as they prepared to spend another sleepless night on the floor taking them back to their “jobs” back home. (© Women's Feature Service) Amrita Nandy is a social activist and journalist.

MILITARY MIGHT IN KASHMIr

Lethal injuries from “non-lethal” weapons

Pic: Wikimedia Commons

Despite the call by human rights organizations to stop the use of weapons such as pellet guns and chilli grenades in tackling riots or mob fury, security forces in the Kashmir Valley continue to deploy the same with impunity. This has led to debilitating injuries and even death, reports Freny Maneksha.

“K

illing us is better than making us blind.” This cry in total despair by a Kashmiri youth, who recently lost his vision, after a pellet gun injury, highlights the devastating manner in which seemingly “non lethal” weapons are continuing to be deployed in the Valley. In 2010 when security troops used pellet guns to quell protests and incidents of stone pelting, at least 45 youths suffered loss of vision because of pellet gun injuries, according to the Shri Maharaja Hari Singh Hospital in Srinagar.

Media reports estimate that in the current 2013 protests, following the execution of Afzal Guru, there have been at least 12 such cases of youths receiving very serious eye injuries with slim

prospects of regaining vision. The youngest of them is a 13-year-old boy, Muzammil Qayoom Rather, who was hit in the eye as he stood at the window of his home in Baramulla district, North Kashmir.

On 12 February, according to media reports, he leaned out of the window of his home in Sheeri to shout slogans even as protests were taking place in the streets below. He then received a hit in the eye by security forces who aimed at him.

It was also on 12 February that nineteen-year-old street hawker, Tariq Ahmad Gojri of Sheeri, Baramulla district, received a hit in the eye. Gojri told the media he had ventured out only to buy bread for the family. He adds that he was unable to seek proper 38 |www.indiatogether.org| 01 May 2013

medical attention because of the curfew that was clamped then. By the time he got to a hospital, the tiny pellets had spread through the eye. His entire eyeball had to be removed. Doctors say that these types of penetrating injuries cannot always be treated effectively in district hospitals. But, patients from remote districts are hindered from seeking prompt or timely medical attention because of the oft-prevailing curfew and also because, they say, security troops detain ambulances and vehicles ferrying the wounded.

It is this kind of deliberate and inappropriate use of nonlethal weapons that has evoked widespread criticism by human rights organisations including Amnesty International. Pellet

MILITARY MIGHT IN KASHMIr

guns, which use hydraulic force to pump hundreds of bullets, can cause widespread injuries across the body. When aimed upwards they can cause serious eye injuries.

Besides piercing the eyeball, pellet guns can cause penetration of skin, bone and even internal organs.

One major problem for doctors and medical teams treating such injuries is that since the pellets come out in scores, it hits large numbers of persons in many parts of the body. In 2010 Dr Syed Amin Tabish, medical superintendent of the Sher-I-Kashmir Medical Institute (SKIMS) Srinagar, explained to this correspondent that pellet injuries necessitated a big team of doctors attending simultaneously to a single person

who may have suffered hits in the head, abdomen and limbs.

In the same year a medical study on pellet gun injuries was brought out by SKIMS based on the 198 patients who were brought in with pellet gun injuries.

The study notes, “Whilst the pellet wound itself may seem trivial, if not appreciated for the potential for tissue disruption and injuries to the head, chest and abdomen, there can be catastrophic results.” Significantly it observed, “Patients should be evaluated and managed in the same way as those sustaining bullet injuries.” The study cautioned that pellet guns should not be used unless extremely necessary and personnel using them may be better trained so that people do 01 May 2013 |www.indiatogether.org| 39

not receive direct hits.

Other “non lethal” weapons like pepper gas and pepper grenades (also called chilli grenades) have also been deployed in the latest round of turmoil in Kashmir.

According to media reports, at least three people died in March because acrid fumes of the pepper gas grenades used to disperse crowds in many parts of old Srinagar exacerbated their medical conditions. Among them was a sixty-year-old woman from Bemina, named Hazira. Her family members say that on 8 March, a stray pepper grenade landed in her home which worsened her asthma. She died the next day. Another pregnant woman reportedly suffered a miscarriage after she stumbled and fell ill on inhaling the fumes. Whilst these grenades may be aimed at youths protesting on streets, the elderly and young children can be particularly vulnerable to the gas that engulfs the atmosphere, according to doctors.

A doctor at the Soura Institute of Medical Sciences in Srinagar told the press that while they did not know the exact chemical composition of the gas its effects were particularly lethal for people with acute asthma or allergy.

Uzma, a young woman told this correspondent that the intensity of the gas was such that its effects can be felt within a radius of up to three or four kilometres from where it is deployed. “Your throat starts burning and itching and you can go on coughing violently for almost an hour and a half. The eyes start watering and this, too, continues for hours. It is really a horrific and frightening sensation.”

The use of pepper gas and resulting deaths rocked the assembly and the opposition party, the People’s Democratic

Pic: Wikimedia Commons

MILITARY MIGHT IN KASHMIr

According to media reports, at least three people died in March because acrid fumes of the pepper gas grenades used to disperse crowds in many parts of old Srinagar exacerbated their medical conditions.

Party, staged a walkout on 11 March. The Jammu & Kashmir State Human Rights Commission castigated the police and state. In its order, it said the “state is dutybound under constitution and law to protect the lives of the citizens and in no case are at liberty or have license to adopt such measures which would endanger the health of its subject in the name of maintaining law and order.”

On 21 March, Amnesty International told the government to suspend the use of pepper spray grenades until rigorous independent investigations have been carried out to assess its effect. It has also asked for a proper investigation into the cause of deaths of the three persons.

Shashikumar Velath, programme director of Amnesty International India, said the J&K government and police departments have clearly not established any guidelines for monitoring the use of this gas and it is yet another example of “unregulated and excessive use of force by police in J&K.” Use of pepper sprays is permissible in India and it has been marketed as an effective means of self defence, but it was the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) that in 2008 announced it would begin work on its use as a non-lethal weapon against terrorists.

Scientists told the media that they would be using Bhut Jholakia, a chilly grown in the North East, that is recognised as one of the world’s hottest chillies. India’s Defence Research Laboratory rates it as having 855,000 heat units on the Scoville range (which makes it 400 times hotter than Tabasco sauce).

These scorching chillies are used to make tear-gas like grenades.

On ignition the oleoresin or thick,

40 |www.indiatogether.org| 01 May 2013

oily liquid which is absorbed in a composition reacts to liberate heat which evaporates and releases irritants in the atmosphere along with smoke.

The DRDO went ahead with its plans for such weapons even though Amnesty International and other organisations had declared that use of pepper sprays against peaceful protesters was “cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment.”

It described the severity of its effects as “tantamount to torture.” Its use has been rejected in the United Kingdom because of potential carcinogenic properties.

In May 2011, according to a report in India Today, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) placed an order for as many as 10,000 chilli grenades at a whopping cost of Rs 1.51 crore to be deployed in Kashmir to disperse mobs. Besides the CRPF, the UP state police last year applied to the ministry of home affairs to purchase these pepper grenades which had not yet been tested. Kashmir is the first state in India where these untested grenades are currently being deployed. Interestingly whilst defence personnel and the DRDO have on various blogs and websites held discussions on its efficacy for crowd control, there has been little evaluation of its lethal effects and the fact that its use on unarmed civilian populations is considered a transgression of human rights in many other parts of the world.

Freny Manecksha is an independent journalist based in Mumbai.

GENDER JUSTICE

Ringing the bell against VAW While the global epidemic of violence against women (VAW) stems from a culture of misplaced masculinity, the role of men in ending the same cannot be ignored.

Mallika Dutt, CEO of global human rights organization Breakthrough, talks to India Together on the Bell Bajao! campaign that emphasises the fact.

F

rom the Delhi gangrape in December to the more recent brutal violations of toddlers, horrific instances of sexual abuse and violence against women (VAW) in India continue to haunt society and shock sensibilities. In the continuous outrage, debates and discussion that have followed since, a common refrain has been the need to create a change of mindset and to develop rights actors at every strata - even at the neighbourhood or household level to complement the policy and legal initiatives of governments and state institutions to promote and protect women’s rights. But while public discourse on this has witnessed a surge only in the wake of recent incidents and media coverage, one organization has been working tirelessly to inspire and mobilize communities towards the objective for over a decade now.

Mallika Dutt, Founder/CEO of Breakthrough

Led by noted feminist and human rights activist Mallika Dutt, Breakthrough - based jointly out of the United States and India - is unique in its use of media and pop culture to create awareness and identify partners in society to promote the cause of women and end all forms of violence against them.

A lawyer by training, Mallika is founder, president and CEO of Breakthrough that broke ground in 2000 with Mann ke Manjeere, an award-winning music video championing the cause of women’s rights and aspirations.

Breakthrough’s other novel and very successful campaign has been Bell Bajao! which was globally relaunched as Ring the Bell - highlighting and leveraging the role that men can play in eliminating violence against women.

The campaign comprises an award-winning

01 May 2013 |www.indiatogether.org| 41

GENDER JUSTICE

series of public service announcements inspired by true stories, which show men and boys stepping in and ringing the bell to interrupt overheard violence against women. These have been viewed by over 140 million people in India alone and have won Breakthrough several awards including the Silver Lion at the 2010 Advertising Festival held at Cannes.

Bell Bajao! seeks to secure the promise of one million men worldwide on concrete action to end violence against women.

India Together talks to Mallika to know more about this global campaign and its relevance in the Indian context: 1. "Ring the Bell..." - sounds simple, yet evocative. Tell us how this initiative came about and how it works. It appears it all started as early as 2008...

Yes. In 2008, we launched Bell Bajao (“Ring the Bell”) in India, inspired by the many women Breakthrough had been working with on the issue of violence against women and HIV/AIDS. Over and over, they would say to us: you have to talk to the men. We therefore developed Bell Bajao to fill a critical void: the lack of men in the conversation of violence against women. Bell Bajao is about bringing men and boys on as partners to end violence against women — to move beyond men as only perpetrators or bystanders, and become partners in creating solutions for change. We also wanted to break the silence around violence in the home and get everyone to understand that it is not a private matter, nor a “women’s issue” — and we all need to take responsibility for ending it.

We have since grown Bell Bajao, and launched Ring the Bell globally.

Breakthrough officially launched Ring the Bell: One million men. One million promises to end violence against women on March 8th during the upcoming Commission on the Status of Women.

We are partnered with Promundo, Sonke Gender Justice Network, Call to Men, and UN Women, and officially launched parallel events in NYC, Rio de

Campaign logo for Ring the Bell: One million men. One million promises.

Janeiro, Johannesburg and New Delhi. As part of this campaign we are asking men to make concrete, actionable, measurable promises to challenge violence against women.

It could be something as small as dedicating their social media outreach to introducing sexual harassment policies into the workplace or ensuring the passage of key legislation.

As with all of our work, our main goal is always to change norms and mindsets — to change culture.

2. Given all that has happened since the tragic Delhi incident, this is probably the most apt moment in history, at least in India, to bring about a systemic response at all levels to the issue of VAW. But, can a movement as global and broad as Ring the Bell stop rape or bring about change in, let us

We have seen that laws, courts, and cops are not enough. We need individual and community action to challenge the habits and norms that perpetuate violence. Men, their allies, and their actions, can create that global tipping point today.

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GENDER JUSTICE

say, a small town in interior Rajasthan?

I understand the critique of having too “broad” of a global campaign. However, violence against women is a global pandemic that poisons every society on earth. The solution we pose with Ring the Bell offers what I truly think is a universal solution— getting men and boys involved as partners, and not perpetrators. True, violent masculinity may manifest itself in different ways, and patriarchal cultural customs may differ across the geographic spectrum, but that should not affect the fact that men need to get involved. Men need to stand up to violence against women in Rajasthan as much as they need to stand up to violence against women in New York City, and Dallas, Texas, and Steubenville, Ohio. The ways in which we communicate this message may differ, but the message itself does not.

3. Has there been any study on the impact so far in local areas, and if yes, what have been the findings?

Absolutely. Bell Bajao has reached more than 140 million individuals in India alone — and has been adapted in many other countries — sparking an unprecedented global dialogue about the role of men and boys in ending violence against women. It has shown men and others that we all have a stake in ending violence — and all have the capacity, and

responsibility, to help do so.

We’ve also trained over 75,000 young people in India to stand for change among their peers, families and communities. In addition, we've measured a 40% increase in ability to identify domestic violence --and the belief that violence is wrong. We've also seen up to a 15% increase in women reporting violence in the communities that the campaign is active in.

It might seem like a negative indicator to have the level of reported violence increase, but it's really just women who were previously silent finally, finally speaking up. More than 130,000 people have seen our ads, more than 75,000 change agents have been empowered to lead in their communities through our human rights trainings. We've also been recognized from the stages of the Clinton Global Initiative to the Cannes International Advertising Film Festival. It's all been quite extraordinary.

Since our global launch event on March 8th, the One million men. One million promises. initiative continues to be a huge success. We obtained over 42 million impressions on social media throughout our initial launch week. In addition, we have already accumulated almost 10,000 promises from men dedicated to ending violence against women. In just over a month, the campaign has been featured prominently throughout various media outlets.

4. As we said, now is an extremely conducive moment to shake things up, but how do you see this conversation going on into the future? Do you ever fear there may be a slip?

I believe we reached a global tipping point with the reaction to the Delhi incident and tragedies like it all over the world. And I really don’t foresee the conversation retreating back to the sidelines.

Popular culture is a very integral part of how social constructs happen. And I think that one of the big culture changes that the Delhi gang rape has created for us is an opportunity for men and women to come together to really fight against violence against women, shoulder to shoulder. And I think that we’re seeing Bollywood responding to that space as well.

The number of actors that have stepped forward to make strong statements around women’s equality is very heartening.

Women have made it abundantly clear that any hope for a peaceful and just world needs to start with them. And this time around, it looks like men are listening, and standing — and marching — with them. That’s why I believe that this generation will see >>Continued in Pg50>>

01 May 2013 |www.indiatogether.org| 43

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Of sports, passion

&

reality Meet M B Santosh, one of India’s only three FIFA-accredited referees, who drives an auto-rickshaw and works as caretaker of an apartment in Kottayam, Kerala to support a family of five. Here, he shares the incredible story of his life and passion with P N Venugopal.

A

day in the life of Santosh, FIFA referee, at his hometown Kottayam, in Kerala Santosh is up and about early in the morning. He goes to the stadium ground for an hour of rigorous work-out; drops his daughter at school; takes out his autorickshaw and operates in the town for a few hours before reaching the Skyline apartments, of which he is the caretaker.

He is back once again with the auto rickshaw in the afternoon; returns to the apartment in the evening and attends to the routine work there. Also takes up assignments as a personal driver on hire.

Next morning, off to the Cochin airport on the way to Kolkata to officiate an I-League match.

A day in the life of Santosh, FIFA referee, at Kolkota, while on an I-League assignment Santosh is up and about early in the morning. He goes to the Maidan grounds in the Park Street area from his hotel Crest Wood in Park Circus; has a regular work-out and returns to the hotel for breakfast. Depending on the time of the match, the officials of the Indian Football Association (or the officials of the East Bengal or Mohan Bagan clubs, if it is their

44 |www.indiatogether.org| 01 May 2013

Santosh with his auto rickshaw. Pic: MB Santosh

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01 May 2013 |www.indiatogether.org| 45

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home match) come along with the referee’s liaison officer to fetch Santosh and other match officials to the ground. There will also be a police escort. Match over; the VIPs are escorted back to the hotel.

Next morning, off to the Kolkata airport to return to his duties as auto rickshaw driver and caretaker at Kottayam.

These are the roles MB Santosh Kumar, FIFA referee, juggles with veritable ease; in this interview, he talks about his life, his love for football and how he has kept himself in the game, battling all odds.

How did your relationship with football evolve?

I was fascinated by the game from my early boyhood days.

Everyone in the neighbourhood was playing football. I too joined them. The school in which I studied, SH Mount School, had a good football team. I took to football seriously by the time I was 13. I attended a summer coaching camp. It was in the sports quota that I got admission to the college.

Which college?

Baselious College, Kottayam, for the pre-degree course. I got into the college team and very soon, I was also in the MG University team in 1994. I played in the South Zone Intercollegiate Tournament. We had a good team and many of my team-mates from the time reached higher levels of the game later in life. One of them, Firoze even became the goalkeeper of the national team.

What made you to shift to referee-ing?

My father was a watchman in a private rubber mill. I had two elder sisters. After my father retired, and he did not get any pension, I managed the affairs of the household playing ‘Sevens’ football.

(Interrupting) A family of five on the income from Sevens?

Oh, yes. I used to get Rs 200 per match and there would be six matches in a week, in season time.

200 was a substantial amount those days, I mean around the mid-nineties. I did this for two years. But I did not go to Malabar for Sevens, even though it was more lucrative. You see, there, if 46 |www.indiatogether.org| 01 May 2013

you get a red card, you are out, but the team can introduce another player. So the team does not lose anything. So the number of fouls and the nature of fouls are much more severe. One serious injury means you are out of action for months. I couldn’t afford that.

It became quite clear to me that I had to get a job, if I were to carry on with football. I tried to get

Santosh with assistant referees at the Federation Cup Final 2011 Calcutta. Pic: MB Santosh Right: Referee MB Santosh. Pic: MB Santosh

into many departmental teams. I also made it to the last round of the selection in several cases. But I could not make the final mark.

Bribing and recommendations were also relevant factors, both of which were beyond me.

It was around this time that the Mammenmappila All India tournament was revived after a number of years, at Kottayam.

I was given the assignment of working as the liaison between the referee’s panel and the tournament committee. I got lots of opportunities to mingle with them. I started to feel that being a referee is not such a bad idea.

At least, I would be able to retain some links to the game I loved.

Did you have any previous experience in this field?

01 May 2013 |www.indiatogether.org| 47

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Yes, it was not as if I was totally new to it. There used to be several tournaments in the paddy fields, after the harvesting season. Often there would be quarrels over fouls and other things. There was a Jayan Chettan around. He would blow the whistle and everyone would obey, even though he did not know the rules. He was a sort of an inspiration to me. This experience helped me a lot when I passed the referee’s test.

This was in 1996. First, there was a fitness test and then a written test. One could take the written test only if he cleared the fitness test.

When did you become a national referee?

The promotion takes place every two years, but unfortunately that process was not strictly followed in Kerala. There were many national referees in Kerala at that time. So I became a national referee only in 2004. This was after a fitness test, written test, practical test and also a viva.

How is it different – being a National referee?

One can supervise all matches held at the national level including Santosh Trophy and the I-league. Santosh Trophy was the

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first I refereed as national referee, officiating in the cluster matches in Trivandrum. But I could not go to many tournaments, as I was working as the caretaker here, and they would not give me leave. So I used to go for only those tournaments which would enable me to get back by nightfall.

Thus I could attend only two tournaments outside Kerala till 2009. I would get posting orders, but I just could not go.

In 2009, the state club championship was held in Thiruvalla (a nearby town). I refereed in that tournament including the final. Then Michael Andrews, a FIFA referee told me: “You should take this seriously.

You should go outside the state to supervise championships. Or else, you ought to give up” I thus went to Silchar in Assam for the cluster league qualifiers for the I-League in 2009. I was allotted only one match initially.

But a couple of senior referees there told me that if I perform well I would get more matches.

The first one was between George Telegraph and ONGC. It was a good match. Then a referee from Kerala, who was in the Elite panel of national referees, told me that I had performed well and would get one more match. I got a chance to referee the decider. This was sort of a take-off for me.

How did the FIFA appointment come about?

In the 2009 Santosh Trophy, I was the central referee in the match between Tamilnadu and Bengal, in Chennai. A penalty was awarded towards the end of the match against the hosts, who eventually lost the match.

From the television replays, it was confirmed that my decision was correct. This match proved to be a turning point. I was immediately

In Malabar area club tournaments, the gate collection itself amounts to two to three lakh rupees.

But the referees are not even given a bottle of mineral water, let alone a meal.

offered the semifinal match. But I could not referee the match, as I had to get back to my caretaker's job. It was after all my only livelihood.

My name was then forwarded to the FIFA selection committee.

But then, there was an objection - I had never till then officiated in I-league matches. So I was given an I-League assignment. The first was a match between Salgaonkar vs Mahindra, held in Goa. This was followed by another match - it was a derby – between Sporting Goa and Salgaonkar. Thus I got the FIFA badge in 2011.

How many years is the FIFA badge for?

Just one year. Then one has to undergo the tests once again.

Fitness and everything else, 48 |www.indiatogether.org| 01 May 2013

especially performance, is very important for selection each year.

One has to be active, especially, when one is aging. Now, the trend is to catch them young . Even 1718 year olds are encouraged and trained to become referees.

Are you eyeing the elite panel?

I cannot become a member of the elite panel, because in 2011, the year in which I became a FIFA referee, the rules were changed.

Only those below 35 could become an elite. I was already 36 then.

How many FIFA contracted referees are there in India?

Only three. Even this is for the first time. The contract is for seven months. Rs 25000 every month.

One has to referee a minimum of 20 matches. When you do more than that, you get a match fee for those matches and airfare to the city where the match is taking place.

How much did you get for a match as a national referee, before you became a FIFA badge holder?

Rs 400 as Dearness Allowance (DA) for a day. No match fee.

So, that was the disincentive for your not going for the Santosh Trophy semi-final?

Yes, it certainly was. It is much worse in Kerala tournaments. Rs 125 is the payment. In Malabar area club tournaments, the gate collection itself amounts to two to three lakh rupees. But the referees are not even given a bottle of mineral water, let alone a meal.

All expenses have to be met from one’s own pocket. One still does all these, because of the interest in the game.

What about the payments that players receive in the I-league?

The minimum amount for a player is Rupees 5 lakh, but almost everyone gets much more than

that, on an average Rupees 25 lakh.

How many members are there in your household?

My father died a year ago. Now, my mother, wife and two children aged six and two.

Does your wife work?

She used to, in a private firm.

But after the birth of our second child, she gave it up. Of course, it had an effect on the household income.

Hence, the auto-rickshaw?

Yes, the income from this caretakers's job is too meagre for a family of five. So I took a loan, pledged whatever gold my wife had, my brother-in-law too chipped in with a sum, and I purchased a diesel auto-rickshaw.

I told the apartment people that I would have to double time with this auto rickshaw or else I would quit the job there. They agreed.

So I combine both and somehow manage now.

So in this context, your getting the FIFA badge and the contract has been a great thing?

Indeed, it is. Money is important, but equally or more important is the recognition, affection and respect that this position brings with it. Take, for example, the evening before a match. The management of the teams meet, the referee and other match officials are present. The preparations for the next day, the colour of the jersey etc. are discussed and finalized. I never dreamt that I would ever really be involved in such things.

Everyone connected to the game feels that I am the most unlucky referee in India because I can never get into the elite panel, even though I am perfectly qualified for that. But I am content with what I have been able to achieve. Even that, I feel is a bonus.

When I am in Calcutta, journalists come and ask me for interviews; they ask me, “Dada, you have managed two East Bengal-Mohan Bagan matches, one in the IFA shield and the other in the I-League, without any incidents, how did you do it?” I’m happy hearing this.

When our team, the two assistant referees and I, leave the ground after the match, it is with applause that spectators greet us.

This is the greatest recognition that I can get. It is an acknowledgment that we have been impartial and fair. Mind you, this comes from a crowd which is overwhelmingly partisan. Of course, the players too co-operate, otherwise it would never have been possible.

The other day I told journalists, “You see, even if everything goes smoothly for 119 minutes and a small decision in the 120th minute goes wrong, the referee will be remembered for that, and not for the 119 minutes. So please leave me alone, no interviews.”

But do you never feel disillusioned or let down by the scenario in Indian sports where an avid sportsperson like you gets absolutely no support from the establishment at the earlier stages of his career and is forced to make ends meet by doing all kinds of odd jobs?

Well, I’ve certainly undergone all those emotions. But more than any anger or disillusionment, what one feels is an intense kind of helplessness. As a young person one has only passion and nothing else to carry on with the game. But I never let myself be bogged down by that kind of sentiment. One has to move on, hasn't he?

And then there are many who just have to give up sporting activity altogether. You must have heard of several budding athletes 01 May 2013 |www.indiatogether.org| 49

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and footballers who could not carry on beyond school or college level. I could at least remain on the football ground, even though wearing a different uniform.

What is your opinion about the general treatment meted out to sportsmen in India? Of course, my question excludes cricket and a handful of Olympians...

Pathetic is the only word to describe it. Right from basic facilities, advanced training to remuneration and other incentives, sportspersons are a neglected lot.

So, what could be changed and how?

Ideally support from the society and the government has to come at every level. Sporting activity should never be seen as ‘extra curricular activity’. It should be part of the education system and a natural part of ‘growing up’ of a person. Why speak more about it, let there at least be good football grounds, the most primary requirement!

How do you look at the overall future of Indian football?

I’d say that the prospects are bright. The FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) are taking interest in the development of the game in India. The number of teams in the I-League is being increased to 16, which means the number of games will increase down the line from the qualification rounds. There will be much more football activity. More players and more referees will be required.

P N Venugopal is an independent journalist with The Quest Features and Footage, Kochi.

GENDER JUSTICE

>>Continued from pg43 >>

the beginning of the end of the violence.

5. You have been a staunch supporter of media and pop culture as a trigger for change.

"Man ki Manjeerein" almost proved your stance on this, with the kind of support and discourse it generated...but since then, we have not really seen a major initiative in that space. Any reasons?

I think Mann ke Manjeere proved that pop culture, art and media could reach audiences on a mass scale with a message of dignity, equality and justice, but I feel as if a number of our campaigns since then have achieved this as well. For instance, Bell Bajao has become both metaphor and meme, popping up in soap opera plots and on Kaun Banega Crorepati, India’s premier quiz show (the one featured in Slumdog Millionaire). We have also accumulated numerous individual stories of change: men who tell our trained “rights reporters” about how they themselves have “rung the bell” or otherwise acted to interrupt violence in their homes and communities.

Media that is lively and accessible — with a focus on storytelling — has the power to make human rights real and relevant to people, especially people who may not have thought much about human rights to begin with. Breakthrough uses media and pop culture to — quite literally — bring human rights issues and values home: to inspire conversation about dignity, equality and justice around dinner tables, living rooms and anywhere else people share ideas.

6. Any change, especially in an issue such as violence against women, would entail a Sociocultural as well as a Legal angle. Do you think there has to be any certain sequence in that?

While legislation and laws are needed, and indeed important, I really do believe you have to start with the cultural change I’ve been talking about. The problem is not just that violence against women is common.

The problem is that it is accepted. If a woman is raped or beaten, she’s thought to have done something to “ask for” or “deserve” it. Street harassment is simply as common as, well, walking down the street. Domestic violence behind closed doors is “none of our business.”

Law and policy will not — by themselves — change any of that. What will cause the true tipping point?

Profound changes in action, attitude and culture.

We have seen that laws, courts, and cops are not enough. We need individual and community action to challenge the habits and norms that perpetuate violence. Men, their allies, and their actions, can create that global tipping point today. With men as

leaders and partners, we can build a world in which women are safe -- and in which all of us live freely, fully, and without fear.

7. Finally, could you tell us some more about Breakthrough's Indian Office and what it's working on?

In addition to its work with the global launch of Ring the Bell, the India office has been working tirelessly on issues of early marriage and sex-selective elimination. We also work on the ground in selected places in India to educate women and families about the services and legal recourse available to them, and work with local and government agencies to make sure they can and do deliver those services.

For me, I think it’s about understanding that violence against women, and gender inequity as a whole, is a global, universal pandemic. In the United States, in India, in Senegal, all over Europe, wherever.

Human rights is about dignity, equality and justice.

It’s a universal concept, which means that all of us are entitled to live with dignity. And the only way we can ensure that all of us can live with dignity is to make sure that in our homes, in our families, and in our communities we make sure that equality and respect can thrive and grow.

50 |www.indiatogether.org| 01 May 2013

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